Clayton County animal advocates desperate for fosters as shelter sees overcrowding

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - Animal shelters across Metro Atlanta are filling up. In less than 48 hours, dozens of dogs in Clayton County are set to be put down. One animal advocate says the upcoming holiday weekend has made finding those dogs a home before the deadline even more difficult. 

"It’s stressful. It’s a very stressful situation," Sarah Ortiz told FOX 5.

For Ortiz, there’s a sense of worry that comes with every holiday—knowing it’s a time shelters become crowded with animals lost, surrendered, or found on the streets.

"We all have anxiety constantly…," Ortiz said.

It’s a problem trending in the wrong direction, according to national database Shelter Animals Count, which showed a 6% increase in stray dogs coming into shelters from 2023 to 2022 and a 22% increase from 2021.

That problem is plaguing shelters across metro Atlanta. 

"Fulton and DeKalb are maxed out. They have five dogs per run," Ortiz said.

Days ahead of Labor Day weekend, the clock is ticking for Ortiz and other animal lovers to find homes for 25 dogs in Clayton County Animal Control custody.

"When it’s a holiday weekend, it’s much harder to get the dogs out. They need to be adopted by 3 p.m. Thursday, August 29, otherwise we’re gonna lose them," she said.

She says with many rescues already full, they’re in desperate need of residents who will consider adopting or fostering dogs temporarily. 

"Fostering usually involves the facility they’re covering for covering all the expenses," Ortiz explained.

If you’re interested in adopting or fostering a dog here, you can reach out to Clayton County animal control by email or phone. You can find that information by clicking here.