Thank you for thinking of Georgia Peach Pug Rescue regarding the stray or abandoned animal you found. We appreciate that you are invested in the safety and well-being of animals in your community. Because many people are not familiar with the Georgia laws surrounding stray or abandoned animals, we wanted to provide some guidance as you navigate how to proceed.

 

• In the state of Georgia, when a stray or abandoned animal (hereinafter referred to as “the Animal”) is found, the person who found the Animal (hereinafter referred to as “the Finder”) is legally required to report the finding to the animal control or shelter in the county where the Animal was found. The Finder is not entitled to keep the Animal or give the Animal away to anyone, including a rescue organization, because the Animal is not the legal property of the Finder. The Finder is also not entitled to independently decide to hold or foster the Animal for the duration of the county hold period and then claim that the Animal is now their property. So, after safely securing the Animal, as soon as permitted by operating hours, the Finder must notify the appropriate animal control/shelter.
• The animal control/shelter will ask the Finder to bring the Animal in to be scanned for a microchip. If a microchip is found, and if the microchip is registered, the animal control/shelter will attempt to contact the owner on file. Once the Animal has been documented by the animal control/shelter as found, a state-mandated hold period officially begins. Please note that the hold periods vary by county and could range from 3-10 days depending on where the Animal was found.
• The animal control/shelter may require that the Finder leave the stray at their facility for the duration of the hold period, or they may allow the Finder or a licensed rescue organization to foster the Animal offsite during this period. This is not a decision that the Finder makes independently; rather, the decision is made by the animal control/shelter and the Finder must comply. Regardless, this formal documentation by the animal control/shelter is the only way to legally begin the process that will result in the true owner’s rights to ownership of the Animal being terminated if they do not come forward to re-claim the Animal by the end of the hold period.
• Following the duration of the hold, if the true owner has not come forward to claim the Animal, the county animal control/shelter can legally move forward with either adopting the Animal out or transferring the Animal to a rescue organization that is registered with the state of Georgia and licensed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The transfer is a formal process by which the legal rights to the pet are signed over to the rescue organization. Each animal control/shelter has their own processes, so when the Finder reaches out to the appropriate animal control/shelter, they will need to inquire about that county’s specific protocol(s).

To recap, in the state of Georgia, animals are considered property and are the property of the true owner no matter what length of time has passed – unless a specific process is followed. If this process is not followed, the true owner is within their rights to take legal action against the Finder. Legally, Georgia Peach Pug Rescue cannot accept a stray or abandoned directly from the Finder. However, when the Finder notifies the animal control/shelter they can inquire as to whether the animal control/shelter would be open to rescue assistance.

 

Please note that while we wish the best for all animals, we are a breed-specific rescue, meaning that our organization’s founding documents and bylaws stipulate that our funds will be used for the rescue and rehabilitation of pugs and pug mixes. If the Finder has not found either a pug or pug mix, we will be unable to help. If the Finder has found a pug or pug mix, and the animal control/shelter is open to rescue assistance, the Finder can reach out to us with the specific case information and, if we have the space and available funds, we are happy to step in. If we are at capacity or unable to help, we will always check in with the other local pug rescue(s).

 

jen@georgiapeachpugrescue.com

404-426-6226