Mon., February 6, 2012 6:55am (EST)

Former Stray Helps Macon Shelter
By Josephine Bennett
Updated: 1 year ago

MACON, Ga.  —  
AC Pup at his recent birthday party (photo courtesy Central Georgia Cares)
AC Pup at his recent birthday party (photo courtesy Central Georgia Cares)
Social media marketing is helping boost adoptions at Macon’s animal shelter. A recent stream of donations is also helping animals find homes. In the last few weeks four donors paid adoption fees for 40 animals facing euthanasia. All but seven found homes.

Three years ago a group of business people formed Central Georgia Cares and began marketing the shelter using a former stray dog named AC Pup as a mascot. Now he has 4,000 friends on Facebook. Patti Jones chairs the group.

“We created this personality for him and just promoted him every which way we could and he’s a local celebrity and he’s an icon.”

AC Pup has a weekly column in the local paper, visits schools, and sponsors events like a “pardon” week where 70 animals got homes. Since 2008 adoptions at the shelter have nearly tripled.