LifeLine Animal Project
An Atlanta-based no-kill nonprofit that has, since 2013, operated the municipal animal services contracts for both Fulton and DeKalb counties — one of the largest contracted no-kill shelter operations in the country.
LifeLine Animal Project is one of the more institutionally important animal welfare organizations in the southeast, founded in 2002 by Rebecca Guinn, an Atlanta attorney who, like a number of nonprofit founders in this category, started the organization after a personal encounter with the municipal shelter system. LifeLine grew quickly through the 2000s and 2010s and in 2013 took on the contracted animal services for DeKalb County, followed by Fulton County in 2017.
The contracted-municipal-services arrangement is unusual. Most American no-kill organizations operate as adoption partners to municipal shelters; LifeLine actually operates the municipal shelters themselves under contract, which gives the organization a different kind of leverage on outcomes.
How they work
LifeLine adoptions happen out of multiple locations: the LifeLine Pet Adoption Center in Avondale Estates, the Fulton County Animal Services facility in West Atlanta, and the DeKalb County Animal Services facility on Camp Road. Each functions as both a municipal animal services site and an active adoption center.
Adoptions begin online or in person. The application is short, the interview is conversational. Adoption fees vary by animal and time of year.
The shelters operate as no-kill in practice — both the Fulton and DeKalb facilities maintain live release rates consistently above 90%, which is unusual for contracted municipal shelters operating in metros of Atlanta's size and intake volume.
Beyond standard adoptions, LifeLine runs:
- The Spay & Neuter Clinic at Avondale Estates — providing low-cost services widely across metro Atlanta.
- Catlanta — a community-cat program handling trap-neuter-return and barn cat placement.
- Pet Support Center — surrender prevention, food assistance, and behavior support for households at risk of giving up their animals.
- Foster networks spanning both county systems.
- Behavior and training programs for dogs requiring rehabilitation.
- Veterinary care for adopted animals and a broader low-income community.
The contracted no-kill model
LifeLine's role as the contracted animal services provider for both DeKalb and Fulton counties is, in shelter-policy terms, one of the more interesting structural arrangements in the country. Most American municipal shelters operate as government-run facilities, with adoption work either handled in-house or contracted to outside nonprofits. LifeLine operates the entire system — intake, animal control, adoption, medical, community outreach — under a single nonprofit umbrella, with contracts from the counties paying for the municipal services portion.
This structural arrangement makes it easier to maintain no-kill outcomes than the traditional split model. Decisions about whether to euthanize for space, time, or condition are made by the same organization responsible for finding alternatives — not by a city department that has limited capacity for rehabilitation work.
The model has worked. Fulton and DeKalb were both, prior to LifeLine taking over the contracts, operating with high euthanasia rates and limited adoption infrastructure. Both now run as no-kill systems with live release rates that have held above 90% for multiple consecutive years.
You can support LifeLine in the standard ways:
- Adopt from any of the three main facilities.
- Foster — the foster network spans both county systems and is constantly recruiting.
- Volunteer — dog walking, cat socializing, medical clinic support, event work, community outreach.
- Donate — LifeLine publishes detailed financials annually.
Field & Era at LifeLine Animal Project
The Avondale Estates, Fulton County, and DeKalb County coordinates all appear in Companion Edition orders shipped throughout metro Atlanta and the broader southeast. If you adopted from any of the three LifeLine facilities and want the address set on archival paper, see the Companion Edition. 10% of every Companion order supports a rescue partner.
Last verified May 29, 2026. Facts about hours, intake policies, and adoption fees can change. Confirm with LifeLine Animal Project directly before visiting.