On Tuesday, October 17, 2023, Bulloch County Public Safety Director Ted Wynn and the Bulloch County Commissioners recognized the Bulloch County Animal Services division for the remarkable rescue of 193 combined cats and dogs, which were found around a home in good health but just in a bad situation.
Ted Wynn said, "Mrs. Barbara Diaz and shelter supervisor Amanda Anderson put the word out, and thanks to strong relationships developed by animal services over the years, our staff which you see have been able to rescue and place 193 dogs and cats. The bulk of which was placed within 2 1/2 days of the discovery and the remaining as of Monday."
The rescue
Ted Wynn describes the rescue in detail below.
"Last Tuesday morning we received a call requesting our animal services department that can really shake this type of operation to its core. Our Supervisor Mr. Joey Sanders had gone in the wee hours of the morning to assist law enforcement and discovered, which at the time we thought was well over 100 dogs and cats, in and around a home here in the county.
Shortly after he informed Mrs. Barbara Diaz, our Director of Animal Services, of the situation. A full assessment later that morning revealed what we believed to be over 150 in relatively good health but in a desperate situation.
Mrs. Diaz and shelter supervisor Amanda Anderson put the word out and thanks to strong relationships developed by animal services over the years, our staff which you see in the photos above have been able to rescue and place 193 dogs and cats. The bulk which was placed within 2 1/2 days of the discovery and the remaining as of Monday.
Now as a well-seasoned emergency management director, I know a disaster when I see one, and this had the potential to be that, but our staff worked diligently for days on scene to mitigate this situation and did an excellent job bringing this event to a successful close.
But that is a part of their overarching mission, which is to save as many as they can, and they take that mission very seriously. Our animal services department, led by Barbara Diaz, Joey Sanders, and Amanda Anderson, is widely regarded as a source of knowledge and best practices in animal welfare. So, I wanted to take this opportunity for us to thank them for their service, but also to thank the Commissioners, the citizens of this county, and the managers (Tom Couch and Cindy Steinberg) for adequate funding for this operation. Animal welfare is a community issue, and thanks to our advisory board led by Dr. Richard Marz and this great staff which you see here, we have a good relationship with the community, and it continues to grow."
Thanks to the hard working programs associated and the help of other rescuers, such as:
- Bulloch County Humane society
- Locally (Fixing the Boro)
- South Georgia Equine
- One Love
- Georgia Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Relocation
- The Humane Society for Greater Savannah
- Southern Soles
- Renegade Paws
- The Atlanta Rescue/Humane Society
Also thanks to the employees in Animal Services that aided in the rescue:
- Barbara Diaz, Animal Services Director
- Alexus Bazemore, Shelter
- Abigail McAlister, Shelter
- Heavenly Peterson, Shelter
- Dana Foster, Shelter
- Brianna Holloway, Shelter
- Amanda Haislipp, Shelter
- Nathan Black, Animal Control Officer
- Amber Bowen, Animal Control Officer
Ted Wynn quoted a saying from Mahatma Gandhi, "The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members." Wouldn't you say that it applies to our 4-legged friends, as well?
Overall, there were 171 dogs and 22 cats that were rescued. The majority were processed and placed in a welcoming and loving environment where they will live their life with no worry of abandonment again.