Cherokee animal shelter has Amazon ‘wish list’ for 300-plus dogs

Dogs removed from a wooded Cherokee County property near Cumming are being housed and cared for at the Cherokee County Animal Shelter. Citing deplorable living conditions, officials removed more than 350 dogs from the property. The removal prompted the animal shelter to close for the day so workers could assess the animals, many who are carrying puppies. BRANT SANDERLIN /BSANDERLIN@AJC.COM

Dogs removed from a wooded Cherokee County property near Cumming are being housed and cared for at the Cherokee County Animal Shelter. Citing deplorable living conditions, officials removed more than 350 dogs from the property. The removal prompted the animal shelter to close for the day so workers could assess the animals, many who are carrying puppies. BRANT SANDERLIN /BSANDERLIN@AJC.COM

The hundreds of dogs removed from a Cherokee County home can’t be adopted yet, the county’s shelter director said Monday. But if you’d like to help the shelter care for its newest four-legged arrivals, there’s no better time.

“The community support has been overwhelming,” Susan Garcia, the shelter’s director, said.

Monetary donations are welcome. And to make it easier for anyone wanting to help, the shelter has created an online "wish list" on Amazon.com.

“We prefer that because we won’t get items we don’t need right now,” Garcia told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “But everything will be used at some point.”

On July 15, 357 dogs were found living in filth on a wooded property near the Forsyth County line, The AJC previously reported. Since then, more puppies have been born and more are on the way, Garcia said.

The Cherokee County Marshal’s Office is investigating the dogs’ alleged deplorable living conditions. But no charges have been filed in the case, a spokeswoman said Monday.

Until any pending legal issues are resolved, none of the rescued dogs can be adopted from the shelter. If the animals are able to be adopted in the future, the shelter will announce it ahead of time, Garcia said. For now, the dogs will call the shelter home.

“They’re happy,” Garcia said. “They all have their beds and toys and things that people are donating.”