Pets & Animals

Local Heroes Come to Animals’ Rescue

Published

6 years ago

April 6, 2019

Peachtree Corners Magazine staff

Two groups that that save animal lives

After losing the German Shepherd rescue dog she’d loved for a decade when he died suddenly, Debbie Robinson said she’d never own another dog.

She decided that, when she was emotionally ready, she would instead foster homeless dogs at her Peachtree Corners home. She already had an organization in mind — Canine Pet Rescue (CPR), a Dacula-based nonprofit that rescues German Shepherds and other herding breeds from kill shelters in the South.

Robinson and many other local residents are saving animals’ lives through CPR and other groups such as Furkids, an Atlanta-based animal rescue and shelter nonprofit that operates a thrift store in Peachtree Corners.

About a dozen Peachtree Corners residents, including CPR’s adoption coordinator Therese Aleman and foster coordinator Lila Hunter, volunteer or foster with CPR. Some of these volunteers and other local residents have adopted dogs through the organization, which helped find permanent homes for 100 dogs last year, Aleman said.

Samantha Shelton, CEO and founder of the Furkids animal rescue and shelter program, holds a puppy available for adoption while visiting Furkids’ new property in Cumming.
SPECIAL

Meeting Maui

Robinson visited CPR two days after Dante died in July 2017 to donate his unopened medicine. She let the group know she was interested in fostering but said she was not “100 percent ready.”

That resistance evaporated quickly. In September, she and her husband Barry accepted their first foster dog. In October, several foster dogs later, they took in the dog they could not part with — a thin, approximately 1-year-old German Shepherd they named Maui.

“For the first week, whenever she found a corner to hide in, that’s what she would do,” Robinson said.

The following week they got a call that someone was interested in adopting Maui. By that time, she had begun to allow the Robinsons to pet her and show her love.

“I just looked at Barry and said, ‘I can’t go through this again,“ Robinson said. Maui had found her new permanent home, and she’d brought with her a startling surprise.

Barry and Debbie Robinson.
Debbie and Barry Robinson’s dog Maui, with her nine newborn puppies in 2017. They first fostered then adopted her through Canine Pet Rescue of Dacula.
Debbie and Barry Robinson kept one of their rescue dog Maui’s nine puppies. Maui’s son Hobie is behind her on the lawn.
Debbie and Barry Robinson’s dog Dante, a German Shepherd rescue dog who died in 2017 after 10 years with the family.

Two weeks after arriving at the Robinsons’ home, Maui was at a vet’s office to be spayed when it was discovered that she was pregnant. She gave birth a week and a half later to 11 puppies. Eight males and one female, who was blind, survived.

CPR told the Robinsons they were willing to take the puppies off their hands, but the Robinsons chose to foster them all until they were old enough to be adopted out — a minimum of 10 weeks by CPR’s rules.

“We had a rip-roaring time,” Robinson said, of those days.

By last March, seven of the puppies had been adopted by families who regularly send the Robinsons pictures and news of them. The female dog was adopted by a service in Alabama that trained her to be a therapy dog.

The Robinsons kept one of the puppies and named him Hobie.
“I don’t think I would have made it through Dante’s passing if it hadn’t been for these dogs,” Robinson said. “I feel like Dante is back with me through Hobie.”

CPR always has about 20 to 24 dogs available for adoption, housing them in foster homes and in a kennel at the horse farm of Carla Brown, a Gwinnett County State Court judge who founded CPR 10 years ago, in April 2009.

Brown said the Robinsons are “amazing.”

“They really threw themselves into the organization in a way I know they didn’t intend to do, and they really went into it with their whole heart,” she said.

CPR is all-volunteer and privately funded through donations. It’s a “a tiny rescue that does huge things,” including taking on large cases that some national rescues have turned their backs on, Brown said.

She then shared one of her organization’s mantras. “Saving one dog will not change the world,” Brown said, “but for that dog, the world will change forever.”

Second-hand savior

Furkids serves thousands of animals each year in what they say is the largest cage-free, no-kill shelter in the Southeast for rescued cats and at Sadie’s Place, a no-kill shelter for dogs.

The group subsists on donations and with proceeds from its thrift stores, including a 9,000-square-foot store in Peachtree Corners that sells a wide variety of donated, gently used, merchandise.

Samantha Shelton, the group’s founder and CEO and a Peachtree Corners resident, is grateful to her community for supporting the thrift store since 2007.

“It’s been a tremendous source of revenue to support our program and to help us save lives,” Shelton said. “Every time you donate an item from your home or come shopping with us, you’re truly saving an animal’s life.”

Furkids has rescued and altered more than 30,000 animals since its founding in 2002. About 1,000 animals are in the program today in Furkids shelters, PetSmart and Petco adoption centers and more than 400 foster homes.

Last year, Furkids bought nine acres in Cumming, at 5235 Union Hill Road, to consolidate its shelters onto one property. Also last year, the group launched its “TransFur” transport service, taking rescue animals from kill shelters across Georgia to no-kill shelters in Northern states, where there is high demand for adoptable animals. So far, 1,300 cats and dogs have been transported, Shelton said.

“We’ve done some amazing life-saving throughout metro Atlanta and all across Georgia and it’s really because of the community support that we’ve been able to save as many lives as we’ve been able to,” Shelton said. “We’re excited for the future.”

Learn More Here

Canine Pet Rescue — P.O. Box 248, Lawrenceville, Ga. 30046, 1-855-435-7473, caninepetrescue.com.

Furkids Thrift Store — 4015 Holcomb Bridge Road, Suite 400, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30092, 770-817-1405, furkids.org. Furkids’ cat shelter is just outside Peachtree Corners at 2650 Pleasantdale Road. Its dog shelter is in Alpharetta at 1520 Union Hill Road. Furkids also has thrift stores in Marietta and Lawrenceville. ■

Related Topics:Featured Furkids pet adoption pet rescue

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Doing Good

Pickle for Pups Combines Pickleball, Parties and Fun for a Worthy Cause

Published

1 week ago

October 1, 2024

Shawne Taylor

The two-day event aims to raise funds for local dog rescue

Show off your pickleball skills, cheer on the players, meet fellow dog lovers and enjoy the beautiful facility and courts at Life Time Health & Fitness Center in Peachtree Corners at the second annual Pickle for Pups fundraising weekend.

large outdoor facility with tennis and pickleball courts — Life Time pickleball courts, courtesy of Pickle for Pups

Whether you’re a tournament-level player or a pickleball beginner, this two-day event offers fun for everyone. With exciting games, drills and open play; a Friday night party; Saturday team tournament; and an online raffle, it’s a great way to meet and mingle with other pickleball enthusiasts while supporting the work done by BarkVille Dog Rescue.

Weekend events

The festivities kick off on Friday, November 15 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. with an evening of food, drinks, live music and pickleball. The Life Time pros will offer clinics and drills, and other courts will be available for open play. Some of the rescue’s adorable, adoptable dogs will even be onsite for the fun.

dog on a leash wearing a halo — photo courtesy of Pickle for Pups

Saturday, November 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. will feature the team tournament with two divisions: 3.0/3.5 and 4.0/4.5. Matches will include one men’s line, one women’s line and two mixed lines. The top four teams in each level will advance to the medal round, and medals for the top three teams in each division will be awarded.

Participants can form their own team or ask to be placed on a team at their level.

Team tournament players will receive a boxed lunch, and food will also be available for purchase at the club restaurant.

In addition to tournament play, beginners clinics and drills will be offered from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., and open play will be available for those who can’t commit to the full afternoon but still want to have some pickleball fun.

There will be nine courts available for Friday night and 12 courts for Saturday. All courts are permanent pickleball courts and indoor courts are also available, so the event will be held rain or shine.

Ticket options

The Drinks & Dinks pass includes entrance to the Friday evening party (complete with food, drink, live music and pickleball), as well as entry on Saturday for open play, clinics and drills. Cost: $50.

The Top Dog “Team Up for Rescue” tournament pass is for people playing in the team tournament and includes registration for all of the action on Saturday as well as the Friday night party and an event swag bag. Cost: $75.

Both ticket options allow you to come both days or just one day.

large outdoor pickleball court facility — photo courtesy of Pickle for Pups

The raffle

Pickle for Pups is also holding a raffle featuring amazing prizes, including an all-inclusive trip for two to the Caribbean, a Zane Navratil ProXR paddle and virtual lesson, gift cards to local restaurants and more.

New prizes will be added weekly leading up to the event. Raffle tickets can be purchased online through November 16. The drawing will be held that day at 3:00 p.m.

Ten raffle entries are $25; 140 entries can be purchased for $200. Other entry packages are available for $50 and $100 as well.

The details

Event dates: November 15-16

Location: Life Time Health Club & Fitness Center at 6350 Courtside Dr. NW, Peachtree Corners, GA

For more information or to make a donation, purchase event tickets or buy raffle entries, visit go.rallyup.com/pickleforpups2024.

For more about BarkVille Dog Rescue, visit barkvilledogrescue.org.

Information about Life Time in Peachtree Corners can be found at lifetime.life/locations/ga/peachtree-corners.

Pets & Animals

Pets and Their People Giveaway 2024

Published

2 months ago

August 11, 2024

Peachtree Corners Magazine staff

The Peachtree Corners Magazine annual giveaway and celebration of pets and their people

We love our pets, fur kids, companions, darlings, and all-around special family members. We’d like you to share a picture of yourself and your pet—or pets—with us. Submit your image by uploading it through our giveaway app (to make sure you get it) or from any one of three sources: Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Grand Prize

3-month free Care Club Membership with a Scenthound Johns Creek Central gift basket. (Value $335)
My Pet Vet – One free basic puppy or adult dog wellness plan (Value $597)
$75 Amazon Gift Card

Second Prize

My Pet Vet – 10 free nights of boarding (Value $525)
Pet Wants $100 Digital Gift Card for use on https://petwantsjohnscreek.com/shop_home/johnscreek(Value $100)
$50 Amazon Gift Card

Third Prize

$100 Visa Gift Card from Waggles Puppy Boutique
$200 Amazon Gift Card

It’s easy to enter with the app below. First, submit a picture of you and your pet(s), then enter your name and email.

Scroll Down to ENTER

Once you’ve done that, you have opened another 7 ways to gain entry points. The more entry points you have, the more possibility you have of winning! (Note: Entry points are not the number of entrants in the giveaway.)

The giveaway starts Monday, August 12, at 11:59 pm and ends on Thursday, September 12th, 11:59 PM

Please note that you must complete the entry options for your entry to be valid. You must also own the image rights for the images you submit.

Any images submitted may be used in our magazine for the Pets & Their People feature and in social media posts promoting the giveaway. Check the rest of the terms and conditions.

Community

PCBA Awards $500 to Furkids at March Networking Event

Published

1 year ago

April 12, 2023

Peachtree Corners Magazine staff

Photos by Richard Phillips

The Peachtree Corners Business Association (PCBA) March Business After Hours Event was action packed with opportunities for business networking at Anderby Brewing. Everyone enjoyed new cocktails and specialty beers while enjoying dinner from Latin Fresh as well as axe throwing from Moving Target ATL NE.

The PCBA also presented a check of $500 to Furkids in support of their efforts to care for animals while helping to find their forever homes.

PCBA Networking Event at Anderby Brewing

“The PCBA is proud to donate a check for $500 to Samantha Shelton, CEO of Furkids in support of their efforts to rescue homeless animals, provide them with the best medical care and nurturing environment while working to find them a forever home,” said Lisa Proctor, PCBA President.

“Our Outreach Committee and Board are impressed with Furkids’ commitment to provide care and restoration for these special animals at their no kill shelters. With the PCBA’s continuous commitment to supporting our community in a meaningful way, we are excited to be a small part of their efforts,” she added.

Headquartered in Georgia, Furkids is a nonprofit charitable organization that operates the largest cage-free, no-kill shelter in the Southeast for rescued cats, and Sadie’s Place, a no-kill shelter for dogs. Furkids also operates one of the only facilities in the Southeast dedicated to the care of FIV positive cats.

Furkids has rescued and altered more than 55,000 animals since its founding in 2002. Approximately 1,000 animals are in the Furkids program today, in the Furkids shelters, 10 PetSmart and Petco adoption centers, and more than 400 foster homes in the Atlanta area.

Funds for the PCBA Community Outreach program are raised throughout the year from PCBA membership, sponsorship and the annual charity event. Donations and scholarships are awarded at monthly events so members can learn more about these organizations.