The Macon-Bibb County Animal Services shelter is at capacity, yet there are still reports of packs of stray dogs in Macon.
Strays have been a problem in Macon for at least a decade, said Sonja Adams, director of animal control. But the shelter was rarely full until recently. The county shelter receives about 1,500 emergency calls a month, often related to animal neglect, strays and safety. But it’s “impossible” to save all of the strays, Adams said. It’s unclear how many strays there are in Macon.
“It will take several years to reduce the stray population,” Adams said. “It’s not a quick fix.”
Adams said every call is taken seriously, but public safety and animal welfare must take priority. For example, dog attacks on people take priority over attacks on other animals.
A cub was reportedly bitten near the intersection of Cherry Avenue and Brentwood Avenue on Monday, Adams said. Her team brought the mother and four cubs to the shelter on Monday afternoon.
Would a larger animal shelter in Macon help?
The team only responds to reported cases and does not patrol for strays.
“I wish we could patrol and be proactive instead of reactive,” Adams said. “The goal is to get to a point where we can patrol and not just run from one emergency to the next.”
The facility normally houses about 80 dogs and 40 cats, according to Animal Services Captain Sean DeFoe. A larger shelter or more staff would make little difference in reducing the number of strays, he said.
The animal control department currently has five officers and three trainees. Last year, there was only one officer, DeFoe said.
“It’s a partnership between the community and animal control,” DeFoe said. “It’s about more than just getting dogs off the streets. It’s a public safety issue.”
Why are there so many strays in Macon?
According to Adams, poverty, illegal breeding and unneutered dogs contribute to the stray dog population in Macon.
Most people in Macon do not have a breeding license.
“I haven’t issued a breeding license in 10 years,” Adams said. “Nobody ever meets the requirements.”
The Georgia Department of Agriculture requires dog breeders to have a license if they produce more than one litter per year, but in Macon, a breeding license is required regardless of the number of litters.
The county also requires that most dogs, with some exceptions, be neutered or spayed.
A pet is legally one’s responsibility “as soon as you knowingly assume the care of an animal by housing, feeding and caring for it,” Adams said.
If a person takes care of a dog and does not have a breeding license, it is their responsibility to ensure that no other dog becomes pregnant – even if they claim it was an accident.
“People chain their dogs in the backyard and then say, ‘Well, I have a fence,'” Adams said. “Just because your dog is chained in your fenced yard and you’re like, ‘I don’t know how she got pregnant.’ Okay, I know.”
She said that male dogs can smell a female dog in heat from over three kilometers away.
“When we see a pack (of dogs) show up that we didn’t know about before, it’s generally because it’s a loose female dog that’s in heat and is attracting all the males to the yard,” Adams said.
She said adoptions are slow and most animal shelters across the country are booked at capacity. Stray pets are most common in Macon in the spring and fall, according to Adams.
Nearly 200 million stray dogs and even more stray cats are “part of the daily reality on the streets” across the country, according to a 2023 World Health Organization report.
The last resort
Pets are typically housed at the Macon Animal Shelter for 28 days before being euthanized. The shelter has about seven days to find an owner for a pet before it is made available for adoption.
During this time, the shelter calls animal rescues, adoptions and foster homes across the country and posts the animals on social media in hopes they will find homes before the deadline.
Although animal control cannot take every stray animal off the street and bring it to its facility, Adams encouraged people to still report all stray animals, saying that every report can help another case.
“The other day I was here until 10:30 p.m. calling people back on their cases,” Adams said through tears. “I wish it was that easy to grab dogs and take them to a home.”
Until the end of September, all adoption fees at the shelter, which are normally $100 for dogs and $75 for cats, are waived. This includes neutering, vaccinations and a microchip.
