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Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter

  • Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter

    A brown and white pit bull mix dog is sitting on green Astroturf. The dog is looking directly into the camera, his head tilted slightly.

    Serving Franklin and Hart Counties

    A brown and grey tabby cat is laying on a fluffy tan cat bed, on its back, curled into a ball. The cat is staring directly at the camera.
A tan and brown German Shepherd mix puppy is jumping and playing on Astroturf, in a fenced play yard.

Who We Are

Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter (NEGAS) is a non-profit corporation, which serves Hart and Franklin Counties and the cities of Hartwell, Lavonia, Carnesville, Bowersville, Franklin Springs, Royston, and Canon.

 

NEGAS provides for the sheltering and disposition of homeless and relinquished animals brought to the Shelter by law enforcement agents or resident citizens of those jurisdictions. The animals will be humanely treated and cared for while at the shelter pending their being reclaimed by their owner, adopted, rescued or, when necessary, euthanized. The shelter operates in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Georgia Department of Agriculture pertaining to animal shelter facilities.

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The Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter has a goal to place as many animals as possible into safe, caring homes and to encourage responsible pet ownership.

Adoptions


We have many dogs and cats here at the shelter that would make a great addition to your family.

Adoption Fees:

Cats and Kittens: $75

Adult Dogs: $100

Puppies under 6 months: $150

Adoption Fees Include:

Rabies Vaccine

First Exam

Spay/Neuter or Certificate

Deworming

First Vaccines

Meet our Adoptable Animals!
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Ways to Help

NEGAS is a non-profit organization, supported by the generosity of people like you! There are many ways you can help the Shelter provide care for the animals in our community! Cash donations are always welcome, and you can donate now using your credit or debit card.

Find out how you can help!

Pet Food Pantry

Times are tough for some folks--trust us, we know! If you need assistance with feeding your pet for a short while to get you over the hump, we're here for you.


We welcome you to apply for assistance from our Pet Food Pantry, which will provide food for up to two pets for up to three months. Click the button below to go to our online application form!

Apply for help from the Pet Food Pantry

News and Updates

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Frequently Asked Questions

What animals do you accept at the Shelter?

Dogs and Cats--but not all dogs and cats!

The Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter will intake dogs and cats picked up as strays in Franklin and Hart Counties in Georgia, and brought to us by any law enforcement officer or residents of our two-county area.  We will also intake owner-surrendered animals from residents of our two-county service area.  Owner-surrendered animals can only be intaken with an appointment! To get an appointment, call the Shelter at 706-356-5363.


If you're not from Franklin or Hart Counties in Georgia, then we're really sorry--we simply don't have the capacity to take in your animal! Contact the animal control office or animal shelters in your home county.

I've been feeding a stray dog or cat on my property...can I bring them in to turn in today?

It depends.

We get asked this all the time. By Georgia law, if you have been caring for a stray animal for 72 hours or more (three days), then it's lawfully yours, and turning them over to the shelter would be an "owner surrender," and require an appointment.  If you haven't been taking care of them for three days, then yes, they're a stray, and may be brought in right away; we'll do our best to reunite them with their owner!

How long is a stray hold?

Five Days.

Our stray-hold time is five days. If you've lost a pet, don't fool around with other ways to find them--get in touch with us! If we have your dog or cat in the shelter, we'll get you reunited. If not, we'll be happy to have some pictures and a description of your animal, and we'll post on our Facebook page about it, in case someone else finds your pet!

I have a feral cat that I cannot touch or capture. What do I do?

You have a couple of choices.

First, let's talk about a "feral" animal. Feral cats and dogs cannot be handled or touched; either they'll run away from you, or they will attack when contacted.  If you can pick them up or pet them, they're not a feral animal.


We do have live traps we can loan you for your feral cats; we take a small deposit that you'll get back once you return the trap.  If you have a live trap, you can use it to capture the feline.


On many Mondays and Tuesdays, we can take in a feral cat for a "trap-and-release" spay or neuter operation. You'll drop the cat off in the morning, and pick them up that afternoon late, and release them back onto your property.  This is a great idea, especially for residents with farms and wooded areas, as "community cats" like these are fantastic at keeping rodents, snakes, and other more-troublesome animals away. It's a low-cost option that guarantees the cat won't reproduce, while giving you a low-maintenance pest-controller!  Contact the Shelter to make an appointment for your cat right away!


You may also trap feral cats or dogs, and take them to your veterinarian to have them humanely euthanized. We will not accept feral or overly animals for intake at the Shelter; if you bring us one, we will have to turn you away.  So, please don't!

Do you offer spay and neuter operations?

Not to the public, no.

We have a very limited veterinary staff; our veterinarians are often volunteering their time to help us out by spaying and neutering animals in our care, plus feral cats brought in through our Community Cat Diversion program (see the question above). So we don't offer spay and neuter operations to the public. 


We do, however, offer certificates for a reduced-cost spay or neuter at one of several area veterinarians to Franklin and Hart County residents. Contact the Shelter for pricing, and come by and pick one up!

Are you a no-kill shelter?

We're very close to being "no-kill".

A "no-kill" shelter isn't quite what the name might suggest; they will still humanely euthanize an animal that is very ill or violent. There aren't many shelters out there that are an absolute-no-kill-ever shelter. (We wish there were more, and we wish we were one, trust us!) The industry standard is that if 90% of the animals that enter the shelter leave it alive by any means, then they can be called "no-kill."  We typically run in the 75-85% range; it varies from season to season. We work hard to try to raise that percentage higher all the time.


We do try to avoid euthanizing a healthy, adoptable animal whenever possible. We have partnered with rescues locally and throughout the eastern United States to help find these dogs and cats homes. When an animal must be euthanized, it is done humanely by our veterinary staff, in accordance with Georgia law.

Have other questions? Go to our FAQ!

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