1 of 11
Matthew Day
Cathy Lent, Foster & Volunteer Coordinator, cradles a new pup.
2 of 11
Matthew Day
HSSCG Executive Director Virginia Schlegel with Lady Bird
3 of 11
Matthew Day
Volunteers take a break during an adoption event.
4 of 11
Matthew Day
Dr. Missy Weaver gives Tucker, a spaniel puppy, a clean bill of health.
5 of 11
Matthew Day
Cher Pollard soothes a new addition to the shelter.
6 of 11
Matthew Day
Medical Director Barbara Upshaw evaluates a new feline.
7 of 11
Matthew Day
Junior volunteer Eleanor gets up close and personal with a pup.
8 of 11
Matthew Day
Exercise on the grounds of HSSCG.
9 of 11
Matthew Day
Hunt and Chase were recently adopted together.
10 of 11
Matthew Day
Staci Drawdy, Ashley McClain and Troy Salisbury prepare pet records.
11 of 11
Matthew Day
Veterinarian Missy Weaver with one of her many furry friends from HSSCG.
Wrapping her arms around a huge, blonde Labrador, Dr. Missy Weaver, the energetic veterinarian at the Humane Society of South Coastal Georgia, smiles as she inserts a microchip into his furry neck. Surrounded by volunteers and staff members, she joins them in working the quarterly Saturday clinic, where the facility offers rabies vaccinations and micro-chipping for area animals. The shelter, nestled under ancient oaks on Highway 17 in Brunswick, exudes an energy and upbeat feel that makes it truly a joy to visit. On this day, a group of 10-year-olds celebrates a birthday in the shelter’s Education Center, and the birthday girl has asked for donations to the shelter instead of gifts. At the same time, medical director Barbara Upshaw gives life saving medication to a beautiful Schnauzer found roaming the street and accepted into HSSCG as a stray. Lynn Heth, in charge of new additions to the facility, shows off a beautiful litter of fluffy kittens just returned from foster care. The shelter flourishes under the expert supervision of its staff, including Executive Director, Virginia Schlegel and Director of Operations and Development, Troy Salsbury. Volunteer and Foster Coordinator, Cathy Lent, and Development Manager, Ashley McClain complete the administrative staff.
This temporary home operates under a no-kill policy where they save all adoptable, healthy and treatable pets. In other words, HSSCG operates what is known as an adoption-guaranteed facility—a pet can remain with the society until a good home is found. This often happens quickly, as adoption numbers are higher now than they’ve ever been in the community. “Before you look for a pet, please check with us first. We always have a wide variety of cats and dogs,” Dr. Weaver says, adding that many different breeds of animals find their way into the shelter. She explains, “We get attached to these animals, and it’s very important to us that they be placed into the right homes.”
The skilled staff delivers cutting-edge treatment not only to pets admitted to the shelter but also to pets that already have families. Visits include a current rabies vaccination, micro-chipping, and spay/neuter services. “Micro-chipping has become so important in our industry,” says Weaver. “We scan and/or chip all animals that comes through our door, and our staff make calls all the time so that micro-chipped animals can be reunited with their families.” She shares a tale of a beagle reunited with a family from Atlanta who was frantically searching for their pet.
“A pet can bring so much joy to a family and vice-versa,” says Weaver. “Here, we get to make a real difference in the lives of both the animals and the families.” She tells of a family of three Cavalier King Charles spaniels found abandoned in an apartment by a landlord. “These dogs were in terrible shape. They were suffering from malnutrition and skin disease, and our medical staff doctored them back to health.” A volunteer groomer also worked with them to bring their coats back to a healthy shine. On top of everything else that was wrong, the dogs needed extensive dental work that Dr. Weaver was able to provide. Within a month, they found new homes.
For this facility, happy stories abound. A local construction worker brought in an injured Maltese he had found abandoned. The dog stayed in the humane society’s medical treatment area for six weeks recuperating from multiple fractures, internal injuries and complications. After he healed, he was styled by a talented local groomer, and this beautiful white poof of a dog, now named Mitchum, was adopted into a loving family.
The facility strives to provide excellent treatment. “We participate with the University of Georgia Veterinary Medicine externship program,” says Weaver, “which allows us to have quality students assist in providing services here without increasing our payroll expenses.” Another success story involved Onyx, a six-month-old Black Lab, who came to the facility severely malnourished and needing more specialized care than they could provide. Although Dr. Weaver handles most of the medical treatment and surgical cases, the facility also has the ability to refer pets in need of specialized services to other veterinary specialists in Jacksonville, through money donated to the Al Holland Medical Fund at HSSCG.
Every adoption comes with a free hour of training with Roy Scarborough, a well-known dog trainer in the Golden Isles. Readers of EIL named him Best Dog Trainer of 2014. He teaches families how to deal with house breaking, leash walking, and often, he helps them handle the over-exuberance that happens when a shelter pet finds a loving home. Scarborough, who volunteers his time at the shelter, also works with behavioral issues that arise with some of the pets.
The shelter’s most important mission, however, centers around the low-cost spay/neuter clinic. Last year alone the shelter performed over 1,700 spays and neuters on both their resident pets in adoption and family owned pets. “We have a critical situation with overpopulation in our area,” says Weaver. “By educating the public and making these services both easy to access and more affordable, we can help counter this problem. Thankfully, many local private practice vets are also providing these low-cost options, and we are seeing a difference.”
The shelter buzzes with activity. In the medical wing, specially trained volunteer Diane Evans, a law enforcement consultant, soothes and nurtures the animals recovering from surgery. Barry Jackson, a long-time employee, walks the dogs on the shelter’s nature trail, while others socialize with the cats in the facility’s “Cat-i-tat”, a room that looks like it was designed by cats for cats. Groomers help the crew beautify their furry coats, and local professional photographers donate their skills so that all of the animals have their best face forward on the shelter’s website.
The non-profit shelter depends heavily on donations from area residents and businesses, as is not supported by local government or the Humane Society of the United States. The shelter takes great responsibility in raising funds, charging nominal fees for its well-pet services and for booking its facility for children’s birthday parties where staff will bring a pet in to visit during the festivities. Dr. Weaver has run a Vet-for-a-Day Camp for children interested in becoming veterinarians, and the facility also operates a retail store, The Lucky Dog, where people can find both essential and unusual items for their pets. However, the shelter fundraises continually to operate and provide much needed services for the community.
Dr. Weaver and the staff encourage you to please consider adopting your next family member from HSSCG. An adoption includes: spay/neuter surgery prior to adoption; current core vaccinations and rabies certificate; current heartworm preventative for dogs and flea treatment for cats/dogs; microchip; a free visit with your dog by Roy Scarborough; a sample bag of Science Diet dog or cat food, and three days of doggie daycare at St. Simons Puppy Paradise.
If you already have a family pet that is not spayed or neutered, now is the time. Dr. Weaver and her staff can perform the surgery and care for your pet. The clinic is open weekdays and appointments can be made by phone at 912.264.6246 x111.
More about HSSCG, its wonderful animals available for adoption, upcoming events, fundraising opportunities, and more can be found at hsscg.org. It’s never too late to make a difference in the lives of animals still needing homes. Even if you do not need animal services, our humane society shelter still needs you. Volunteer or donate – you’ll be surprised at the difference you will make in the lives of animals that need your support, and you will be emotionally rewarded for your time.
Written by: Troy Salisbury
Photography by: Matthew Day
