The Humane Society of Terrell County (HSTC) began in 1985 as a modest effort between two friends to better the lives of animals in Terrell County. Initially, these two individuals lobbied local governments into establishing a limited animal control program in Terrell County and rescued and placed as many pets on their own as they were able. After the passing of one of these individuals and the declining health of the other, the surviving friend decided to recruit volunteers to take over the organization. These volunteers included local animal lovers that bonded together to try to rescue, rehabilitate and place as many homeless pets as possible and promote humane treatment for all.
In October of 2000, HSTC was incorporated and shortly thereafter received their 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. HSTC is also a licensed rescue organization with the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The membership has grown as more people volunteered their time to benefit the animals. HSTC does not have a shelter nor is it animal control. We are not authorized by law to pick up stray pets. The pets in our care come directly from owner surrender or are legally taken in from area kill shelters.
We are a network of foster homes and volunteers in Terrell County and southwest Georgia. HSTC has no paid staff. HSTC does not receive funding from any government sources and relies solely on donations and fund-raisers to house and care for homeless pets. HSTC has adopted a no-kill policy - we do not euthanize animals as a means of population control. This means we are occasionally full and unable to accept new pets from time to time. We do not euthanize healthy, well-adjusted pets to make space. Instead, emphasis is placed on spay/neuter efforts to reduce pet overpopulation and promote pet adoption over purchasing pets whenever possible.
Since HSTC has incorporated, we have successfully found homes for over 2000 homeless pets. However, there is only so much we can accomplish with foster care and local fundraising efforts. Our ultimate goal is to have southwest Georgia's first and only no-kill animal sanctuary to expand our housing of homeless pets and provide the best quality of life for them as we can until they are adopted. In this regard, approximately 20 acres of land was donated to us to construct a facility. However, because we take in a lot of pets that require extensive medical rehabilitation, our fund-raisers so far have simply gone to pay our veterinarians and take care of the pets' other needs (such as food, vaccinations, and others preventatives such as flea and heartworm medicine). We would love for this dream to become a reality someday.
We have other goals we would like to achieve also, such as an on-going reduced rate spay & neuter program targeted specifically at low income pet owners. We would like to construct a dog park and a pet cemetery as part of our animal sanctuary for the betterment of our community and local pet owners.
We are always in need of new volunteers and foster homes; we also accept donations of any kind. Please feel free to email us any time at hstcoinfo@gmail.com. We are also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
