Furkids 11th anniversary event honoring Anne Stockton
6:30 p.m. May 18 at Thalia Carlos Hellenic Community Center, 2500 Clairmont Road, Atlanta
The $75 tickets include a buffet dinner, open bar and parking.
Tickets are available at furkids.org or 770-613-0880.
For as long as she can remember, Anne Stockton has loved dogs with a passion that goes beyond “aww, aren’t they cute” affection and frequently leaps into action. Her life is filled with examples - the time she moved out of the University of Georgia sorority house rather than give up her dog; the day she saw a pet adoption group on the side of the road, pulled over and took a pet home.
“From that day in college, I have never had fewer from than three dogs, and they are all rescue dogs,” said Stockton, who lives in Sandy Springs with her husband, Chip, and ten canine pets.
As much as Stockton adores dogs, she’s starting to warm up to cats. In 2011, after 11 years directing the Small Dog Rescue group, Stockton joined forces with Furkids, a Norcross-based no-kill shelter for cats that boasts the largest cage-free space in the southeast. It’s where she found a kindred soul in Furkids director Samantha Shelton.
“I appreciate her love of cats,” said Stockton with a laugh. “We both have a passion for animals because we believe it’s terrible how we treat our companion animals as valueless.”
The doggy division of Furkids that specializes in pets smaller than 25 pounds is based in Alpharetta, where adoptions take place every Wednesday. Between the two locations, there are 400 volunteers who pitch in to clean, feed and socialize the pets; others act as foster families. Animals come into the shelters from local county facilities as well as owners who can no longer care for their pets. And both facilities work to educate the public.
“It’s wrong what’s happening in shelters where so many are being killed,” said Stockton. “About 100,000 dogs and cats are killed in our area each year, and people are unaware of how many are dying. There’s a level of ignorance out there I want to change.”
Stockton sees herself making some of that change through Furkids. “People often ask me, ‘Why not do something for people?’ ” she said. “But when a dog or cat gets adopted, you are doing something for people. It makes a difference in their lives to have a pet that loves them. When we see an animal come in here scared to death, but then it gets adopted and comes back to visit and is happy, I know we’re doing our job.”
Stockton’s commitment to four-legged friends is the focus of this year’s Furkids fundraiser on May 18 that marks the 11th anniversary of the shelter.
“We wanted to honor Anne not just for her service to the animals, but to the community,” said Shelton. “She’s helped so many animals and families. She’s a very kind and giving spirit.”
For Stockton, the honor comes for doing what she’s always been passionate about.
“To me, pets give love, receive love and are our therapy,” she said. “It’s our job to take care of them. And if you can’t appreciate that, then get a stuffed animal.”
Every other Wednesday, H.M. Cauley brings you positive stories from our community. To suggest a story idea, e-mail hm_cauley@yahoo.com.
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