Category Archives: donations

2023, Donate, donations, Where your donations go

Giving Tuesday: making a difference for the County’s homeless animals

Posted on by Shana Ryberg
Jen with Gertrude at adoption station.
25
Nov

This Tuesday, November 28th, is Giving Tuesday, which kicks off the annual Christmas-giving season with a world-wide celebration of selfless generosity. If you are charitably inclined, how do you decide which of the many worthy local charities are worthy of your generosity?

If you’re an animal lover (and I know you are) and you want your hard-earned dollars to make a difference, then FOTAS, the private partner of the Aiken County Animal Shelter, is an excellent choice for your charitable urges. Here’s why.

  • FOTAS, working with the county shelter, saves more animals than any other 501(c)(3) organization in the CSRA. Period. Full stop. For the past FIVE years, every adoptable animal at the shelter was saved, and FOTAS has kicked into overdrive to do the same this year.
  • FOTAS AND AIKEN COUNTY fund more spay/neuter pet surgeries for folks in financial need than any other charitable organization in the CSRA.
  • FOTAS AND AIKEN COUNTY fund more TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) surgeries for community cats than any other charitable organization in the CSRA.

     

  • FOTAS saves more heartworm positive (HWP) dogs than any other charitable organization in the CSRA.

     

  • FOTAS supplements adoption fees for active military personnel and veterans.

     

  • FOTAS helps county animal control take dogs off the chain by funding humane runners for distribution to county residents.

     

  • FOTAS GIVES OUT MORE PET FOOD TO AIKEN COUNTY PET OWNERS IN NEED THAN ANY OTHER CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION IN THE CSRA. This critical assistance makes it possible for folks to feed (and, thus, keep) their animals in hard times.

     

  • FOTAS also funds the costs of flea medication, toys, leashes, and pet food supplements, as well as subsidizing equipment and extraordinary medical needs at the shelter.

FOTAS is 100% supported by private donations, and we need your help now more than ever. The shelter, like all public shelters post-Covid, is overwhelmed with shockingly high intake. More people are abandoning their animals than adopting new ones. Here in Aiken County, the problem is compounded by an explosion in population growth (I’m sure you’ve seen all those housing developments springing up all over the county!), and a severe shortage of veterinarians and low-cost spay/neuter services. This means more and more animals are joining the ranks of the unwanted and the homeless—a heartbreaking tragedy after so many years of progress.

But, you ask, have all those private donations to FOTAS really made a difference

Absolutely! An incredible difference! In 2009 (the year that FOTAS was created) 95% of the animals consigned to the shelter were euthanized. Today that number has been turned on its head. From 2018 through this year, 2023, every adoptable animal at the shelter was (and will be) saved. That’s over a 90% save rate. 

Our success is your success: FOTAS’ ability to save so those thousands and thousands of shelter animals is the direct result of your generosity. From our hearts to yours, thank you and God bless.

Please send your much-appreciated donations to FOTAS, PO Box 2207, Aiken SC 29802, or go to fotasaiken.org to make your donation online. By the way, when you donate to FOTAS, you can be certain that 90% or more of every dollar of your donation will go to our life-saving programs. 

Their lives are in our hands.
By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice-President

 

Home-to-Home adoption program, Spay/Neuter, TNR Program, Volunteer, Volunteers, Where your donations go

Christmas Gratitude

Posted on by Shana Ryberg
31
Dec

The last week of the year is a time of reflection for FOTAS—a time to take stock of our blessings; to consider the remarkable progress we and the Aiken County Animal Shelter have made in making the world a better place for the County’s homeless, abandoned, and abused animals.

Since 2009, our life-saving programs have expanded to include not only helping with the care and re-homing of every adoptable shelter animal, but to initiatives to help folks keep their animals at home (like augmenting the County’s Spay/Neuter financial assistance for citizens-in-need, sponsoring pet food drive up’s and pet food donations to community food banks, including our partnership with ACTS and Senior Service-Meals on Wheels, sponsoring free pet microchip events, and providing humane runners for dogs who have been tied to a chain all their lives). In addition, we also have implemented programs to help folks avoid surrendering animals to the shelter in the first place, like our successful online Home-to-Home initiative and the TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) for community cats.

This time of year is also a time for FOTAS to celebrate those who have contributed to our successes.

Thanks to Aiken County for making it possible to save the lives of thousands of homeless animals in the County. The strength of its commitment is evidenced by the thoughtful care and maintenance of the public animal shelter on Wire Road that opened in 2014. Our partnership grows stronger with each passing year.

Thanks to Paige Bayne, the County’s Enforcement and Animal Services Director; Bobby Arthurs, the Shelter Manager; Dr. Nancy Rodriquez, the Shelter’s veterinarian; and all the Shelter staff for their commitment to increase the opportunities for each adoptable animal to find a forever home.

Thanks to the army of volunteers who make the work of FOTAS possible – everything from manning the front desk; walking and socializing dogs; managing canine play groups; working special events and fundraisers; fostering dogs; organizing transfers; manning off-site adoption events; working on publicity, social media, and financial record and bookkeeping responsibilities; and coordinating FOTAS-Fix-a-Pet activities.

And finally, thanks to you, the Aiken Community, for your extraordinary generosity and support. You have made it possible for FOTAS to help the County provide the best possible care and outcome for its shelter animals.

All that effort has paid off: for the past four years, the shelter has been able to save every adoptable animal. That’s a big deal.

But right now, the shelter is in crisis. Intake numbers have exploded nationally, and the County Shelter is no exception. Blame fast-paced population growth in the county; inflation; COVID, FLU, RVS outbreaks; chronic shortages in spay/neuter services—you name it—but overcrowding is a serious problem. At a time when we should be celebrating the season, the shelter is shockingly full for this time of year. Animals are doubled up in the kennels, the temperatures are bitterly cold, and staff and volunteer resources are stretched to the max. At this rate, the shelter’s ability to save every adoptable animal in 2023 is in jeopardy.

God bless you and your family during this holiday season, and may God bestow his blessings on the county’s homeless animals during this difficult time.

Their lives are in our hands.

By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice President

2022, Adoption, Children, Donate, donations

FOTAS inspired by students’ enthusiasm to help homeless pets

Posted on by Bob Gordon
Adoptable dog Sophia enjoys a warm welcome from students at Gloverville Elementary School.
30
Mar

Our education programs are back! We are visiting schools, meeting students, parents and teachers. This is so important when you see the numbers of homeless pets that come to the Aiken County Animal Shelter each day. We need to educate more young people in our community about responsible pet ownership. They are our future leaders and animal advocates.

Starting with the youngest, we’ve been lucky enough to be included in programs at local preschools.

Aiken’s First Baptist Preschool invited us to meet with their students and bring an adoptable dog with us. The children loved having the furry visitor and held a month-long donation collection for the shelter pets. Their kindergarteners delivered the items to the shelter at the end of the month and brought along their reading books, too! They spent time reading to the shelter dogs and making it such a joyful day!

We also visited Trinity United Methodist Preschool with a shelter dog for Pet Week. Their sweet students gave us pet food donations and made a lovely picture for the shelter.

Our most recent school visits occurred on the same day and let me tell you, it was a memorable one.

Each year, the Gloverville Elementary School Beta Club holds a collection for items from our shelter’s Wish List. I was invited to bring a dog and meet with these students. The students had great questions and were all super respectful young people. The students will be coming to the shelter in May to read to the dogs. Such a treat for our homeless pets!

Byrd Elementary, which has always shown its support to the shelter, has been going through a difficult time. One of their beloved teachers, Dana Foster, was murdered on Feb. 16. The entire school felt an incredible loss. What did they do to honor her? They collected items to help shelter pets because their teacher and friend was a big supporter and loved four-legged friends. Shelter Manager Bobby Arthurs and I were invited to pick up the items and we were overcome by their generosity. We brought along adoptable Sophia who gave hugs to some of the students who just couldn’t hold back their tears that day.

Our older students have also been pretty amazing!

Tall Pines Stem Academy has sent many students over to read to dogs as well as take part in our Doggy Day Out program. Students and their families have been taking shelter dogs to the park, for car rides and visits to Starbucks.

Mead Hall students from their Interact Club invited me to come and speak with their group. They were such amazing young people who wanted to help! Some group members came and helped us with our Community Pet Food Drive-Thru just a couple of weeks ago.

We also have been lucky enough to be part of a program at the Aiken Scholars Academy on the last Friday of each month, Furry Friends Friday. Volunteers bring adoptable dogs to meet the students and they are welcomed with such love!

Hound mix Scooter (who’s since been adopted) visits Aiken Scholars Academy.
Hound mix Scooter (who’s since been adopted) visits Aiken Scholars Academy.

Sometimes we forget how powerful children are and how much they can change the world. Over the past few months. I have had the privilege of meeting incredible young people. Some have brought their families to the shelter to adopt dogs they have met at school; some ask how they can help; and others are just eager and ready to support us.

I am truly inspired by the students I have met and cannot wait until more schools allow us to visit and talk to their students about FOTAS and what they can do to help the shelter’s homeless pets.

Their lives are in our hands.

— By Kathy Jacobs, FOTAS Programs Coordinator

2021, FOTAS, News, shelter construction, Where your donations go, Where your donations go

County Shelter P.A.W.S. Center Is About to Become a Reality

Posted on by Bob Gordon
16
Jun

You have been looking for the perfect canine friend, and you think you finally found her on the FOTAS website—a lovely, white Pibble with a brown patch on her eye named Jewel. You saw her picture and thought, “Yes! She’s the one!” You call the Aiken County Animal Shelter and make an appointment. As you drive your car towards your dog destiny, you imagine all the things you and Jewel are going to do together when she comes home with you.

The new building will be next to the shelter’s feline facility.

When you arrive at the shelter, the adoption staff brings Jewel outside to meet you in the play yard. She’s excited to be out of the kennel. She races around the yard, sniffs the fence posts, barks at the other dogs, shows a keen interest in the cars in the parking lot. In fact, Jewel shows a keen interest in just about everything and everybody but you. Although you know in your head why she’s distracted—it’s a busy county shelter with lots of noise and people—your heart is broken. You leave the shelter disappointed and without Jewel.

But what if there had been a quiet place indoors, away from distractions, where you could meet Jewel—just you and her, maybe one of the adoption staff to oversee the introduction? Odds are, based on our experience, Jewel would have crawled into your lap and given you one of those big, goofy Pibble smiles. In that case, you would have left the shelter with a full heart and Jewel in the back seat.

The addition of meet and greet rooms where potential adopters can get to know a new dog, away from the frenzied environment of the kennels and the distractions of the outside play yards, is on top of the Shelter’s wish list. In addition, the Shelter also needs an indoor room with no distractions for training and socialization of shelter residents. Most shelter dogs have never been taught basic obedience skills, which are important for a new dog to become a good family member. An indoor training room could also provide a space for indoor dog play groups, for introducing the new dog with a potential adopter’s existing dog, as well as for holding educational events for children, Junior FOTAS after school clubs and camps, community organizations, as well as training for staff and volunteers.

Although the original plans for the shelter included meet and greet, adoption, and training rooms, there simply wasn’t enough funding at the time. Finally, thanks to the generosity of the Aiken community, FOTAS fundraisers, and two recent, substantial legacy estate donations, we are pleased to announce that FOTAS and the Shelter are developing plans for the P.A.W.S. Center (Primary Learning, Adoption, Wellness, Socialization). The addition would also include a new, stress-free cat room and patio for our feline residents.

The P.A.W.S. Center will be a wonderful addition to the county shelter.

In short, the P.A.W.S. Center will help us make our animals more adoptable and reduce their length of stay. That’s a win-win for everyone.

Thank you for your support and for making us part of your estate plans. Your generosity makes it possible for the Shelter to take the Center off its wish list and make it a reality. We’ll keep you posted as the plans unfold.

Their lives are in our hands.

— By Jennifer Miller & Joanna Samson, FOTAS

2021, donations, FOTAS, News, Where your donations go

The Real Story Behind the Numbers

Posted on by Bob Gordon
22
Feb

“Figures don’t lie, and liars don’t figure.”

Little Ricky gets adopted from the ACAS.

That old expression is important when we quantify the accomplishments over the years at the Aiken County Animal Shelter. This success story is a result of the continuous dedication of the shelter staff, FOTAS cherished volunteers, our county government, and a change in attitude throughout Aiken County.

FOTAS was formed in 2009 when the intake and euthanasia rates at the shelter were, putting it mildly, horrible. In 2014, because of the tremendous private/public relationship in the county, the much-needed new shelter was built.

Let’s take a look at some comparisons between 2013 (the year before the new shelter) and 2020:



As you can see, too many animals still end up at the shelter as strays or surrenders, but the trend is (finally!) downward. Three specific reasons account for this downward trend.

1. TNR/RTF (Trap, Neuter, Return/Return-To-Field). Homeless, outdoor, community cats are trapped and brought to the shelter by a citizen. The cats are fixed at the shelter through the sponsorship of FOTAS and the County, and then returned to their natural habitat. Spaying or neutering just one male and one female cat can prevent more than 2,000 unwanted births in just four years. The County began its TNR/RTF program in 2016. In 2020, 1,410 cats participated in this program.

A County Vet Tech prepares a TNR cat for surgery


2. Home-To-Home. FOTAS began its Home-to-Home program in 2019, where animal owners who can no longer keep their pet can go to the FOTAS website and promote their pet for re-homing free of charge. This program allows the pet to be adopted directly from the original owner to the new one, eliminating the trauma and stress (both owner and pet) of having to surrender a beloved friend to a public shelter.

3. Spay/Neuter. More pet owners are fixing their pets. The County and FOTAS make it easier for citizens with financial need to fix their pets through their spay/neuter voucher and Fido-Fix-A-Pet programs.

While the number of animals adopted, transferred to no-kill partner shelters, and returned to their owners have steadily increased, the changes in the number of animals saved or euthanized tells the most important story:

• In 2020, the number of animals saved increased by 2,481, an increase of 149%.
• In 2020, the number of animals euthanized decreased by 3,483, a decrease of 96%. Only 144 animals were euthanized in 2020 because they were too sick to treat or too dangerous/aggressive.

Berrie and her adopter, Katelyn Logan.

These two statistics speak for volumes about the dedicated support of the volunteers, fosters, donors, adopters, and shelter staff, as well County Council’s commitment to the betterment of the County Shelter and the animals in need in our community. All the lifesaving programs, all the cooperation, and all the love is working. On behalf of the homeless animals of Aiken County, THANK YOU!

Their lives are in our hands.

— By Jennifer Miller, FOTAS President

2020, Donate, donations, FOTAS, GivingTuesday, News, Where your donations go, Where your donations go

GivingTuesday: Please Consider Contributing to FOTAS on Dec. 1

Posted on by Bob Gordon
01
Dec

This Tuesday, Dec. 1, is a global day of giving – an opportunity for people to contribute to the greater good in support of charities that are important to them. GivingTuesday was started in 2012 and always takes place on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. FOTAS is participating in this wonderful event and has a generous donor who will match donations up to $7,500.

Like most organizations, FOTAS and the Aiken County Animal Shelter (ACAS) have felt the negative impact of the 2020 pandemic. We had to suspend our big fundraising events this year due to the COVID-19 crisis. The annual FOTAS Playing Fore the Pets golf outing and Woofstock Doggie Derby Day are scheduled to carry on in 2021, but it hurt having to cancel them in 2020. With the pandemic causing such chaos, every dollar you donate is more important than ever and greatly appreciated.

FOTAS Programs Coordinator Kathy Jacobs comforts Roger, a scared Retriever mix , at the Aiken County Animal Shelter.

Where your donations go
All FOTAS donations go directly to programs that help save the homeless pets at the ACAS.
Your donations pay for:
• Specialized surgery and physical rehab for adoptable dogs and cats who arrive abused, injured or sick

• Medical treatments such as those for heartworm positive dogs

• Medical equipment and facility improvements at the shelter

• Transports of shelter pets who are not locally adopted. to rescues in the northeast Without these transports, our shelter would be overcrowded and at risk of having to euthanize adoptable pets.

• Fenced-in play yards for incoming dogs

• Flea and tick treatment, leashes, toys collars, beds for the shelter animals

• Spay/neuter for community cats and pets whose owners need financial assistance

• Humane runners to get pet dogs of chains

• Food for community pets in need

• Adoption fees for active military and veterans


We are thankful to the Aiken community
The shelter took in more than 4,000 abandoned, neglected and abused animals last year and continues to receive high numbers of homeless pets in 2020.

KAI, a Siamese kitten, gets used to his cast after an operation that saved his leg. He is now being fostered by a FOTAS volunteer.

But thanks to your donations, the euthanasia rate at the ACA has dropped from 71% in 2013 to less than 5% in 2019. To put it another way, the save rate at the shelter is 95%, a complete turnaround from where we were when we started out 10 years ago. In fact, every adoptable animal has been saved over the last three years.

How to donate to the homeless pets at the county shelter
To donate to FOTAS, please go to our website, FOTASAiken.org. We are a volunteer-based organization and a registered 501c3 public charity and all donations are tax deductible. FOTAS is a recipient of the Secretary of State of South Carolina Angel Award – one of ten, out of 14,000 organizations, recognized as representing the most efficient and effective charities in SC.

Thanksgiving is a time to reach out. We give thanks to our community – volunteers, donors, adopters, the county council, and county staff – as we head into GivingTuesday to continue our life-saving programs.

Their lives are in our hands.

— By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director

2020, Cats, Dogs, FOTAS, FOTAS Fido Fixers, News, Spay/Neuter, Where your donations go

FOTAS Fido Fixers Program: Combatting Overpopulation of Unwanted Animals

Posted on by Bob Gordon
01
Dec

FOTAS is all about improving the quality of life for the animals in the Aiken County Animal Shelter, increasing the adoptability of the shelter residents and of going the extra mile to find every adoptable animal a home—and it’s worked.

In only eleven short years, the FOTAS/County public/private partnership, coupled with the commitment of you, the Aiken community, has achieved our highest goal: for the past two years, every adoptable animal has been adopted into responsible, loving homes.

That’s right: every adoptable animal. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thank you for helping us make that happen.

But we do more than work on the demand side of the equation—we also work on the supply side to reduce the overpopulation of unwanted pets (and thus the number of animals consigned to the shelter). FOTAS supplements the County’s spay/neuter voucher program, which provides vouchers for citizens who need financial assistance to fix their pets. That program has been so successful that spay/neuter surgeries are sometimes booked two months out, making it hard to get an appointment.

Chestnut, like all of the ACAS’s adoptable pets, is already fixed to reduce overpopulation of stray pets in Aiken County.

Now we’ve added another weapon in our arsenal to combat animal overpopulation. Last year, FOTAS teamed up with Fido Fixers, a group from the Columbia Humane Society that travels all over the state in a mobile clinic offering low-cost spay/neuter surgeries. Colleen Timmerman, one of our board members and long-term FOTAS volunteer, organizes and schedules Fido Fixer events to provide affordable and convenient spay/neuter service in the Graniteville, Langley, Bath, and Clearwater areas.

Generally, FOTAS schedules 20-25 surgeries per month; if someone calls and the schedule is full for that month, they get moved to the next month’s schedule. And here’s the best part: FOTAS pays the full cost for those surgeries.

Our success in reducing overpopulation has been slow but steady over the past decade. Prior to 2009, the old shelter took in over 6000 animals per year. Last year the number was slightly north of 4000/year, which is still way too many.

There is only way to reduce the number of homeless animals, and that is: every single pet owner must spay or neuter their pets. No exceptions. Why would anyone add more unwanted puppies to the thousands of unwanted, homeless, abused, and neglected animals in the county? When there are so many healthy, wonderful animals in the shelter system just waiting to be loved?

Fido Fixers helps folks who need financial and other assistance to spay/neuter their pets. FOTAS pays for all of the surgeries done for County citizens at these monthly events.

Beats me. It makes no sense, particularly when FOTAS and the County have ways to help folks with the spay/neuter voucher and the Fido Fixer program.

So, please, fix your pets! Urge your family, friends, and neighbors to fix their pets, too. Think of all the misery that can be prevented. Think of all the taxpayer dollars used to care for those homeless animals that can be used for other purposes, like, say, public parks, better roads, play yards for schools—you name it.

For more information about the County’s spay/neuter voucher program or Fido Fixer, please call the County Shelter at (803) 642-1537 or the FOTAS Hotline at (803) 514-4313. Alternatively, you can email us at info@fotasaiken.com.

Their lives are in our hands.

— By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice President

2020, Cats, Donate, donations, FOTAS, Fundraisers, News, shelter construction, Volunteer

Ernie Wolf: FOTAS Volunteer Makes Houses for a Good Cause

Posted on by Bob Gordon
06
Aug

It has been my honor to be one of the founders and President of FOTAS since 2009. Before FOTAS was founded, I saw a stray animal problem in Aiken County and didn’t know what to do about it. I began to advocate for the homeless animals in the county and was joined by an unexpected and wonderful cohort who also cared deeply about the fate of those animals: Ernie Wolf.

I met Ernie, a retired mechanical engineer, in the early days. Ernie and I didn’t understand the magnitude of our undertaking when we began a campaign to help the animals. FOTAS was formed in 2009, and Ernie was one if its original volunteers. Ernie loves cats. His former cat, Murphey Brown, and his current cat, Murphy Wolf (adopted from Aiken County Animal Shelter), were and are his best friends and the apples of his eye. Ernie swears each cat is (and was) the most intelligent cat he’s ever met and could outsmart any dog.

Ernie Wolf, one of the pioneers of FOTAS, designed the Aiken County Animal Shelter’s cat facility

Ernie was instrumental in the construction of the first FOTAS project at the Aiken County Animal Shelter—a place to house adoptable cats. He designed, organized and lead the efforts to build the much-needed Cat House. (By the way, Ernie hated it when we referred to the facility as the Cat House because it is a euphemism for a brothel. That gave everyone, including the cats, a big laugh).

The unique design of the Cat House provides for both indoor and outdoor space for the cats, which allows them to move about freely among multiple play and perch areas. Volunteers and prospective adopters have a place to visit and sit with the cats in a more natural environment, which is a win/win for everyone.

When the shelter moved to the new facility in 2014, the Cat House was moved as well. Last year FOTAS refurbished and updated the Cat House, and today it is still a wonderful, unique, and successful adoption facility for the cats.

Ernie Wolf is selling his latest creation, a decorative birdhouse, and donating the proceeds to FOTAS.

Fifteen years ago, Ernie met Linda Soyars when she was walking her dog outside his home. They became intimate friends and enjoyed a loving relationship until she recently passed away. Linda shared Ernie’s passion for animals and became a cherished FOTAS volunteer herself. She was a special, kind person who will be missed by all of us.

In memory of Linda, Ernie has built another house in her honor, this time an exquisite, handmade bird house to be displayed as an indoor decorative piece. Ernie wants to sell this extraordinary, beautifully crafted Birdhouse and donate the proceeds of the sale to FOTAS. (Please call the FOTAS Hotline, (803) 514-4313, if interested.)

Ernie is not done developing building plans for FOTAS. Just shy of his 92nd birthday, he is assisting FOTAS with the conceptual drawings for two much-needed meet and greet adoption rooms and an indoor training area at the shelter. Stay posted for coming updates!

Behind the scenes Ernie has dedicated countless volunteer hours to FOTAS. Thank you, Ernie. We also remember Linda and her devotion to shelter animals. Volunteers are the lifeline of FOTAS. They make it possible to help so many animals in need at the shelter, and we are deeply grateful to them all.

Their lives are in our hands.

— By Jennifer Miller, FOTAS President

2020, Adoption, donations, FOTAS, Have a Heart, Save a Heart, Home-to-Home adoption program, News, Spay/Neuter, TNR Program, Transfer, Volunteers, Where your donations go, Where your donations go

FOTAS and 11 Years of Progress at the Aiken County Animal Shelter

Posted on by Bob Gordon
30
Jul

On July 29, 2009, the South Carolina Secretary of State officially approved FOTAS as a charitable nonprofit organization dedicated to the care of the homeless, abandoned, and abused animals consigned to the County Shelter, kicking off the beginning of an extraordinary public/private partnership with the county and a new, comprehensive approach to caring for homeless animals. It was a massive undertaking. At the time, more than 6,000 animals a year passed through the doors of the county’s tiny, antiquated shelter. Only 5% made it out alive.

FOTAS helps fund the TNR program, which has been so effective in curbing community cat overpopulation in the Aiken County

All of that has changed in the past 11 years. With the opening of the new shelter in 2014, the FOTAS/county partnership solidified and blossomed. FOTAS volunteers are an integral part of the shelter’s operations (it is estimated that FOTAS volunteers provide the equivalent of ten full-time positions). FOTAS donations supplement the shelter’s budget and programs and provide supplies such as leashes, toys, flea and tick prevention, and medicine for heartworm positive dogs. FOTAS has created a network of transfer partners in other parts of the country (where kennels are empty because everyone fixes their pets) where we send dogs (and pay the incurred transport costs) who could not find homes locally. The transfer program saves thousands of animals every year.

We also attack the problem of overpopulation of homeless pets. FOTAS supplements the county’s spay/neuter financial assistance program for county residents who need it, as well as funds to support the TNR (Trap Neuter Return) program to address the problems of community cats. We hire a mobile spay/neuter van to go to hot-spot areas around the county (the FIDO Fix-a-Pet program) to provide free spay/neuter surgeries for citizens who need financial assistance.

Tiffy is adopted following mouth surgery. This poor kitten was rescued after being thrown from a moving car.

Our Home-to-Home program allows folks who can no longer care for their pets to use the power of our social media to find loving homes without subjecting their beloved pets to the trauma of surrender to the shelter (it’s been a huge success during the COVID crisis!) FOTAS works with Animal Control to provide dog houses and humane runners for dogs who are tethered to chains, as well as dog food and other supplies to help folks in a bind.

Biz and Eddie Mann adopted Snowflake (now named Keaton) from the ACAS in July.

FOTAS also helps with the improvement of the physical facilities at the shelter. In addition to funding the medical wellness and isolation pod for animals with curable infectious ailments, plans are currently underway for a building that will house two, much needed adoption rooms and a training area.

In 2017, FOTAS was one of ten (out of 14,000) charitable organizations to be awarded the Angel Award by the Secretary of State, which recognizes the most efficient and effective nonprofits in the state. Plus, for the second year in a row, FOTAS and our signature event, Woofstock, received the Aiken Standard Choice Best of Aiken Award.

We have managed to do all of this with only one paid staff member and an army of volunteers. Has it worked? You bet it has. For the past two years, FOTAS and the county achieved their goal of not having to euthanize any adoptable pet.

None of this would have been possible without you, the generous Aiken community, who have donated your time and money and welcomed shelter animals into your hearts and homes.

Thank you and God Bless. Stay safe.


–By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice President

2019, Dogs, donations, Events, FOTAS, Fundraisers, Junior FOTAS, News, Volunteers

Educating Local Students Is Key to Helping Homeless Pets

Posted on by Bob Gordon
13
Jan

I am constantly blown away by the kindness of young people in our community, especially during the holiday season. Local students care deeply about the homeless animals at the Aiken County Animal Shelter (ACAS) and are eager to learn all they can to help them.

Matthew and Joy David visited the shelter with toy donations. They enjoyed their tour of the facility and met the homeless pets — and Santa Claus!

South Aiken Baptist students bring toys at Christmas
South Aiken Baptist Christian invited Shelter Manager Bobby Arthurs and I to bring dogs to their school in early December and speak to students about pet responsibility. We were later surprised by one of their teachers and her grandchildren who visited our shelter with many items to donate.

Aiken Elementary makes cat toys and organizes donation drive
Paula Simmons is a fabulous volunteer at the shelter. A retired teacher from Aiken County Public Schools, she has been instrumental in helping form a Junior FOTAS Club at the school. In December, Paula and I took adoptable hound mix JD to visit the students and they made toys for the shelter felines and organized a holiday donation drive for FOTAS.

Horse Creek Academy collect goodies for homeless pets
Horse Creek Academy Kindergarten teacher Jennifer Kelley adopted a dog, Cooper, from the ACAS three years ago. Since then, she has organized a kindergarten supply drive for FOTAS. All the kindergarten teachers allow me to come into their classrooms, meet their students and talk to them about the shelter. The children spend time with one of our shelter dogs before forming a line and walking the supplies out to the FOTAS van.

Junior FOTAS members from Tall Pines STEM Academy read to the adoptable dogs.

North Augusta High School delivers astounding amount of donations Students at North Augusta High School also collected items for shelter pets during this holiday season. We were overwhelmed by the amount of donations we received! Thank you to Amanda Jones and her amazing students for all their support!

Tall Pines Junior FOTAS team reads to ACAS dogs
Our Tall Pines Junior FOTAS Club is always busy collecting donations, helping with events and educating our community about spay/neuter, heartworm prevention and pet responsibility. Last month, the students read to shelter dogs. The dogs, stressed in their kennels, relaxed at the sound of the students’ voices. In January, these same kids are helping us make videos and public service announcements about our programs.

Kennedy Middle School adds FOTAS to mini course schedule
We are looking forward to our third year of being a part of the mini courses at Kennedy Middle School. In March, we meet once a week with students, discussing key animal advocacy topics. Vet techs, animal control officers and adoption staff will speak to students about working with homeless animals in our community.

Kindergartners from Horse Creek Academy greet the FOTAS van with donations.

We are grateful for the schools and educators who support the shelter and allow us to speak to their students about our programs. If you are involved with a school in Aiken County and would like us to come and speak to students about pet responsibility, please call us at (803) 514-4313 or send an email to info@fotasaiken.org.

Educating our young people is the only way we will ever solve our pet overpopulation problem and reduce animal neglect. Their voices are powerful and can influence so many!

— By Kathy Jacobs, FOTAS Programs Coordinator