ABOUT US

Ellijay Paws in Need was created by two volunteers who had a vision that the dogs living in the Gilmer County Shelter could have a better quality of life if more people would get involved with them. So, with determination, Stephanie and Ashley got busy finding compassionate dog lovers to join a newly created volunteer corp. What began as a vision of the dogs having exercise, affection, and socialization every day while in the shelter has become a reality. Ellijay Paws in Need was born. We are not finished! There is much more to do. We need YOU to join our team. You can make a difference!

Board Of Directors
President - Ashley Agurto
Vice President - Stephanie Swann
Secretary - Melissa Schoene
Treasurer - Rebecca Harrell
Member At Large - Karen Danielson

 Our Founders

  • Ashley

    “Anyone who knows me knows my fondness for all animals and especially my love for dogs. Meeting other people’s dogs, spoiling & spending time with my own, and helping the ones in need are things I automatically want to do. Dogs that end up in shelters hold a special place in my heart so donating and getting involved with the local organizations wherever I’ve lived has always been important to me. We came to Ellijay with our two rescues, Marv and Scarlet. We’ve since adopted our 3rd, Jax, after months of taking him & his shelter-mates on their walks at the Gilmer County Animal Shelter. Volunteering at the shelter means I get to continue meeting, spoiling & helping dogs in hopes that they all one day find love in the forever homes they so deserve.”

  • Stephanie

    “Dogs have always been a huge part of my life from the day I was born. In fact, the story that gets told over and over in my family is that as an infant, I could only fall asleep at night once our cocker spaniel Sunny was next to my crib. I cannot imagine a life without dogs and in fact we have 4 rescued furry family members currently: Mr. Magoo, Moose, Mavis, and Willa Dean! Moose, our latest addition was the first dog I met when beginning to walk dogs at the shelter. It was love at first sight!!

    I believe all dogs and cats have the right to be cared for and live with compassionate humans that understand the responsibility we have for their lives. To this end, I am committed to finding good loving homes for all our sweet dogs in the care of Gilmer County.”

 Our Leadership Team

Pat
Small Dog
Volunteer Coordinator

Stephanie
Large Dog
Volunteer Coordinator

  • Susan: Play Group Coordinator

  • Rick: Play Group Coordinator

Play group is the core of our dog on dog socialization program. All of our play group leaders have been trained in assessment and management of group play. Dogs are selected to be in groups based on style of play, temperment, and level of enjoyment. Every dog gets assessed and our goal is for every dog who is appropriate to have some time each day with their friends. This decreases stress, increases comfort in the kennels, and improves adoptability. And a bonus is, it is great fun for the volunteers!

 Our Daily Walking Team Leaders

Our walking team leaders are instrumental in the daily care of the dogs in the kennels. They are responsible for the organization of our volunteer teams as well as maintaining excellent communication with the shelter staff. We could not get the job done each day without our team leaders!

  • Monday: Jolie

  • Tuesday: LeAnna

  • Wednesday: Randy

  • Thursday: Ashley

  • Friday: Christine

  • Friday: Shannon

  • Saturday: Lindsey

  • Saturday: Brittany

  • Sunday: Beth

The Enrichment Program

Brad - Enrichment Program Coordinator

Afternoon enrichment teams support the greater Ellijay Paws mission to help prepare dogs for adoption with one-on-one human socialization and enrichment activities. Enrichment activities provide dogs with physical exercise and mental stimulation, help them love and trust humans, and get them out of the pen to have fun, burn off energy, and keep them sane! As the American Veterinary Association says, “All dogs need enrichment.”

 Ellijay Paws Enrichment is a 1:1 activity for dogs and volunteers. It might include playing fetch and catch, licking mats, using ropes for tug-of-war, hiding treats, dog puzzles, sniffing gardens, basic obedience, or just cuddling. Every dog is different! Each has different interests, needs, skills, and personalities, so we learn to listen to the dog to discern what he/she wants while also trying new things to stimulate the dog’s interest. 

Tamara - Enrichment Program Coordinator

Marketing & Social Media Team

Melissa is our amazing photographer! She spends countless hours taking 100s of pictures to get the best picture possible.

She (along with her assistant Pat, our Small Dog Coordinator) can often be found blowing bubbles, cajoling dogs with treats, and laughing joyfully all the while making sure we have awesome photographs that show the love these dogs have to offer!

Her excellent photos capture our dog’s personalities and make a huge impact in the efforts to get them adopted.

Brittany is the latest superstar to join our Social Media team.

Brittany’s specialty is creating video content for TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. We first met Brittany when she showed up to adopt the last of a litter of puppies. Frenchie was languishing in the shelter and Brittany came and rescued her! We knew she was amazing right then and there. Brittany is another volunteer who does a bit of everything for us. We would not be us without Brittany.

Check out her videos on Tik Tok at @ellijaypawsinneed or on Facebook and Instagram!

Foster Program Coordinator

As our Foster Program Coordinator, Clyde plays a crucial role in our organization's lifesaving foster care program. He is responsible for recruiting, screening, and training potential foster parents, ensuring a smooth transition for dogs entering and exiting foster care, and providing ongoing support to our foster families. In fact, he is currently fostering Baby Girl (pictured with Clyde), who is a medical foster after having her leg amputated as a result of neglect after being hit by a car.

Responsibilities:

● Recruit, screen, and train volunteer dog foster parents

● Develop and maintain foster care procedures and materials

● Coordinate the placement of dogs in foster homes

● Facilitate communication between foster parents, shelter staff, and veterinarians

● Monitor the health and well-being of dogs in foster care

● Provide ongoing support and resources to foster families

● Track and report on foster care program data

We can’t do it alone! We are building an amazing group of volunteers to help!!

We need you!! PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING OUR TEAM.
 

We thank you, and more importantly, the dogs thank you!