Benny arrived at the Aiken Count Animal Shelter in poor shape. He was picked up as a stray and had all sorts of strikes against him. The small Beagle was over 10 years old, had a heart murmur, walked with a slight wobble, couldn’t hear very well and tested positive for heartworms. Not exactly a dog you expect to fly off the adoption floor.

 

But Benny had one thing going for him: Nancy Wagner. As soon as the Aiken resident and FOTAS volunteer read Benny’s story and saw his photo on Facebook, she drove to the shelter to adopt him.

“Benny’s so stinking cute, it should be illegal,” Nancy said. “When I saw and met him at the shelter, I knew he was the right dog for me.” Nancy and little Benny became instant companions and even her 14-year-old cat, Leo, took a shine to the happy Beagle.

Before adopting Benny, Nancy was struggling with the decision to get a dog. Lily, her 14-year-old white English Setter, died suddenly in October of last year. She’d had Lily since rescuing her from a Pennsylvania shelter in 2006, so the loss was difficult for her to accept.  But she said she got tired of being depressed about Lily’s death and when she made a connection with Benny, it felt like the right time to have a dog in her home again.

“I decided to give Benny the best retirement ever,” she said. “That’s my goal. Whether he’s here on this earth for two weeks or for many more years, I’m going to do all I can to make him happy and feel safe. We are just enjoying living in the now and having fun together.”

Benny takes long walks two or three times a day and he’s already become a pretty big deal in the neighborhood. People enjoy greeting him when he’s outside and the neighbors wave to him when he’s sitting at his favorite spot in the house, watching squirrels through the front window.

“His needs are few and far between,” Nancy said. “He just wants to love and be loved. And being an older dog, he doesn’t need any training, doesn’t require a great deal of exercise and doesn’t get into trouble.  He’s easy. That’s the thing about older dogs…they’ve been around the block a few times, and they fit in at your home almost immediately.”

Once Benny is more settled into his new home, Nancy is hoping to take him to work with her at Aiken’s First Baptist Church, where she serves as financial secretary. Meanwhile, the 17-pound Beagle is receiving treatment to eliminate the heartworms, compliments of FOTAS.

“I love Benny and I think from now on, I’m going to adopt older dogs,” Nancy said. “A senior dog is as good as any younger dog but they’re quieter, calmer and much less work. They also are sweet and deserve all we can do for them. Because that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?

Their lives are in our hands.

— by Bob Gordon, FOTAS Director of Communications

By the Numbers

February adoption special: Dogs & puppies $35, cats & kittens $10

 

Pets of the Week

LIZA
Retriever mix, female, 4 months old, black, 19.5 pounds – $35

 

APRIL
Domestic Shorthair, female, 1 year old, gray and black Tabby, 5.2 pounds – $10

 

Local writer Marti Healy wrote a column for the Aiken Standard that discussed her adoption of Dasher, an 8-year-old Shepherd mix desperate for a forever home. Ms. Healy renamed him “Quincy” and he quickly won her heart. From her column: ““As I write this, Quincy has now snuggled and hugged me into the far corner of the couch. Tuppence the cat has stretched herself out across the top of us both. Our three hearts seem to be in sync. Together in mutual appreciation. Together, in tempo, in tune.” Read the full column here. It’s well worth your time.

by Bob Gordon, FOTAS Director of Communications

They are a cute but motley crew of dogs. Durango is a handsome Retriever mix with a missing leg; Tater Tot is a Pit Bull dwarf with a heart murmur; and Tiny is a toothless, 2-pound, teacup Chihuahua with virtually no lower jaw.
All three were homeless and, due to their special needs, difficult to adopt out. But for Judith Gulden-Schmitt, a veterinarian technician at the Aiken County Animal Shelter (ACAS), the challenges each of these canines faced just made them more special.
“If I could, I’d adopt every special needs animal that comes in here, but of course that’s not possible,” Judith said. “But the one’s I do adopt, I give them the best home and care I can possibly provide.”
Judith, who celebrates her third year as an ACAS employee in October, appreciates the struggles of the stray animals that are brought to the shelter every day, and has an intimate understanding of the value of a stable home. She knows it only too well because for about two years, she and her daughter, Emily, were homeless themselves.
Judith came to South Carolina from Trier, Germany in 2008 and was a stay-at-home mother while her husband worked. But when the marriage ended badly in 2011, she had to find a way to recover from the trauma of a broken relationship while at the same time secure temporary shelter for her and her daughter. She also had to find a job so she could rent an apartment and provide for her family.
It was all overwhelming and seemed an impossible goal at the time. But an organization called Nurture Home, part of Mental Health America of Aiken County, helped her get organized and plan a path into the job market. She got back on her feet by doing volunteer work for animals, and in 2013, took a vet technician class at Aiken Technical College. After completing the class, the ACAS hired her as a vet tech and assistant. Before long, the additional responsibilities and income at the ACAS allowed her and Emily to move into a place of their own.
“I want people to know that homelessness is not taboo,” Judith said. “There are people and families dealing with difficulties right here in Aiken and many people are one paycheck away from finding themselves on the street. I used to be embarrassed by it and hide it from most people, but now I embrace it because the experience has made me who I am today.”
Today, Judith is not only successful in her career, but is also on the Nurture Home board of directors and helps counsel those who are struggling financially. In fact, just this week, she and Emily spoke at a “Hearts for Hope and Homes” event to an audience of about 100 people.
Meanwhile, Durango, Tiny and Tater Tot are also benefitting from Judith’s successful journey.
“I think God gave me the purpose, after I was homeless, to pay it forward,” she said. “I know what it’s like to be without a bed to sleep in, to not have a home to go to. And by taking in these dogs, I can give them a second chance at a good life.”
Their lives are in our hands.