Big Boi and owls Hootie and HOO-Dini, photographed exclusively for Atlanta by Brinson + Banks, grooming by Danielle Mitchell

Big Boi and owls Hootie and HOO-Dini, photographed exclusively for Atlanta by Brinson + Banks, grooming by Danielle Mitchell

Pets!

A celebration of all the fluffy, feathery, cuddly, chonky, nibbly, nervous, scaly, slithery friends that share our homes and steal our hearts

In a city full of contradictory opinions, there is one we easily agree on: Pets rule. According to the most recent American Housing Survey, 43.3 percent of metro Atlanta households have at least one pet. Dogs and cats lead the pack, naturally, followed by fish, small mammals, and reptiles. The survey doesn’t capture all the colorful creatures living in Atlanta homes—including birds, pigs, horses, and various-legged arthropods—but we clearly have a soft spot for our nonhuman family members.

Here at Atlanta magazine, we’re big animal lovers too. So for this issue, we scoured the city for the greatest stories and best information on pets: why we love them, what makes them special, and how to help them live their best lives.

Whether your best friend is a lovable mutt, a bookstore cat, or a bona fide owl (looking at you, Big Boi), we hope the following pages give you all the feels.

Oh, and tell your pet we said hi.

By CARLY COOPER, VENÉ FRANCO, SCOTT FREEMAN, TESS MALONE, LIA PICARD, SARRA SEDGHI, XAVIER STEVENS, and GREG WAKEMAN
Edited by RACHEL GARBUS

Vyvyan Hughes and Craig Weido in front of a wall of neon signs

Atlanta’s The Neon Company, one of few surviving fabricators of neon signs in the U.S., is still going strong

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Big Boi sits in the recording studio with 3 owls (from left) Tula, HOO-Dini, and Hootie.

Big Boi dishes on feathered friends Hootie and HOO-Dini

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Given Big Boi’s status as one of the most eclectic and subversive musicians in modern history, it would be disappointing if his taste in animals wasn’t a little idiosyncratic—and his relationship with two Eurasian eagle-owls thoroughly ticks that box. Hootie and HOO-Dini, the brother-and-sister pair named after the 1994 Outkast song and legendary escapologist, respectively, have been part of Big Boi’s life for seven years.
Michael Quattrochi smiles, holding a fluffy dog in his left arm

50 years of dog training wisdom from Atlanta’s original dog whisperer

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When Atlanta magazine profiled dog whisperer Michael Quattrochi in 1985, he was something of a trailblazer. For one, he believed in training puppies rather than adult dogs. And he didn’t use choke chains or harsh reproaches. Quattrochi is marking his 50th year training dogs; we reached out to catch up and learn more of his secrets for turning unruly pups into our best friends.
Dominic holds therapy dog, Queso, on his lap

What life on the job is like for 6 of Atlanta’s working pets

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While most house pets live a life of absolute leisure—the average dog spends half its day asleep—a select few are destined for greatness. Across Atlanta, animals of all stripes serve double duty as both beloved pets and hardworking helpers. Here are a few of the city’s most industrious pets, photographed with their caretakers, who told us about life on the job for these working critters.
a peacock

“On every call, I prepare for a bite”: Fulton County Animal Services’ mission to protect Atlanta’s pets

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Jessica Lawton had recently started her job as a field service officer with Fulton County Animal Services in 2022. The job is part law enforcement, part animal caretaker. Lawton responds to calls for the stray, sick, and injured; cases of abandonment, pet hoarding, and cruelty; and instances of distressed, trapped, or vicious animals.
Illustrations of a monkey drinking beer, snakes on trees, a falcon flying away from a stadium, a monkey stealing money, and a lizard with a squirrel

Only in Atlanta: A timeline of our rogue pets and the chaos they’ve caused

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Over the years, Atlanta residents have made plenty of headlines with their exotic pets, often when said pets escape, generating hullabaloo and amusing—or terrorizing—the surrounding neighborhood. Here’s a look back through history at some of Atlanta’s most memorable pets and the chaos they’ve caused.
Five small bunnies sit together on top of a colorful blanket

Hoppy Endings: Inside the Rabbit Society, Georgia’s lifeline for abandoned rabbits

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Dark eyes peer at me through the glass. A little nose wiggles, and long, floppy ears perk up as I coo hello. I’m visiting the Georgia House Rabbit Society, a rabbit rescue and grooming and boarding facility in Kennesaw. Most of the other 120-odd rabbits at the Rabbit Society are available for adoption. Many rabbits end up here after being purchased as Easter gifts and quickly abandoned. Others are surrendered by owners who are moving out of the country or under financial pressures.
one of Dorri Buchholtz's dog artworks sits a top some books

21 places to eat, shop, and hike with your pet in Atlanta

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Atlanta is chock-full of fun pet-friendly activities and pet-pampering goods and services. Here, we round up a few of our favorites around town.

These Dad’s Garage improvisers have four legs and a whole lotta attitude

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The actor on stage can’t seem to find his mark. It’s a Friday night at Dad’s Garage, and we’re here to see him do some improv, but instead he trips over his long limbs and rushes off the stage before the scene can even start. The actor in question is a white Great Dane mix with black spots named Oden: He’s one of four adoptable dogs from the rescue organization Angels Among Us who have joined Dad’s Garage cast members onstage for the show Puppy Prov.
A close up of a woman's hand holding the paw of her dog

Saying goodbye to your pet is never easy. These Atlanta end-of-life pet-care providers can help.

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A veterinarian for 30 years, Alicia Darden, DVM, provides at-home pet euthanasia, helping Atlantans say goodbye to their loyal companions in comfort. “I help pets transition to passing in a humane way,” she explains. “It allows people to grieve privately, and other members of the household can have closure.”
Atlanta Magazine June 2025 cover - Pets!

Read our June 2025 issue

Atlanta Magazine
Since 1961, Atlanta magazine, the city’s premier general interest publication, has served as the authority on Atlanta, providing its readers with a mix of long-form nonfiction, lively lifestyle coverage, in-depth service journalism, and literary essays, columns, and profiles.

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