Category Archives: Dogs

Adoption, Dogs, FOTAS, Training, Volunteer

Play Groups increase quality of life for Aiken County Shelter dogs

Posted on by Angel Hartline
27
Apr

By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice President

It’s 9:15 in the morning at the Aiken County Animal Shelter, and two dogs are in the play yard: a female, yellow lab cross named Cheyenne and a young, lanky brindle dog named Hawkeye. Cheyenne and Hawkeye were identified the day before as helper dogs for the morning’s play session based on their canine social manners and affability. Two FOTAS volunteers, Caroline Simonson and Darling Rios, are the in-yard handlers in charge of the morning’s play session. In the background, Ali Waszmer, Director of Program Development and Lead Trainer, and Kodi Sadler, Lead Trainer, from Dogs Playing for Life, a non-profit organization that teaches shelters how to create and manage play sessions to improve the quality of life for its canine residents, stand by to guide Caroline and Darling through the process.

And so it begins. Ali or Kodi refer to their notes from the previous day’s play assessments and begin calling for specific dogs, which are retrieved by a volunteer runner and brought to the gate. Over the next two hours, dogs are moved in and out of the yard or directed to a smaller, adjacent yard depending on their play style and physical condition. At any given time, as many as 15-18 dogs romp, frolic, chase each other around the yard, or watch contentedly from the sidelines.

As the session winds down, Darling, who is now the lead handler in the yard, begins calling for runners to take remaining dogs back to their kennels. By noon, close to 40 dogs–virtually every available dog from the adoption floor and selected dogs from the intake wing–have had an opportunity to play and blow off steam in the yard. An almost eerie silence settles over the shelter as the dogs, happy and relaxed, settle in for well-deserved naps.

“Shelter life is stressful enough for the dogs,” says Ellie Joos, the FOTAS on-site event coordinator who organized the 4-day clinic with Dogs Playing for Life. “They are social animals, yet for a whole host of safety and practical reasons they are kenneled separately, and over time, their energy and frustration levels rise. Play groups provide an effective outlet for the dogs to socialize in a controlled setting. Four to six volunteers can satiate every dog’s physical and emotional needs in one or two short sessions in a way that walking dogs individually around the property just can’t do.” She shakes her head and laughs. “The transformation is nothing short of amazing!”

And here’s the best part: watching a dog in play group gives staff and FOTAS more information about the dog’s behavior, which can potentially broaden that’s dog’s adoption prospects. Plus, meeting a happy, relaxed dog for the first time is a far better experience than meeting a dog that is frantic from lack of rigorous exercise and limited social interaction.

It’s a win-win situation for everyone. How cool is that?

For more information on the extraordinary Dogs Playing for Life program, go to DogsPlayingforLife.org. For more information on, or to participate in, the FOTAS play group training at the County Shelter, contact FOTAS at info@FotasAiken.org.

Their lives are in our hands.

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photo above:
Kathy Jacobs, FOTAS Program Coordinator, and Kodi Sadler of Dogs Playing for Life manage a play session at the Aiken County Animal Shelter while other volunteers and spectators watch on.

Adoption, Cats, Dogs, Foster, FOTAS, News, Transfer

Warm weather increases the dire need for fosters

Posted on by Angel Hartline
08
Apr

By Joanna D. Samson, Vice President, FOTAS

Spring has come to Aiken early this year. The days are getting longer, the azaleas are out, and everywhere you look, the landscape is awash in vibrant shades of green and splashes of color. It’s the season of rebirth, and most folks embrace the change of season after the cold, wet days of winter.

So why are we at FOTAS and the County Animal Shelter holding our collective breath when the rest of the community is in such a good mood?

Because we know that in short order the Shelter will be inundated with abandoned dogs and cats, homeless puppies and kittens, and an increasing number of strays, and we do not have enough foster families to help us handle this inevitable seasonal rise in intake.

We need foster homes—people who have the time and facilities to take care of dogs and/or puppies on a short-term or long-term basis until we can find them homes locally, or failing that, with a transfer partner in other parts of the country.

It doesn’t take much to be a foster. All you need is a secure, comfortable place for your shelter guest to sleep and play, the time to care for them, and dog-friendly pets (if you already have a pet). FOTAS and the Shelter will provide everything else if need be: food, crates, medicine, and assistance.

And you can choose to foster for only a few days or up to a few weeks. You would not be obligated to foster every time we ask. We are grateful for whatever time you can give us.

Most of our foster families take care of dogs that are scheduled for transfer to sister rescue agencies within the week. Placing them with a foster family allows these animals to decompress from the stress of the shelter environment before the journey to their new homes. Your Shelter guest, who is healthy and inoculated, does not have to sleep in your house if there is a secure, protected place outside of your home, like in a barn or a garage.

And here’s the thing: these animals are already spoken for, so there is no pressure on you to keep them. Indeed, it is just the opposite. We need you to let them go. It’s the same as, say, taking care of a friend’s pet for a couple of days.

We also need fosters who are willing to care for either mama dogs and their puppies, mama cats and their kittens or just puppies and kittens that have been abandoned to the Shelter. These little guys need to get out of the Shelter until their immune systems and inoculations are complete. Equally important, just like human babies, these helpless puppies need love and attention–lots of it. Typically, these commitments can be, depending on the age of the puppies, anyplace from 3 to 8 weeks.

Finally, we need fosters who are willing to take on the occasional special needs dog for 30 days or longer depending on the circumstances.

If you’ve ever thought about fostering, now is the time. Please call the FOTAS Hotline at 803-514-4313, or email us at info@angelhartlinedesigns.com.

Their lives are in our hands.

 

The photo above is of Girl Conger Wolcott, whose family has fostered hundreds of puppies over the years, cuddling with one of her puppy fosters.

Adoption, Dogs, Foster, FOTAS, Heartworms

The Shelter, FOTAS and the case of the scrawny yellow dog

Posted on by Angel Hartline
05
Apr

By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice President.

When the Aiken County Animal Control officer picked up the scrawny yellow dog roving the County roads, they were taken aback by his condition. His left eye was damaged. His coat was dull and matted. He had lost patches of hair all over his body, revealing irritated, scabby skin underneath. He was hungry and dehydrated. He had no collar and no microchip.

At the Shelter, Dr. Levy examined the frightened stray, and hard as it is to imagine, his condition was worse than it appeared. His left eye had collapsed. He was infected with Demodectic mange. He was heartworm positive. Under normal circumstances, the combination of these three costly and chronic medical problems, coupled with his overall bad health, might have led Dr. Levy to conclude that it was more humane to end his suffering – after all, the Shelter must care for close to 5000 animals a year, and it is difficult enough to find the resources to care for the healthy ones.

But the plight of the scrawny yellow dog tugged at Dr. Levy and the staff’s heartstrings. Although shy at first, he was affectionate, desperate to please, and even more desperate to be loved. Everyone– Dr. Levy, the Shelter staff, and FOTAS—agreed this dog needed to be saved. So when no one claimed him after the mandatory 5-day hold, we named him Seamus (pronounced Shaa-mus) and set about to save his life.

First, Dr. Levy surgically removed Seamus’ collapsed left eye. He came through surgery like a champ.

Second, the Shelter began treating Seamus’ Demodectic mange, which is the non-contagious form of mange that can be cured with daily medication for 60-90 days.

Finally, although Seamus tested positive for heartworms, because of his age (Dr. Levy estimates he still young, probably about a year old), it is unlikely that the heartworm microfilaria (the heartworm larvae spread through the bite of a mosquito) has had an opportunity to develop into advanced heartworm disease.

Accordingly, Dr. Levy concluded that Seamus’ heartworms could be treated through the “slow kill” method, which involves administering an initial course of antibiotics, followed by monthly ivermectrin (HeartGuard), which is the same oral medicine every southern dog should take to prevent heartworms.

The Shelter and FOTAS have provided the resources to restore Seamus to good health, but his ultimate recovery depends upon you, the community.

Seamus desperately needs to recover in a home environment, because the inevitable stress of life in a crowded, public shelter will exacerbate his mange and compromise his immune system. Ideally, a forever home would be best. Short of that, if someone could foster him until he finds a forever home–that will work, too. The Shelter will provide his mange medicine and regular checkups, and FOTAS will pay for his heartworm treatment for 6 months.

Please, help us find the sweet, shy, 1-year-old, 45-pound Seamus a place to live, a home, and people to love him and care for him – all the things he deserves, but never had.

His life is in our hands.

Cats, Dogs, Foster, FOTAS

FOTAS Transfer Program is Vital to Our Mission

Posted on by Angel Hartline
01
Apr

FOTAS and Aiken County have developed a network of no-kill rescue facilities in other regions of the Country that are willing and able to take the County’s Animal Shelter dogs, puppies, cats & kittens and place them in forever homes. FOTAS organizes and funds the transport of the transfer animals to the other rescue facilities as needed.

The Transfer Program has proven to be an important aspect in our ability to save more animals.

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Adoption, Dogs, FOTAS, Service Dogs, Veterans

The Redemptive Power of Spontaneous Love

Posted on by Angel Hartline
26
Mar

By Joanna Dunn Samson, Vice President

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Matt Cummins called his wife Meghan at work to tell her he was going to the Aiken County Animal Shelter to check out the dogs. He didn’t intend to adopt a dog from the shelter—after all, they were waiting for a purebred German Shepherd puppy from a breeder in Georgia—he was just curious. So he hopped into his car and drove from his home in Graniteville to the shelter on Wire Road.

Annie is a 2 year-old, Doberman/shepherd cross who, by New Year’s Eve, had been at the Shelter a very long time. A favorite among the staff and FOTAS volunteers, they were surprised she had not been adopted. Annie is, in the words of one of the volunteers, an old soul: quiet, sweet, wise and attentive. Because a long stay at the shelter is not a good thing for all sorts of reasons, she needed to find a home–fast.

Then the stars aligned just right for a little magic. Matt was seated in the lobby of the shelter waiting to speak to someone at the desk at the same time Annie walked by on her morning stroll with a volunteer. Annie saw Matt, stopped, and pulled her handler over to Matt. She dropped her head in his lap and gazed up at him, with a look that said, “You. You’re the one.” She was right.

“I knew immediately she was the dog for me,” says Matt. “There was no doubt in my mind. I don’t know what possessed me to go to the shelter that day, but I swear, it must have been fate.” By 5:00, after calling his wife and attending to a critical errand, he and Annie were on their way home.

Wait—this story gets better. Two days earlier, FOTAS had contacted Jerry Lyda of Veteran’s K9 Solutions about Annie because we believed she might make a good service dog for his program. Jerry asked Sylvia Igoe, a long-time FOTAS volunteer and foster who trains with Jerry, to assess Annie’s potential as a service dog.

“What we look for in a dog,” says Sylvia, “is a certain temperament. Is she people oriented? Calm? Focused on me or distracted by her environment? It didn’t take me long to conclude that Annie was a natural: inherently kind and instinctively protective. I called Jerry and said, ‘We have to find a veteran for this dog!’”

Sadly, no veteran was looking for a dog at the time, so despite her qualifications, Annie needed to stay at the shelter until one came along. Then, two days later–call it coincidence, call it fate–Matt Cummins walked into the shelter and fell in love.

Matt Cummins is an army veteran.

I call it the work of angels.

As we celebrate the greatest miracle of all this Easter, take a moment to pray that the County’s abandoned and homeless animals discover the healing powers of home and love and belonging, because what we give to them, they give back to us in spades.

Just ask Matt Cummins.

Their lives are in our hands.

Adoption, Dogs, Foster, FOTAS

Diary of a Foundling

Posted on by Angel Hartline
26
Mar

By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS VP

Day 1

I can’t remember how I got there; I only remember I was scared out of my wits. I was on the side of a road. It was noisy. Cars and trucks flew right past me . . . so close! My mind went blank. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t stop shaking.

A car pulled over, and a lady got out and ran over to me. I tried to make myself little because, well, I don’t know, I was confused. She held out her hand, and I inched over to her, hoping she was a nice lady. She scooped me up, clutched me to her chest, and sprinted back to her car.

Inside the car was quieter, but still, I was worried. I didn’t want her to put me back on the road, so I sat quietly so she would know I was a good girl.

When the car stopped, I started to shake again, afraid of the road. But she took me inside a place called a shelter and handed me to another lady, who took me in her arms and said, “Poor baby! Look at that! She’s lost an eye.”

I did? An eye? I didn’t think so. I lost a ball once in the yard . . . but an eye? Nope, didn’t ring a bell.

The next thing I know, I’m on a steel table and a lady wearing a white coat poked and prodded and looked into my ears and then flashed a light on my face. After a few seconds, she clicked off the light, scratched behind my ear and said, “Well, puppy, you never had an eye to begin with, did you?”

Exactly! What a relief! The only thing I ever lost was a ball, and truth be told, it was that blasted cat’s fault. It was all too much. I needed a nap.

Day, uh . . . well, some other day

After the whole eye thing was resolved, another lady named Foster picked me up and took me to a nice house with a big yard and two other dogs, who were a little miffed at first, but in no time we were all great buds and chased each other all over the yard just for fun. I had my own soft bed and great food twice a day (never enough food, but I didn’t complain.)

Another day

After a bunch of glorious days, Foster put me in the car one morning without my pals. She seemed sad, so I laid my head on her lap to make her feel better. We drove back to the shelter, where there was another big car with other dogs in crates. Uh oh. Now I was worried.

But Foster hugged me and told me what a good girl I was and how I was going to the best place ever. Could there be any place better than at Foster’s with my pals? I didn’t think so, but I knew Foster would never let anything happen to me. I licked that salt water off her face, hopped into the crate, and settled in for a nap. I was ready for the best place ever. I was ready for a home.

Every year, hundreds of puppies are abandoned in Aiken County. FOTAS and the Shelter provide medical care and place many of them into foster homes until they can find homes locally through the shelter or with a transfer partner.

Their lives are in our hands.

In the photo above, thanks to FOTAS, the one-eyed foundling is growing up in her forever home in New Jersey.

Adoption, Bully Dogs, Cats, Dogs, Donate, Foster, FOTAS, Volunteer

Community Embraces County Animal Shelter’s Saturday Hours

Posted on by Angel Hartline
13
Mar

By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Director of Communications

It is Saturday morning at the shelter, and everyone is making final preparations before the doors open at 11:30 sharp. The cats and dogs have been fed and watered, and volunteers have already walked many of the dogs before visitor traffic gets too heavy.

The shelter staff and FOTAS volunteers are in high spirits on this fifth day of March, eager to help dogs and cats find good homes and assist visitors with finding a furry companion. At the front desk, two adoption assistants warm up their computers and prepare for the busy rush they hope will be coming their way. When the doors open, people slowly trickle in; but by the afternoon, the lobby is filled with people and at least four volunteers are needed to escort groups through the dog and cat adoption facilities. By the time the dust settles and the doors close at 4 p.m., ten dogs have been adopted.

“It was an amazing day!” said FOTAS Program Coordinator Kathy Jacobs. “Wonderful families came to adopt, some bringing their dogs with them, and, thankfully, we have dedicated volunteers and staff that work together to make things run smoothly.”

A shy but lovable Chihuahua, Anya, goes home with a great family that volunteers at the shelter; two ridiculously cute black Lab puppies, Claire and Cassie, ride home with a nice woman from North Augusta; Pancho, a Retriever/Setter mix with a long tongue, gets selected by a young boy from Aiken; Kaia, a Great Pyrenees mix, goes home with a war veteran from North Augusta; Monty, a fluffy and chatty adult Chow mix, is adopted to a family from Warrenville; Dee-Dee, a blonde Lab pup, is adopted by an Aiken woman; Lyndie, a white and brown Bully mix, finds a home with folks from Augusta; a sweet, tan Beagle, Honey, goes home with an Aiken woman and her two children; and another black Lab pup, Levi, is adopted by a woman from Grovetown, GA.

Since the shelter reintroduced Saturday adoption hours on Feb. 13, the community has strongly embraced the weekend adoption experience. In turn, FOTAS and the shelter staff have worked hard to make the adoption process not only a satisfactory experience, but a joyful one. Specials are usually offered on Saturdays, often tied to a fun theme. For example, on Feb. 13, the Shelter and FOTAS hosted a “Petcademy Awards” event, complete with free popcorn, a red carpet entrance and nominees for best VIP (Very Important Pet). Those that adopted nominated canines received a FOTAS swag bag that included a toy, leash, collar and dog treats. This Saturday, March 19, the shelter will celebrate “St. Catrick’s Day” and FOTAS will pay the $35 adoption fee for the first three people who take home a cat.

“Saturdays at the shelter are a lot of fun, especially when we get to see so many animals leave here with happy, new owners,” Kathy said.

For more information about FOTAS and shelter events and specials – including our Bully dog Hall of Fame half-price adoption special (last day is Saturday, March 19) and photo contest (deadline for entering photo of your Bully is March 20) – please follow FOTAS on Facebook and visit our website, www.fotasaiken.org.

Their lives are in our hands…

 

The Walker family, which volunteers at the shelter on Saturdays, adopted little Anya.
The Walker family, which volunteers at the shelter on Saturdays, adopted little Anya.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claire and Cassie get adopted II March 5 2017
Lee Ellis of N. Augusta adopted Lab pups, Cassie and Claire.
Adoption, Bully Dogs, Dogs, FOTAS, Pibbles, Volunteer

The Stars come out at the Aiken County Animal Shelter

Posted on by Angel Hartline
07
Mar

By Joanna Dunn Samson, Vice President of FOTAS

Last weekend the stars were out at the Aiken County Animal Shelter, where many of the resident Stars came out to walk the red carpet and meet their adoring public. The excitement in the air was palpable.

“Everyone gets so excited about the Academy Awards,” says Ellie Joos, FOTAS Board member and volunteer, “but the real action is happening right here on Wire Road. The canine and feline stars at the Shelter are nothing short of phenomenal.”

Here are some of the winners of the 2016 Aiken County Petacademy Awards.

The award in the Most Affectionate category went to Trey, a 2 year-old black lab mix. Trey is very shy and a Hall of Fame love bug who would just as soon snuggle up to your leg than almost anything in the world, with the possible exception of eating.

“I am most grateful to the Academy for this award,” panted Trey, edging closer and closer to my leg. “I can’t wait to find a home where I can share all this affection!”

The Best Hugger and Kisser award went to Shakespeare, a 3 month-old golden puppy with a huge heart and a long tongue.

“Whoa!” cried Shakespeare, with a wiggle and a shake. “You mean I get an award for hugging and kissing? You think I could get one for scarfing down those tasty little beef treats?”

One of the biggest surprises of the day: 3 year-old, golden brindle Brutus took home an award in The Most Bashful in a Large Body category. Weighing in at 93 lbs, this big boy Hall of Famer and Pet of the Week is so shy, he’d like to spend his life with his head in your armpit. In fact, if you could fit his food bowl in your armpit, too, he’d be a happy man.

“Bffdd?*&&& hnnt!!f3 djjjfddd,” mumbled Brutus.

“Brutus thanks the Academy for its recognition,” interpreted Kathy Jacobs, his agent, “and he hopes one of his fans will take him to a forever home where he will always be safe.”

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Madam Mim, a 9 year-old, dark gray shaggy terrier mix who was found wandering the streets without identification and with cataracts, tumors, and broken teeth. A sweet, quiet dog, Miss Mimm said, “After the kindness of the folks at the shelter and the amazing medical care administered by Dr. Levy, the shelter vet, my faith in humanity has been restored. I look forward to living out my years basking in the love of my furever home.”

Finally, the award for Most Nurturing to Every Living Thing category went to Lindy, a 4-year old white bully mix with gray markings who loves all people, kids, dogs and cats she meets. Her acceptance speech was extraordinary.

“The world would be a better place, “ said Lindy, giving her fellow nominees a soft nudge, “if everyone would adopt a dog from the shelter and stay home and give hine-y rubs. Then, finally, the world will know peace.”

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

Please don’t wait to make one of the Shelter stars the light of your life. Their lives are in our hands.

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.