Meet Patricia Peurifoy of Dolly Goodpuppy Society in Barnesville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Patricia Peurifoy.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
As far back as I can remember pets claimed more than their share of real estate in my heart. My poor, frustrated mother complained that I had better not bring anything else home. I dreamed of saving them all. Then I grew up and my dreams were replaced with real-life events and responsibilities. Still, I would sometimes find some poor, wayward creature, take it in and care for it, but I never set my sights on starting an animal rescue.

In the spring of 2000, my husband and I relocated to the rural community of Barnesville, GA with a small dog, a couple of cats, and several horses.

One rainy night in Georgia when my husband was traveling and I was home alone, I heard an unfamiliar noise coming from our garage – it sounded like something crying! I opened the utility room door and immediately spotted the source of the cries, a little black puppy huddled in a corner. There was a pet door, but this was a little pup, how did it get in the garage? I went inside to get some water and a towel for a bed. When I got back to the garage, there were TWO puppies. Where in the world were these puppies coming from? I got my answer when a head popped through the pet door with a puppy in her mouth. I firmly told the mama dog that she could not bring her puppies into my garage, but she refused to take no for an answer, so I fixed her a bed and I gave her food and water. She had most likely been abandoned while pregnant and had her babies who know where. This gal was smart and determined to find proper shelter for her offspring. I guess she came to the right house and I am glad she did because, little did I realize at the time, she had just sent into motion a series of events that would lead me to create The Dolly Goodpuppy Society. See, one of those scared, whining little pups was Dolly, the original “good puppy.”

In less than a year we added five more dogs to our family – not by our choice mind you, most were abandoned on or near our property. I found a rescue group in a neighboring community and started to volunteer. I quickly realized that we were facing an overwhelming pet overpopulation issue in rural Georgia. Two things need to happen; the breeding population had to be reduced and pet owners had to spay and neuter their pets. How could I help make that happen? Start with humane pet owner education and provide spay/neuter assistance. Dolly Goodpuppy Society was created with those two goals in mind.

I never intended to become immersed in rescue, but apparently, it was inevitable. After a visit to our local animal control, I knew we needed to get a shelter license too. We started by taking litters of puppies to The Atlanta Humane Society and eventually partnered with their Mobile Spay/Neuter program to provide low-cost spay/neuter to our community. (more information about their program – https://atlantahumane.org/services/mobile-spay/#.W5-wwehKiUk).

Now, back to the name…when starting our organization, a variety of names danced in my head, all the while Dolly was sitting on the sofa beside me, quietly inspiring me. This beautiful girl was dumped out, like a piece of trash, with her mom and all her siblings. Why not name our group after a dog that typified the plight of so many dogs across our state? We kept Dolly and her sister, Blair, who was a ball chasing maniac. Dolly loved to perform tricks and obedience and meet new people around town. SHE was the perfect choice to be the “face” of our organization – The Dolly Goodpuppy Society. She was a wonderful spokesdog. Who even edited her own little newsletter when we first started. Dolly was eager to teach people how to be kinder to animals. She was my inspiration to start a rescue that not only helped animals in need but also works to educate the community in responsible pet ownership.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No. For most of us in rescue, it is never a smooth path because the demand for assistance is neverending.

We, along with virtually every other rescue and shelter, stay at maximum capacity and are overwhelmed with pleas for assistance from people who want to surrender a pet, have a litter of puppies that need homes, or a pregnant/sick/injured/malnourished/neglected stray that has shown up or been dumped out.

The Dolly Goodpuppy Society is an unwavering champion for dogs; we work tirelessly to find loving homes for dogs, educate the public on responsible pet ownership, and provide low-cost spay/neuter clinics but the ugly truth is that there are far more homeless dogs in need than families who want them and no matter how many we do take in there are always more waiting, wanting, needing, and deserving help.

Then there are the everyday challenges; the challenge to find space to take an animal, the challenge to raise funds to cover vet expenses and buy basic supplies, the challenge to find loving, adoptive homes. But probably the biggest challenge is finding enough volunteers. We are always begging for help at the kennel, everything from walking dogs, to cleaning, to help with maintenance and improvements. Not to mention assistance with administrative tasks, planning fundraisers, adoption events, pre-adoption home visits, dog transports, and food pickups. There are never enough hours in the day, strong enough coffee in the pot, or hands to help.

Since we rely on fundraisers and donations to keep our doors open, we are constantly looking for new fundraising ideas and ways to expand our donor base in this small, rural community.

All of our dogs are spayed/neutered, microchipped, fully vetted and vaccinated, and receive monthly heartworm/flea/tick prevention. Some dogs come here are have needs way beyond the basics, like heartworm treatments, emergency or corrective surgery, or treatment for underlying medical conditions. Balancing what we can and cannot afford to take is tough. We do as much as we can; a strong partnership with local veterinarians and other rescue organizations allows us to save more animals.

DGP has come a long way since we first started but we are a constant a work in progress. We know we have made a difference, and are committed to continue making a difference for animals in our community.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Dolly Goodpuppy Society, Inc. works on the problem of pet overpopulation in our area. It is often like bailing out the ocean with a bucket. We take dogs in need most often pregnant moms, moms with pups and litters of puppies. Making sure these girls get spayed and the puppies get vet care is our goal whether we take them into our system or transport to a partner rescue when our space is limited.

Assistance is offered to people in our community who cannot afford to get their pets spayed or neutered. It is very important to prevent a couple of pets from becoming an out of control breeding population. This is all part of promoting responsible pet ownership. I am very proud of our work to promote spay/neuter in our community.

The importance of a good match can’t be overstated. People fall in love with a photo of a dog and that is great, but they need to remember there is a personality that goes with that face. Acquiring a new pet should be a thoughtful decision and lifestyle, time, and funds need to be part of the consideration.

At Dolly Goodpuppy we are committed not to adopting as many dogs as quickly as possible, but to finding the best fit for our dogs and adopters. While we think this practice is best for everyone involved it does mean that we have quite a few “long timers” in the kennel. In the past year we’ve adopted several dogs we weren’t sure would ever find the right fit. Seeing these dog thriving in their new homes after years in our kennel fills my heart with joy and renews my hope that all of our dogs will someday find their perfect home.

What were you like growing up?
I grew up the only child of older parents who just happen to like animals too. My father was the one who would bring home all types of creatures, baby squirrels, rabbits, even a king snake or two. We always had pets, so I guess all my brothers and sisters had four legs. Our menagerie eventually chickens, dogs, cats, ponies and sometimes a parakeet.
I loved the outdoors and enjoyed riding bikes, ponies, and swimming. Tree climbing was fun too, but nothing compared to spending time with my four-legged friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dollygoodpuppy.org
• Email: dollygoodpuppy@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dollygoodpuppy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DollyGoodpuppy/
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/dollygoodpuppy/

Image Credit:
Adoptable Ireland, Orphan dog taking food, spay/neuter clinic photo were taken by Adrianne Smith Mckita Photography

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.