Fergus is moving forward and has undergone the extensive surgery needed to remove the painful mass on his face. Right now, he is recovering while receiving pain management, monitoring, and supportive care. Fergus still has a long road ahead, this surgery was a critical step forward for him.
Update: May 28, 2026
Fergus was one dog among 17 cats rescued this past weekend, and thanks to our Day of Giving 2X match, your gift today will go twice as far to help provide the immediate care he needs.
Fergus has endured years without proper care, suffering from a large mass* on his face that has caused pain and swelling.
Right now, he is with our Shelter Medicine team while they work to manage his pain and develop the best possible treatment plan for him, which will include an extensive surgery to remove the mass.
Your gift, doubled today, can help provide critical medical care and surgery, medications to manage pain, nourishing meals, and compassionate support for as long as Fergus needs us.
We cannot change what he has endured, but together, we can help shape what comes next. He has already waited far too long for relief. Please make your 2X matched gift today.
*We have blurred the mass in the photos we’re sharing due to the graphic nature of his condition.
Over Memorial Day weekend, while many people were observing the holiday with family and friends, our Operation Humane team was working to bring 17 cats and 1 dog to safety from a heartbreaking situation.
Thanks to our Day of Giving 2X match, your gift today will go twice as far to help these animals heal.
Many of them spent years living in filth, never knowing the feeling of a clean bed or when their next meal would come. Today, they are safe in our care, but they still have a long road ahead of them.
Your gift, 2X matched right now, provides their first experience of true care and relief. You can provide critical medical care, behavior support, nourishing meals, and the comfort of being treated with compassion.
These animals have waited long enough. Will you help them start over?
Lilac’s condition was declining quickly and it was heartbreaking. But your gift right now will be 3X matched to support more animals like her.
Lilac was lethargic, dehydrated, and her bloodwork showed that something was very wrong. She had her mom beside her, but she wasn’t nursing. She was fading, and without immediate medical care, she wouldn’t survive.
She needed someone to step in. She needed someone like you.
Because of compassionate supporters like you, Lilac received urgent x-rays, ultrasounds, and around-the-clock care. With this support, slowly, she began to fight her way back.
Today, she is happy, healthy, and safe in a loving home. But there are still so many animals like Lilac who are waiting for that same chance. And the only reason we can be there in these critical moments is because of kindhearted people like you who refuse to look away.
Your gift right now will be tripled to provide lifesaving medical care, nourishing food, and the safety and love vulnerable puppies like Lilac desperately need.
But this match won’t last much longer. Please, give today.
Every day at Atlanta Humane, something pretty special happens behind the scenes and it’s all about helping dogs be dogs. One of the ways we do that is through our dog playgroups. These carefully managed group sessions give dogs the chance to socialize, burn off energy, and show off their unique personalities in a safe, structured environment.
Fourteen dogs are finally safe in our care after being rescued from neglect in South Georgia. They are now receiving their first medical exams, full bowls of food, and the attention they have gone without for far too long. These first moments mark the beginning of their healing.
Step right up, Atlanta. For one day and one day only, we are turning our Atlanta location into a full-blown fair ground to celebrate something big: The launch of our new statewide initiative, Operation Humane.
– Climb inside a real firetruck
– Petting zoo vibes… but make it puppies
– Grab fair-inspired food and catch live music throughout the day
– Let the kids bounce, get their faces painted, and leave with balloon art in hand.
– Shop local vendors stocked with pet supplies
– Try your hand at fair games (where you could win one of several free adoptions sponsored by OpenArc Corporate Advisory!)
It’s the kind of day where you show up for an hour and somehow stay for three.
Operation Humane marks the next chapter of our work across Georgia. And while the music, games, and food bring us together, what we’re launching is even bigger. This is about expanding our reach, strengthening partnerships, and showing up for more animals in more communities.
So grab your friends, bring the kids, and come hungry. We will save you a spot by the games.
Today, just a day after we introduced Operation Humane to our state, we’re proud to share that the Governor has officially proclaimed March 11 as Operation Humane Day.
This recognition honors the work accomplished across our state and highlights the momentum driving Operation Humane forward. Built on Atlanta Humane’s enduring legacy, Operation Humane will expand our commitment to safeguarding animals and empowering the communities that care for them throughout the state of Georgia.
Your gift today to Operation Humane will go twice as far to:
– Launch stronger cruelty investigations
– Ensure we’re ready to act when disaster strikes
– Equip officers to act decisively
– Unite communities across Georgia
When you give to Operation Humane, your gift will be directed specifically to Operation Humane’s statewide field work and partnership initiatives. You’ll be extending the reach of animal protection beyond shelter walls while complementing the lifesaving work you already support in Atlanta.
Protecting animals requires a network who is prepared, responsive, and united by purpose. That is what Operation Humane is building.
On this Operation Humane Day, we invite you to stand with us by making your matched gift, claiming your place as a Founding Member, and helping us protect every animal in Georgia.
For more than 150 years, Atlanta Humane has protected animals and supported the people who care for them. Now, we’re building on that commitment in a powerful new way.
We are proud to introduce Operation Humane — an initiative designed to safeguard animals, foster connection, and strengthen communities across Georgia.
For years, our teams have been called beyond shelter walls to support cruelty investigations, assist in disaster response, train law enforcement, and share expertise and resources.
Operation Humane formalizes and strengthens that work, creating a dedicated effort built to respond, partner, and lead.
By establishing Operation Humane as a distinct initiative, we ensure our shelter operations in Atlanta remain focused, resourced, and responsive to the animals and families who rely on us every day — while Operation Humane builds the broader network that protects animals across the region.
It’s one mission. Two powerful forces working in alignment. And together, we will serve more communities, support more partners, and stand in the gap wherever animals need us most.
For more than 150 years, Atlanta Humane has stood up for animals in need.
We’ve sheltered, healed, and connected thousands of pets with families. We’ve worked alongside partners and advocates across Georgia. And we’ve never stopped asking how we can do more.
Next week, we’ll share something that marks the next chapter of that commitment.
It’s a step forward — built on action, strengthened by partnership, and focused on protecting more animals than ever before. Because the needs of our community are growing. And so are we.
For the third year in a row, Atlanta Humane is proud to partner with The Rachael Ray Foundation to offer Shelter Improvement Grants to animal welfare organizations across Georgia. These grants are designed to fund capital improvement projects that make shelters safer, more humane, and more welcoming.
This grant funding does more than improve buildings. It changes outcomes. These investments help shelters do what they do best: help more animals find loving homes.
If your organization is ready to grow its impact through meaningful infrastructure upgrades, we want to hear from you. Applications are now open, but only until Monday, March 2. We encourage interested organizations to apply soon.
The night we left, it was dark and quiet. My mom and I had been hurt. Not just scared—hurt. She couldn’t take it anymore. So she scooped me up, and we fled. No plan. No place to go. Just the two of us and a car to sleep in.
For two weeks, that car was our home. I never left her side. I curled up while she’d hold me close.
She needed a new job. She was ready to fight for our future. But she couldn’t do it with me waiting in the backseat. She needed a safe place for me—just for a little while.
That’s when someone stepped in. A foster for the Pets in Crisis Support Program. They gave me care and comfort while my mom worked to rebuild our life. And when she was ready, I went back to her.
We’re together again now. Still healing, but never alone.
There are more pets like me. More survivors like my mom. And they need someone to help them hold on. They need someone like you.
Fostering through the Pets in Crisis Support Program gives families the chance to stay whole. It’s temporary. But the impact is lasting.
Be the reason another pet makes it home. That a family survives.
