Meet the AWA Exec!

Meet the lovely ladies of the AWA exec!



President
4th Year
International Affairs
Animal Welfare Work: Georgia Humane Society, Atlanta Humane Society, Fulton County Animal Services

(Pictured Left: McFly...)

Sari Wolmer
Public Relations
3rd Year
Sandy Springs, GA
Industrial Engineering
"Why do you care about animal welfare?: I've always loved animals. I grew up around people who really cared about animal welfare and really instilled that in me. I think it's super important to spread the word about animal welfare, animal rescue and adoption, and spay/neuter."
(Pictured Left: Sari's Foster Puppies!)

Rachel Fitzgerald
Treasurer
2nd Year
Stamford, CT
Biochemistry major
Career Ambition: Veterinarian
"I like being able to help those that can't speak for themselves, and working with animals brightens my day."

Pictured Left: Rachel and her kitty!

Melissa Spitzmiller
Secretary
4th year
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Environmental Engineering
Career Ambition: I want to get my Ph.D. and go into academia and research.
"Animals are not able to fully to take care of themselves in the man-made environment and I find it our duty to ensure that they are treated kindly and cared for, especially if we are going to keep them for pets. There is no excuse for animal cruelty and it is easy to prevent."
Pictured: Melissa's cats!

Successful Partnership

We have successfully partnered with Georgia Tech's own newspaper the Technique and with Fulton County Animal Services to donate old newspapers to the shelter for use as kennel liners. The first batch was delivered on Friday and we hope to continue it every Friday.

Fulton County Animal Services

Today, 7 of our members went to Fulton County Animal Services for their volunteer orientation. It was an eye opening experience for all. It was clear that they need volunteers to help them take care of both cats and dogs. We hope we can help make a difference.

According to Fulton County Animal Services:
"Fulton County Animal Services is managed by Barking Hound Village Foundation, Inc. Barking Hound Village Foundation, Inc. is a Georgia nonprofit corporation with 501(c)(3) status. We are under contract with Fulton County to provide animal care and control services through Fulton County Animal Services. Our mission is to save the lives of lost, abandoned and unwanted pets in Fulton County. We encourage on and off-site adoptions, work closely with rescue groups, and assist owners in locating lost pets.

We are working hard to support Fulton County citizens in caring for their companion pets through education on responsible pet ownership. We also offer training classes and pet retention counseling to help strengthen the human-animal bond. We at Barking Hound Village Foundation believe that pet overpopulation must be addressed in partnership with our Fulton County community. We encourage your participation at our shelter through our volunteer and foster programs."

Click Here to Learn More About Fulton County Animal Services

THIS CAT IS NOT LOST

11/16/09 will mark a day of flyering all around GT's campus in order to promote awareness for animal over population problems here in Atlanta. The "THIS CAT IS NOT LOST" campaign aims to draw attention to the fact that most animals that enter shelters do not make it out.

Chartered!

On Friday, November 6, 2009 the Animal Welfare Association at Georgia Tech became an official chartered GT Student Organization!!!

Some Appalling Stats From S.P.O.T. Society

Stopping Pet Overpopulation Together Society, Inc. (S.P.O.T. Society, Inc.) is an alliance of animal lovers, dog/cat rescuers and veterinarians working together to reduce the number of animals impounded and exterminated in Atlanta area shelters. They keep records of shelter statistics in metro Atlanta as seen below:


Basically:
-Over half the dogs brought in to Atlanta county shelters are euthanized
-Every 7/10 cats to enter our shelters is also euthanized
-Only one third of our dogs are adopted out
-Only one fourth of our cats are adopted out

In Fulton County:

Basically:
-Almost half of all animals (cats, dogs, other) that enter Fulton County are euthanized
-Only 17 percent of dogs get adopted
-Only 23 percent of cats get adopted
-Even though this data is from 2005, the problem has only gotten worse across all counties in Atlanta and in Georgia.

For more information about S.P.O.T. Society or other shelter stats:
http://www.spotsociety.org/

What does this mean?
-Keep ID on your pet or get them microchipped
-Shelters need our help bringing back focus to where it should be: SAVING ANIMALS!
-Spay or neuter ALL pets
-Be responsible with your pet

Our Own Blog!

We hope this blog will raise awareness about animal welfare issues at Georgia Tech, in Atlanta, and across the world!