TWIGGS COUNTY, Ga. — Twiggs County residents have been asking for it for years -- now it's finally here. The county officially has an animal rescue!
Crystal Vargas is the founder and president of the nonprofit that launched in March.
"We have had the mayor of Jeffersonville and the city council all on our side for this, because they actually see a need for it, too. It's great to have county officials on your side when you're trying to start up an organization like this," said Vargas.
Jeffersonville Mayor Charles Williams agrees this is a big deal for the county.
"The need came from citizen complaints, where we have an abundance of dogs and puppies," he said.
Vargas says receiving the official license was a dream come true. Along with county officials, she says business owners have offered support.
"There had to be a start somewhere, and I been working on this for the past year," she said.
The rescue is hosting a vet clinic for the public at IHS Pharmacy on Saturday.
Dogs can be registered and get shots for $24 or less.
"If one is lost or stolen, they can be microchipped, things like that," said Williams.
Right now, the rescue has five foster parents who are caring for the animals. The end goal is to get the dogs adopted out to good homes.
"We won't be taking on all the dogs of Twiggs County, but we will be taking on the critical cases, the ones that is most needed first, because Twiggs County has never had anything like this," said Vargas.
Vargas says the rescue is also accepting monetary donations, food items, cages and more. You can donate to Twiggs County Animal Rescue here.
The vaccine clinic is Saturday, March 20 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The location is IHS Pharmacy parking lot at 13762 US-80, Jeffersonville, GA 31044.