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Published Sunday, April 12, 2009 in Local

Special

Alex Renshaw of Grantville tussles with a couple of the orphaned puppies before they left for new homes in Pennsylvania.

Grantville orphaned puppies off to Pennsylvania

By News Staff

The Times-Herald

Five orphaned puppies have a new home up north -- thanks to some Coweta County residents.

"It takes a community to catch five wild puppies," said Maryleigh Preston-McClure. She and her husband, Robert McClure, were among the Grantvillians who took an interest in the puppies until they could be sent to Pennsylvania and their new homes.

Preston-McClure spoke of "the mother dog's tenacious efforts to keep her pups safe as she relocated them around town numerous times."

The mother dog had lived a different life at one point. Even though she had become a stray, the dog "trusted people" and "never left the town limits," Preston-McClure said.

"She unfortunately had horrible mange and a big abscess on her neck and was not at all healthy. She was finally hit by a car and left the pups orphaned," she said.

At that point, Grantville residents came to the aid of the friendly, motherless pups. The McClures and Darwin and Patti Palmer were concerned about the plight of the puppies and began looking for a solution to their situation. Two of the puppies temporarily lived at the McClure home, while their siblings enjoyed a stay at the home of Dominic and Sue Fanelli in Newnan.

Michelle Humphries, president of the Georgia Humane Society, helped the canines' rescuers. Georgia Humane has a No Kill Shelter program, and Humphries coordinates the group's foster efforts.

She also makes sure vaccines and health issues are addressed at a local veterinary clinic, Preston-McClure said. Once the dogs had a clean bill of health, Dominic Fanelli transported them to Pennsylvania.

"States such as New York, Wisconsin, Pennyslvania, Maine and many others in the Northeast have such strict neutering laws that they find themselves without puppies for adoption," Preston-McClure said. Experts believe that if the Southern states followed their examples and required all pets be spayed or neutered, tragic situations -- like the one with the mother dog in Grantville -- would not happen.

"In this case there is a happy ending for the pups" who are "ready for new adventures up north," Preston-McClure said. She said dogs transported from Georgia to states like Pennsylvania often have a home even before they arrive.

"Photos have been sent beforehand and potential adoptees get to review them," Preston-McClure explained.

She said the experience has left her a big fan of Georgia Humane Society and their program. The group "is so great," Preston-McClure said.