The mission of Suzie’s Friends is to provide a special sanctuary in Homerville, Georgia where the hungry can be fed, the homeless can be sheltered, and the abused and abandoned animals of our community can be provided the care and love that they deserve.Suzie’s Friends was founded by Shelley and Johnny Allison in November of 2003. They had always been animal lovers – between their home and business they had a total of 12 dogs and 13 cats, all of which were former strays. One day, however, a stray like none other caught their attention. Most people now know this fantastic fido as “Suzie,” but she was far from the smiling pup that we all know and love today. When the Allisons found this Suzie, she was homeless, hungry and in need of immediate medical attention. Her front right leg dragged the ground between her two back legs when she walked and according to the vet the leg had been dislocated in this manner for approximately two years. Had Suzie received the care that she needed right when this injury occurred she probably would be running and playing on all four legs today. As a result of such neglect, however, Suzie had to have her leg amputated. Her body and face still bear many scars and bite marks, most likely from fighting, but around here Suzie will never have to fight for another thing as long as she lives. We hope to make this difference in the lives of many other animals and by forming Suzie’s Friends Shelley and Johnny Allison are sure to make a huge impact in the lives of needy animals who live in our corner of the world.
Initially Suzie’s Friends was funded with a cash donation of $60,000.00 from Mr. and Mrs. Allison. They have also provided a vehicle and humane trapping equipment such as Have-a-Heart traps valued at over $40,000.00, a website which will be updated daily and will list animals for adoption as well as those who where dropped off the day before, AND they have also donated the property and improvements as well as labor to make all of this work.
Currently the Allisons are constructing a state-of-the-art animal shelter in Homerville, Georgia, that has been recognized by some state officials as being one of the most advanced facilities of its kind. When all is said and done, it is estimated that over the next 5-8 years the Allisons will have invested over 1 million dollars in this project. The shelter will have 2 buildings equaling 12,000 square feet. There will be 4,000 square feet of shelter space capable of housing as many as 100 fidos and an equal number of felines. In addition to indoor housing space, dogs will have large outdoor runs and cats will be able to relax in their own paradise. Suzie’s feline friends will have their very own 2,400 square foot enclosed outdoor arena complete with gardens and paths that will be capable of housing 150-200 cats in a natural habitat environment.
There will be approximately 2,000 square feet set aside for children’s Humane Education and animal-based outreach programs that we hope to infuse throughout the community. Our plans include incorporating programs such as Paws-to-Read, which will improve reading skills among elementary level students by allowing them to read to dogs in a non-threatening environment, as well as Pet Assisted Therapy programs for our local nursing home and special needs people who reside within our community. We would also like to work with local educators in Clinch County to incorporate humane education into existing curriculum.
Suzie’s Friends hopes to incorporate the youth of our community into our programs through involving organizations such as the Boy Scouts & Cub Scouts and church groups as well as school-related clubs such as 4-H and Beta clubs. Doing this will not only help out the youth (as many of these clubs require members to log volunteer hours), it will allow the shelter animals to have one-on-one contact with caring individuals and it will help raise community awareness among young persons.
Ultimately the goal of Suzie’s Friends and like organizations is to spur the eventual decline in pet overpopulation and abuse. Instilling humane values within the minds and spirits of our young people will result in future generations who are more aware, responsible and compassionate.
From the enforcement level Suzie’s Friends would like to see a joint venture between the City of Homerville and Clinch County whereby the City or County would contact us and request that we try to humanely trap animals when the need should arise. We also expect our local government to “Say No” to Animal Cruelty and provide stiff penalties for those who deliberately mistreat animals. Our organization hopes to evaluate existing animal ordinances and help to rewrite them so that they will reflect the values of a community of the 21st century – one that will not tolerate irresponsible pet owners. We must try and infuse within the community the attitude that animal cruelty is a crime and that the animals are not at fault – they have no voice in what we have done to them as a society or what we are going to decide for them today.
With the help of Federal, State and local government agencies as well as other experts in the field, we would like to see our city and county adopt a plan and practice that will help make our community a special place for all of it’s inhabitants.
While our goals will take a lot of hard work and perseverance to accomplish, we believe that with the support of our community we can achieve all of this and more for all of Suzie’s Friends.
