Thank you for responding. (Most discussion of this post and its replies is on my Facebook page.)

I don’t question the intentions of your organization. Nor do I believe an application process isn’t appropriate. My recollection is that the Humane Society also requires that certain criteria be met to adopt a pet.

I do however find the extent of you application inquiry excessive. I think it should be up to the judgment of the pet owner whether a cat is allowed outside or whether it needs a “companion animal,” for example. There is something like an eerie classism in the assertion that if someone doesn’t like your process, they should visit the Humane Society instead.

The issue here for me is the way some people feel treated by your organization — and it’s not just me — and that is not a problem that should be overlooked because of your good intentions. It’s not bashing. My further concern, as I said, is that you keep cats in cages for weeks at a time when obviously competent people try to adopt them.

Thanks again for responding and for the work you do.

An interview with Edmund White, Rimbaud’s latest biographer, raises an unexpected question…..

As the founder and executive director of Furkids, it is my responsibility and privilege to respond to your comments about your experience with our organization.

First, I would like to clarify a couple of factual points. Spanky arrived at the adoption center on March 18. The first applicant applied on March 19. Unfortunately, his application was incorrectly faxed in by our volunteer and therefore we were not aware of it until several days later. We have spoken with him and resolved the matter and he understands the situation.

Please know that it is never our intent to disappoint or hurt anyone. Our mission is about saving homeless animals from the street, from kill shelters, from homes that can no longer care for them. Since our inception in 2002, close to 6,000 animals have been saved, vetted, altered and adopted into loving homes. We are the largest animal shelter in Georgia, caring for over 400 animals on a daily basis, with an annual operating budget of approximately $350,000. We have three full-time employees, a part-time veterinarian and veterinary technician, and about 200 active volunteers. We provide for our animals everything they need, including dental work, extensive surgeries, etc. It is our honor to serve the many animals that come through our doors and to serve our community.

Please allow me to give you some history about how Furkids was started, as I think it is important to know who we are. On October 11, 2001, I discovered a mother cat and her three kittens in my backyard. I searched for days for a shelter to take them in and was unsuccessful in finding one that would guarantee that they would not be euthanized. I realized the terrible pet overpopulation problem that exists in Georgia, and believing wholeheartedly I had found my calling in life, I gave up a lucrative career to start Furkids and put my life’s savings into starting it up. The sacrifices that I have made and those of the many wonderful people of Furkids are too numerous to list, but it is our blessing to be in a position to serve these amazing animals. The mom cat that I rescued from my yard, I later learned through research, had been adopted as a kitten from Atlanta Humane. There was no follow up done to ensure that the adopter had her spayed. The adopter allowed her to be an indoor/outdoor cat and she became pregnant. He then moved away and left her alone, homeless with four kittens. One died from starvation before they made it to my backyard.

So yes, Furkids has an application process and for good reason. It is our goal to ensure that our animals are going into homes that will make a lifetime commitment to them. That will provide their medical care, shelter and food. That will respect them and love them. Because of the great efforts we make to ensure their health and wellbeing, it is our obligation to secure them a good home. We work hard to be respectful of everyone’s opinion and if we differ, we encourage them to adopt from a kill shelter and save a life. Yes, most applicants are well intentioned and very competent. They are good people – we aren’t saying that the applicants we deny are not good people. We just have a differing of opinion.

Our animals are housed in either our 5,000 sq. ft. cage free facility located in Gwinnett County, our foster homes, or at one of seven full-time adoption centers that we operate throughout Metro-Atlanta. We rotate our cats through our adoption centers where they stay for a few weeks and can meet the public. If not adopted, they are returned to the shelter or a foster home. We could not possibly afford these retail spaces and the valuable opportunity they provide for the public to interact with them and consider them for adoption. We are very grateful to PetSmart and Petco for providing these areas for our shelter and the many other rescues and shelters out there.

Furkids is one of the only shelters in the Southeast that will take in FIV positive cats (feline AIDS) and we have approximately 30 of them currently. While veterinarians and other shelters encourage euthanasia, we are the shelter that works hard to educate the public about this virus and that it is not necessary to kill these cats. They can live long healthy lives.

To Stan’s comment about shelters charging too much for adoption or more than others, our adoption fee is $85 for cats one year and older. This includes the cat being fixed, tested, all vaccines, microchipped, flea treated, dewormed and whatever else they need. To get that done retail at a vet would be at least $300-400. This doesn’t even include our overhead to ensure the cat’s health and wellbeing and provide the cat for adoption. I respectfully ask Stan to reconsider adopting from a shelter.

Yes, there are some bad rescues out there. Furkids is not one of them. We will make mistakes and we always want to do better. We are sincerely sorry for your disappointment with our organization. We are very well intentioned and we are worthy of kindness and understanding. If you knew the inner-workings of animal sheltering at Furkids and the other reputable shelters in town, you would have a better appreciation of our challenges and accomplishments.

Animal shelters in Georgia continue to suffer greatly due to the economy. Yet the work we do must go on. Just last week, we agreed to temporarily house five cats for a woman that lost her home. We fully vetted them for her at our expense. None were fixed or vaccinated. This is just one of the valuable services we provide members of the community. We really do work hard to be of assistance and we ask for your reconsideration.

Please do not continue with the bashing of this fine and loving organization. Our good works and the quality of our organization far outweigh the mistakes we have made or any misunderstandings that have taken place. Know that we strive to do better and we will take what we need to from this experience and learn from it so that we can better serve our animals and our community.

I welcome the chance to speak in person with you and to give you a tour of our wonderful shelter someday. Again, we are sorry you did not have a positive experience and we hope one day we will have the opportunity to change your perception of our organization.

Respectfully submitted,

Samantha Shelton
Furkids Executive Director & Founder

@Stan: Apparently, my experience is business as usual. I’ll never adopt from them, not that I qualify.

so, in case you’re serious about this question: it’s a head with an x-ray skeleton. you can see the mouth screaming. it’s pretty cool, its one of the first things i recognized with your article. you are missed.