The Boggs Mountain Humane Shelter in GA advertises a “Lucky Dog” sponsorship program on its website. Donors can send in $100 to sponsor a dog or cat at this so-called “no kill” shelter and will receive word when the sponsored pet is adopted or transferred to rescue. It sounds great but Randy Travis, an investigative reporter with the Atlanta Fox affiliate, discovered the whole thing is a scam.
In his report, Mr. Travis provides evidence that Boggs Mountain would pressure donors to send the money quickly in order to save the pet then, with cash in pocket, would take the “lucky dog” to the county pound to be killed. During his first visit to the Boggs Mountain facility, he obtained undercover video of 2 healthy, adoptable dogs in the program only to find out they were killed the same hour he left the place. He went back, determined to get the truth. Watch the video at the link as the director attempts to physically shut him in the doorway, trying to prevent him from accessing the dog kennels.
Just another reminder to perform due diligence when donating money to save shelter pets. If you can personally visit the facility or at least get a recommendation from a trusted source, that’s better than blindly mailing out checks. As the no kill movement continues to grow, there are bound to be scammers out there who will attempt to use the terminology in order to make a buck. We want to believe everyone in the shelter business feels as we do, that the lives of pets are worth protecting, but that is all too commonly not the case, regardless of what claims a facility makes.
Wow. I wonder where the money went?
It’s this sort of scam that makes people point and say, “See? No Kill doesn’t work!” This shelter was not No Kill, it was Bait and Switch…
It doesn’t surprise me that something sleezy like this is done.Just horrible really.Thanks for sharing that.
I wonder if their transfer program is legitimate. Earlier this year I called and spoke to a volunteer about transferring a dog from the Gwinnett pound and was told the shelter director would call me later that day. When I didn’t hear from her, I called again the next day and a rude woman told me they were busy and hung up on me. Since then I have not had a good opinion of Boggs Mountain. I am so sorry for the people who donated to ensure their animal’s safety.
Clarice, Most recently Rabun Paws 4 Life took over Boggs. Their ‘new and improved’ shelter director is the same woman hired by the Boggs BOD to move the remaining surviving animals. It has just come to our concern that 3 dogs that escaped death once at Boggs is now sitting in a high kill MI AC shelter. Apparently the ‘dog mover’ and now new director of Rabun Paws 4 Life sent them to a rescue in MI. then the rescue took 2 of them to the shelter as strays. The 3rd cannot be located… The nightmare continues and old wounds are still open. Side note: I just fostered a momma her 4 pup and Chi that were pulled from Gwinnet for Castaway Critters in Blairsville GA
Can you say which MI AC and the name of the rescue? I have been following the Boggs saga and I am in MI.
My god…how sick and twisted can you be? I’m glad to hear that there may be criminal charges laid. That poor woman… You have to be a whole new level of sick to take advantage of caring, loving people looking to put themselves out of pocket to help dogs they’ve never met.
I saw this report on tv last night and I wanted to drive up there and punch this woman! If I saw on the news that she was killed in a car accident on her way to work, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.
I couldn’t agree with you more on that, Mark! I was sick with disgust — and to see that director continue her bold-face lies — when he called her on it, she actually TRIED to stop the news reporter from entering the premises? Then she had the nerve to dial 911 — the jig is UP, beyooooche!! Hope you lose everything!
Although it was important to out these scammers I found it an extremely irresponsible report. Obviously the county kill shelter is complicit in this which Randy did not focus on and Randy cast a negative light and slant on all no kill shelters in his report and in his comments. He said disgustedly and made the blanket statement that “No kill is NOT no kill”.If the county shelter which is literally next door and for all intents and purposes their partner, was No Kill this would not have happened. However, this county shelter was obviously very aware that Boggs “no kill” was killing them left and right as the county shelter was the one to actually end their lives. They were quite alright with the deception and needless killing.
I didn’t get that he was bad-mouthing ALL no-kill shelters, just this one.
I suppose this heinous woman’s rationale is that “WE” (i.e., Boggs Mountain) didn’t kill pets, i.e., didn’t do the actual DEED. That doesn’t make them less responsible though, especially when they LIED TO the sponsors about the pets being adopted.
I really, really hate liars. Shared this on Twitter & Facebook, cuz I’m in Georgia, and these folks need to be Called. OUT.
Well, Boggs Mountain Humane is in a very small community and they have the contract for doing animal control. They run the kill shelter next door–which explains why “animal control” didn’t blow the whistle on them. They have been scamming shelters, rescues and the public for years.
Agreed that, if the animal control facility were No Kill, these animals would be in homes instead of in the landfill. It isn’t right to expect so little of the county shelter.
As I understand it, on tonight’s report Travis will be interviewing someone in Atlanta who runs “a true no kill shelter.” He gets that being no kill means not killing animals, but I think he likely doesn’t understand that No Kill, with a capital N and a capital K, imposes a specific standard and calls for implementation of a well-defined suite of management programs, at both open- and limited-admission shelters.
Obviously, he cares about animals and about how people use them to deceive others for gain. His series about the Atlanta Humane Society was really well done and definitely made the point that there are dogs in the public shelter in Atlanta that AHS was choosing not to help. I think his reporting will improve further when he learns about the No Kill standard and the requirement for implementation of the No Kill Equation in public facilities.
He is good about reading his Facebook page, so there will be an opportunity to respond to tonight’s story and clarify what No Kill actually means.
Thanks for that reminder, Jeanne, it slipped by me that BMH actually runs the public shelter, so of course they would be killing animals.
Agreed. I also thought he intimated they were run by the same authority but it wasn’t clear. I didn’t fully process that due to the extreme conflict of interest. Knowing the AG in GA it will all be rationalized away since they turned out to be a full kill facility. Kill good save bad. If a rescue did this they would be crucified and probably labeled with the catch all term to stigmatize rescues “hoarders”. (Yes I know that would be ironic here but isn’t everything in the twilight zonish pro kill world?)I do wish he would focus more in the future on all the kill shelters of greater Atlanta who bring to death to many many animals,all have unacceptably high kill rates, and plenty of horror stories.
A protest will be held Saturday, July 28 at Boggs Mountain.
http://www.facebook.com/BoggsMountainHumaneSocietyProtest
I was just going to provide the Link to Boggs’ FB page… people are leaving all kinds of comments, remarks!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boggs-Mountain-Humane-Shelter/183109318421770
Glad there will be a protest — I won’t be happy til that WOMAN is fired or quits and never returns. One bad apple…
I can’t get that link to work. I think they shut down their page?
I can’t get in either…
I found the comment that the “whistle blower’ made.. I had to lie to keep my job equally as reprehensible as the director herself.. at the risk of invoking Godwins law.. I thought that to be about the same as ” I was only following orders” used by many.. were there no other jobs to be had?
The reporter will be doing more on this story tonight. Perhaps someone ( hint hint Shirley)could get to him and explain about no -kill
I hope criminal charges will be brought against the director of this shelter for fraud or whatever. Just amazing there are such callous and unfeeling people out there determined to make a buck off the lives of innocent babies.
This was a great (although horrific) story, Shirley. One thing I couldn’t help noticing is look how quickly this tiny community has organized a Protest against this “Shelter” after just one report, and yet a city the size of Memphis doesn’t seem to be able to get up a decent Protest Movement against MAS despite video evidence of what they do there, day after day after day….just sayin’
You read my mind. I would be grateful if ONE PERSON showed up to peacefully protest city hall or MAS or whatever this weekend. Seriously.
Wow. Too bad that reporter doesn’t have a twin in the Memphis area. My heart was breaking for that poor woman who sponsored the undernourished lab/boxer.
Way to scam the irresponsible public, Boggs Mountain.
Boggs Mountain.. do you believe in Karma? So glad you got busted.. Just sorry it took so long…
Sickening….I just wrote Randy Travis and asked that he call it killing, which is indeed what it is instead of a peaceful death for an animal that is in pain or suffering. I hope he continues to deliver the truth. How I wish HE was in Memphis!
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating.
http://www.theclaytontribune.com/view/full_story_free/19451089/article-Concerns-plague-Boggs-Mountain-Shelter-?instance=breakingNews_article
I can’t wait to read their press release … they are busted… now why can’t MAS be held accountable? OH yeah.. Boggs is privately owned… so they are getting paid twice to murder animals.
here’s an update… emergency meeting tonight,, just posted on FB 10 minutes ago..
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/19077572/animal-shelter-calls-emergency-meeting-after-i-team-investigation
here’s another FB comment…
Michelle Phillips
I just heard from Dee Dee that Fox 5 was reporting LIVE from the Shelter on the 6:00 news as it was shut down and all the animals there were taken by other rescue groups. Not sure if Peanut was actually arrested. I missed it and will have to re-watch at 10:00.
about an hour ago
Hunter Burnette McCreary likes this.
Michelle Phillips Oh and she was fired I believe.
55 minutes ago · 1
Gretchen Kennedy Castille I pray he is arrested, tried and jailed!
24 minutes ago · 1
Dot, this page has additional information.
https://www.facebook.com/RandyTravisFOX5
Thank for sharing.. still no press release? Hummmmm
The majority of these shelters are not being investigated and/or audited even though many have contracts with cities/counties. They think they can do whatever they want with no consequences! I hope the GBI can find out what happened to all the donated money. The IRS should investigate too since the shelter is supposedly a 501c3. If anyone donated money to this program, I would definitely contact the GBI.
and they are getting money from their local government…?
Yep, we need a Randy Travis in Memphis.
Just awful. I also agree about needing this guy in Memphis. I hope that these people are punished to the fullest extent of the law and never allowed near an animal again.
Try living in the county….. lots of crooked agencies that are supposed to help/protect people are the same way. I feel horrible becausw we have taken strays there, thinking theyvwould be helped!
You do what you think is best – don’t blame yourself. That’s why it’s so important for the public to know the truth.
did they ever do a press release?
Be nice if all shelter irregularities were investigated by the States. GBI, you can’t do better than that. Finally a good outcome to one of these stories.
“Boggs Mountain Board has suspended Lowanda Peanut Kilby indefinitely with pay while a five-person panel Investigates what we earlier reported. The shelter will remain closed and the Lucky Dog program suspended. They promise that the animals currently there are being cared for.”
https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/RandyTravisFOX5
And their word is worth… what, exactly?
Thanks for this update Clarice.
With pay? What does one have to do in order to be fired?
Good heavens – I do hope the animals there are being cared for, I mean really well cared for.
Press release from the board.
https://www.facebook.com/RandyTravisFOX5#!/RandyTravisFOX5
Most recently Rabun Paws 4 Life took over Boggs. Their ‘new and improved’ shelter director is the same woman hired by the Boggs BOD to move the remaining surviving animals. It has just come to our concern that 3 dogs that escaped death once at Boggs is now sitting in a high kill MI AC shelter. Apparently the ‘dog mover’ and now new director of Rabun Paws 4 Life sent them to a rescue in MI. then the rescue took 2 of them to the shelter as strays. The 3rd cannot be located… The nightmare continues and old wounds are still open.