Category Archives: Adoption

2022, adopter feedback, Adoption

We love success stories but many pets still need homes

Posted on by Shana Ryberg
07
Oct

After pets are adopted from the Aiken County Animal Shelter, staff members follow up to see how they are doing in their new homes. Here is some recent feedback from our adopters.

Batman adoption goes smoothly

Batman is doing terrific. He has made himself right at home. I appreciate you making the (adoption) process so smooth when my son and I visited, and thank you for checking in on our sweet dog. Claudia Wiseman

Kenna has a new name and new siblings

Hazel (Kenna’s new name) is doing wonderfully and is such a happy girl. She’s fitting in perfectly. Everyone gets along and she’s behaving really well. We love her! Kelly Galvarino

Riff is 42 percent Coon Hound, 100 percent loved

Coon Hound Riff now lives in Pennsylvania.


Riff is now named Rusty Rhoades. He lives with my niece in Pottsville, PA. I adopted him for her. According to his DNA, he is 42% Tree Walking Coon Hound along with two other strains of Coon Hound. He is a very welcome addition to our family. Dave Zimmerman

Jack has his own Facebook page

Little Tug, who is now officially named Jackson “Jack” Tug Danko, is a delight and a wonderful, much-loved addition to our family. He’s absolutely perfect for us. In fact, he’s quite a little celebrity and even has his own Facebook page. You are invited to like and follow his “You Don’t Know Jack” page to keep up with all of his antics and adventures. Lance Danko

Mikey the cat is in perfect shape

Gary & his new kitten Mikey have bonded.


Mikey, Stinker (2-year-old male tuxedo cat), Virginia and I are all doing great. I isolated Mikey in my home office for 10 days with me, so he had only brief exposure to Stinker. They played paws under the door during that time. Mikey follows me around the house like a dog and is already my lap cat. The two cats sleep together in the cat tree in the hallway. Mikey saw the vet last week and is in perfect shape. He has gained 1-1/2 pounds in the last month. All is well and life is good. Gary Ikens

It’s great to know these adopted pets are doing well in their new homes. But there are so many more wonderful dogs and cats at the County Shelter who need a second chance for a good life. Please go to fotasaiken.org to see our available pets or just stop by and visit them at 333 Wire Road. Dogs and puppies are $35, and cats and kittens are only $10.

Their lives are in our hands.

By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director

2022, Adoption, microchipping

Aiken County residents can get their pets microchipped for free this Saturday

Posted on by Shana Ryberg
30
Sep

You don’t want to be permanently separated from your beloved pets when they go missing, and neither do we.

That’s why FOTAS and the Aiken County Shelter are sponsoring a Free Community Pet Microchipping Event for Aiken County residents this Saturday, Oct. 8, from noon to 2 p.m. If you live in Aiken County, you can bring your dog or cat to the County Animal Shelter, 333 Wire Road and get them microchipped for free! Dogs just need to be leashed and cats must be secure in carriers.

A microchip is a permanent form of ID, registered to a recovery database that holds pet and owner information. It is the size of a grain of rice and inserted under the skin of your dog or cat. The RFID enables it to be read by a microchip scanner when the pet is found and brought to a shelter, rescue or veterinarian. It is the only permanent identification form that can reunite you with your beloved pet. Unlike collars and identification tags, which can break or become worn and illegible, a microchip should last for the life of your pet.

Great pets are lost forever every day

We see so many wonderful lost pets that we are all but certain come from good homes yet are never claimed by their owners – and we have no way of identifying or contacting them. A stray dog or cat can be well-groomed, have a nice collar and be healthy and fixed. But if the pet does not have tags or a microchip, we can only monitor the internet for local sites that post pictures of lost pets (such as Aiken Pets Reunited on Facebook). The pet’s only hope of getting back home is if its owner comes to the shelter and identifies them.

Otherwise, after five days in the shelter, the owner’s cherished pet becomes eligible for adoption.

A tiny chip can save your pet’s life

It is every pet owner’s fear that their dog or cat will unintentionally become separated from them, but it happens all the time. A dog escapes his fenced-in yard, a cat runs out the front door, a dog pops his collar while being leash walked and gets lost…there are so many scenarios.
So if you live in Aiken County, please come to the County Animal Shelter this Saturday and get your pet microchipped for free (normal fee is $25 at the shelter). The procedure takes seconds and no anesthetic is required. The chip is injected between the shoulder blades, and your pet won’t feel a thing. We will even register your information, give you an ID tag and take care of the paperwork. All you have to do is show up with your pet and their proof of rabies vaccination.

It could be the difference between losing your pet forever or getting them back home safe and sound.

For more information about the Oct. 8 Free Community Pet Microchipping Event, please call (803) 642-1537, option 3 or email info@FotasAiken.org.

Their lives are in our hands.

By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director

2022, Adoption, Volunteer, Volunteers

County Animal Shelter is an excellent example of doing things right

Posted on by Shana Ryberg
16
Sep

My friend, Linda, and I recently visited the Aiken County Animal Shelter to drop off some donations We were there right at opening time and received a very warm welcome. I asked Kathy, a representative of FOTAS, if we could walk through and look at the dogs and pups, to which she graciously agreed.

It has been many years since I visited the Aiken County Animal Services facility, and I was genuinely impressed! Even at this early hour, the facility was clean and odor free. The animals seemed well-nourished and even given treats, toys and blankets (except for one little guy who eats his blankets!) Caring for this many animals is no small feat but is obviously very well done here. The shelter employees have always had my admiration for their dedication to the animals and to the public.

I was also delighted to see the new addition in progress that will be used for multiple purposes. The Aiken community seems to be more supportive of the shelter, and I truly believe FOTAS deserves much of the credit. In addition to significantly lowering the euthanasia rate, their network with the public – such as Kathy was with me – makes a good impression that can only be a positive reflection on the shelter.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any dog or pup that I can help with at this time. But I will be back in touch from time to time in hopes that when I can assist, I will surely and gladly do so. In the meantime, I made a donation (wish it were more) to help in any small way possible.

Thank you all for the amazing job you are doing. I wish the need for animal shelters would disappear, but that is highly unlikely. It does give me assurance, though, that Aiken County Animal Services is an excellent example of doing it right!

Shelter in crisis mode

Due to a recent drop in adoptions and no end to its high animal intake numbers, the County Animal Shelter is in crisis. Please consider adopting a homeless dog or cat from our facility located at 333 Wire Road in Aiken, SC. To see all the pets available, stop by the shelter or go to fotasaiken.org. We have so many wonderful pets in need, now is the best time to adopt and give a shelter animal another chance for a good life!

Their lives are in our hands.

By Jean Strein

2022, Adoption, Volunteer

Distressed shelter dog is the best surprise of my life

Posted on by Shana Ryberg
01
Sep

I took a break from my work and read Martha Anne Tudor’s compelling descriptions of animals waiting to be adopted at the Aiken County Animal Shelter. “Lonely hearts are waiting for you,” she always wrote at the end of her Facebook posts. One of those lonely hearts kept appearing on her posts – a German Shepherd/Carolina Dog/Heeler mix rolled into a striking chocolate-colored dog with antennas for ears, appropriately named Surprise.

I thought she’d be adopted quickly, but the posts kept coming. In Surprise, I saw something extraordinarily special, but nobody was coming forward. She had been in the shelter for over four months, and it was wearing on her.

This year has been especially hard on dogs and cats. So many animals were left in shelters or abandoned when families went back to work and school post-COVID 19. In addition, as prices rise, more and more families are giving up their pets. It is heartbreaking. I already had many animals, but I couldn’t sit on the sidelines waiting for someone else to step up.

I live in Columbia, but I go to Aiken every week. I stopped at the shelter to meet Surprise. She was frustrated in her kennel and exhibiting real signs of shelter stress. She spun in circles, chewed down her toenails, and had a hard time connecting with people. Questions about her adoptability hung in the air. And yet I could see that she was a great dog in a terrible situation. I decided to test my hypothesis.

I became certified as a FOTAS volunteer so that I could walk Surprise. I took her on 40-minute walks, letting her take her time. I expected absolutely nothing in return from her, and yet, each time, we would have a moment of connection. I started going to Aiken more to work with her, and she recognized me and wagged her tail. I’d cry all the way back to Columbia after I put her back in her kennel.

I began going to Aiken more just to see Surprise. She’d jump up and gently place her paws on me. It was deeply moving. I volunteered to be her trainer in the canine citizen class they offer to shelter dogs. For a second, I got her to focus on me and not on all the shelter stress. It was an amazing moment. For three weeks, I went to the shelter and worked with Surprise, and we got comfortable with each other. Then one day, I took her home. I cried all the way home, but this time the tears were of happiness and relief.

Surprise is one of the kindest, most responsive, cuddly dogs I have ever met. She is in the top one percent of dogs I have known. My partner and I work with her to build her confidence and help her adjust, and Surprise has responded faster than I could have imagined. She is the best surprise of my life!

By Gabi Kuenzli, FOTAS Volunteer and Pet Adopter

2022, Adoption, Events, Volunteers

It Doesn’t Get Better Than This

Posted on by Shana Ryberg
26
Aug

I can say, without reservation, that FOTAS volunteers are simply the best—maybe the greatest volunteers ever.

Case in point: their perfect execution of a multi-pronged game plan at the Aiken County Animal Shelter on Saturday, August 20th for the annual “Clear the Shelter Day.” Our goal for that day was to re-home as many shelter residents as possible and it required lots of coordination and teamwork to make that happen.

The publicity crew had done its advance work in promoting stories on Channel 6 and Channel 12, articles in the Aiken Standard, and many shared posts featuring the adoptable dogs and cats on FOTAS’s Facebook page.

The volunteers were prepared early on the day of the event. We have learned that it is important to present the dogs outside of their kennels where they are more relaxed and show their true personalities on such a busy day. So, an army of FOTAS volunteers arrived early at 7:30 a.m. to walk the dogs before the arrival of the first potential adopters. After their walk, each dog was taken to its assigned outside station where they were attended by two volunteers. Accordingly, every potential adopter spent quality time with each dog (or cat in the lobby) and their volunteers.

The adoption part of the day was to start at 9 a.m. but potential adopters began arriving an hour early. The volunteers were ready, helping people park and showing them where to go.

Finally, it was time for the dogs and cats to get adopted. First one, then another. The 50 volunteers who came that day clapped in unison whenever an animal was adopted. Adoptions represent the fruits of their labor and make it all worthwhile.

Another group of volunteers was assigned to a table to work with the dedicated shelter staff to make the adoption paperwork quick and easy.

Two other volunteers supplied each adopter with a gift to help the pet and pet-owner get off to a good start.

FOTAS’s volunteers come from all walks of lives with diverse political and social opinions. But all of those personal issues are put aside at the shelter, and they all come together recognizing the greater good of helping the animals. Their purpose is shared and the camaraderie is genuine.

At the end o the day, 25 dogs and cats were adopted. That meant there was room for 25 of the many animals received at the shelter already this month and, even though the shelter is still overcrowded, no adoptable animal would have to be euthanized due to lack of space.

The great family of FOTAS volunteers clapped in unison 25 times that Saturday.

Their lives are in our hands.

By Jennifer Miller FOTAS President

2022, Adoption, Bully Dogs, Dogs, Pibbles

A Dog Named Jolene

Posted on by Shana Ryberg
19
Aug

She arrived at the County Animal Shelter terrified and hungry. Her beige coat was filthy, and fleas covered her body. But even as she was brought into the shelter’s vet clinic for examination and medical care, Jolene managed to briefly show everyone a heartwarming smile. Despite her difficult past, this pretty Pibble was full of love.

A little over four years old and only 40 pounds, Jolene paled in looks compared to some of the other, more colorful shepherds, retrievers and terrier mixes at the shelter. But her sweet eyes and gregarious personality made her a gem waiting to be discovered. 

Enter Hayden Craft from Grovetown, GA. He visited Jolene at the shelter and both their lives changed forever.

“It all started when I moved to Georgia,” he explained. “I had gotten my own place, but something was missing. It always seemed empty. My brother had adopted a dog from the Aiken County Shelter, and it got me looking on the FOTAS website for a dog of my own, and I immediately became interested in Jolene.

“I took my lunch break and went up to the shelter to see her and it was love at first sight for both of us. The sweetest dog you could have ever asked for. They told me she had a heart murmur, but I couldn’t let that stop me. She deserved the best rest of her life, a forever home, with me.”

Since adopting Jolene, Hayden has seen her bloom into an amazing pet.

“She loves all other animals,” he said. “But there’s nothing she loves more than rubbing her back all over the ground and playing with stuffed toys at the same time. And for such a small dog, she takes up more of the bed than I do. I couldn’t train her to sleep on the floor If I tried!

“I thank FOTAS and Aiken County Animal Shelter every day for giving this girl a chance and giving me a chance to love her. Jolene is my first dog as an adult, and she’s so good, she makes me want another one.”

If you are ready to find your own furry BFF, please come to the County Shelter, 333 Wire Road in Aiken. There are so many more dogs and cats in need who need loving homes. To see all of our adoptable pets, check out our website: fotasaiken.org.

Their lives are in our hands.

By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director

2022, Adoption, SOCIAL MEDIA, Volunteer

Share a Post, Save a Life!

Posted on by Bob Gordon
05
Aug

Every homeless pet has at least one person or family out there who is their perfect match. The person who will love and give that pet a wonderful life. The family that sees that homeless animal and instantly knows it is their pet of destiny.

The challenge for shelters, like ours, is finding and reaching those people, so we can effectively introduce them to their ideal pet. It is a difficult task. How can we get the faces and stories of these animals seen by the folks who want to adopt them? Well, luckily, we can achieve this goal through the power and tools of social media. But only with your help.

Every day we post photos and stories about the County Shelter’s adoptable dogs and cats on our FOTAS Facebook and Instagram pages, hoping to reach as many people as possible who are looking to add a furry friend to their home. But the number of people we reach with each post depends on how many people share it with their network of friends.

If everybody shared our Facebook and Instagram posts about adoptable pets, it would greatly expand our audience, helping us to reach more people who might be “the one” to adopt the pet being promoted.

Just one click can make all the difference — Share a Post, Save a Life

There is no better way than social media to promote the shelter’s adoptable pets to a vast yet targeted audience. Just one “like” or “share” can reach hundreds, if not thousands, of people in a way that grassroots promotion cannot. Last month on Facebook, our posts reached well over 300,000 people.

Thanks to our social media, people have come from all over the United States to adopt pets from the County Shelter. Folks have traveled from such regions as Texas, Chicago, Massachusetts and even Europe to pick up dogs and cats that they saw on our social media.

It helps us reach even more people when FOTAS volunteers, like Martha Anne Tudor, already have thousands of Facebook friends and she posts or shares a post about one of our adoptable pets. Her posts have helped the shelter adopt out more than a thousand dogs and cats. She usually promotes the pets that need extra tender loving care, like a sad and badly neglected dog named Kai, whose post was shared nearly 70,000 times around the world. Or Wink, a one-eyed dog, who desperately needed a home and was adopted by a woman in Nantucket. She flew to Aiken and took him home, where he’s enjoying the good life. Then there was Dante, a puppy with a life-threatening birth defect. Her post about the sick pup helped to get him adopted and he’s now cured and doing great with his family in Aiken.

We would love it if you’d join us

So, if you follow the FOTAS Facebook and our Instagram pages, be sure to “like” and “share” our posts. It just takes one click with your finger and could save a shelter animal’s life. If you don’t follow our social media, please do so. We’d love to have you join us in our mission to find loving homes for all of the County Shelter’s adoptable pets.

Their lives are in our hands.

By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director

2022, abandoned animals, Adoption, Foster

Story of Zeus: Another wonderful dog who just wants a home

Posted on by Shana Ryberg
Zeus is house trained, loving, smart and available for adoption at the Aiken County Animal Shelter
30
Jul

I was wandering around my home when I came across a scent. It was so intriguing! I just kept following it and then I realized, “Oh no! I don’t know where I am!”

Luckily, a nice person stopped and picked me up. I was really nervous, especially when we pulled up to a building with all this barking. There were other dogs around me and I knew they were scared; I could feel it. They were shaking…none of us knew what was happening.

I was put into an area where other dogs were next to me. They seemed to be barking all the time.

I really needed to go out and do my business, but I waited. My owner taught me to sit, be patient and wait to go outside. People walked by me and spoke nicely to me; they brought me a blanket and a toy, and even brought me a big bowl of food.

When was my owner coming to get me? I didn’t mean to wander off.

I went into a room with people that looked at me, poked me and waved something over my back that went “beep.” They said I was really lucky because I had a microchip with my owner’s information, and they could call him. They also learned my name, Zeus. Everyone was petting me and smiling. What a relief!
But after two weeks, my owner never showed up. It was a really long two weeks. Everyone was nice but the noise really bothered me. I learned from the other dogs there that my good behavior didn’t really work to get me attention. When I sat quietly and patiently, people didn’t notice me. I learned that if I bark and jump, I get more attention.
They moved me to another part of the shelter with other dogs that were even more frustrated than me. We just want to be home. What did we do wrong?

Now I jump and bark and people just walk by me. I don’t know what to do next to get someone to adopt me. I want them to look in my eyes and see what a good boy I am.

The meaning of Zeus

Zeus is just one of the many wonderful dogs at the shelter who was found wandering our community. These dogs need to be spayed/neutered or their noses will lead them off their property in search of a mate.

Please help us. Besides the dogs and cats that become lost and separated from their owners, we are seeing an uptick in pet surrenders. This is an incredibly stressful time, and owners are leaving their pets with us every day with explanations like, “I just don’t have time for him” or “We are going out of state and can’t take her with us” or “I don’t have time to train him.” It’s so disheartening.

Because of the crushing influx of homeless pets at the shelter, we need adopters, fosters and volunteers. Like Zeus, the majority of the pets at the shelter are house trained, loving and smart. They did nothing wrong; they just ended up homeless. Now, they need a second chance to have a wonderful life.

Their lives are in our hands.

By Kathy Cagle
FOTAS Programs Coordinator

2022, Adoption, Cats, FIV positive felines

FIV positive cats can live long, happy lives

Posted on by Bob Gordon
FIV positive cat Tuxedo Bogartis hoping to be adopted soon.
22
Jul

The Aiken County Animal Shelter has two wonderful cats available for adoption – Bogart and Creampuff – who have been waiting way too long for their forever homes.

Cream Puff, FIV+, hoping to be adopted soon.Bogart is a 13-pound Tuxedo and Cream Puff is an 8-pound, orange and white Tabby. These felines arrived at the shelter as strays more than two months ago. Both are four years old, handsome and sweet. And both are FIV positive (FIV+).

FIV stands for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, a condition that weakens a cat’s immune system. Misconceptions about the disease persist, but here are the facts:

  • FIV is not as highly contagious as experts once thought. It can only be transmitted through blood transfusions or deep bite wounds. Other cats cannot get FIV through casual contact with an FIV + cat. Saliva does not transmit FIV.
  • Most FIV+ cats live long, healthy lives, and many never show any symptoms of the virus. As long as they are not exposed to any other virus or bacteria that their weakened immune system can’t handle, they can live happy, normal lives. Cats with FIV just need to be kept indoors and fed a balanced, nutritionally complete diet. With proper vet care, most FIV+ cats live as long as their indoor counterparts (13-18 years), and much longer than cats who live outdoors (3-8 years).
  • FIV is a species-specific disease. It cannot be transmitted to humans or any other animal.

Despite these reassuring facts, FIV positive cats, like Bogart and Cream Puff, continue to be passed over by potential adopters. But please keep in mind that these terrific cats can bring immense joy and companionship to you and your family. They need love, too.

Empty the Shelter event continues through July 30
th

With the support of the BISSELL Pet Foundation, FOTAS and the Aiken County Animal Shelter are hosting a special “Empty the Shelter” event through this Saturday, July 30. The event features reduced adoption fees for pets (dogs/pups are $25, cats/kittens just $10) and fees for many dogs will even be waived during this promotion.

Their lives are in our hands.

By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director

2022, Adoption, Volunteer

The long, hot, busy dog days of Summer

Posted on by Bob Gordon
15
Jul

The summer months are nerve-wracking at the Aiken County Animal Shelter, and this summer is no exception. Dogs are doubled and tripled-up in the kennels due to extraordinarily high owner-surrenders. We recently heard a shelter in Georgia is euthanizing adoptable animals because they ran out of space. That is our constant nightmare, but FOTAS volunteers and shelter staff are working double-time to avoid that outcome in Aiken.

Last Saturday began at 9:00 a.m. with the monthly FOTAS-sponsored pet food assistance drive. Cars were already lined up before we opened, and by 10 a.m., FOTAS had supplied food for more than 100 pets whose owners simply needed a little help. No owner should ever have to surrender their pet to the shelter because they can’t afford food—not if we can help it.

At 10:00 a.m., our “Dog Ears Listening” event began, which FOTAS sponsors with the Aiken County Library. Young school-age children come to the shelter with their parents and read to the dogs in kennels. It’s amazing how quiet the dogs get as the children read to them. I’m not sure who enjoys the event more: the kids, the dogs, the parents, or the FOTAS volunteers who supervise the program.

Simultaneously, in the outside yards, staff and volunteers were managing play groups of selected dogs as part of our “Dogs Playing for Life” program. Dogs are social animals, and this play time is critical for their physical and mental health, and a happy, relaxed dog is a more attractive adoption prospect.

After play groups wrapped up, the obedience training began, where volunteers, under the guidance of trainer Jennifer Jotblad, teach the dogs basic commands to make them more adoptable. Dogs who have been at the shelter the longest get the most attention. One such dog, Lady, has become a star. Volunteer Malia Koelker takes Lady in her car for doggie-day outings, taking her to Hopeland Gardens and treating her to chicken nuggets at McDonalds. Lady loves the car and next week, if she is not adopted, will go to an offsite adoption event at Dover Saddlery.

At 11:00 the shelter doors officially open for adoptions. The shelter is participating in the “Pick Me” South Carolina adoption event, where shelters across the state waive or reduce adoption fees. I was pleased to see potential adopters come through the door. It also made my day to see a new foster pick up a dog—we always need more fosters.

Then a good Samaritan pulled up with two dogs he found on the street. Both dogs were microchipped, and the kind gentleman agreed to drive the dogs to home. Love those happy endings!

I then had the pleasure of catching up with volunteer Joanne Goble. Joanne had moved to Maryland in 2020 to be close to her family. Although she loved Maryland, she loved volunteering for FOTAS even more. She recently moved back to Aiken and has resumed her volunteer duties at the shelter. How cool is that?

FOTAS and the county staff are working overtime during these hot days to make sure no adoptable animal must be euthanized on our watch, but we need your help. Please adopt, volunteer, foster, and donate.
Their lives are in our hands.

By Jennifer Miller, FOTAS President