No one will ever be able to forget the iconic images of Tramp being loaded into the dogcatcher’s wagon to be taken away to the pound in the film “Lady and the Tramp.”

Jeff Stewart, along with the Circle of Friends Animal Society, helps rescue dogs in danger of being put down, giving them a second chance at life with a family that couldn’t be more grateful to the organization.

Stewart has served as a foster family and dog trainer to more than 140 dogs during his four years with the organization and has found loving homes for all of his fosters. COF has been helping animals for five years and won’t ever give up hope that the perfect fit for each animal is just around the corner and that, just like in Tramp’s case, every “tail” will be a happy one.

“At my place I usually have between 10 and 15 foster dogs. It depends on the dog’s health and behavior as to how long I keep them. I usually keep them a month or about as long as it takes to get them adopted. I kept one dog for a year and a half. You get attached to them, especially if you work with them on a one-on-one basis,” Stewart said.

Some of the dogs that are rescued have been abused. Abused dogs and dogs that haven’t been socialized look very similar, according to Stewart. He begins the training and trust processes with a lot of basic training and obedience. He uses treats and play to increase a positive experience.

“Once the dogs start trusting me, they are so much better around other people. We build from there. The dogs start to see they are safe and that makes all of the difference,” Stewart said.

The group doesn’t have a shelter, but relies on the help of foster families including many University of Georgia students. Pat Cullen of COF and Stewart are currently the main foster homes and both live in the Greensboro area.

“I have a room with crates in it circling the walls where the foster dogs stay. We have weekly adoption events. I have the adoption events in Loganville at PetSmart on Saturdays and Sunday in Athens at the Pet Supplies Plus. Most of the dogs go online at some point at our website or petfinder.com. Most of our dogs are adopted locally at our adoption events. We like to keep them local so that if there is a problem, the animals can be brought back safely,” Stewart said.

COF originated in Greensboro. The founding members focused their efforts in creating the Greene and Putnam Animal Control centers. They also staffed the organizations with volunteer work.

The organization attempts to take dogs that are ready to be put down due to overcrowding in the system. Ava, the dog Stewart kept for a year and a half, did so because many of her problems stemmed from a lack of self-confidence.

“She could have come from a fighting background. She was 10 months when we got her and she had already had puppies. She was a pit mix probably. She was a very sweet people dog. The family that was looking for a golden retriever fell in love with her. She knew about 14 hand signals and was very well trained after living with me for so long. She was their first dog and they had kids and she adored children,” Stewart said.

Stewart believes that if you wait around long enough, the perfect fit really does come along. In a sad case on Jan. 9, 47 dogs were brought into the animal control facility in Athens after their owner passed away. Circle of Friends rescued 16 adults and puppies.

Athens Animal Control alerted a few groups locally to the fact that there were 49 animals remaining in need of a home. COF took 16 dogs the first day. Stewart has already found homes for the two adult dogs so far. He still has seven puppies and another member of the group has three puppies. The puppies are about 12 weeks old and are ready to be adopted.

In all, there were 46 Shih Tzu mixes and a Labrador separated from the rest of the group.

“Shih Tzus are very popular because they don’t shed, but you do have to keep them trimmed down. The dogs were in rough-looking shape. [The owner] at least kept the hair out of their eyes. I didn’t see any eye infections so that’s great. It made it easier for us because they were used to the scissors,” Stewart said.

The animals have all been spade and neutered and have all had at least their first set of shots. Adults only need one set and puppies need at least three. Stewart’s puppies will have at least two sets of shots. COF has a higher fee for the puppies and all have been de-wormed and rid of fleas. The only real challenge for anyone adopting the recently rescued dogs is that many are working on becoming housebroken.

“Our base fee is $150 and almost all of the dogs are that price. We don’t make any money off the adoption fees, but we stay afloat because of donations. It is a challenge year to year, but we skate by. People can donate on our website. Online donations are PayPal and completely safe,” Stewart said. “Donations are the best way to help us and if people want to foster, that is great. We never seem to have enough supplies. We are all volunteers and all of the money goes to the dogs.”

Spaying and neutering pets is the very best way to keep the shelters from overcrowding and preventing perfectly healthy animals from being euthanized. For more information about schedules and adoption times, log on to www.cofas.org.