Hinesville animal rescue upgrading kennels, asking for public’s help

HINESVILLE, Ga. (WTOC) - A nonprofit animal shelter in Liberty County is undergoing upgrades to improve conditions for the dogs they care for - and they’re asking for the community’s help to make it happen.

K9 Battle Buddies is calling on volunteers to help prepare 14 new kennel huts on Sept. 20. The huts are an upgrade over traditional kennels and will provide air conditioning and indoor shelter for the dogs.

“It’s going to definitely give the dogs an amazing place to stay,” K9 Battle Buddies CEO and Co-founder Patricia Durham said. “They’re not in animal control, they’re safe - but they’re not in a home yet. Some of the dogs are here for more than a year, so the time that they’re here, we want to make them as comfortable as possible.”

In addition to adoption services, K9 Battle Buddies also runs a service dog program for veterans living with PTSD - a core mission since the organization was founded by Durham and her former husband, a Hinesville K9 officer who suffered from PTSD.

“The help that dog did for him was amazing,” Durham said. “He did some research and learned that services dogs were saving lives for veterans with PTSD. At the time, we had 22 soldiers a day dying from PTSD, and we wanted to make a difference in those numbers.”

The shelter is asking for volunteers to show up Saturday, Sept. 20 at their shelter on Airport Road in Hinesville to help prepare the new kennel huts. More information on how to volunteer or adopt from the rescue can be found on their website.

Watch the WTOC+ extended interview with K9 Battle Buddies below.