Tag Archives: Aiken County Animal Shelter

Fantabulous felines

16 November 2014 By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director “What greater gift than the love of a cat.” Charles Dickens I love cats, I really do – so if cats have gotten short shrift in this column over the past year, it’s only because I am obsessed these days with my beloved shelter dogs and […]

Happy FOTAS tails from the new Aiken County Animal Shelter

09 November 2014 By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director When Daisy Walker first laid eyes on a handsome, six-year old, tri-colored hound crossbreed named Gaige at the Aiken County Animal Shelter, she fell in love. “He looked up at me with those eyes and wagged his tail, and I said to my son, ‘This is […]

Bubba makes friends

02 November 2014 By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director Bubba was one cool cat. A large fellow with a striking white and gray coat and dazzling emerald green eyes, Bubba was a favorite among FOTAS volunteers and shelter staff at the Aiken County Animal Shelter because he was so affectionate and intelligent. Bubba was also […]

Love and be loved: the joy of owning a dog

26 October 2014 By Susi Cohen, President of the Palmetto Dog Club and FOTAS Volunteer Trainer Dogs are unmatched in their devotion, loyalty and interaction to humankind. Anyone who has ever loved a dog can attest to its hundred-fold return. The excitement your dog shows when you come home, the wagging tail at the sound […]

Balancing hope and despair

19 October 2014 By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director It’s not easy writing a weekly column about a public shelter like the Aiken County Animal Shelter. I could write every single week on the issues of overpopulation of animals in the County due to unplanned and indiscriminate breeding, the need to spay and neuter pets, […]

You Can’t Keep a Good Dog Down

12 October 2014 By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director The little, red dachshund had been hit by a car. By the time Animal Control picked him up from the ditch beside the road, he was virtually comatose. His mouth and muzzle were misshapen and swollen, and his front right leg looked broken. As it turns […]

Community Comes Together for the Shelter

05 October 2014 Aiken’s Community Shelter By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director It’s happened.  The new Aiken County Animal Shelter has become a community place to be proud of – a place where folks like to come and volunteer their time and effort. For those of us who experienced the dismal, depressing conditions of the […]

And Then It Rained Golf Balls ….

28 September 2014 By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director It really did. Last Monday afternoon, a helicopter dropped 1000 golf balls on to the driving range at Houndslake Country Club for the FOTAS Playing Fore the Pets Golf Tournament.  It was quite a spectacle. But first, some great news: both Andrew and Skittles, the long-term […]

Love and Kindness Make a Prince and Princess out of Two Frogs

21 September 2014 By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director It’s not just the stuff of fairytales, you know. It really happens. Take Andrew and Skittles, both American boxer/bull terrier/retriever crosses currently available for adoption at the Aiken County Animal Shelter. Andrew was a stray picked up by Animal Control in July. He was emaciated, hungry […]

On the Move: the Spiffy New FOTAS Van Saves Lives

14 September 2014 By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director Summers are hard at the Aiken County Animal Shelter. As temperatures soar, so do the intake numbers for homeless animals.  As temperatures soar, so do the intake numbers for homeless animals. When that happens, a sense of urgency grips shelter staff and FOTAS volunteers – as many […]