Combining their love of pets and appreciation for veterans, Cobb County Commissioner JoAnn Birrell and Superior Plumbing owner/president Jay Cunningham launched Superior Pets for Patriotic Vets.
For free, about 150 cats and dogs have been given from Cobb County Animal Services to U.S. veterans – thanks to ongoing funding from Cunningham (no relation to this writer).
Each pet is “fully vetted, including all their shots, spayed or neutered and microchipped,” Birrell said.
Cunningham “has donated $15,000 so far for up to 200 adoptions,” she added.
This program is “an attempt to alleviate the emotional scars that plague our nation’s finest, while securing a forever home for shelter dogs and cats,” Cunningham said on his Facebook page titled “Superior Pets for Patriotic Vets.”
Also with a soft spot for children with special needs and their families, Cunningham has used his Kennesaw-based business for dozens of charities and fundraisers.
Serving her third four-year term as a Cobb County commissioner, Birrell has a heart for the military and veterans, helping to coordinate in 2018 a Cobb County ceremony to honor Vietnam Veterans on their 50th anniversary.
A board member of the Lance Corporal Skip Wells Foundation, Birrell led an effort to rename a Cobb County park as the Skip Wells Park in honor of this fallen soldier from Cobb.
Birrell said any U.S. veteran may participate in this program by showing their military ID.
“We have had veterans from other counties and even states come to claim their new best friend,” she added.
The forms are at the front desk at the Cobb County Animal Shelter, 1060 Al Bishop Drive, Marietta; or they can email Birrell at joann.birrell@CobbCounty.org for her to send them a form.
The shelter is open only by appointment at this time by calling 770-499-4136, but veterans can search the website at CobbCounty.org/pets to see which animals are available for adoption.
Information: SuperiorPlumbing.com/who-we-sponsor, facebook.com/SuperiorPetsForPatrioticVets
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