This weekend is National Pet Adoption weekend.  Two of the largest pet supply superstores are taking a lead role in this.  Petco is having centers at its stores.  In the Atlanta area, the Georgia Homeless Pets will be at Petsmart stores in Smyrna, Austell and at the Bark Ave. Pet Resort in Smyrna.  The Georgia Homeless Pets folks are at those stores every weekend. 

     If you can’t make it by one of those places this weekend, there are several places you can go all the time to take home a rescue pet.  The Humane Society of Cobb County is a place I do a lot of volunteer work and they have a few dogs, but a lot of great cats of all ages.  The Atlanta Humane Society in Midtown or on Mansell Rd in North Fulton has dogs and cats available.  There are also many groups, like Mostly Mutts in Kennesaw that have pets for adoption.  If you are looking for a specific breed, most of them have a rescue chapter in the Atlanta area. 

    You can make a difference in a pet’s life even if you don’t take a pet home.  Perhaps you can’t decide if it’s right for you to adopt a pet.  Several groups have fostering programs, where you take a pet into your home for a predetermined period.  If that works out, you can decide to keep a pet permanently.  Be aware that many times, the pet you are fostering may not be available for adoption, so know that in advance, so you won’t get too attached. 

   Adoption agencies usually do background checks on the people who adopt animals, so it may take some time before you actually get to take the pet home.  Many of these pets have been taken from a bad situation, so you can understand how the workers want to make sure that doesn’t happen again. 

     If you just don’t want to have a pet in your home for whatever reason, but you still love spending time with animals, all of these organizations need volunteers and supplies.  You can donate some time to make a difference in these animals’ lives and you’ll be surprised how much better they make your life too!

 Fetch! Pet Care of NW Atlanta provides pet sitting, dog walking and cat care services for Roswell, East Cobb, Woodstock and Kennesaw, GA.  You can see the happy pets by following us on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/fetchnwatlanta/.