Pets

The Georgia Department of Agriculture has compliance authority over our licensed facilities. If you have information regarding violations or concerning GDA licensed facilities, you can log a complaint by submitting a report.

All government-run animal shelters in Georgia must submit a monthly report to GDA of animal intakes and outcomes. This report lists how many dogs and cats entered and left the shelter. 

GDA provides a full online export of data submitted to the reporting system. 

Dog and cat overpopulation is a tragic problem that affects all areas of Georgia. Each year, thousands of healthy, friendly dogs and cats are euthanized because of overpopulation. Spaying and neutering of dogs and cats helps reduce this problem. Since this program began, thousands of sterilization procedures have been performed by Georgia veterinarians benefiting from the DCSP grant.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) manages the Dog and Cat Sterilization Program. In 2003, the Georgia General Assembly created the Dog and Cat Reproductive Sterilization Support Program to subsidize spaying and neutering of dogs and cats, resulting in the DCSP program.

If you do not reside in Georgia and want to sell animals in the state, you must provide a consent to jurisdiction form.

Standard Bird or Pet Dealer Licenses for Non-Residents

To sell animals wholesale or retail in Georgia, you need a non-resident bird dealer license or pet dealer license.

Exhibition Licenses for Non-Residents

To sell birds and/or reptiles only at exhibition events, you need an Non-Resident Exhibition license,  Exhibition events are reptile or exotic bird shows that have been issued a special written permit by the State Veterinarian's office. If you are not sure whether an event you are planning to attend falls under this category, contact the event organizer.

You will need to have the license on your person at the events. Any birds that are brought in from out of State in Georgia must be accompanied by a health certificate that has been issued within the past 30 days. Health certificates will not be written at the events.

You can apply for exhibition licenses at the bird dealer license or pet dealer license (for reptiles) pages.

Specific Requirements for Birds

Any birds that enter Georgia for exhibition, sale, or adoption must be have a permit number that was issued before the event. See the Birds tab on our Bringing Animals into Georgia page for more information and to request a permit.

If you do not meet these requirements, either your birds will be quarantined on the property or the you will be required to remove all birds from the premise and return their State of origin.

Background

A Large-scale animal impoundment can be costly for a local city or county government. There can be expenses such as transportation, veterinary care, and temporary boarding of impounded animals. With this in mind, The Georgia General Assembly established the Local Government Companion Animal Trust Fund (LGCATF), in July 2021, to help Georgia’s local governments that may incur expenses directly related to such an event.

Purpose

The purpose of the LGCATF is to allow for reimbursement of costs incurred due to a large-scale impoundment of dogs, cats, or horses, by law enforcement and or animal control agencies of Georgia’s local governments.  

Overview

Qualified Local Governments (OCGA 50-8-2 (18) ), that have a had a physical seizure of more than 29 dogs or cats or more than 9 equine, performed by officers of its law enforcement or animal control agencies, may apply for reimbursement of direct costs incurred as a result of the impoundment.

A qualified local government may submit only expenses directly related to the immediate emergency care of impounded animals. While the Department acknowledges the benefits of preventive services such as vaccinations and sterilization procedures, these costs are not covered by the Local Government Companion Animal Trust Fund.

You can access the complete LGCATF rules here: Local Government Companion Animal Trust Fund