Category Archives: Adoption

Adoption, Cats, Dogs, Foster, Volunteer

Yeva, a County Shelter “Hall of Famer” speaks out for the Bully breeds

Posted on by Angel Hartline
29
Feb

By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice President

When that nice FOTAS lady, Kathy Jacobs, asked me, Yeva, a stray nobody from no place, to be a spokesperson for my kind, I was proud to be asked, because my kind are the most misunderstood and mistreated breed of the canine world: we are the bully breed mixes, the pits and the pibbles.

We are easy to recognize, what with our noble, square heads; huge, goofy smiles; long tongues; and muscular physiques. But our truly best attribute is this: we adore our human companions, particularly the little ones, with the steadfast devotion of a canine Mother Theresa.

We are also great Americans. Thousands of my kind served as proud mascots for our troops during wartimes and were celebrated on World War I posters – Hall of Famers! Today, the tradition continues as many of us are trusted service and companion dogs for our veterans. Just like the American people, my kind are brave, generous of spirit, and able to rise above hardship and succeed, no matter how humble our beginnings.

Take me, for instance. My experience with humans had taught me to stay clear at all costs, but to my great surprise, the humans at the shelter were different. They spoke quietly, touched me softly, fed me regularly, and stopped by my kennel frequently just to chat. I began to trust them. I began to love them. They loved me back! I was wild with joy.

In one short month I went from a petrified, lonely stray to a Hall of Fame love bug and a spokeswoman for my kind. Is that an American success story or what?

Would I rather crawl into your lap than lay by your feet? Does my Hall of Fame kissing get a little sloppy? Yes and yes – guilty as charged, but I’m always gentle with the little ones, and I’ll fetch anything you throw all day long.

Then there’s my young friend, ChaCha, another shining example of American resilience and fortitude. She, too, was a homeless scared nobody, but after a little care and kindness from the Shelter staff and volunteers, she overcame her sad past and rose to Hall of Fame status in the Wiggle, Drop, Roll and Love-up a Human category. Whoa! That ChaCha’s downright breathtaking.

You see, it’s not just the brave mascots and the dedicated service dogs that are Hall of Famers – all of my kind on the adoption floor at the Aiken County Animal Shelter are Hall of Famers or else we wouldn’t be there. We are, quite simply, awesome.

FOTAS wants to hear about your Hall of Fame bully dog. Upload a photo to the FOTAS Facebook page, www.facebook.com/FOTASAiken, by March 20th and tell us about your Hall of Fame pet. The photo entry with the most “Likes” will win a large gel dog bed and 10 pounds of dog biscuits. How cool is that?

In the meantime, if you are looking for your next best friend at the Shelter, don’t just walk by us Hall of Famers. Yes, we may be very excited to see you, but if you give us a chance, we’ll dote on you forever.

Our lives are in your hands.

Adoption, Dogs, Foster, FOTAS, Volunteer

Millennials and Gen Xers make volunteer team stronger

Posted on by Angel Hartline
22
Feb

By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director

The core of the FOTAS volunteer team consists of retirees who dedicate their time to help the homeless animals at the Aiken County Animal Shelter (ACAS). Their commitment and hard work helps the shelter function at its optimal level.

But recently FOTAS has enjoyed an influx of younger volunteers who donate their free time whenever they can, working around their work, school and social schedules to assist the Shelter staff. These Millennials (ages 18 to 34) and Gen Xers (ages 35-50) are learning the ropes from their older peers while adding their distinctive skills, perspectives and energy to the volunteer talent pool.

“I just want to help when I can, so I’ve started volunteering to walk the dogs on Tuesdays,” said Tara Heuberger of Aiken, who often brings along her young son, Tegan. “For me, it is a fulfilling experience to do something for these animals and the community.”

Jackie Anderson of Graniteville is another young blood who is becoming a familiar face at the ACAS. She was working fulltime at a busy medical practice in Maryland until her husband received a job opportunity in Augusta. When the couple decided to move, Jackie had to quit her job but took the opportunity to go back to school and volunteer at the shelter.

“I am lucky enough to have some extra time to devote to a great cause like FOTAS,” Jackie said. “My favorite part of volunteering is seeing the look on the faces of the animals and the adopters when they find their ‘love at first sight!’”

Kelsey Hayes of Aiken is a young volunteer who is also making a difference at the shelter. She comes in four days a week to help walk the dogs and socialize the cats.

“Each dog and cat has something special about them and getting the chance to spend time with them keeps me motivated to find every one of them a home.” Kelsey said.

Another Millennial, Kara Norris of North Augusta, enjoys taking a break from her busy schedule to volunteer at the shelter.

“I don’t worry about anything else while I am with the shelter dogs,” she said. “I just enjoy being able to be a part of their life and showing them the love they deserve.  It is very rewarding to take part in helping these animals start their new lives.”

Saturday and Extended Shelter Hours. Just a reminder that the shelter is once again open for adoptions on Saturdays, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the ACAS is open an additional half hour for adoptions, closing at 5 p.m. On Mondays and Fridays, the shelter closes at 4:30 p.m.

Last Saturday, we celebrated our extended hours with a Grand Reopening, and the community responded in a big way – nine animals were adopted. Thank you to everyone for this great support. Now, let’s keep this adoption momentum going every weekend!

Their lives are in our hands.

For more information about the FOTAS Volunteer Program and the shelter’s new hours, please go to www.fotasaiken.org or call the Aiken County Animal Shelter, (803) 642-1537.

Adoption, Cats, Foster, FOTAS, Volunteer

FOTAS partnership with PetSmart boosts shelter cat adoptions

Posted on by Angel Hartline
16
Feb

By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director

Audie Murphy, Felix, Tiffy, Avalon, Kiki, Pip and Pickles are each in their own cat carrier after being examined, vaccinated, microchipped, and given a final flea treatment. Once the pre-prepared adoption forms and other paperwork is checked over and put into folders by Aiken County Animal Shelter (ACAS) staff members, the seven cats and kittens are ready to begin their short journey from the shelter to the PetSmart store on Whiskey Road.

An ACAS adoption assistant transports the chorus of meowing felines to the Aiken PetSmart, and upon arriving is greeted by Store Manager Butch Hampton or one of his friendly employees. The PetSmart team is always happy to see new cats come in and takes pride in its role of helping adopt them to customers.

“Things are going great with the work we are doing with FOTAS and the County Shelter,” Butch said. “Everybody is fully engaged and committed to this partnership, and I think we make a good team.”

The ACAS representative makes sure all of the felines are settled into their PetSmart cat apartments located in the back-left corner of the store. Then, the PetSmart staff takes over, ensuring that any interested customers receive the information and paperwork needed to adopt the cats. The adoption fee is $35, which includes spay/neuter, vaccinations and microchip.

Before FOTAS began its direct partnership with PetSmart, the adoption fee for the store’s cats was about twice as much as it is now. Also, adoptions were managed by a rescue that required a home inspection of potential adopters. While a worthy precaution, this added stipulation could take a lot of extra time. Now, folks can adopt a cat and take it home right away.

It is a mutually beneficial relationship. The cats draw customers to PetSmart and the store serves as a second venue for the shelter to showcase its adoptable felines. But the real winners of this collaborative effort are the cats themselves. With the effective teamwork between the organizations, the shelter cats are finding homes quicker, making space for more cats to get their chance at being adopted. Since just mid-December, more than 35 shelter cats have been adopted at the PetSmart store. Since the partnership was initiated, the Shelter has replenished PetSmart with new cats every week.

Also fully committed to the goal of saving the shelter’s cats and finding them forever homes are eight volunteers that help keep the PetSmart cats clean, watered and fed. They follow a strict schedule, making sure that someone comes in to maintain the cats’ living area twice a day, every day. Some volunteers stay for hours to play with the felines, helping to socialize and prepare them for their future forever homes.


“I think having the County’s homeless cats at both the shelter and PetSmart helps the Aiken community see how many beautiful and loving cats are available,” said Volunteer Judy Albert. “They all need permanent and loving homes.”

Their lives are in our hands.

For more information about the PetSmart cat adoptions, please go to www.fotasaiken.org and be sure to check out the shelter cats available for adoption at the ACAS, 333 Wire Road in Aiken or at the Aiken PetSmart, 2927 Whiskey Road.

Adoption, Dogs, FOTAS, Heartworms

Heartworm Positive Dogs Can Be Great, Longtime Companions

Posted on by Angel Hartline
09
Feb

By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director

Most everyone knows heartworms are a threat to dogs, especially in the warm climate of the South. But what many people might not realize is that heartworm disease is seldom a death sentence. In fact, dogs with this condition can live happy, high quality lives as long as they are given appropriate care.

Of course, it is much easier (and cheaper) to stop this mosquito-borne illness in its tracks by giving your dog a preventative medication. But if a canine is unlucky enough to get heartworms because he is a stray or his prior owner didn’t provide a preventative, there are effective treatments available.

These heartworm positive (HW+) dogs are not contagious and only in the most severe cases do they show any symptoms. So, as long as their condition is managed properly and not critical, they can make wonderful, long-term companions.

Annie, a Hound mix, is a prime example of this phenomenon. Though she tested positive for heartworms upon arrival at the Aiken County Animal Shelter (ACAS), the young dog was quickly put on two weeks of doxycycline pills, a drug that weakens the heartworm, followed by a strict regimen of heartworm preventative. The preventative allows the worms to die off at a slow rate and prevent the dog from getting any new heartworms. FOTAS pays for the initial medication and six months of the preventative for all HW+ dogs adopted at the ACAS.

Matt Cummins, who adopted Annie and lives in Graniteville with his wife and young daughter, said Annie has as much energy as any other two-year-old dog and is the most loving pet he’s ever had.

Shuli is another HW+ Shelter dog that is doing well at her new home. Adopted by Keelin Redmond of Aiken in October, the 4-year-old, blonde Terrier mix was also put on the “slow kill” treatment of doxycycline, followed by a heartworm preventative. Keelin, a local veterinarian, said she fell in love with Shuli before she found out about her condition. However, she is thrilled to have her.

“If I had let it [the heartworm infection] put me off adopting Shuli, I would have missed out on one of the best things to ever happen to me,” she said.

Other HW+ dogs recently adopted from the Shelter include Bailey, a black Lab mix, and Mason, a Bassett mix. Both are doing great in their new homes.

To encourage the adoption of HW+ dogs, FOTAS and the ACAS are featuring a Valentine’s Day special in which the adoption fee for HW+ dogs is just $14. This special will continue through Feb. 15.

“Adopting one of these dogs is a commitment of giving medication regularly and we recommend people follow up with their veterinarians for continued monitoring,” said Dr. Levy, the County Shelter’s veterinarian. Dr. Levy herself has two rescue dogs that were HW+ when she adopted them. One is now 13 years old and the other 10 – and both are doing great.

To learn more about FOTAS, The Valentine’s HW+ Dog Adoption Special and heartworm prevention/treatment, please go to www.fotasaiken.org.

Their lives are in our hands…

Adoption, Cats, Dogs, FOTAS, Volunteer

Why you should spay or neuter your pet

Posted on by Angel Hartline
01
Feb

By Joanna D. Samson, Vice President, FOTAS

Last year, 4800 animals passed through the door of the Aiken County Animal Shelter. 3000 of those animals were saved. 1800 did not leave the Shelter alive.

The vast majority of these animals did nothing wrong. They were victims of owners who brought them into this world and then washed their hands of them, leaving the rest of us to pay for their neglect.

And while 3000 is a record number of animals saved thanks to the efforts of the County and FOTAS, make no mistake: it is impossible to re-home all 4800 animals in a pet-saturated community like Aiken or in the communities served by our rescue partners in other parts of the country.

The only way to reduce the shockingly high number of animals consigned to the Shelter is for every Aiken County pet owner to spay and neuter their pets.

Plus, it’s good for your pet. In addition to lowering intake at the Shelter, your pet will live longer. Spayed or neutered animals have significantly less health problems.

Spayed or neutered animals also are less likely to roam, which means they are less likely to catch diseases from other animals, get lost, fight with other dogs, or get hit by a car (it has been estimated that 85% of dogs hit by cars are unaltered).

Spaying your female before she is 6 months of age means you can avoid the messy, noisy heat cycles that typically occur twice a year and that wreak havoc among the neighborhood’s male canine and feline populations.

Your cat or dog will be a better pet – spaying and neutering eliminates unpleasant spraying and marking.

Neutering your dog decreases potentially aggressive behavior to other animals and people – particularly children, who are by far the most frequent victims of dog bites.

Plus, it’s cheaper for the community as a whole. If everyone fixes their pets, it will dramatically reduce the number of homeless and abandoned animals that must be cared for with taxpayer’s dollars in the public shelter system.

By the way, if you are worried that spaying or neutering your dog will make him less protective, don’t be. Dogs are naturally protective by nature, particularly if you love and feed them.

Nor will altering you pet make it fat and lazy – only a bad diet and lack of exercise will do that.

Moreover, the cost to spay or neuter your pet has never been more affordable. Aiken County has a voucher program, supplemented by FOTAS, to provide low-cost spay/neuter services to residents who need financial assistance. The vouchers are distributed at the County Shelter at 333 Wire Road.

Make arrangements to spay or neuter your animal today. Convince your neighbors, friends and family to spay and neuter their pets, too.

There are so many loving, deserving animals in the Shelter that need a home – why bring more animals into a world where their safety and care is so uncertain?

Their lives are in our hands.

Adoption, Dogs, FOTAS, Training

Free Training Session Included with Every ACAS Dog Adoption

Posted on by Angel Hartline
01
Feb

By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director

Susi Cohen comes with every dog adoption at the Aiken County Animal Shelter (ACAS). Or, rather, her expertise and guidance does. As the shelter’s expert dog trainer, she provides a free, private session for everyone who gives an ACAS dog or puppy a forever home.

“When dogs leave from the shelter to their new residence, it is a big, happy change but also can cause stress,” Susi explained. “The dogs find themselves in a different environment, and will often rely on their new owners to direct them. That’s when I come into the picture.”

In addition to receiving the training session, adopters are provided with Susi’s contact information so they can call and check in with her if they have questions or need additional training advice.

Susi is the president of the Palmetto Dog Club in Aiken and has worked with and trained animals for more than 30 years. She volunteers at the shelter, helping other volunteers and County staff with basic dog training skills and working one-on-one with dogs that need special attention.
In most cases, the training serves to show the adopters standard disciplinary techniques such as teaching their dog how to: heel and walk well on a leash; stop jumping up on people and furniture; sit on command; or follow proper housebreaking procedures. But sometimes Susi takes on and solves more severe behavioral issues such as a Pit Bull mix that chased and scared an adopter’s horses; a chocolate Lab that liked to chew on his adopter’s car interior; and a Terrier that kept relieving herself in the house immediately after being walked outside.
But even such rare and extreme cases are usually resolved relatively fast. Susi said it all comes down to motivating the dog by using continuous, positive reinforcement and building that bond with your animal.

“The biggest mistake people make is being inconsistent,” Susi said. “They do one thing for a day or two, and then try something different, and then go back to the first approach – and the dog gets confused. The dog has to be able to connect the dots.  The key to training success is constant repetition with positive reward”, she explained.

One adopter who recently learned this important lesson is Jim Brownlow of Aiken. He adopted Ruthie, a one-year-old brindle Hound mix, in December and took the free training session with Susi to improve his new dog’s manners.
Ruthie is so friendly, she wants to jump up on people. She also sometimes suddenly stops during her walks because she gets distracted. But Susi showed Jim how to give the appropriate commands for getting Ruthie to follow some simple procedures. Extremely pleased with the session, Jim plans to take more instruction from Susi.
“The training really helped me because I was doing some little things wrong out of habit, and Susi got me on the right track,” he said.
Thanks to such success stories, an increasing amount of people are taking the free training and the shelter’s rate of adoption returns, already low, is dropping.

“When dogs behave well at their new adopted home, it means they become part of the family,” Susi said.

Their lives are in our hands.

Adoption, Dogs, Donate, FOTAS

In the Yard

Posted on by Angel Hartline
17
Jan

By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice President

On a recent morning in the yard of the Aiken County Animal Shelter, a sweet, quiet dog named Alexa was basking in the sunshine when a dark brindle puppy named Terry scrambled to her side, volunteer in tow.

Alexa gave the puppy a friendly sniff. “Hey, little guy, you new here?”

“I am,” wheezed Terry, straining against his leash. “It’s all so confusing. I had a sister and we were on the side of a road and I don’t remember how we got there and then this man stopped and put us in a truck and brought us here.” Pant. Pant.

“And we were so scared and then we were in some room with other dogs and we got had to get shots and Oh! I hate shots and then we had to get a bath and Oh! I hate baths, too.” Pant. Pant.

“And then some lady took my sister and I had to sleep by myself and if that ain’t bad enough, I heard some volunteer say: ‘Every dog must get sprayed and tutored before they leave!’” Having worked himself into a frenzy, Terry rolled on his back and wailed, “I hate getting sprayed and I’m too young to be tutored!”

Alexa licked Terry gently on the ear. “Whoa, little man, slow down! I know it’s scary, but it’s going to be okay, I promise. That nice Kathy Jacobs, FOTAS’ new part-time staff person and program coordinator, will check on you every day. You get two meals a day and a warm place to sleep. That’s a big deal for me. I used to sleep in the dirt under a leaky porch.”

Terry stopped gnawing on his leash and cocked his head. “Hmmm … yeah, the food …”

“Plus, every day the FOTAS volunteers come and take us for a walk. They rub my tummy and scratch behind my ears – I’m talking world-class ear-scratching here. Sometimes they throw me a ball and sometimes we just hang out by the bench, watching the world go by. When we go back inside, we get a toy and a treat. Then it’s naptime. It’s a good place to wait for our forever family.”

Terry attacked a leaf fluttering across the yard, ripped it to shreds and spit out the pieces. “Family? What’s a family?”

Alexa wagged her tail. “A family is nice humans who take you to their home and love you forever. With your cute white leg and one blue eye, you’ll find a home in no time.”

She sighed, dropped to the ground, and laid her head on her paws, a little sad. “Me? Well, I’m a little older and kind of saggy. I’m also heartworm positive, but Dr. Levy says I’m not sick, and I’m being treated, and I shouldn’t give up hope.”

Terry eyed his volunteer’s shoelaces and sized up the odds of catching that one floppy piece on the first try. One should never give up hope, he thought, and pounced.

Alexa and Terry are ready for their forever homes. Alexa is 3 years-old, spayed, and very well-mannered. Terry is a neutered (not tutored) 10 week-old, happy, frisky puppy.

Please don’t wait. Their lives are in our hands.

Adoption, Dogs, Foster, Pibbles, Transfer, Volunteers

Pulling for the Pibbles

Posted on by Angel Hartline
14
Jan

By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Vice President

 

Luci was surrendered to the Aiken County Animal Shelter by her owner, who had been deployed overseas.

Olivia was picked up by Aiken County Animal Control, starving and anxious.

Harley spent the first part of his young life outdoors, starving and dodging abuse from the drug-addicts who claimed to own him.

Dante was found wandering the County roads in search of food. He was malnourished anxious and mistrustful.

Ginger spent her entire 2 years of life at the end of a chain. She has permanent scars on her neck and head from her chain and is heartworm positive (HW+).

All of these unfortunate animals are what we call “Pibbles” – pitbulls or pitbull mixes. Open admissions shelters across the country are inundated with Pibbles. It’s a real crisis. They are the hardest dogs to place, spend the longest resident time in the shelter, thus straining limited resources and space. Pibbles are euthanized in greater numbers than their less muscular, less energetic and less square-headed brethren.

Yet Pibbles make extraordinary pets and companions. Today, Luci and Olivia are companions to veterans and working on their service dog certifications. Harley has been adopted by a local, loving family. Dante is living the good life on a farm in Maine. Our dear Ginger, a little scruffy and scarred up, found her true love at an off-site adoption event at Stable View and spends her days loving and being loved.

Here is what you need to know about the Pibbles in the County Shelter.

Because it takes so long to find them homes, Shelter staff and FOTAS volunteers have had lots of time to observe and assess these dogs, so we’re confident they have the right temperament to make great pets. Our volunteers work with the Pibbles daily to channel their naturally energetic instincts and make them more adoptable – no small chore since 90% of them have never had basic obedience training or a regular routine of feeding and exercise.

Moreover, we work with our foster families and our no-kill rescue partners to find homes for these dogs when they are not locally adopted. We don’t need to transfer the cute, fluffy dogs that happen to come our way – they find homes in a heartbeat. We choose dogs for transfers that have been on the adoption floor the longest, which are, more often than not, our Pibbles.

For those dogs that aren’t selected for transfer or can’t be transferred out of state because they are HW+, FOTAS reaches out to its rescue partners to find them homes. If they need to be treated for heartworms, FOTAS funds the first six months of treatment (via the established slow-kill method).

It breaks my heart to see so many of these noble, big-hearted animals lined up in the kennels at the Shelter, desperate for someone to give them some attention, a little love, and a home of their own.

Dogs like handsome Bryon, who wags his tail so hard, it bleeds; or Rob Roy, a gentleman pit with the heart of a lamb; or little Tiger, who is wild about children and loves to play and kiss.

Please don’t wait. These dogs have done nothing to deserve their fate. They need our help.

Their lives are in our hands.

Adoption, Cats, Dogs, Foster, Volunteer

Labor of love, Part 3: You can make a difference

Posted on by Angel Hartline
05
Jan

By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice President

Here’s what I know about you: you have a big heart and you love animals (or you wouldn’t be reading this article). You probably have pets at home – maybe a dog or cat or two or more – and those pets bring you and your family great joy and lots of laughs. You are sickened that almost 5000 abandoned and abused animals pass through the Aiken County Animal Shelter each year, and you wonder: how can this happen in this community you love and call home?

And although you are relieved that a record number of shelter animals were saved last year (almost 3000) thanks to the combined efforts of FOTAS, the County and the community, you are profoundly saddened that another 1900 had to be euthanized, either because they were irreparably damaged emotionally and/or physically by the cruelty or neglect of other humans or because we just couldn’t find them homes fast enough.

You want to do something that matters, but what?

Here are some ideas to think about.

  • You can volunteer at the shelter, where you can work with the animals or help at the desk. You can commit to any amount of time that makes sense in your life – there is no amount too small. You can maybe set aside Tuesday afternoon? Great. Only have an hour on Thursday morning? Also great. The FOTAS volunteer program is structured on blocks of time committed by people like you – just tell us what you would like to do and how much time you can reliably commit. We’ll make it happen.
  • You can foster dogs for a short period of time that have been approved for transfer to a sister no-kill agency in other parts of the country, which allows the dogs to decompress from the stress of shelter life beforehand and creates much needed space on the adoption floor for a dogpat with evie tues dec 29th from intake. Or, you can foster mama dogs and/or their puppies until they are old enough to be transferred or adopted. All you need is a safe, protected place in your home or your garage or barn to house the animals. FOTAS even pays for food and medical supplies, if necessary.
  • You can adopt your next pet from the County Shelter. That’s huge. Unlike other private no-kill shelters, the County Shelter does not have the luxury, space or resources to hold their animals for a long time: it is an open admissions shelter, required by law to take all animals. At the no-kill shelter, the animals can stay until someone comes to adopt them. At the County shelter, the animals are  at risk unless they can be transferred or adopted out quickly.
  • Or you can donate to FOTAS. We will use that money to improve the quality of life for the animals at the shelter, pay the costs associated with transfer, or attack the problem at its source through the FOTAS Fix-a-Pet program or its Lenny’s Brigade for community cats.

Contact us today at volunteer@aiken.org or at (803) 514-4313. Your help makes the difference between life and death for these unfortunate animals.

God Bless and Happy New Year.

Adoption, Cats, Dogs, Foster, FOTAS, Volunteer

Strictly a labor of love, part 2: Volunteering at the shelter

Posted on by Angel Hartline
29
Dec

By Joanna Dunn Samson, Vice President of FOTAS

Caroline Simonson and Sandra Proctor walk dogs at the Aiken County Animal Shelter four times a week, as does Ellie Joos, who works with the shelter’s energetic “pibbles” and organizes FOTAS on-site programs. Karen DeCamp walks dogs every Tuesday. Jerri Wesner and Rita Tregnor walk dogs every Saturday morning. Peggy Babineau does it all: walks dogs, mans the desk and fosters dogs pending transfer. Pat Gilbert, Richard Proctor, Bill Joos, Agnes Bye, Kari and Holly Heiens, Jerri Smith, Wally and Susie Huiett, Ellen Fox, Lanni Brancato, Judy Thompson and Nanci Santos all commit their time to make certain the dogs on the adoption floor experience a little human love and attention at least once a day.

Then there are the devoted folks who man the shelter’s front desk, greet visitors and provide much needed assistance to hard-working and over-worked shelter staff: Kate Bailey, Cathy Palma, Linda Taylor, Neil Welks, Pat Hundertmark, Joyce Egge, Pat Ludwig, Paul Tallent, Bob Purdy, Melanie Oldham, Pricilla Denehy, Richard and Linda Leitner, Belinda Ebert, and Joan Locke. The day-to-day shelter work would not get done without their steadfast commitment.

These are only a few of the many FOTAS volunteers at the shelter that made it possible to save approximately 2950 animals this year: that’s more than 164% increase from 2011 and 10 times more animals saved than in the pre-FOTAS years. These volunteers are responsible and accountable. The volunteers perform duties at the shelter that are performed in private organizations by paid staff: on-site programs, off-site adoptions, fundraisers, special events, public relations, community outreach for spay/neuter programs, animal socialization, and managing the crucial foster and transfer programs, to name a few. The volunteers are the heart and soul of FOTAS.

Why do these volunteers commit themselves day after day, week after week, to a public open admissions shelter where the number of homeless animals exceeds the number that can be adopted locally or transferred to no-kill shelter partners in other parts of the country? Where public resources are strained? Where euthanasia is a profoundly sad fact of life until the day that all animals are fixed and intake numbers come down?

Our volunteers know they make a real and measurable difference in the lives of, and the outcomes for, the County’s homeless animals. It would be easy to get discouraged, but they don’t. They take the long view: they focus on the animals we save, and hands down, FOTAS and the shelter save more animals than any other organization in the County.

But above all, our FOTAS volunteers are caring, generous people who express extraordinary acts of kindness, and scientists now know what the great spiritual masters have known for centuries: that acts of kindness promote happiness and a sense of well-being.

Exercise your kindness muscles this year. Save lives and boost your happiness quotient in the process. Join FOTAS to fight the good fight until every adoptable animal finds a home. Contact us at 803-514-4313 or at volunteer@angelhartlinedesigns.com.

God bless and Happy New Year.

Their lives are in our hands.