DOGS JUST
WANT LOVE AND
AFFECTION,
I’D SAY EVEN
MORE SO WHEN
THEY’RE OLDER.
THEY’RE NO
DIFFERENT
THAN HUMANS.”
Mostly Mutts
Executive Director
Tammy Turley
APRIL 2021 | COBB LIFE 135
Opposite page and above: Mostly Mutts Executive Director gets some snuggle time in with her dog, Jag, a
special needs dog she rescued through the shelter. Turley said the organization has approximately
160 dogs and cats that are currently available for adoption.
or injured, making them less likely to
be adopted and therefore moments
away from being put to sleep.
“Because the shy dogs are sitting
in the back of the corner, somebody
else is probably not going to walk
through and and adopt those dogs,”
Turley said. “But we know that they’re
shy because they’re at animal control,
and they’re scared. Once they’re
brought in and shown love and
attention, they come out of that more
adoptable.”
The Mostly Mutts organizations
deals mainly with those types of dogs,
as well as those who are seniors,
special needs and/or in need of a great
deal of veterinary care. Dr. Sarah
Grace Hajjar with Kennesaw Mountain
Veterinary Services visits the
shelter once a week to provide intake
services and treat the animals who
need veterinary care.
“Normally, these dogs have been
somebody’s pet before and that
person had to go into a retirement
home and can’t take it or just don’t
want it anymore, for whatever
reason,” said Turley, who has three
special needs dogs of her own. “Most
of them live an average of 15 years,
which really isn’t that long, and then
to give up on them in their later years
is just so sad. You see these old dogs
at the shelters who are scared to death
because they’ve never been in that
loud of an environment before. Dogs
just want love and affection, I’d say
even more so when they’re older.
They’re no different than humans.”
Turley said the coronavirus
pandemic actually increased their
adoptions in 2020, as people were
home more often and either wanted a
companion or felt they had the time
to train and adapt to a new pet. The
adoption rate was up 20% last year,
even with the shelter being closed for
nine weeks during quarantine. Mostly
Mutts found 827 pets homes, and
have found 127 pets homes in January
and February of 2021 alone. Turley
said they also have many more foster
families giving their time and homes
for the animals that are ready to be
adopted.
“I think one thing that makes us