MACON, Ga. — The Bibb County Animal Welfare is still under a stop order from the Georgia Department of Agriculture. It's been four months since the shelter was able to take in any new animals.
Now, it's taking a toll on shelters. Even ones that are outside the county.
"I found a dog at the stop sign above my house," James Meeks said.
Meeks is trying to find a home for a stray animal he picked up. So, he stopped by Bibb County Animal Welfare.
"I asked if they'd take him and they said they couldn't take him in," Meeks said.
Bibb County Animal Welfare can't because of the stop order. It's a result of state inspectors finding problems at the shelter with cleanliness, overcrowding, and more back in October.
"The lady gave me 3 or 4 other places to call. I called them. They said they couldn't take them because they were full," Meeks said.
This is the case for several shelters, even outside Bibb County, like Critical Care for Animal Angels in Peach County.
Regenia Brabham says it's all because of the state stop order.
"We're not able to pick up our dogs in our county if we've got Macon-Bibb's dogs," Brabham said.
Now, she has to turn away dogs that are in Peach County. Brabham says she also had to send dogs north in hopes of them being adopted.
Below is a photo of one of the dogs she rescued from Bibb County. Its name is Reckless.
"Him and his brother were skeletons and were pretty close to dying," Brabham said.
They were 2 of 5 dogs that Bibb Animal Welfare needed to rescue from a Bibb home. Brabham said they were severely starved when she received them.
"But there's still three more there," Brabham said. "We're trying to make room to get them, but we can't because we have Peach County."
"It hurts because I want to help," Brabham said. "And I know those animals need help."
Now, her rescue shelter and others are having to make ends meet, feeding and caring for all these animals.
"Our medical costs have been the worst," Brabham said.
She said the majority of the dogs she's received from Bibb have tested heartworm positive.
"I think it's shameful they're shut down, and that they've been shut down this long," Brabham said.
Since the Bibb Commission approved the consent order on Tuesday, Sheriff David Davis says he hopes these doors are open sooner rather than later.
Brabham says Critical Care depends on grants to keep up their rescue shelter, but those grants only apply to Peach County. She says Bibb County has not helped to fund the rescue shelter since Animal Welfare closed its doors.
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