Category Archives: Spay/Neuter

2026, County Animal Control, County animal laws, Spay/Neuter

A Win Win for Aiken County!

Posted on by Shana Ryberg
21
Jan

We were thrilled to read in the Aiken Standard the article written by County Council Chairman Gary Bunker sharing the 2026 goals for the Aiken County Council.

We thank the County Council for their great insight and initiative for including the project of the very much needed new Aiken County low cost spay/neuter clinic in the Sales Tax V Capital Projects with collections beginning in May. It is to begin being built later this year. We celebrate the Council’s goal that the personnel required for the planned clinic to be included in the 2027 budget.

We appreciate Aiken County Administrator Brian Sanders’ astute foresight and working with Council in recommending this long-term investment for Aiken County.

The building of the future low cost spay/neuter clinic is very much needed in Aiken County. Intake at the Aiken County Animal shelter is at a record high – last year the shelter’s animal intake was 5,925 dogs and cats which is 28% higher than the average intake of animals during the previous 8 years! This record high intake, with the shelter consistently being at overcapacity, puts the no-kill save rate for every adoptable animal in alarming jeopardy.

It will only get worse with the population explosion in the county resulting from so much growth and development. The intake numbers will continue to increase and the whole system will teeter on the brink of failure. After 8 years of no -kill save rates of every adoptable animal, euthanasia may once again become a necessary tool for animal control.

The best way, with proven success, to reduce the number of animals coming into the shelter is to provide low-cost spay/neutering services to the public. Sadly, there is a critical shortage of these low-cost clinic services in Aiken County.

The proof? On a per-capita basis, the Greenville County Animal Shelter’s high intake rate was identical to Aiken’s. In 2017 Greenville built their own County run low-cost spay/neuter clinic. After only six years, Greenville’s intake numbers decreased by 60% thanks to their spay/neuter clinic. Greenville County Shelter’s success story proves it is possible to reduce the Aiken County Shelter’s intake from a heart-stopping 5,925 animals per year to a manageable 2,370 animals per year.

Design plans for the future Aiken County low cost spay/neuter clinic are underway. When it is completed and running, this will be a win-win for Aiken County, its animal shelter and its unwanted homeless animal population. Their lives are in our hands.

By Jennifer Miller, FOTAS President

2025, animal care education, PUPPIES, Spay/Neuter

FOTAS: The tragedy of unwanted puppies

Posted on by Shana Ryberg

Puppies, puppies, puppies. Everyone loves puppies—their warm, soft, little bodies, their playful antics, their happy, goofy faces, and furiously wagging tails. Those little guys are entitled to a full happy life, but the future of puppies born from indiscriminate breeding is far from certain.

In Aiken County, those puppies are most likely abandoned on the road, in a dumpster or, dropped off at the Aiken County Animal Shelter in the middle of the night by owners who never bothered to spay mama dog and then wash their hands of the consequences. Sometimes they surrender them to the shelter in person, year after year, without a second thought and leave it to us solve their problem. A whole litter of little lives that didn’t ask to be born. They deserve better.

Puppies, puppies, puppies. Hundreds of them in all shapes and sizes. A busy public shelter is not the place for those adorable small fries to receive the proper time, attention, or love to become healthy, well-balanced adults. We work hard to find them a second chance, either locally or out of town, but it’s heartbreaking work. In the summer months, the shelter is woefully overcrowded with adult dogs, too, just waiting for that one person to walk by their kennel, look twice, and take them home to love.

This summer, the shelter’s been overwhelmed with incoming animals, adults and puppies. Transfers to our northern transfer partners are not guaranteed. Many, like the county shelter, have their own problems with limited spay/neuter serves and are overwhelmed as well. Some just don’t accept puppies. Since Covid, the safety nets for homeless and abandoned animals have frayed to the point of near collapse across the country.

We do all we can, but it’s not enough. It will never be enough unless we get serious about providing low-cost spay/neuter services to county residents.

In Aiken County and adjoining counties, public and private low-cost spay/neuter clinics and services are extremely limited. Add that to a nationwide shortage of veterinarians, many of whom don’t provide low cost spay/neuter services to the public, the population of homeless animals grows beyond our ability to care for them. Aiken County is no exception.

The only effective solution is to build a dedicated public spay/neuter clinic to service the citizens of Aiken County, and county council is stepping to the plate. The cost to build a dedicated spay/neuter clinic in the county was included as one of its one-penny tax projects in the current round of funding. We applaud County Council’s foresight and humanity.

This is not an experimental endeavor. Six years ago, Greenville County build a dedicated, state of the art, public low-cost spay/neuter clinic. In those six short years, Greenville saw a 60% reduction in intake. It worked. Apply that 60% reduction to Aiken County, and the county shelter intake reduces dramatically, year after year, to a manageable number. Every adoptable animal will continue to be saved.

Collectively, we need to come together as a community to improve the outcomes for Aiken County’s homeless animals. Together, with the help of a committed county council, we can reduce the suffering of unwanted animals and make our community shelter a resource—not a destination. Go to fotasaiken.org to see how you can help.

Their lives are in our hands.

By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice-President

2025, Spay/Neuter

The Mission Ahead

Posted on by Shana Ryberg
11
Jul

I remember March 2, 2014 as clearly as it was yesterday. On that sunny Spring day, Bobby Arthurs, the Manager of the Aiken County Animal Shelter, and a group of FOTAS volunteers walked every single dog from the dark, crowded old shelter to the newly constructed, large, airy shelter a block away. It was a miracle five years in the making—one made possible by FOTAS, a committed County Council, and the full-throated opinion of the Aiken community that the county’s 6000+ homeless animals must have a humane, clean shelter and a chance for a second life.

So many good things have happened in the eleven years since. The new shelter was the first step—the next step required the establishment of life-saving programs to take desperate, anxious, withdrawn, lonely animals and prepare them, mentally and physically, for a new life.

This was no easy task, but FOTAS got to work. An army of FOTAS volunteers descend on the shelter virtually every day to make certain those animals get out of their kennels, walked, and a little love. In 2018, FOTAS funded a medical isolation building. In 2023, FOTAS funded the PAWS building for training, education, and quiet meet-and-greet room for animals and prospective adopters.

The list of FOTAS life-saving programs is long: additional medical care when needed, medical equipment, heartworm treatments, assisting the county with its Trap/Neuter/Return program to reduce the population of community cats, a transfer program to supplement local adoptions, supplemental funding for the county’s spay/neuter vouchers, monthly pet food drives to help citizens in need, a Home-to-Home Program to help owners re-home rather than surrender their pets to the shelter, and training for staff and volunteers to run organized play groups to reduce canine anxiety.

None of this would be possible without FOTAS and its volunteers, County Council, the terrific shelter staff, and you, the Aiken community. Has it made a difference?

It has. Prior to that memorable moving day in March, the shelter took in 6000+ animals/year and euthanized 95% of them. Last year, every adoptable animal was saved. Shelter intake was 5022; 90% were SAVED.

But our work is not done. The high save rate is based on a fragile animal welfare system that depends on generous donations, available county funding, reliable transfer programs, and lots of unpaid volunteers. If a serious natural or financial disaster occurs that significantly affects any one of those things, the 90% save rate will be in jeopardy so long as the shelter’s intake numbers are so high.

What’s the best way to protect the system from future failure?

Reduce the number of animals coming into the shelter. Period. Full Stop.

How do we do that?

Build a dedicated spay/neuter clinic to serve Aiken County. That’s the only way.

Why? Because Aiken county—like everyplace else in the country—is experiencing a critical shortage of low cost spay/neuter is services.

Ambitious?

Yes—but forward-thinking Aiken County Council is meeting the challenge. Using the proceeds from the one-penny sales tax, the County intends to construct and operate its own clinic to make critically needed spay/neuter services easily accessible and affordable for all county residents.

Hallelujah! Stay tuned as the planning and development of the clinic evolves. We’ll keep you posted.

Their lives are in our hands.

Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Vice Chairman

2025, animal care education, Spay/Neuter

When it comes to pet care, our community could do better

Posted on by Shana Ryberg
Little pup Dawby was found limping on the side of the road.
14
Mar
This unwanted litter of puppies was abandoned.
This unwanted litter of puppies was abandoned.

The Aiken County Animal Shelter is feeling the frustration of staggering intake numbers. During the first two months of 2025, the shelter received 843 dogs and cats.

Of those animals, 173 were owner surrendered for many reasons – unwanted litters, moving, too many animals in the home, etc. Some were even court ordered neglect and cruelty cases. There are too many amazing pets currently at the shelter through no fault of their own, and we desperately need homes for them.

I know, I know…we are always asking, but we cannot continue to save lives without our community’s help.

If you have an unaltered pet, keep them home. We understand that many people lost fences during the hurricane and that there are dogs roaming loose, but it is the owner’s responsibility to contain their pets. More than 230 puppies have been received at the shelter this year, which is a scary number.

Loose pets are getting injured and maimed
We are taking in too many injured pets due to improper care and neglect. Barely three months old, Little Dawby was found injured by someone passing by on the road. He is now healing in foster care. 

Poor Fred came to us after being attacked by other dogs. Luckily, he wandered into the right yard where someone reached out to Animal Code Enforcement for help. Fred is now healed, healthy and available for adoption.

Percival was also picked up from a local mobile home park where there were many stray dogs roaming. Poor Percy was severely injured and in need of urgent care. This sweet, quiet, loving dog is now healing at the shelter.

Bling, Cruise, Latte and Kenzi are all puppies that were dumped together, clearly an unwanted litter that needed saving. They are truly sweet, loving, wonderful puppies that are now available for adoption.

Two-year-old Tunder was found tied to a power pole. I mean, really?!  He is the cutest little guy full of love and wiggles, yet someone just abandoned him!

All I am saying is that we can do better….

The Junior FOTAS Club from Tall Pines STEM Academy is learning about proper pet care.
The Junior FOTAS Club from Tall Pines STEM Academy is learning about proper pet care.

Teaching children to respect animals
We recently had our Junior FOTAS Club from Tall Pines STEM Academy come for a tour. They met many pets, and they were like sponges! They didn’t understand why we had such nice dogs and cats that were abandoned or part of neglect and cruelty cases.

By educating our young people, we hope to change our community’s way of thinking. Pets are not disposable. Pets are family. Care for your pets like family, provide their basic needs of food, clean water, shelter and LOVE.

Their lives are in our hands.
By Kathy Cagle, FOTAS Programs Coordinator

2024, kittens, PUPPIES, Spay/Neuter

When it rains, it pours

Posted on by Shana Ryberg
Due to nerve damage in her left front leg, Daisy had to have it amputated. But this gorgeous cat gets around like she’s been on three legs her whole life.

08
Aug

As the steady rain of Tropical Storm Debby threatened to cause flooding in the area this week, the Aiken County Animal Shelter was overflowing with homeless animals in need.

They just keep coming. Litters of puppies, sick kittens, lost dogs, injured cats, etc. Not because of Debby. Her rain had little impact on our intake of strays and surrendered pets. No, it is because people are not spaying/neutering their pets, not microchipping their pets, and not keeping their pets contained on their property with a fenced-in yard or by walking them on a leash.

When pets are not properly cared for and become strays, there is a good chance they will get sick or injured. Some aren’t so lucky and end up flattened by a vehicle or starving to death.

County Animal Shelter Veterinarian Nancy Rodriguez and her team of vet technicians do all they can to help the injured pets that come into our facility, and do an amazing job of caring for them. But to help them recover more quickly, we need fosters and adopters that can nurture these sweet animals and provide them with wonderful, loving homes.

Here are some of the current available pets at the County Shelter who need homes and extra TLC:

Chappy was so skinny when he got here, we weren’t sure if he would survive. But he is a tough guy and getting better. A brown, 2-year-old, 47-pound mixed breed, Chappy needs a home where he can get back to health and enjoy a happy future.

Tippy is a 7-month-old, tan and white, Terrier mix puppy who arrived with a broken pelvis.
Tippy is a 7-month-old, tan and white, Terrier mix puppy who arrived with a broken pelvis.

Tippy is a 7-month-old, 12-pound, tan and white, Terrier mix puppy who came to us with a broken pelvis. She is adoptable as special needs but needs crate rest, no rough play, and will be x-rayed in one month to see how she is healing. Tippy needs a soft, quiet place to recover.

Ermes is a 5-month-old, 31-pound, chocolate Retriever pup that came to us bald and in pain from neglect. He was suffering from demodectic mange that was treated immediately upon his arrival at the shelter. He is doing well now and needs a good home.

Boo Boo is here because his owner passed away. This 7-year-old, 76-pound, mixed breed isn’t in physical pain, but he is in mourning and needs to get away from the stress of the shelter. Boo Boo needs an adopter who will give him the love and care he deserves.

Daisy is a sweet, 4-month-old, 5-pound kitten who arrived at the shelter with nerve damage in her left front leg. The leg was causing her pain and couldn’t be saved. However, this stunning blue eyed, charming kitten gets around amazingly well with three legs.

Charlie has had a difficult past. Despite this, he has love for every person he meets.
Charlie has had a difficult past. Despite this, he has love for every person he meets.

Charlie always has a smile on his face, but his past indicates signs of abuse. This 2-year-old, 48-pound, white, mixed breed arrived as a stray with an ulcerated lesion on his back, most likely from being burned. He still loves everyone and is a superstar in playgroup.

To see all of the pets available for adoption at the County Shelter, please go to fotasaiken.org. If you are interested in volunteering, fostering or adopting, visit us at 333 Wire Road in Aiken, SC. You can also call the shelter, (803) 642-1357 or send an email to info@fotasaiken.org.

Their lives are in our hands.

By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director

By the numbers: In July, Aiken County Animal Shelter received 499 dogs and cats with 22 animals received every business day.
Volunteers, fosters and adopters are urgently needed!

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, animal care education, Spay/Neuter

FOTAS: Helping Aiken County pets get fixed

Posted on by Shana Ryberg
04
Nov

Since the onset of the pandemic, almost every industry has struggled to attract and keep qualified staff, and veterinarian clinics have been no exception. The result, among other things, has been a critical shortage of clinics in Aiken County that perform low cost spay/neuter surgeries.

Pawmetto Life Line is a top-notch vet clinic in Columbia that provides low cost spay/neuter surgeries to the public. In addition, we are pleased to announce that Pawmetto has agreed to partner with FOTAS and Aiken County to honor Aiken County vouchers for pay for spay/neuter surgeries for county residents who qualify for financial assistance.

All of this is great news, because fixing your pet is good them, for you, and for the community. Here’s why.

Your pet will live longer. Spayed and neutered animals have significantly less health problems than their unfixed counterparts. Pets do not get fat and lazy as a result of spaying and neutering—only a bad diet and lack of exercise will do that.

Spayed and neutered animals are less likely to roam away from home. That means they are less likely to catch diseases from other animals, get lost, fight with other dogs, or get hit by a car (85% of dogs hit by cars have not been fixed).

Spaying your female before she is 6 months old means you can avoid the messy, noisy heat cycles that typically occur twice a year. It also means you can avoid the messy, noisy, smelly crowd of male dogs or cats hanging out in your yard while your pet is in heat.

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

Your cat or dog will be a better pet and family member. Fixing your pet eliminates unpleasant spraying and marking in your yard, on your rug, on your furniture.

Fixing your dog will not make him less protective. Dogs are naturally protective by nature, particularly if you love and feed them.

Fixing your pet is cheaper for the community. Public shelters are funded by taxpayer dollars. If everyone fixes their pets, the number of homeless and abandoned animals at the shelter will be dramatically reduced, as will the amount of public funds needed to care for those animals.

Because Pawmetto provides low cost spay/neuter service, the cost to you has never been more affordable. To see if you qualify for financial assistance for the County spay/neuter voucher program, call the Code Enforcement Office (803-502-9000 ext 3357) . The vouchers are distributed at the Aiken County Government Center 1930 University Drive at the Code Enforcement office. In addition to the voucher, FOTAS and Aiken County will also pay for pain medications and rabies vaccinations for those citizens, if needed.

Call Pawmetto Life Line today at (803) 465-9100 to schedule your pet’s spay/neuter surgery. Convince your neighbors, friends, and family to spay and neuter their pets, too. There are so many loving, deserving animals in the Shelter who need a home – why bring more animals into a world where their safety and care is so uncertain?

Their lives are in our hands.

By Joanna D. Samson, Vice-President, FOTAS

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, 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

2020, Cats, Dogs, Foster, fostering, FOTAS, News, Spay/Neuter

County Shelter Emergency: Transfers Cancelled Due to COVID-19

Posted on by Bob Gordon
30
Mar

As the coronavirus spreads throughout the United States, the ways in which our daily lives are affected become more apparent with each passing day. Shortages in household goods, widespread closing of public places, self-quarantine, and social distancing are becoming the norm in a world stricken by the pandemic. Now is the time to focus on protecting the most vulnerable among us: the elderly, the immune-compromised, and, yes, homeless animals.

Now is the time to focus on protecting the most vulnerable among us: the elderly, the immune-compromised, and, yes, homeless animals.

Over the past two years, the Aiken County Animal Shelter was able to do something no one thought was possible: find a home for all adoptable animals and reserve euthanasia for only the fatally sick and the very dangerous. We were able to do that through innovative care and adoption programs as well as a robust transfer program.

Little Murphy goes home with foster Chenoa Shields during the COVID-19 crisis period.

The pandemic is seriously jeopardizing that success because our transfer partners are eliminating out-of-state transfers because of operational concerns, particularly staffing reductions caused by illness; the anticipation of greater intake caused by folks in the community unable to care for their animals; and even the possibility of shutting down public operations to reduce community spread. These are valid concerns and prudent actions for all shelters, including the county shelter, in light of this unprecedented emergency.

Without your help, the combination of these factors will spell “death sentence” to otherwise healthy animals as overcrowding at the shelter becomes unmanageable and unhealthy. That’s bad news at a time when bad news dominates our daily lives.

How can you help? There are several ways.

1. If you are able, please consider adopting another dog or cat. The shelter is waiving adoption fees until further notice.

2. If you can’t adopt permanently, but you have an empty stall, a fenced in yard, a suitable shelter, please consider fostering animals for some period of time. As always, FOTAS can help you with supplies, if necessary, as long as our supplies last.

3. Do you know someone who is ill and has a pet? Perhaps you can help them care for, feed, or walk their pet. Your assistance could mean the difference between a beloved pet staying home while their owner recovers or being surrendered to the shelter.

Archer needs a home where he can finally feel loved and be your one and only pet.

4. Please, please become an outspoken advocate for spay/neuter, particularly now in this crisis right in the middle of the breeding season. No one should be bringing more puppies and kittens into the world when so many homeless animals need homes.

The Center for Disease Control and the World Organization for Animal Health have issued advisories saying there is no evidence companion animals can spread the virus and “there is no justification for taking measures against companion animals which may compromise their welfare.”

Given the common-sense requirement for social distancing and self-quarantine, our pets may be our only protection against the devastating effects of social isolation. We will need our pets as much as they need us in the trying times to come.

Although the county has closed the shelter to regular public traffic for the safety of the community and shelter personnel, it will be open for adoptions/fosters by appointment, which will take place outside. Call the shelter (803-642-1537) between 9:00-4:30 (Mon.-Fri.) for adoption/foster appointments or email info@fotasaiken.org for more information.

Thank you and God bless.

Their lives are in our hands.

— By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice President