1.      1. Why do I have to sign in before I can look at animals? We like to know who is on our property and why. Unfortunately, we have had some people come on to our property in the past with the intention of hurting our animals. Having visitors sign in first allows us to make sure no one has come to cause any problems. Additionally, we can ask visitors what they are interested in and help to direct them to the cages containing the animals which would best suit them.

2.      2. Why can’t I go into the back part of the OHS building? Previous management allowed visitors to enter the back part of our facility’s main building, but we do not. This is because the dogs we keep in the back part of the facility are not available for adoption. Some are sick, some are vicious, and some are under evaluation. As such, they cannot be shown to the general public. Additionally, our liability insurance currently does not cover anyone other than staff from entering the back area. If anything were to happen to a visitor in that section, we would not be covered by insurance.

3.       3. What is the adoption policy? In order to adopt a pet, you must come to our office and complete an adoption application. Once the application is completed, it must be approved by our director. Approval normally takes a minimum of 24 hours. Remember, you are adopting a pet, not buying one. Our goal is to ensure that all of our animals have loving quality homes, and as such, we thoroughly review your application. Once your application has been approved, you will be contacted. After you pay the adoption fee, the animal will be sent to a vet of your choice for spaying/neutering. After the surgery is complete, you will be able to collect your new pet directly from the vet and pay them directly for the operation ($40 for a neuter, and $70 for a spay, dog or cat, it doesn't matter).

4.      4. Why can’t I adopt a puppy or kitten less than 3 months old? Our policy is not to adopt any animal under three months old. This is because puppies and kittens under three months of age are highly susceptible to disease and illness, and we want to try our hardest to make sure that all animals adopted from OHS are healthy.

5.     5. What is the adoption fee, and why do you charge an adoption fee? We charge $45 for dogs and $45 for cats. This includes the cost of shots, wormer, dipping, bathing, etc. We are a non-profit organization and we pay the costs of shots/wormer, etc, out of our pocket. The adoption fee simply covers these costs. We have had to change our policy to a voucher system, but have managed to get the vets to secure us a set price for any animal adopted from us. Sadly, we have had to do this because of rising costs which we have in the past been absorbing ourselves.

6.     6. Why does OHS require that all animals adopted be spayed or neutered? This is a requirement of Georgia state law. The Georgia Department of Agriculture mandates that any shelter, rescue or humane society operating within the state of Georgia guarantee that any animal adopted out MUST be spayed or neutered. Failure to do so will result in the shelter losing its license and being closed down. Additionally, with the enormous number of homeless and unwanted pets in our area, we want to do our part to control the animal population – spaying and neutering is the best way to do this!

7.       7. I wanted to drop an animal off at the Okefenokee Humane Society, but was told I needed an appointment in order to do so. Why? The Okefenokee Humane Society tries its hardest to limit the number of animals it euthanizes. Additionally, we have been operating at maximum capacity for months. When any shelter is at maximum capacity, legally cannot accept any other animals until more space is made. Space is made in two ways: by adoption and by euthanasia. As adoption rates are really low these days, OHS is currently taking in animals by appointment only. This way we know how many animals will be coming in on a given day and can open spaces for them.

8.      8. How can I become a volunteer? We have a volunteer application that you can fill out. What we really need are people who can commit to a regular schedule and who can come in and help with cleaning, washing dishes and dogs, doing laundry, socializing animals, etc.

9     9. What is your contact information? We can be reached by telephone at 912-283-4214, and we are located at 1501 Blackwell St. in Waycross, GA. We are open to the public Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:30pm. Remember, you must have an appointment to drop off animals, even if they are strays (see above). You can see us online at http://www.okefenokeehumanesociety.org.