On a recent afternoon, I found myself with some spare time when an appointment had to cancel. Since I was in midtown, I decided to drop by Atlanta Pet Rescue to say hello and see if they had enough copies of Critter Chatter. They share a building on 14th Street with a doggie day care/boarding facility, and in front of the building is a fenced area. In it were about 20 small dogs running around and playing together and having a good time. I assumed that they must be daycare dogs because so many of them were purebreds and they were all nice looking, well behaved and seemed to be well-adjusted. It turned out that they were all rescue dogs available for adoption. It was the bestlooking group of rescue dogs I had ever seen.

I spoke with Michele Ray, the shelter manager, and she says that they get a lot of dogs like that, purebreds and doodles alike, but that fortunately they are highly adoptable and most find new homes pretty quickly. Michele mentioned that they are getting more owner turn-ins lately from people who decide that they no longer want a dog, or at least not this particular dog.

The reasons for turning them in range from the reasonable to the really lame. In some cases the dog did not get along with children, and this is not unusual. Small children and small dogs often don't do well together, and most rescue groups will not adopt a small dog into a family with young children. Atlanta Pet Rescue also has a nice selection of bigger dogs. About half of the dogs and cats they care for are in foster homes and are only available for adoption on Saturdays. The shelter is located on 14th Street between Northside Drive and Howell Mill Road. Adoptions are held Tuesday-Friday from 10-3 and Saturday from 1-4. You can visit them online at www.atlantapetrescue.org or call the shelter at 404-815-6680.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN Second Chance Animal Rescue and Adoption has the harder job. They rescue animals from “death row”at area animal control facilities, the ones for whom time has run out and who are about to be executed for the crime of being born. The founder and president of Second Chance, Jo Lynn VanCamp (who is clearly destined for sainthood) believes that every animal deserves a second chance and works tirelessly to give one to as many as she and her group can. Some of the dogs and cats they take in have been abused or neglected, or have medical problems that need attention. They receive everything they need at the shelter north of Atlanta or in one of the foster homes provided by supporters of the group. They are given the care that they should have gotten all along and those that need help with socialization and/or training get it. The shelter is in Canton and most people won’t go that far, so when the animals are ready to find a new home they are taken to adoptions at area pet stores, usually in the northern suburbs.

Not every dog or cat can be a celebrity or movie star, but you wouldn't know it from the names many of these animals are given at Second Chance Animal Rescue. If you think that you would like to be that second chance for one of these animals, you can go online at www.secondchancedogs.org for their adoption schedule and to learn more about them.

These are just two of the many animal rescue groups in the area that work so hard to take in, care for, and find homes for the thousands of unwanted dogs, cats and other animals that the area produces. As hard as they all work, they are fighting an uphill battle, and will be until attitudes change around here and responsible pet ownership is more than just a suggestion, and until living creatures are given greater value than a styrofoam cup.