Holly King said she is concerned about animal overpopulation in her neighborhood, and others like it in Henry County. She was among those who recently came together to see how they could help to curb the problem.

  “My neighborhood has had an influx of dogs and cats that my neighbors and I think are being dumped there,” said King, of Stockbridge. “About three weeks ago, we had one that we felt like had been dragged behind a car. People are dumping them.”

  King was among more than 50 people who attended the inaugural meeting of the Henry County Animal Initiative on March 7 at Heritage Park in McDonough. The forum brought Henry County Animal Control, local rescue groups and residents together to address animal overpopulation in the area. The event also featured information on trap-neuter-release procedures for feral cats, as well as spaying and neutering for dogs and cats.

  Jennifer Evans and Bobbie Hancock are spearheading the initiative, in response to an increase in the number of dogs and cats with nowhere to call home. Evans said animal overpopulation in Henry County is “out of control,” and called on the community for help.

  “Animal Control can only handle so much,” said Evans. “We tried to put our heads together to come up with a forum to invite rescue groups, Animal Control and residents to bridge all of this together so that we can come up with ideas, solutions and methods going forward.”

  Attendees at the forum learned about spaying and neutering animals, as well as the importance of education on overpopulation, and trap/neuter/return, or TNR, for feral cats. Evans said a number of factors contribute to overpopulation of animals in the area.

  “The problem is so massive that rescue groups are full,” said Evans. “Animal Control, they have to focus on the stray dogs that are running loose. Half could be unwanted pets that don’t want to be returned to their owners -that they’ve just let loose. The other ones are just stray pickups, because somebody might have left the gate open or things like that.”

  Evans has maintained a passion for animals for much of her life. She previously volunteered with rescue organization for feral dogs, and is trained on trapping and rehabilitation.

  “I rescue about anything that needs rescuing,” said Evans, who pointed out that she rescued a possum with her grandparents when she was younger. “I rescue guinea pigs currently. I have quite a few guinea pigs under Ruff Dog Rescue.”

  Evans owns four dogs, as well: a Pit Bull-Boxer mix named Beau, who was rescued from Henry County Animal Control 10 years ago; a Shih Tzu named Honey; and two Chow-Shepherd mix dogs named Piper and Bailey.

  She also addressed the issue of overpopulation among feral cats, in particular. Evans said by feeding the cats instead of having them spayed or neutered, people with good intentions could unwittingly be contributing to the problem.

  “Sweet little ladies will go out and feed them, but you can’t do that,” said Evans. “We know where they’re coming from — from the heart. They’re going out there to feed them, but if you’re going to feed the situation, you have to fix the situation.”

  Hancock also has four dogs: a Golden Retriever named Moses; Chocolate Lab mixes named Joshua and Caleb; and a Jack Russell/Whippet mix named Gracie. Although she acknowledged that she is a “dog person,” Hancock expressed her growing concern about the “far greater” problem of overpopulation among cats.

  “I hate for any dog to be put down, but feral cats — there are so many of them in Henry County,” said Hancock. “They’ve got to be dealt with, or something is going to happen.

  Feral cats are different. They’re not ever going to have a home. That’s how the population has grown. Everybody ignored them for so long.”

  Hancock said Animal Control and local rescue groups are “flooded” with animals. She is hopeful that the new initiative will help to inform the public about the issue.

  “We can never rescue, adopt or take on more dogs and cats than are being produced at the bottom,” said Hancock. “A lot of states are addressing this problem. A lot of counties are addressing it. I feel like we could be unique in the fact that we’re realizing that the people, the citizens of Henry County are the only ones, probably, that can solve the problem.

  “In order to be successful, we’ve got to unite, because all of us having our own little separate areas are not effective,” she continued. “But when we all come together, then maybe there’ll be enough of us coming together and we can grow from here. Hopefully, this is the smallest we’ll be. Then we can unite and move out and hit certain target areas and try to solve the problem.”

  Kennel Master Bert Merchant has worked at Henry County Animal Control for 12 years. One hurdle his department regularly faces, he said, lies in the reactive nature of what he and coworkers do on a daily basis.

  “It’s snowballing out of control,” said Merchant. “It’s hit or miss, when it comes to animals. We work solely on complaints. Someone has to call us for us to go out. What I find now is that the community, they’re not proactive in what they do. People don’t know their neighbors. They have a problem with their neighbors, they’re looking for someone else to fix it.”

  Still, Merchant said he is optimistic that the initiative’s launch will have a positive impact on the area’s animal population.

  “Today is just the beginning,” said Merchant during the forum. “Hopefully, we can get all of these groups together, and the groups work within the communities along with Animal Control, and bring people to the realization that we do have a problem here in Henry County.”

  Sterling Davis was a rap musician before developing a passion for TNR several years ago. These days, he travels throughout the state teaching people about trapping and neutering animals so they can return safely to their habitat.

  Davis addressed those in attendance at the forum regarding proper methods for trapping and neutering animals.

  “Henry County, like a lot of places, doesn’t have someone dedicated to TNR the way that I am, the way that TrapKing is,” he said. “We’re looking to start a fraternity and a sorority based on trap/neuter/return.”

  Davis said the forum is a positive first step toward reducing animal overpopulation locally.

  “It was a good turnout, people talked, and it was informative,” he said. “I even learned something new. I think it could be good. This is what we need. The more willing we are to work together, talk to each other and use each other’s resources – this is the type of event where people meet each other.”

  Carrie Palmer came to the forum from Butts County on behalf of Winging Cat Rescue. She said her group has a long history of rescuing animals in Henry County.

  “We have a great need for TNR education and spay/neuter education,” said Palmer. “We’re hoping this is going to be the first of many forums to educate Henry County and work together with Animal Control and all the rescues.”

  Hancock added that she was pleased by the forum’s turnout.

  “I would have been encouraged if 10 people [came],” said Hancock. “I mean, we’ve got to start somewhere. Whatever we got, we were going to start. So, we’re tickled that we’ve got this many. They’re all very interested, and we plan to get started in doing some things. Everything we have done has been for this forum. This is a start – maybe basement-level, but it’s a start.”   For more information, call Jennifer Evans at 770-231-9784 or Bobbie Hancock at 404-472-7781.