Huffington Magazine Issue 2 | Page 100

COURTESY OF DR. GOOD Exit Good’s office, good Samaritans also bring in a number of stray animals each day. Good, 58, specializes in helping those stray animals. Not only does he provide highly discounted veterinary services, he does his best to ensure they find a new home. In an area that — by his estimations — euthanizes around 100,000 stray cats and dogs each year, he tries to save as many lives as he can. About 14 years ago, Good volunteered to help out as a “de facto medical director” at a rundown animal shelter in nearby Fulton County. At the time, the shelter was severely overcrowded, and according to Good, resembled a “Doggie Auschwitz.” He remembers his first day — the day when he had to euthanize 40 to 50 stray animals “just because they didn’t have a home.” “I could see it in their eyes each time,” Good says. “I kept thinking, ‘I’m really sorry I have to kill you because you’re homeless.’” Good says that he swore an oath to find a better solution that day. Since then, he’s started the Homeless Pet Foundation in hopes of utilizing word-of-mouth and social networking to find homes for stray animals — many GREATEST PERSON OF THE WEEK of whom, he says, may have just gotten loose from their homes. “Let’s say you go on a three-day business trip,” Good says. “A lot of communities have a rule where they can euthanize stray animals after three days. If they don’t have any records on file and your dog isn’t wearing any kind of ID, you may think everything’s fine, but you get back and your dog has been euthanized.” HUFFINGTON 06.24.12 Above, Dr. Good finishes surgery at his veterinary practice. Below, members of Good’s staff.