DEL.ICIO.USThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/28/08
Samantha Shelton's hazel eyes grow big as she hears, for the first time, music in the air at Furkids, Georgia's largest cage-free, no-kill pet shelter she and her army of volunteers built in a warehouse off Pleasantdale Road.
She's standing in the largest of 11 playrooms at the shelter. With its bright walls and glass-front rooms, stacked floor to ceiling with pet beds on shelves, it has the air of an international pet hostel.
 Vino Wong / AJC | ||
| Well, they are known for their curiosity, and this kitty at Furkids animal shelter in Norcross is no exception. Now in its sixth year, Samantha Shelton's nonprofit helps dogs and cats find a home. | ||
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Some of the cats — perched on a high cat-tree shelf or playing on the floor — cock their heads, too, at the strange new sound, as if trying to decide if it's something they like.
They should know by now that if it weren't good for them, it wouldn't be here, where Shelton and her pet-loving crew take in even the most wounded strays, whether suffering from malnutrition, injury or untreated illnesses.
Once they're here, they won't want for food, or love, or whatever comfort the Furkids crew — two full-time, three part-time and roughly 200 volunteers strong — can provide. Furkids also runs five adoption centers at area PetSmart stores, and relies on a network of foster homes to house the dogs and some of the cats.
The music is brought to them by Mike Johnson — and David Mann, a tall, smiling volunteer who just finished putting in the stereo system on Wednesday afternoon. Shelton wanted to be able to play classical music a few hours each day for the cats. As the sound system filled the long hallway with voices, Mann took a break on the floor with Millie, a bright-eyed tabby who's one of the first cats Shelton rescued six years ago.
He joked that it was hard to get much done with so many adorable distractions.
"I'm humbled and amazed at the time people will give to a cause they believe in," Shelton said, citing volunteers like Mike Langley, who was hammering together a new surgical suite at the end of the hallway, and the countless others who stop by each day to "socialize" with the cats, clean out litterboxes or do whatever needs to be done.
On Saturday, Shelton celebrates Furkids' sixth birthday with supporters and volunteers the best way she knows how — at an event designed to raise more money for spaying and neutering animals.
The only way to cut down on the number of dogs and cats killed routinely in shelters, she said, is to focus on spaying and neutering. But, Shelton warned, if you stop to consider the figures, it will hurt your heart.
"I added up all the animals we saved in one year at Furkids," Shelton said. "And I realized it was the number of animals that are killed every day across the state of Georgia."
Shelton signed the lease on her current location in 2004, and spent the next three years getting the 5,000-square-foot area built out into its current configuration, which was christened at a grand opening in 2006.
In just six years, Furkids has rescued and fixed more than 3,000 animals, most of which have been placed in homes. As a registered 501-c3 nonprofit organization, it's accomplished that by spending more than 90 percent of all funds raised on services and programs, Shelton said, and having a healthy family of volunteers, young and old.
Retirees, health professionals, couples — even a group of students from Autrey Mill Middle, who raised the money for the sound system — come every week, to help however they can. Furkids is one of the few shelters that allows children to volunteer, Shelton said, so they get help from Girl Scouts and Brownies, too.
"I feel blessed, even though I've made sacrifices to do this," Shelton said of her calling, which has her at the shelter all day every day, even on Christmas.
"Someone has to do it," she said with a shrug. "I'm lucky that God picked me."
