Category Archives: Dogs

Adoption, Cats, Dogs, Events, News

Notes from a busy day at the Shelter

Posted on by Angel Hartline
12
Jun

07 February 2015

Notes from a busy day at the Shelter

By Ellie Joos, FOTAS Director, On-Site Activities Coordinator

It was a busy afternoon at the shelter last Wednesday, when FOTAS hosted another Dog Ears Reading Program in conjunction with the Aiken County Library.

Jenny Beck from the library waited with me for our first arrivals, along with volunteer Sharon Kahl and several Serteens.

Shortly thereafter, the first mom showed up with her daughter Lane, Lane’s friend Megan and her little toddler. They had been at the shelter the day before and heard about the Dog Ears Reading Program and came back to read specifically to the five adorable Chihuahua puppies on the adoption floor. Sharon sat on the blanket with Lane, Megan and two of the Chihuahua puppies on blankets in the outside portion of the kennel while the girls took turns reading to the puppies and loving them up. What fun!

More kids arrived over the next 2 hours. Stella read to Owen, an enthusiastic border collie mix, with Serteen Stephanie, while her brother Sam read to the bouncy and ever so eager Belinda, a sweet hound dog mix who loves the attention, with help from Serteen Jade.

Young Christian and his mom came to the shelter to read to the cats – he can’t have one at home since his dad is allergic. First he read to a kitten he had selected from the new cat condo in the lobby with Jenny, then he repaired to the shelter feline house with Serteens Kate and Brandon to share the love with the feline residents residing in the colony.

Cindy from the “Aiken Standard” was on hand to photograph the activities. She told me how much she enjoys being assigned to the shelter to cover these events, which is evident from her terrific photos published in the on-line edition the next day. If you missed them, be sure to look them up – she really captured the joy of the participating children and the animals.

I also set up a craft table with all the necessary supplies, like paper, markers, stickers, rubber stamps and such, so the kids could make their own cards when they finished reading with the help of the Serteens.  They created some samples for the kids to see so the children could make their own cards when they finished reading.

Lane said she was making her Valentine card for the puppy she had named Cupcake. She had mounted a serious campaign to adopt little Cupcake, but her mother was not having it. Too bad for Lane and Cupcake – they did make a cute couple.

Next up at the shelter is the Valentine’s Day Yard Sale and Bake Sale to be held from 10 am to 1 pm, on Sat. Feb. 14. Come on over and check out the great bargains on pet supplies, household items, toys, books, maybe even some tack and equine supplies, and of course, some fabulous baked goods. The Valentine Card craft table will be set up for the kids to show their artsy side. In addition, photographer Janice Freeland will be on site to take photos of attendees with their pets in front of a Valentine backdrop.  The address is 333 Wire Road.

And don’t miss our Valentine’s Cat Adoption Special – only $2 to adopt a fully vaccinated and spayed or neutered adult cat, one day only — Sat., Feb. 14. If you’ve been thinking about adding a feline friend to your brood, now’s the time.

The Dog Ears Reading Program will be held at the shelter on the first Wednesday of each month, which is early release day for the schools. Be sure to check the FOTAS web site at www.fotasaiken.org for reservations information.

Thank you, and as always, remember – their lives are in our hands.

Adoption, Cats, Dogs, News

The extra mile

Posted on by Angel Hartline
12
Jun

18 January 2015

The extra mile

By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director

In late November, a tired and emaciated Pomeranian was picked up on the side of the road by a good Samaritan and turned into the Aiken County Animal Shelter. The tiny black dog was scrawny and frightened; her coat matted and crusted with dirt. She was examined by Dr. Levy, the Shelter Vet, and in addition to being malnourished, dirty and generally roughed up from her experience as a stray, several of her back teeth were broken.

Plus, she was no spring chicken – at least 10 by Dr. Levy’s calculations – making her medical prognosis and ultimate adoptability even more uncertain.

Betty Erickson and Sandy Larsen, the two experienced staff on duty, cleaned and fed her before setting her up on a soft blanket in a kennel in the medical suite. She was warm and safe.

The plight of the little dog plagued Betty. The dog was too sweet, too trusting and too old to have been on her own very long – she must have been someone’s pet. So Betty checked the online lost and found websites for the local area.

She hit pay dirt on AikenPetsReunited.com, where she discovered a notice for a lost black Pomeranian named Tori who had been missing since late September. Squinting at the tiny image on the screen, Betty thought, “Yeah, add a little weight and a shiny coat, that could be Tori!”

Betty called the owner’s number and left a message on voice mail. When she hadn’t heard back by closing time, she called again. This time, a breathless Darlene Tarvin answered the phone.

“I was so excited,” says Darlene, “I just knew it had to be my Tori! I had been frantic with worry for two months.”

The next morning, Darlene and her husband Charles were at the door when the shelter opened, and to everyone’s delight and relief, Darlene was reunited with her beloved Tori. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

Tori was lucky, not every story ends this well, but it’s not for lack of trying. The amazing shelter staff and FOTAS volunteers always go that extra mile.

Whether it’s Betty making calls on behalf of one little lost dog, or Sandy Larsen organizing a pre-dawn pickup to feature adoptable animals on the local news at 6 a.m., or Annette Van Der Walt, the shelter adoption coordinator, giving up a day off (without pay) during the busy holiday season, or FOTAS volunteers like Girl and Caroline Conger taking shelter dogs to a special event on a rainy Saturday, or Ray Eckenrode fostering a hard–to-place dog whose time is running out, or Toni and Gary Urben mounting special appeals to the Aiken equestrian community to find a deserving dog a home – the amount of effort expended to place these unfortunate animals is nothing short of breathtaking.

And here’s the good news – it’s working. Last month a record number of animals, 262 to be exact, were adopted from or transferred out of the shelter, thanks in large measure to the success of our heartworm positive, transfer, foster and off-site adoption programs and the depth of commitment by staff and volunteers.

Back at the Tarvin home, the amazing little Tori (who, as it turns out, is actually 14) is safe and sound and dearly loved.

“She’s been my constant companion since she was 6-weeks-old,” says Darlene, “I was heartbroken when she was lost, but my kids, my grandkids, my husband – we never stopped searching. I never gave up hope.” She pauses. “It’s a miracle.”

Yes, it is – a miracle made possible by love, resolve and commitment.

BY THE NUMBERS

December stats 2014

Total dogs and cats received – 458

Total dogs and cats adopted/transferred –  262

Totals dogs and cats euthanized – 184

Percent euthanized- 41%

PETS OF THE WEEK

SARA    Female, retriever mix, 1 years old, 44 lbs — $70

ANJA    Female, tortoiseshell, 3 years old, 8.3 lbs — $35

Adoption, Cats, Dogs, News, Volunteers

New Year’s resolutions worth keeping

Posted on by Angel Hartline
12
Jun

11 January 2015

New Year’s resolutions worth keeping

By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director

Every New Year’s Eve since I turned 40, I have resolved to launch a rigorous exercise program in the upcoming year. Now that I am 60, it doesn’t seem like such a lofty goal as much as a practical necessity, but somehow the commitment wanes as January turns into February turns into March turns into . . . well, you get the picture.

I am not alone –“ exercising more” is a common New Year’s resolution, so why is it also the one so quickly abandoned with such minimal guilt? I’m no psychologist, but I’m going to hazard a guess here: resolutions that involve tending only to the physical body are perhaps too shallow to be taken seriously.

What if, then, we were to resolve to exercise in a way that satisfies both body and soul, makes homeless animals happy and saves lives at the same time?  Based on the experience of our FOTAS volunteers, those resolutions might just be winners.

Susan Hilderbrand began volunteering at the old Aiken County Animal Shelter in 2008, the year before FOTAS was founded. At first she played and walked with the animals. Now, twice a week, Susan takes pictures of the shelter residents, talks to volunteers and staff about their personalities, gathers some data such as age, weight, gender, and uploads this information to PetFinder, a national database for animal adoptions, and to the County shelter’s website.

“I love taking those photos,” says Susan. “I can help find these animals a forever home by expanding the potential pool of adopters, which is so satisfying. Some of my friends say, ‘How can you go there two times a week, every week, and see all those poor animals?’ And I say, ‘How can I not?

She continues. “Plus, the new shelter is such a bright and welcoming place, it’s a pleasure to spend time there with the animals, the other volunteers and the County staff, who are just plain wonderful.”

Kathy Jacobs and her 9-year-old son Noah have been walking and playing with the shelter dogs since last May.

“It’s something I always wanted to do,” says Kathy, “but I wasn’t sure I could. I was afraid I’d be too upset seeing all those homeless dogs. I was wrong. It’s so easy to make them happy and so rewarding when they finally go home with that special someone.

I spend a lot of time hugging the dogs. These animals have been abandoned or abused or alone for so long, I feel like it’s my and Noah’s job to teach them how to be loved.”

In addition, this year Noah performed odd jobs around the house between Thanksgiving and Christmas and donated the money to FOTAS. Talk about dedication.

Karen Peck began volunteering for FOTAS at the County shelter 4 years ago as part of a Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound Program. Since then, in addition to walking the dogs, she baths, grooms, takes photos of the animals for FOTAS social media and assists with transfers. Karen injured her leg last year, so now she works the front desk, greets visitors, helps with adoption counseling, and performs the thankless job of filling out paperwork for adoptions and transfers.

Karen and her family have also fostered over 50 dogs in the last 18 months. “I love fostering,” she says, “We get to care for and love them for a short time knowing they’re already spoken for. It’s magic.”

So there you have it. These FOTAS volunteers and their colleagues in the FOTAS volunteer army, exercise their bodies, exercise their hearts, exercise their humanity, and exercise their civic duty, and in the process, saved the lives of hundreds of the County’s most vulnerable animals.

Proof positive that resolutions involving a commitment of body and soul are the most enduring.

Make your resolutions count this year; join us in this important work. Their lives are in our hands.

BY THE NUMBERS

162 dogs and cats adopted during the “No Place Like Home” adoption special Nov. 29, 2014 – Jan. 3, 2015

PETS OF THE WEEK

DARYL     Male, Shepherd mix, 9 months old, 44 lbs — $70

PIPPA   Female, Domestic short hair, 1 1/2 years old — $35

Adoption, Dogs, News

Love, forgiveness and a second chance in the New Year

Posted on by Angel Hartline
12
Jun

28 December 2014

Love, forgiveness and a second chance in the New Year

By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director

“No matter how dark the night, morning always comes. And our journey begins anew.”

Anonymous

Harley graduated from the School of Hard Knocks. A bull terrier cross with a dark brindle coat and a white chest, Harley spent most of his short unhappy life in the yard of a house full of crack addicts and drunks. He was abused, malnourished and had never been to a veterinarian. He survived by keeping his head down and steering clear of trouble.

A kindly neighbor took pity on Harley and fed and cared for him whenever he could, but he did not have the wherewithal to care for him on a permanent basis. Eventually another neighbor called County Animal Control because Harley was scrounging for food in neighborhood trashcans.

I was surprised to hear how easy it was for the Animal Control officer to catch Harley – his experience with the human race had been, for the most part, miserable. Yet Harley never showed an ounce of aggression. He came to the officer quietly and jumped willingly into the truck.

The FOTAS volunteers and staff at the Aiken County Animal Shelter were impressed with Harley’s kind nature, especially in light of his appalling physical condition. He was scrawny and showed scars of repeated physical abuse. Fortunately, a full examination by Dr. Levy revealed that other than testing positive for early stage heartworm disease (which was 100% treatable), there was nothing wrong with Harley that couldn’t be cured with love, consistent care and a good diet.

FOTAS volunteers were so taken with Harley that they called upon Toni and Gary Urben, one of their most experienced foster families, to care for Harley at their home until he could be appropriately placed. The Urbens agreed, and in short order, Toni was in love.

“I’ve fostered a lot of dogs over the years,” said Toni, “and I never, ever had a dog this special, this kind. He listened; he sat at my feet; he walked at my side. He is an extraordinary dog. We desperately wanted to keep him, but we just couldn’t. It was killing me.”

“But I knew one thing: Harley was not leaving us until he had the perfect home.”

And so it was. After a week or so of appeals to the Aiken community, John and Lisa Mitchell responded to an email sent out to the Aiken Hounds membership. The Mitchells drove over to the Urben’s house to meet Harley, and they, too, were hopelessly smitten by his quiet good nature. Harley was going home with them.

And so he did. In fact, Harley bonded with their son and became a beloved member of

the family so quickly, they couldn’t bear to part with him over the holidays. So they packed Harley into the car and headed west to California to visit their children and grandchildren for Christmas. Harley goes where they go. Period.

Harley is an extraordinary soul. We can learn much from Harley about hardship, forgiveness and love, qualities we mere mortals strive for but rarely accomplish with such perfect grace as this remarkable dog.

There is a remarkable, perfect dog or cat waiting for you at the Aiken County Animal Shelter.  Please don’t wait: their lives are in our hands.

Happy New Year and God Bless from all of us in the FOTAS community.

Adoption, Cats, Dogs, Fundraisers, News, Volunteers

FOTAS community: making a difference for homeless animals

Posted on by Angel Hartline
12
Jun

21 December 2014

FOTAS Community: making a difference for homeless animals

By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Director

What makes the Aiken County Animal Shelter a true community shelter?

It’s not just because it’s owned and operated by a public body and funded through taxpayer dollars. It’s not just because it’s obligated by law to serve all of Aiken County, which is 50 times larger than the City of Aiken (1071 square miles versus 21) and serves a population almost 5 times larger than the City’s.  It’s also not just because the County shelter is legally obligated to accept and care for all County strays, all County and City owner-surrenders – a whopping average intake of 400 dogs and cats per month.

Those are the legal technicalities that define the basic nature of the County shelter, but to me, it is a community shelter because the Aiken community itself has claimed the County shelter as its own. It is the heart that makes the shelter tick, the force that breathes life into the daunting task of caring for thousands of homeless and abandoned animals every year.

That’s why the Friends of the Aiken County Animal Shelter (FOTAS) was created in 2009 – to marshal the private resources of the Aiken community to supplement and support the County shelter’s limited budgetary and operational needs.

FOTAS formed an army of committed community volunteers, who perform the jobs equivalent of 9-10 paid staff positions. Volunteers organize, coordinate and implement transfers to no-kill sister agencies in other parts of the country, on-site events such as Woofstock, the Dog Ears Reading Program, puppy socials and off-site adoption events. They recruit and support local citizens to privately foster animals in their homes.FOTAS volunteers developed and manage a website and social media to keep the community informed. They create and run fundraising community events like Play Fore the Dogs, Broadway Sings for the Pets, and the FOTAS Hunter Pace. They coordinate spay/neuter services through FOTAS Fix-a-Pet and Lenny’s Brigade. They love-up the cats and walk the dogs at the shelter 6 days a week and on holidays. They work with and train difficult-to-place dogs. They write thank-you notes, make phone calls, keep the books and greet visitors at the shelter.Because FOTAS is an all-volunteer organization funded solely by private donations, virtually every dollar contributed to FOTAS is used to improve the lives of and outcomes for the County’s homeless animals.

In addition to funding improvements to the shelter itself (play yards with appropriate drainage and irrigation, a separate feline facility with a hot water heater, stainless steel kennels with guillotine doors, surgical equipment, etc.), FOTAS dollars also fund essential needs (heartworm medicine, flea and tick treatments, toys, leashes, collars, supplies for foster families, vet clinics for pets and citizens in need, an off-site adoption van and the like) and the programmatic costs of transfer and spay/neuter.

Here’s the good news: all this effort and support is making a difference.

In the last 23 months, FOTAS organized and funded the spay/neuter surgeries of 859 dogs and cats and transferred 1339 dogs to sister agencies. As of the end of November, there has been a 14% reduction in shelter intake and a 43% increase in adoptions and transfers over 2013. The average monthly euthanasia rate has dropped from 90+% in pre-FOTAS years to 55%. That’s huge.

This Christmas, make your holiday gifts count: donate to FOTAS to save a life in honor of your family and friends. A $45 gift will fix a pet cat and $80 a dog. A $75 gift will treat a heartworm positive dog. A $90 gift will help FOTAS fund the transfer of an animal to a no-kill facility and a forever home.

Seriously, does Dad really need a new tie? Call us at 803-514-4313 or email us at info@angelhartlinedesigns.com to discuss the possibilities.

And don’t forget to take advantage of our special Holiday adoption rates until January 3rd ($35 for dogs and $10 for cats).

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and God Bless you and your family.

BY THE NUMBERS

January 2013 through November 2014:

1339 dogs/cats— FOTAS worked with the Shelter and transferred these animals to partner rescues/shelters ( this is in ADDITION to local adoptions from the County Shelter )

876 pets & community cats were spayed/neutered, organized and paid for by FOTAS ( this is in ADDITION to those animals spayed/neutered through the County’s voucher program )

 

 

Adoption, Dogs, News

Preparing to go Home for the Holidays

Posted on by Angel Hartline
12
Jun

14 December 2014

Preparing to go Home for the Holidays

By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director

I was snoozing in the sun after breakfast in my outdoor kennel when I heard a door open. I cocked my head. Could it be my friend Ellie coming to take me for my morning walk? It was! I could tell by the squeak of her shoes on the floor, particularly on that one side.  Is that one of my very favorite sounds in the world? You bet, because Ellie is one of my very favorite people. Champion ear-scratcher, that Ellie.

I jumped up and gave myself a gigantic shake  – no sleeping on the job for this guy. What job, I’m not sure, something to do with Christmas and fostering.  Christmas I know about, it’s my very favorite holiday, but fostering? No clue, really, but if it involves Christmas, hey, I’m in.

I wanted to show Ellie I’m always ready for action. I squeezed through the door to my inside kennel to sit in perfect attention, because that’s what a good dog does, and Ellie always tells me I’m a good dog.

All us dogs here at the Aiken County Animal Shelter are working hard with our volunteers to be the very best dogs so we can spend Christmas with a family, in a home, rather than here in the shelter. Don’t get me wrong, the shelter is a great place thanks to Ellie and my pals, Angus and Buster and Amber and Fluffy, but there aren’t any kids to play with, or cookie crumbs to clean off the floor, or treats hanging in a sock above the fireplace – all things that make Christmas second to none among holidays, in my experience, except for maybe Thanksgiving on account of that exciting incident with the turkey carcass when I was a puppy, but that’s old news now.

“Zeus,” said Ellie, reaching for the leash clipped to the kennel door “look at you! What a good boy you are.” Music to my ears; I’m top-notch in the good boy category. I demonstrate my very best whole body wag, the one that starts with my tail, moves through my body and ends at my head – a specialty of mine.

Did I pant with excitement? Of course! Did I drool? Just the tiniest bit, not worth mentioning, really.

Ellie and I went for a walk around the property, me doing my best leash walking ever despite all the smells and all the action in the play yard.  I see my pal Angus playing in the yard with . . . Whoa! Is that Buster? It is! What a sight! Buster is a handsome fellow, a little smaller than me, but when he came to the shelter, he was terrified of everyone. Now look at him; those volunteers are the greatest.

Ellie and I took a break on the bench out front next to the parking lot.  My pals Amber and Fluffy stopped by with their volunteers, so we had a fast little romp-around. I was delighted to meet a sweet little blond girl walking into the shelter with her mother – that’s always occasion for the whole-body wag.

After all the excitement died down, I laid my head on Ellie’s lap for a nice head scratch, right behind the ears. Did I mention Ellie’s a champion ear-scratcher? After awhile, I lay down on the grass, sun on my face, and watched the cars go by.

As I dozed off, I had one of my very best thoughts: just maybe one of those cars will take me home for Christmas.

Take advantage of the Holiday Adoption Special: $35 for dogs and $10 for cats, or call the Shelter to learn how you can foster Zeus and his friends this Christmas season.

Their lives are in our hands.

Adoption, Cats, Dogs, News

Walking the Walk

Posted on by Angel Hartline
12
Jun

23 November 2014

Walking the Walk

By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director

Over the past 5 years, the Aiken County and FOTAS have partnered in a quest to make the lives and prospects of the County’s homeless and abandoned animals better. It’s a public/private partnership that works.

Everybody wins: the County, the citizens, the taxpayers and, of course, the animals.

What makes the County/FOTAS partnership so formidable?  The commitment of the animal-lovers who work in County government, that’s what.

They don’t just talk the talk – they walk the walk.

The commitment starts at the top. When County Administrator Clay Killian, his wife Carrie and his granddaughter Hailey attended the Grand Opening of the new Aiken County Animal Shelter last March, Hailey became crazy smitten with a lab-cross puppy on the adoption floor.

They didn’t need another dog; they already had Daisy, a 14-year-old rescue.  Hailey “laid it on thick,” according to Carrie, but it didn’t take much to persuade Clay, who also fell for the pup on sight.  They took her home that day, and now Zoie sleeps in Hailey’s room each night.

Assistant County Administrator Brian Sanders, his wife Erica and their two children share their home with two rescues dogs.  Josie, their first, was a neighbor’s dog and a determined escape artist.  When Animal Control picked up Josie, the neighbor decided he’d had enough and was not going to claim her.  Brian and his family, who had returned the dog so many times they had become attached, drove to the shelter immediately and brought her home.

Special circumstances, right?  They already knew Josie.  It was easy. They didn’t need another dog.

Ha!  Love trumps practicality every time.  On Christmas Eve, the family lost their hearts to a puppy fostered by Father Grant Wiseman and his family.  That’s how the Sanders’ became a two rescue-dog family.

Barbara Strait, who works for Assistant County Administrator Andy Merriman, visited the shelter last February after her beloved Chihuahua died.  She wanted another Chihuahua.  As she ambled through the Adoption Wing, she made eye contact with a quiet, timid little pit bull named LucyLou, and it was love at first sight.  LucyLou, definitely not a Chihuahua, went home with Barbara.

P.S.: Barbara went back to the shelter later to find that Chihuahua, but she came home instead with a little black dachshund named Amber.

What’s that saying?  Man plans and Cupid laughs? Jayne Smith in Public Works adopted a little black and white terrier puppy named Patches, who Jayne renamed “Chase” because he chases her all over the house. Chase has a black dot on his head, like an on/off switch, says Jayne, that doesn’t work so well. Bobby Arthurs, the Chief Animal Control Officer, and his wife Lisa have adopted 3 Chihuahuas from the shelter that they were fostering, despite a hard and fast rule that they would never, ever adopt a dog they were fostering.Annette van der Walt, the shelter Adoption Coordinator, has adopted 3 dogs and 4 cats and fosters special needs dogs.

Sandy Larson, the Senior Vet Assistant, also has adopted 3 dogs and 1 cat from the shelter.  One of the three is Lucy, who Sandy fostered until her puppies weaned. When the time came to take her back, Sandy just couldn’t do it.  Lucy stayed.

And of course, there’s Dr. Lisa Levy, the County’s vet, who fell in love with and adopted an abused three-legged dog named Trinity.

I am profoundly touched by the love and generosity of spirit of these folks: they opened their homes and hearts to unfortunate, abandoned animals.

As we move into this season of thanking, sharing and giving, we ask that you join them. There are so many loving dogs and cats at the Aiken County Animal Shelter that need a new home.

They need you.

Come on over.  Their lives are in our hands.

BY THE NUMBERS

OCTOBER 2014 statistics:

FOTAS organized the transfer of 59 dogs & cats to partner rescues, as well as numerous local adoptions were completed

FOTAS’ Fix-a-Pet and Lenny’s Brigade programs paid for 80 spay/neuter surgeries of local pets and community cats at the SPCA

PETS OF THE WEEK

ANGELINA     Female, Lab mix, 2 years old, 46 lbs      $70

AMMO     Male, Domestic Short Hair        $10

Adoption, Dogs, News

Happy FOTAS tails from the new Aiken County Animal Shelter

Posted on by Angel Hartline
12
Jun

09 November 2014

Happy FOTAS Tails

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 the one!’” says Daisy.

And so he was. Daisy adopted Gaige, and now he is her constant companion. He sleeps with her. He protects her. He even talks to her.

“He’s my baby. He talks to me when he wants something, like ice in his bowl – he loves ice in his bowl!” says Daisy, laughing with delight. “I’ve never had a dog like this.”

That’s how Daisy and Gaige became the first seniors to take advantage of the Silver Paws program developed by FOTAS and the County, which pairs senior citizens and senior dogs or cats for half-price – all the time.

Senior Paws and other programs like Fall in Love, Nine Lives for Nine Dollars, Back in Black, regular half-price specials and the lowest standard adoption fees in Aiken have boosted adoption numbers to all time highs, making a lot of folks and a lot of animals, like Daisy and Gaige, very happy in the process.

The FOTAS On-Site Event Coordinator, Ellie Joos, organizes events designed to help people become more educated pet owners.  Events such as H.E.L.P. (How to Enjoy Living with a Puppy), a session for puppies and their owners led by Dr. Holly Woltz and Dr. Sybil Davis, and the Dog Ears Reading and Listening Program (a joint effort with the Aiken County Regional Library System), which helps young children hone their reading skills by reading to shelter dogs who love the attention, have been well attended.

FOTAS has organized and provided training sessions for FOTAS volunteers and staff by professional trainers like Jay Lyda of Veteran K9 Solutions and Susi Cohen of the Palmetto Dog Club to teach shelter dogs basic obedience skills, which also makes them more adoptable. (By the way, Jay and Susi offer a free training session for new adopted dog owners.)

With the help of the trainers and through Urgent Appeals made through the FOTAS communication networks, long-term canine shelter residents whose times were running out – dogs like Luci, Olivia and Andrew – have found homes as service dogs and beloved pets.

Then there’s the FOTAS Heartworm Positive (HWP) Program, which gives dogs who test positive for heartworms but are not sick, a chance to be adopted.  FOTAS partners with local vets and pays for 30 days of heartworm treatment meds and 6 months of heartworm prevention to anyone who adopts a HWP dog.

Bella, an 8 year-old Chihuahua, was the first HWP dog adopted from the shelter.

“Bella is wonderful,” says Manuella Kowitt, “and very healthy for an older dog – you’d never suspect she is HWP. Since I have to give her heartworm prevention medicine anyway, she’s been no extra trouble at all.”

All this work and special programming is paying off.

“In August and September, 610 dogs and cats were adopted or transferred to no-kill facilities,” says Jennifer Miller, President of FOTAS. “As of October 1st, FOTAS Fix-a-Pet and Lenny’s Brigade have funded 350 spay/neuters of pets and community cats. We couldn’t be more pleased.”

The outpouring of community support in terms of time, money and service have made a real difference in the lives of and outcomes for the thousands of homeless County animals.

Please help us continue our work. Their lives are in our hands.

PETS OF THE WEEK

TALLY     Female, hound — 2 years old — 40 lbs — $70

BECKY      Female, tabby — 4 mos old — $10

Adoption, Dogs, News, Training

Love and be loved: the joy of owning a dog

Posted on by Angel Hartline
12
Jun

26 October 2014

LOVE & BE LOVED: THE JOY OF OWNING A DOG

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 of the leash being taken from its hook, the delight in the tossing of a tennis ball, and the head nestled in your lap are only some of the rewards of having a dog in your life.

Owning a dog is not just a privilege – it’s a responsibility. They depend on us for, at minimum, food and shelter, so taking a dog into your life involves a serious commitment to its wellbeing for the rest of its life.

And for a shelter dog, who has already experienced some level of disruption, loss and perhaps trauma in its life, the stakes are even higher: your commitment and patience may literally mean the difference between a happy, secure life and certain death. You are his second chance.

It’s not like buying a new car. You can’t just trade your dog in when he misbehaves, gets sick or when circumstances in your home environment change.

Plus, if you take the time to teach your new dog how to be a good family member from the very beginning, the payoff is huge.  Not only will you will ease the stress of the transition from shelter to home and limit his potential to make mistakes, you will build a bond that will last a lifetime.

Make time for your dog and create a schedule for play, feeding and sleeping. He will quickly learn what to expect and be content with it. It will also give your life purpose. Remember that while you are at work, out with friends, or running errands, your dog is waiting for you to come home.  You are his whole world.

Training your new companion is most important. He needs to understand who’s in charge and what the rules are.  This gives his life structure and builds confidence and reinforces his bond with you.

Moreover, a trained dog is a happy dog.

Teaching your dog basic commands such as heel, sit, stay, come and down will make your life easier and help you keep him safe.

Expose your dog to different people and settings regularly. Take him to the park, to the pet store, on a walk through town. The more your dog learns of the world, the more comfortable he will be in it.

Obedience classes can be a great experience for you and your dog. It can help address issues with professional assistance. You may discover your dog has a talent for learning and is able to compete in obedience, agility or tracking events. More fun for the both of you, I promise.

Because your dog loves you, he wants to please you. Praise him lavishly for obeying commands and behaving well. Using positive, rather than negative, reinforcement will help your dog enjoy learning. Always be consistent so your dog is not confused.

Finally love and enjoy your dog, he will return that love in spades.

BY THE NUMBERS

FOTAS’ Lenny’s Brigade and FOTAS’ Fix-a-Pet organized the pick-up of 28 dogs and cats this week and funded their spay/neuter surgeries

PETS OF THE WEEK

KANE     Boxer mix — male — 3 yrs old — 51 lbs —- $70

LOTTIE   Domestic short hair — female — 7 wks — 1 1/2 lbs — $35

Adoption, Cats, Dogs, News

Balancing hope and despair

Posted on by Angel Hartline
12
Jun

19 October 2014

BALANCING HOPE AND DESPAIR

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, animal abuse, overcrowded shelter facilities due to off-the-charts intake, or the 69% euthanasia rate, and then attach a photo of a desperate, sick and beat-up animal staring pitifully out of its kennel with a caption like “Why won’t someone love me?”

But that’s only half the picture, and really, isn’t the world scary enough these days without me adding a little Sunday sadness to your lives?

Here’s the other half of the picture: there are so many wonderful things happening at the new County shelter. I could also write every week about that and attach a photo of happy owners and happy dogs, children reading to puppies, Girl Scouts cleaning up the grounds, and dedicated FOTAS volunteers socializing the dogs and cats.

It’s a balancing act – making sure that you, the community, know that your extraordinary efforts and generosity have made a life-saving difference in the lives of the County’s homeless and abandoned animals without creating a false sense of job done, mission complete.

Because the job is not done: the intake numbers at the Shelter are still dismally high, nearly 5000 animals last year alone. It’s like sweeping back the ocean with a broom – they come through the door faster than we can move them out.

And the mission is not complete: 69% of the animals that pass through the County Shelter’s doors are euthanized.

So, I have to remind myself, and you, that significant, steady headway is being made in reducing overpopulation and increasing adoptions.

In September, FOTAS’ Lenny’s Brigade and Fix-a-Pet spayed and neutered 66 dogs and cats in the month of September; funded and organized 3 group pickups of pets and 1 group pickup of community cats from Wagner to be driven to the SPCA clinic, neutered and returned home; and funded 23 supplemental spay/neuter vouchers to qualifying citizens who called the FOTAS hotline.

Regular specials like the Silver Paws Program, $9 for 9 Lives and Back in Black have been wildly successful in increasing adoptions.

The FOTAS/County Heartworm Positive Program is also gaining momentum. In that program, heartworm positive dogs that are not sick are moved to the adoption floor (rather than euthanized), and FOTAS pays the first six months of heartworm medicine for anyone who adopts a heartworm positive dog. So far, 6 heartworm positive dogs have been adopted and saved.

FOTAS volunteer trainers Jay Lyda from Veterans K9 Solutions and Susi Cohen from Palmetto Dog Club work with other volunteers and high-energy dogs to teach basic obedience skills, which makes those dogs more adoptable.

In the past 4 months, Veteran’s K9 Solutions has placed 4 Shelter dogs with veterans to be service dogs.

Sixteen children attended the second Dog Ear’s Listening Program, where young children hone their reading skills by reading out loud to the attentive Shelter dogs.

So you see, lots of good things are happening at the Aiken County Animal Shelter – things that make a difference, things that save lives. We should all be proud of that.

But let’s not rest on our laurels.  Coconut, Rosa, Molly, Fiona, Mary Kate, Ashley, Mama Cass, Melissa, Bella, Onyx, Rufus, Ellie Mae, Chad, Lottie, Deno, Dale, Sassafras, Pal, Carrie, Wally, Romeo and a whole lot more fabulous dogs and cats at the County Shelter still need homes.

IT’S ALL PART OF FOTAS‘ MISSION

FOTAS’ Lenny’s Brigade and Fix a Pet programs funded the spay/neuters of 66 County dogs and cats in need  in month of September!

PETS OF THE WEEK

RUFUS — Male — Chow Chow — 4 yrs old — 42 lbs — $70

MOLLY — Female —  domestic short hair — 4 yrs old —  $35