This month we would like to highlight Tom Tracy!  Tom is one of the Humane Society of Forsyth County’s (HSFC) many superstar volunteers.  He puts his heart into everything that he does.  Tom gives up his time and himself selflessly to help families and animals connect.

Tom is currently celebrating his one year anniversary as a volunteer for the Humane Society of Forsyth County. Since he began volunteering a year ago his role here has grown from, “we are happy to have you visit the dogs” to “we have no idea what we would do without you.”  Tom is now the offsite dog adoption coordinator for the HSFC. He can be found every weekend standing out in front at Petco, Rucker’s, and other adoption sites being an advocate for any and all dogs in need of a home.

“I am just glad that we have such a great organization in the county to work with,” Tom said shining the spotlight, again, away from himself.  He is a constant crusader for the HSFC. During the 45 minute interview he does nothing but sing praises of the dogs that he works with as well as the people who share the same passion for animals that he does.  He can tell you their names.  He can also tell you about their temperament, but anyone who meets Tom can tell that he cares for these animals with a heart as big as the man himself.     Pictured from left to right:  Mollie, Jolene, Tom, Molly (foster #1, lying across Tom’ s lap), Reese (foster #2, in front), Niki, and Cosmo.

Article written by Jenn VonEssen, HSFC Volunteer

This month we would like to highlight Marley Myers!  Meet the furriest volunteer that the Humane Society of Forsyth County has in its ranks!

Marley Myers is a 145 pound pure bred Great Pyrenees.  His owners, Mark and Merle, have been long term financial supporters of the HSFC.  More recently they have taken on a more “paws on” approach to volunteering.  Mark, Merle (and Marley of course) are part of the Humane Hearts program in Forsyth County.  Marley, and his two favorite chaperones, visit local nursing homes and schools and spread love everywhere they go. 

“Marley loves just about everybody,” says Mark as he stands in front of Canine Couture in Suwanee, after booking Marley a grooming appointment for later in the week.  Marley has to look his best for his public appearances with people of all ages.  He is an official greeter at this year’s Bark and Boogie Ball and is always a favorite guest everywhere he goes.  Mark and Merle still support the HSFC financially as much as they can.  They have really enjoyed sharing this experience with Marley and with all of those who have been touched by this special canine.

by Jenn VonEssen, HSFC Volunteer

This month we would like to highlight Wanda Deaton!  Wanda is one of the Humane Society of Forsyth County’s (HSFC) many superstar volunteers.  She puts her heart into everything that she does.  Wanda gives up her time and up herself selflessly to help families and animals connect.

Wanda’s official title with the HSFC is “Foster Co-Coordinator”, but in reality she is so much more than the title alone.  She spends many of her evenings and weekends volunteering.  As “Foster Co-Coordinator” she helps to create a positive and supportive relationship between the organization and its’ foster and adopting families.  In addition to her official role, you will often find Wanda at the adoption sites on the weekends being an advocate for the animals who are seeking loving homes.

At the Thrift Store, Robin does whatever needs to be done. This includes working the register, sorting and pricing donated items from our very generous donors or putting these gently used treasures out on the shelves.  Robin is a self-starter and very dependable. She has a fantastic sense of humor and has spent many hours at the thrift store.  When she is done for the day she goes home feeling good knowing she has accomplished something.  She knows that she has done something to benefit both people and the animals. 

This month we would like to highlight Heather Ernst!  Heather and her son originally started coming up to the shelter to clean up after the dogs and play with them.  It wasn’t much longer before she started to foster our dogs.  That was almost 6 years ago!  She has fostered almost 55 dogs (2 found forever homes with Heather and her family) and five feral kittens.  No wonder, Lisa Leonard, our Foster Dog Coordinator considers her a foster extraordinaire!  

The Ernst family includes Heather, her husband, son, and daughter, in addition to four dogs—Panda, Little Girl, Tinkerbell, and Beethoven.  Heather says she enjoys sharing her love with the animals.  She believes that any life lesson can be learned from a pet if you take the time to pay attention.  

Once, she rescued a dog that was extremely frightened since it had never been touched by a human before.  She also rescued a dog that would not respond to anyone, until a special-needs little girl walked over, picked her up, and made the connection.  Heather says her specialty is helping a dog learn to develop trust and to know that it’s okay to be loved. 

Every Sunday at her house is “Boat Ride Sunday.” Heather lives on Lake Lanier and takes all of the dogs for a boat ride over to an island for playtime. How cool is that! She really works hard on teaching socialization, respect, trust, and housebreaking. Her dedication really shows. She once took 4-week-old puppies with her on spring break so she could bottle feed them. Not to mention she had four fifteen-year-old boys with her. Not a lot of folks are willing to sacrifice like that. 

We are very fortunate to have Heather as part of our wonderful volunteer family.  We hope you will join us in thanking Heather Ernst for all she does for the HSFC.

If you have a little free time and a lot of love in your heart, you could help us save even more animals! We are always looking for help at offsite adoption events and more. To get involved is easy . . . just contact us at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or come to volunteer orientation (see Calendar of Events for dates). 

This month we would like to highlight Caroline Collins!  Caroline began looking for an opportunity for a bonding opportunity with her son, Jacoby.  She decided that since they both loved animals, the Humane Society of Forsyth County was the perfect place to spend some time together!  They jumped right in and really liked it.

Caroline and her son have been volunteering with us for the last year and a half.  Many volunteers focus their efforts in one particular area, but not Caroline. You can never be sure where you may bump into them because they are so active in so many different areas.  They assist our shelter staff with cleaning  in the evenings and on the weekends. They participate in adoption events for both cats and dogs and assist with pet transportation. Caroline uses her literary skills and does our Pet Feature articles which are used in various local magazines promoting our adoptable pets. She also helps with cat care for our cats in residence at Petco and feeds feral cats.  Remarkable!

April 2011. This month we would like to highlight Jessica and Russ Place! Jessica and Russ began looking for an opportunity to give back after they adopted their dog “Louie” from the Atlanta Humane Society.  They both feel very strongly that it is important to do service because of their faith.  Happily, they found the Humane Society of Forsyth County about four years ago.

You can count on seeing Jessica and Russ at a dog adoption event at least once a month.  Jessica is one of the dog adoption team leads and is assisted in dog transport and adoptions by Russ.  Supporting adoptions is not the only place you will see this couple. Russ has dressed up as Santa for Pet Pictures with Santa and Jessica was an elf.  They have also volunteered at several fundraisers including a few Bark & Boogie Balls and Wags & Whiskers events.  Jessica is also one of the team leads for the Mutts & More Festival coming up on June 4.

March 2011.  Sometimes the road to volunteering at the Humane Society isn’t always a direct route.  Such is the case for Terri Murphy.  Terri is no stranger to volunteering, she has been actively volunteering in the community for years.  Her daughter, Amanda, is a senior at South Forsyth High School.  In order for her to earn her volunteer hours for Beta Club and National Honor Society last year, she chose to spend time at our shelter socializing the pets.

When Amanda’s father didn’t go up to the shelter with her, her mother, Terri did.  During one of the visits, Terri offered to help with any office or admin work if it was needed.  It was music to ours ears!

For almost 4 years, Kathy has been an integral part of the Cat Team, as one of the Team Lead's at the offsite adoption events. Her experience with kitties and her outgoing personality is a winning combination and has resulted in many adoptions at these events.

Kathy is also a regular at the Adoption Center, giving love and attention to the kitties (with maybe a little extra for her special favorites, Middie, Charlie, Fiona and Lilly), doing deep cleaning of the cat rooms and helping out with adoptions there.

However, when Lauren Russo attended Career Day at her school, she not only listened, she heard the message and took action!

Being an animal lover all her life, Lauren was excited to hear about the various opportunities to help the homeless animals with the Humane Society of Forsyth County. She went home and convinced her mom, Cindy, to volunteer with her at the HSFC Adoption Center.