OUR MISSION

A Welcome Home Animal Rescue (AWHAR) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity founded in 2009 that was created to rescue stray, homeless, injured and abandoned animals. We are well respected in the rescue community for our approach of rescuing and for the high-quality care of our animals. We make extraordinary efforts to fully vet and to place healthy dogs and cats in the right homes where they become cherished lifetime family members . Our goal is also to help individuals find the right pets for their specific home needs so that the animals chosen and placed are far less likely to be returned.

​NEWS -- AWHAR is proud to announce that as of 2024 we are a grant recipient and a partner with Second Life Atlanta in Decatur, Georgia.​ Their mission is to support a number of Animal Rescue charities in Georgia, supporting their goal of population control through spay and neutering, as well as assisting with other rescue services through their Thrift Store and other programs. Please visit their website and purchase from their fantastic thrift store, on-line and in person, and please donate, and visit often.

NOTE: Vet References are Key: We do home visits and we do reference checks with the applicant’s prior or current vet hospitals and clinics.  Veterinarians are the primary references needed to document the applicants’  care of prior or current animals.  If you do not have good consistent vet references, please do not apply.  We do consider, however, first time pet owners for some pets . We reserve the right to refuse applicants who are not truthful on applications, or who are otherwise deemed not the appropriate fit for any specific animal. Please read about our full adoption policies here.

Philosophy: We believe that every animal deserves humane treatment . We believe in our role as caretakers, protecting companion animals who cannot defend themselves. Leading with kindness and compassion is our motto. We will intervene to stop animal suffering wherever we can. We also believe that humane euthanasia is sometimes the best course for an animal, and we are brave enough to take that step when needed. We are a small group, but we help as many animals as possible based on our time and budget.  Further, we are well-connected in the community, and we may be able to refer people to other resources when we cannot help, especially in cases of neglect or abuse. We are foster-based and full at the moment; we do not have a shelter but we sometimes have room for cats in our foster homes.