HABITAT FOR HOUNDS

“Habitat for Hounds” was born out of the need for one doghouse. Dixie,  a dog Brenda drove by every day, had little shelter to protect her from the cold.  One day in November 2011, Brenda decided to buy Dixie a doghouse to protect her from the freezing temperature and rain. She also realized that there must be other dogs in Rabun County in the same situation as Dixie. Once she got to work at Rabun Animal Hospital, in Mountain City, Ga., she asked then-owners Dr. Stephen Arbitter and Dr. Brad Smith, if she could put up a donation jar in the hopes of collecting funds to supply other needy dogs with houses. Brenda called the mission “Holiday Doghouse Drive.” The holidays came and went and donations were still coming in and dogs still needed houses, so the name of the mission was changed to “Habitat for Hounds.” Dixie was the first dog to get an insulated, straw-filled house and every morning, Brenda saw her poking her head out of the door, warm and comfortable.