Public steps up to adopt all 20 dogs set to be euthanized at Georgia shelter

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. (WGCL/Gray News) – All 20 dogs that were set to be euthanized at a Georgia animal shelter have been adopted, thanks to news coverage and social media sharing.

The Clayton County Animal Shelter said it had more dogs than it could handle and would have to increase its euthanasia rate if relief didn’t come soon.

Although the shelter is often full, the number of dogs filling the cages reached an “unsustainable” level this summer, animal control said.

Twenty dogs were set for euthanasia if they were not adopted or fostered by 1 p.m. Thursday. Many of them have special needs and had been in the shelter for “a large amount of time,” animal control said.

After WGCL reported on the shelter’s desperate plea for adopters, the public stepped up and emptied the cages. All 20 of the dogs found forever homes or foster homes just in time.