Newton County Animal Services’ records had to be updated when 2023 came to a close. Following a year where it set a pet adoption record with 1,032 total, the animal services had over 1,200 pet adoptions in 2023 — 1,203 to be exact. 

County manager Harold Cooper acknowledged the work done by the county’s animal services. 

“I commend director Cynthia Wiemann and her staff for this remarkable achievement,” Cooper said. “This is the result of years of hard work. Our pets are beloved members of our families and it warms my heart to know that Newton County residents are so welcoming to these animals.”

The record number of adoptions is the result of updates in almost all areas of operations throughout the last five years. Each upgrade helped lead to year-over-year increases in adoptions since 2018. 

In 2019, Newton County implemented ShelterBuddy software, allowing all animals to be posted directly online to the Newton County website and the Petfinder and Adopt-a-Pet sites. Newton County also began a partnership with Planned Pethood of Georgia to sterilize pets before they were sent to a home.

A year later, Phase 1 of an expansion and renovation of the Newton County Animal Shelter took place with funds from the 2017 Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). Thanks to continued support from residents, more improvements will be coming via funding from the 2023 SPLOST. The improved shelter allows for more animals as well as a climate-controlled, welcoming atmosphere for both people and pets.

Most recently, Newton County added an in-house surgical suite to facilitate the increasing number of adoptions, allowing for more pets available for immediate adoption.

Wiemann is grateful for the progress Newton County Animal Services has made over the past few years. 

“This is a dream come true to be able to ensure Newton County Animal Services is something the community can be proud of and provide thousands of animals with new homes and families,” Wiemann said. “Since 2018, Newton County Animal Services has worked steadily to improve our standards of care and customer service, this paired with the building improvements have provided our residents - the most important part of this transformation - that Newton County is the best place to look for a new pet.”