Georgia Herpetological Association & Rescue
Who We Are...
GHAR is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to educating and providing forever homes for reptiles. Our organization offers experienced foster homes and veterinary care for reptiles in need.
Interested in adding a reptile to your family? There are a good number of healthy reptiles placed in our foster network just waiting for their forever homes. We also provide services if you should find an abandoned reptile. We predominately work in Atlanta and North Georgia.
All of our members have many years of reptile handling and education experience. Therefore, we also provide educational events for a fee for summer camps, schools, home schools, daycares, and birthday parties. The fees go directly to helping us care for sick and injured reptiles. Drop us a line at gharescue@gmail.com for a quote.
Pet of the month: Axil!

Axil: adult 4 years old, male, Bearded Dragon. He is very active and enjoys running around and swimming. He eats like a champ! He's a great dragon and we'd love to see him find his forever home soon.
Pick up in Rockmart, NW Georgia
A bit about our Founders:
Kathy Smith came to the reptile community with an interest in bearded dragons and she most definitely is the mother of all lizards. Kathy has venomous handling training, experience with larger snakes and lizards, and has a passion for rescue. She worked for 10 years with reptile rescue all over the state of Georgia before forming GHAR, and has also been featured on The Weather Channel, "Critter Fixers: Country Vets," and Central Georgia CBS's "Tegu Taskforce." Kathy was also nominated for "Lizard Personality of the Year" in 2017 from The Reptile Report. Additionally, her animals have been featured on the FX show, "Atlanta" and she has worked as an exotic animal handler and wildlife handler for additional television series.
Dr. Katie Bell is a teacher by day and a reptile handler by night. She has worked with Bear Hollow Zoo in Athens, Georgia, animal shelters throughout North Georgia, and with larger pet store chains, learning about the most up to date husbandry and working to ensure that reptiles kept as pets get the proper care. Not only does Katie have reptile experience, she also has had training with larger exotic animals and aquatics--she has a story about being bit by a bear and yet living to tell the tale. She has been featured on "Critter Fixers: Country Vets" and has done animal education for over 20 years with children. There isn't an animal on this earth that doesn't have Katie's admiration.


Kathy and Katie from this season's Critter Fixers: Country Vets!

Please check the current state regulations on exotic animal tagging and registering here: https://georgiawildlife.com/Reptile-Tagging-FAQ

Rehome a pet:
Need to re-home your pet reptile? If you find yourself in a position of not being able to care for your pet, the GA Herp Rescue will re-home your pet at no cost to you. Once you have completed the form and submitted it, we will work towards finding a foster home for your pet. We are all volunteers, so please allow us time to contact you.
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Fill out a release form through https://www.shelterluv.com/matchme/owner-surrender/GAH/Exotic/Other. Answer all questions in their entirety. Please note that we cannot take aquatic turtles.
2. We will reach out to you to coordinate a day, time and location for you to drop off your animal. Please be patient with us as we are all volunteers.
3. If you are able to, consider making a donation (through the Donate tab) to help with costs for your animal.
Events: come see us at these locations. Or, if you are an approved volunteer, click to RSVP and the event will appear on your profile.
- Sat, Oct 07Exotic Envy ReptilesOct 07, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PMExotic Envy Reptiles, 4075 Marietta Hwy #104, Dallas, GA 30157, USA
- Sat, Oct 14MariettaOct 14, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PMMarietta, 1901 Pair Rd SW, Marietta, GA 30008, USA
- Sat, Nov 04GrovetownNov 04, 9:00 AM – 3:30 PMGrovetown, 212 Partnership Dr, Grovetown, GA 30813, USA
- Sun, Nov 05GrovetownNov 05, 10:00 AM – 3:30 PMGrovetown, 212 Partnership Dr, Grovetown, GA 30813, USA
- Fri, Dec 01The Amphibian FoundationDec 01, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PMThe Amphibian Foundation , 4055 Roswell Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30342, USADec 01, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PMThe Amphibian Foundation , 4055 Roswell Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30342, USAThe Amphibian Foundation are resuming their annual Open House for the first time since 2019. GHAR will have a table there to showcase some of our education animals (Kathy's and Katie's). Any volunteers should have their educational animals approved prior to bringing them.
- Sat, Dec 09MariettaDec 09, 9:00 AM – 3:30 PMMarietta, 548 South Marietta Pkwy SE, Marietta, GA 30060, USA
- Sun, Dec 10MariettaDec 10, 10:00 AM – 3:30 PMMarietta, 548 South Marietta Pkwy SE, Marietta, GA 30060, USA