Your Saves

It would be impossible to list every single animal your support has helped and continues to help. There have been so, so many ― from the countless dogs and cats who benefited from low-cost care to the hundreds that received vital medical treatment and a second chance thanks to you.

Below are just a few of the miracles you made possible. Your support illustrates perfectly the power everyone has to make a difference for animals that have no one else. Thank you for being part of our lifesaving family!

Your 2020 Saves

Meet the “Merle Sisters,” YOUR winter save.

Mostly deaf and blind, these 5 sisters were limited to their understanding of the world around them.

Thanks to you, they are learning to love through the warm embrace of their forever families. Without you, their world would have remained a cold, dark, unforgiving place.

Meet Tony, YOUR spring save.

Tony arrived at HSNEGA with a gaping wound. One so horrific, it made you wonder who or what did something like this to him and how he made it out alive.

Thanks to YOU, the terrible events of Tony’s past are just that, a thing of the past. Tony is now all healed and relaxing in his forever home!

Meet Ellie Mae, YOUR summer save.

It took hot dogs and 5 hours laying in dirt and poison ivy for the good Samaritans to gain Ellie Mae’s trust enough for her to leave the comforts of her hiding place… a drainage pipe.

More than 70 ticks were plucked from her little body, her fur dirty and matted.

Without you, Ellie Mae may have never made it out of that cold, dark and damp drainage pipe. With you, she is now living her best life in the comforts of a warm and loving home.

Meet Bridgette, YOUR fall save.

Bridgette, the little miracle of Thompson Bridge, a miracle sent by you…

Bridgette, barely days old, found herself in the middle of one of Gainesville’s busiest roads, crying out for the mother now lost…

It’s a miracle little Bridgette made it off Thompson Bridge with her precious life.

Now, because you always show up for animals when they need you the most, she has a loving family all of her own.

Your 2019 Saves

We will never know when Lexi lived life on the streets. What we do know is she was first seen roaming a neighborhood, scavenging for food, her body just skin and bones. For months, neighbors watched her until one faithful day, a good samaritan realized that Lexi wasn’t only surviving for herself… she was pregnant. Within days of the good samaritan bringing her into their home, Lexi gave birth to THIRTEEN puppies.

By the time she had arrived at HSNEGA, Lexi’s dire situation had only worsened, having lost two puppies due to the stress. And, upon examination of the young mother, it was discovered she also had a severe case of heartworms. Over time, with a lot of care and attention, the family regained their health.

After months of treatment, Lexi was finally heartworm free and ready to find a FURever family. That family found her in December of 2019. Having adopted one of Lexi’s puppies, Twix, earlier in the year, his adopters realized his mother was still in need of a home. So they decided to reunite the two for good. Lexi now spends her days not only cuddling with her son but her new human siblings.

It’s hard to look at the photos above and believe these are Porkie’s before and after photos. Porkie was brought to HSNEGA at just 6-weeks-old, severely under-weight and covered in fleas. His flea infestation was so bad, Porkie had become alarmingly anemic and was barely clinging onto life.

Porkie proved to be a fighter and slowly but surely, he started to recover. Gaining weight and letting his bright bubbly personality shine through. Within a few weeks, he was ready to find his FURever home. Which of course, being as adorable and vivacious as he is, had no problem doing so.

Now named Pepe, he is happy and healthy and getting to live life like the star he is, sharing his joy to the world via his Instagram page, @thepepedog.

At just 4-months-old, Scruffy should have been living a carefree puppy life. Playing, chasing and having fun. Instead, he had a debilitating eye condition. One that made his eyes twice their normal size and causing excruciating pain. It was determined the best option to give Scruffy a pain-free life was to remove both of his eyes.

Within a day or two, Scruffy was acting like the puppy he was. He was ready to play with everyone who stopped by to check in on him. It was in part due to this carefree, joyous personality that drew in his adopters when they saw Scruffy playing on HSNEGA’s social media. Within days of meeting him, they fell in love and decided to make it official.

Since his adoption, Scruffy has been enjoying so many new experiences. His adopters often share videos of Scruffy enjoying his new adventures, such as playing in the ocean for the first time. Basking happily in the waves, frolicking in the sand, wearing the biggest smile imaginable.

Your 2018 Saves

7-year-old Blue was taken in by a county animal control facility after they were contacted by a witness who saw Blue’s owner holding him by the throat, choking and beating him until he emptied his bowels. Sadly, after years of abuse, Blue screamed and cowered in the back of his kennel anytime someone came near. No one could touch him. He also showed signs of severe neglect including tight, knotted mats hanging in from his coat.

Slowly, with lots of patience, Blue could be touched, but the stress was still too much for him, but because of you, we were able to rescue Blue. And within a few weeks, he blossomed into a playful, loving dog. That’s all it took. A little time. A little love. A little understanding.

Blue went from not knowing what love was to be showered with snuggles and belly rubs by his new mom and is able to share unforgettable moments with his new rescue sister.

Princess Buttercup was spotted wandering around outside an HSNEGA team member’s office window. She had been dumped to fend for herself, VERY pregnant, and was infested with fleas.

Thanks to YOUR generous support, Princess Buttercup was paired with a foster family and she was able to have all SEVEN of her puppies in a loving home! Eight weeks later, her adorable babies all found homes of their own while Buttercup waited her turn.

A special person ended up taking interest in Princess Buttercup. The great-niece of HSNEGA’s founder, Miss Bessie Bickers, saw Princess Buttercup on our Facebook page and it was love at first sight! She followed Princess Buttercup’s story until she was ready to be adopted and then was outside our door first thing the morning Buttercup was available. We’re thrilled to say Buttercup is definitely being treated like the royalty she is by her new mom!

Your 2017 Saves

This is the story of Sassy, a 5-year-old Doxie mix. Sadly, her parents could no longer provide the care Sassy needed and had a new grandchild taking their attention.

After living in a home her entire life, Sassy did not do well with shelter life—she cowered in the corner of her kennel, shying away from everyone. The HSNEGA Admin team decided to give her some “out of kennel” time in their offices so she could relax in a quieter environment. Then, one afternoon, the team noticed Sassy started passing bloody urine.

The clinical team discovered Sassy was suffering from a serious urinary tract infection, but after a few days of not improving, she had an ultrasound. HSNEGA’s Medical Director found Sassy had a severely thickened bladder wall, and possibly bladder stones, so Sassy was sent for x-rays.

The x-rays showed Sassy had five to six massive stones that urgently needed to be removed. Dr. Feroli performed the surgery, removing five stones the size of large marbles; however, there’s a possibility Sassy still has a stone lodged inside her. Our team is continuing to monitor her closely.

It’s impossible to imagine the amount of pain Sassy was in, but this loving girl never let it stop her from giving kisses to everyone on our team. While her prognosis is still uncertain, your support means she can get all the care she needs and deserves.

On a sweltering July day, three husky construction workers walked into the HSNEGA Adoption Center and asked for help. When one held out his hand, we saw the tiniest kitten, curled up in his palm, with big, frightened eyes. The kind-hearted construction workers told how they heard the kitten mewing but had a hard time finding him because he was so tiny, so our team decided to call the kitty Possum.

Our team immediately saw Possum was not in good shape, so he was rushed to surgery to be examined by Dr. Feroli, HSNEGA’s Medical Director. In addition to a half-missing tail, Dr. Feroli discovered Possum was extremely painful around his hip area and could not walk.

A volunteer immediately took Possum for x-rays which revealed a severely broken thigh bone which would require weeks of splints and therapy. After setting Possum’s break, the team then set about removing the most damaged parts of his tail and making sure he was as comfortable as possible so he could begin to heal.

Because his medical concerns were so severe, one of our clinical team offered to foster Possum. After weeks of recovery and therapy to help him learn to walk again, Possum was finally ready for his new home and he was adopted into a family with three children!

Dottie was one of the 350+ dogs rescued from horrific conditions in Habersham County in 2017. But what you don’t know is Dottie’s full story.

6-year-old Dottie lived in a tiny, crudely constructed rabbit hutch with two other dogs, but she had no name. She also had no solid base under her feet, only wire to stand on, so waste could fall through. The water in her bowl was dark green, and the inside of her cage’s small enclosure caked with filth.

After her rescue, Dottie’s coat was so badly matted, she was shaved to the skin. Her teeth were caked with dark brown tartar that had to be cracked off like a shell, and, worst of all, she had two large tumors on her stomach from overbreeding and not being spayed.

Once at the Humane Society of Northeast Georgia (HSNEGA), the clinical team spayed Dottie, and found she had an advanced infection in her uterus, a fatal condition if not treated. Our team also removed her massive tumors in two separate surgeries. But through all her treatment, Dottie was the best patient, and everyone who met her fell in love including her foster mom who adopted Dottie.

Without YOU, Dottie would not have made it. She would not have a second chance. She would not have a loving home. YOU provided for her rescue and extensive medical care. YOU were the hero of her story.