Community Corner

Spotted: Five Great Pyrenees in Front of Parkview High

Lilburn resident Guy Reddick walks his big white dogs twice a day, and he also fosters other dogs for the Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta.

If you pass by Parkview High School on a regular basis, you've probably seen a man walking five Great Pyrenees. 

"We get our picture taken at least once or twice a week," said Guy Reddick, the owner of the white, 100-plus-pound dogs. He also gets asked if he's "the white dog man" several times at the grocery store and similar places. 

A Lilburn resident for 17 years, he walks the dogs with his granddaughter twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening so that they miss the heat.

So why Great Pyrenees? Reddick always had wanted a large dog, and after some research, he made up his mind.

"They have a reputation of being very good with small children, with small dogs and with cats," he said, adding that he has grandchildren.

About six years ago, he and his wife's Sharp Pei passed away, and they were looking for another dog soon after. Reddick found out his son's friend just had a batch of Great Pyrenees puppies, so they adopted two of them, Dexter and Darby, who are now 5-and-a-half years old.

They later adopted two sisters, Megan and Macy, both 4 years old now. And Abby, 3, came along after she was deemed a "failed farm dog" since she would chase chickens when she was bored.

Reddick and his wife had originally planned to have her spayed and vaccinated so that they could find her a good home, but they ended up keeping her. 

"The home that we found for her was just the other end of our couch," Reddick said. 

Being the temporary home for dogs is something the Reddicks have done for nearly a dozen other Great Pyrenees. They started fostering dogs more than two years ago for the Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta, a volunteer organization based in Peachtree Corners that has found homes for 576 Great Pyrenees in distress.

"GPRA brings them in and takes care of their medical issues," said Reddick. "They make sure they're up to date on their shots, and they're spayed and neutered." Because practically every dog that comes their way is heartworm positive, GPRA spends an average $720 on every dog. 

The organization uses the Village Vets in Mountain Park, which Reddick lives extremely close to, so he helps the organization with taxiing dogs and picking up dog medicine for other GPRA members and then meeting them halfway. 

While they don't foster full-time (Reddick works for an online business from home), the Reddicks had a litter of seven puppies at the house just two weeks ago, and they currently are fostering a two-month-old.

And while one may not think there are a lot of Great Pyrenees in Georgia, GPRA is always looking for volunteers and new fosters to help out with the hundreds of dogs they take in every year. If you're interested in helping out, visit www.greatpyratlanta.com.

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