Dogs are roaming neighborhoods, seeking shade on neighbors’ porches, begging for food or simply wandering because they aren’t properly contained.

As much as we talk about the importance of spaying and neutering, we are finding ourselves having to go back to the very basics of pet ownership: Keep your pets safely contained and provide them with food, water, shelter and veterinary care.

We are also seeing dogs surrendered because their owners are unable—or unwilling—to keep them contained.

Pet ownership comes with responsibility. Pets are a gift we choose to bring into our lives, and there is a level of “parenting” involved. In return, they give us so much: love, companionship, security and friendship.

If you cannot properly care for an animal, please don’t get one. If your children desperately want a pet but you don’t have the financial means, time or energy to care for another living being, it’s okay to say no. A pet is a commitment that can last 10, 15 or even 20 years.

We see what happens when that commitment is forgotten.

Poor Flynn was recently brought back to our shelter. He was adopted from us a year ago and then rehomed multiple times before eventually ending up back where he started. All that bouncing around has left him sad and confused. He doesn’t understand what he did wrong.

Thanks to our volunteers he finally found his smile again this weekend, now he needs a home that will keep him safe and loved!

Aiken County is growing. We see new homes, new neighborhoods and new businesses everywhere. Unfortunately, at the shelter, we are also seeing more animals coming through our doors.

People often ask us, “How can I help?”

Right now, one of the biggest answers is: ADOPT.

If you have the time, resources and commitment to properly care for a dog or cat, now is the time. We have an abundance of wonderful pets desperately needing homes.

Many have already experienced neglect, instability or a lack of love. Imagine what it means to one of these animals to finally have a safe home, a full bowl, a comfortable place to sleep and someone who loves them.

Keep your pets safe. Keep them home. And if you have room in your life for another, please consider adopting.

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

For me, FOTAS is more than an organization. It is a lifeline of compassion, hope, and second chances. Every animal who enters the Shelter comes from a hard beginning, but with the help of FOTAS, they receive kindness, healing, and a soft place to land.

Every day shelter staff, and the FOTAS team work tirelessly to find the perfect home for each animal in their care. Their mission goes beyond sheltering—it’s about loving, restoring trust, and making sure every soul gets the chance it deserves. Whether arranging transports to out-of-state rescues or connecting with shelters to relieve overcrowding, especially during “baby season,” their dedication is nothing short of extraordinary.

If financial hardships ever make caring for a pet difficult, the Shelter’s animal food bank is open to anyone in need. This lifeline doesn’t just provide food—it keeps families together. They help people find programs that allow them to keep their beloved companions, ensuring no one has to say goodbye due to tough times.

The medical team at the Shelter performs miracles daily. No matter how dire an animal’s condition, they fight for every life. I know this firsthand—my hospice dog, Allie, arrived with a collar embedded in her neck and was discovered to have cancer during surgery. The team removed her tumors and provided exceptional aftercare. Today, Allie looks and feels as good as new, a living testament to their devotion and skill.

And then there are the volunteers—the heartbeat of the Shelter. These warrior souls walk dogs, bathe them, sit quietly to offer comfort, and often provide the very first kindness an animal has ever known. It is a blessing to witness how dogs and cats blossom with just a little affection. Animals who once knew fear and hardship transform into joyful companions, returning our love a hundred times over.  If you feel called to lend even a few hours a week, please email info@fotasaiken.org.  They can answer all your questions you have about opportunities available.  My time there has truly been life-changing.

FOTAS’s impact spreads far beyond the Shelter walls. Their school outreach programs teach children empathy and responsible pet care. Reading groups help shy animals connect with young readers. “Doggy Day Out” adventures give shelter dogs a chance to enjoy the world. Fosters take in injured or ill animals, giving them safety and comfort while they heal. Every program ripples through our community with compassion and purpose.

The adoption team works tirelessly to match people with pets who fit their lifestyle and bring joy into their homes. Their insight helps create forever families and opens space for new animals to be saved.

To witness the work of the staff and volunteers is to witness the best of humanity. They are warriors—fighting for every life, every family, every moment of hope. Their love is an extraordinary blessing to our community, and the animals they save give that blessing right back in ways words can scarcely describe.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and perhaps for adding the Shelter to your prayers. Our community—and our animals—are better because of FOTAS.

by Letty Dempsey, FOTAS Volunteer

We are incredibly grateful to the volunteers, donors, foster families, rescue partners, and staff members who give so generously of their time, talents, and resources.

Many people don’t realize just how much our volunteers do. They socialize cats, clean kennels, and transport cats between the shelter and the Petsmart Adoption Center on Whiskey Road.

Others walk dogs, bathe them, or take them on Doggy Day Out adventures that provide a much-needed break from shelter life. Foster families open their homes to dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens that need extra care while they wait for permanent homes.

Some volunteers greet visitors, assist with clerical work, or even write thank-you notes to the generous people who support our mission.

We also see kindness from members of our community every day. Someone may stop by with a bag of dog food, cat litter, or blankets. Others donate a crate, collar, or pet supplies after losing a beloved companion, hoping those items will help another pet. 

Of course, none of this would be possible without our dedicated shelter staff. They clean kennels, feed and medicate animals, assist with playgroups, comfort frightened pets, and work tirelessly behind the scenes to give every animal the best possible chance at a new life.

We truly are blessed with an amazing team of helpers.

Last Saturday, Friends of the Animal Shelter hosted our annual Volunteer Ice Cream Social as a small token of appreciation for our volunteers, supporters, and shelter staff. Flanigan’s Ice Cream Truck helped make the afternoon extra special, giving us a chance to celebrate the people who keep the Aiken County Animal Shelter running with compassion, dedication, and love.

As if that wasn’t enough to celebrate, this week the Aiken County Animal Shelter received another No-Kill Award from Best Friends Animal Society for maintaining a save rate of over 90 percent.

In announcing the award, Best Friends CEO Julie Castle wrote:

“The award represents so much more than a number. It represents a culture of caring and compassion. It represents dedicated staff, committed volunteers, and motivated supporters. It represents innovative, thoughtful programming. And it represents extraordinary leadership, both within your organization and within our broader animal welfare movement.”

That award doesn’t belong to one person. It belongs to every volunteer who walks a dog, every foster who opens their home, every donor who drops off a bag of food, every adopter who says “yes,” and every staff member who shows up each day determined to save lives.

So, just as Mister Rogers encouraged us to do, look for the helpers.

At the Aiken County Animal Shelter, we are grateful to say we find them every day.

Their Lives Are In Our Hands

by Kathy Cagle, FOTAS Programs Coordinator

Then there’s Echo. Now, Echo—he had a home and loved his humans. Then one day, his humans dropped him off here at the shelter and just walked away. No ‘atta boys, no goodbyes, no nothing. Echo’s a great little guy—so much fun, housetrained, the works—8 years-old, maybe not so great with other male dogs. But hey! Nobody’s perfect. 

My other pal, Ozzy? He also had a home, too, and his humans left him here because he had a few medical problems—which FOTAS and the shelter fixed right up! He’s 2 years-old, healthy, and he’s a great big snuggle bug. The volunteers love him. 

Point being, the how’s and why’s of how all us dogs got here are different, but our stories are all the same: our humans let us down. Big time. But you know what? The humans here, at the shelter? They’re top-notch, the best—especially the volunteers! I never even met a volunteer before I came to this place—and take it from me, you need to get one. They come every morning and walk us, sit with us in the yard and talk to us so sweetly. They bring us treats and throw balls. They take us to morning playgroups. 

Who knew humans were capable of such love and world-class belly rubs? Go figure!

But here’s the thing: there aren’t enough of them—volunteers, I mean (although you can never have enough belly-rubs, either!). It takes time in the morning to walk all us dogs, so if we’re lucky, we get maybe 15 minutes of me-time. That might not seem like a lot to you, but to us dogs? It’s everything. 

Plus, there’s no one to walk us in the afternoon. Do you know how hard it is, if you’re a gal me like me who would never mess in her kennel, to only get one chance a day? It’s a misery. 

So, please! All you humans reading this, I’m begging you: JOIN FOTAS. BE A VOLUNTEER! You’ll have a great time with all the other volunteers, and we dogs will show you a good time, too. Like Buster, who’s now a superstar thanks to the volunteers. He’s good in playgroup, walks on a leash, and sits on command. He’s a happy guy. And when you stop by the shelter, look me up—DayLilly.  They say I’m magnificent! Not sure what that means, but it sure sounds good!

So please, spread the word: we’re all ready to be adopted and be someone’s new BFF. And be a volunteer! We need you.

Our lives are in your hands.

Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice-President

We hope and pray those things come true, but sadly those mega-issues are beyond our personal control. In the meantime, what we can do is shift our focus to the things in our life we can control. We can radiate kindness and concern for our family, friends, and neighbors. We can believe in the transformative power of love. We can engage in local causes that ease the suffering of those less fortunate than ourselves.

If you love animals, there are thousands of neglected, homeless, and abused animals in Aiken County, over 5000 of which end up at the Aiken County Animal Shelter every year. They need comfort and attention, so becoming a FOTAS volunteer offers you the opportunity to help lonely, suffering animals; make friends; and feel good about yourself in the process.

The mission of FOTAS is to find a home for every adoptable animal picked up as a stray or surrendered to the shelter. This is no easy task—the animals at the shelter are pack animals isolated in a kennel in a busy, noisy shelter crowded with other anxious animals and human strangers. How do we make them less anxious and, thus, more adoptable?

In the words of John Lennon, all you need is love. Just 15-20 minutes/day of human attention and affection with a shelter animal—a short walk around the grounds, a romp in the play yard, some basic obedience instruction, a little praise and cuddle-time on the bench—makes all the difference in their world. FOTAS has been able to find a home for every adoptable animal at the shelter over the past five years thanks to the volunteers who bless those lost and homeless animals with time and affection.

It’s not all self-sacrifice. Our volunteers say the time they spend at the shelter makes a difference in their quality of life. Not only does it give them a happy place to go, a routine, a little exercise (not to mention the proven stress reduction of spending time with an animal), they make new friends through shared experiences. They chat about the dogs they walk and laugh about their escapades. They celebrate the animals who found homes and fret over the ones that haven’t. Your fellow volunteers are glad to see you and worry about you if you don’t show. For most volunteers, their time at the shelter is not an obligation, but a labor of love with unimaginable emotional and spiritual returns.

This year, make a New Year’s resolution that matters. Join our special community of FOTAS volunteers and fill your life with purpose, charity, and fellowship. Go to our website at www.fotasaiken.org and fill out a volunteer interest form, or email us at info@fotasaiken.org. We can’t wait to meet you.

God bless, and Happy New Year.

Their lives are in our hands.

By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Vice President

Because of its warmer climates, the breeding season in the South is longer than places farther north. Cats are seasonally polyestrous, meaning their heat cycles are triggered by longer daylight hours. Using conservative estimates, a mama cat can have up to 3 litters annually, with 12-18 kittens/year. Assuming a 25% female kitten survival rate, a single breeding mama can produce ~3000 kittens every six years.

As for dogs, females can go into heat twice a year, but let’s be conservative. Assume 1.5 litters/year (some heats skipped/failed), 5 pups/litter, and only 30% female pups survive to breed. In the case, the six year estimate for one unspayed female pup is ~600 cumulative pups.

With these numbers, it’s easy to understand how rapidly the overpopulation of homeless animals escalates in the South. It is also easy to see how unplanned and accidental breeding dangerously overwhelms the county shelter’s capacity and stresses a fragile animal welfare system desperately attempting to rehome every adoptable animal.

These numbers also demonstrate the need for a dedicated spay/neuter clinic in Aiken County to reduce the chronic overcrowding at the county shelter and to support a currently fragile animal control system without resorting to euthanizing adoptable animals.

The Aiken County Council understands the need and is making plans to build a spay/neuter clinic, but it could be years until the day it opens its doors. What can you do in the meantime.

• Volunteer at the shelter to help with the increased number of animals.
• Be a foster family.
• Donate an afternoon to taking one of our dogs out for a well-deserved rest from a crowed shelter as part of our Dog Day Out program. All you need is a license and a few hours. We’ll pick you a suitable dog.
• Adopt another animal (or two), maybe select one of the less adoptable senior animals or one with disabilities. If you cannot adopt another animal, please spread our social media posts about the many deserving animals available for adoption.
• If you or someone you know finds a stray, or if circumstances force you or someone you know to do the unthinkable and give up your pet, please rehome your pet privately. Encourage others to rehome privately. Our Home-to-Home program is a great resource.
• Encourage your friends, families, and neighbors to have their pets fixed with private vets and clinics if possible.
• Donate, donate, donate—for our pet food bank, transfer costs to sister shelters, extra medical care when needed, and lifesaving equipment and programs. Think about designating a legacy gift to the shelter for future needs.

Collectively, we must pull together as a community to help the shelter and the thousands of homeless pets until the County’s dedicated, low-cost, spay/neuter clinic if open for business.

Your collective generosity and commitment have been, and continues to be, the hope of all those homeless, abandoned, and abused animals in Aiken County. God bless you all.

Go to fotasaiken.org to see all the ways you can help. Together, we can make our community shelter a resource and not a destination.

Their lives are in our hands.

By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice President

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. Just this year, the new P.A.W.S. building opened to great acclaim, providing opportunities for quiet meet & greets, training sessions, and a new catio (indoor/outdoor cat patio).

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

Thanks to Aiken County Council Chairman, Gary Bunker, and County Council for making it possible to save the lives of thousands of homeless animals in the County. Our partnership grows stronger with each passing year.

Thanks to Brian Saunders, Aiken County Administrator; 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.

A huge shout-out and thanks to the army of volunteers who make the work of FOTAS possible – everything from manning the front desk, walking and socializing dogs, helping with 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 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 six years, the shelter has been able to save every adoptable animal. That’s a big deal, especially since the shelter’s intake is over 4000 animals/year.

Sadly, right now, the shelter is in crisis. Intake numbers have exploded nationally, and the County Shelter is no exception. The shelter is shockingly full for this time of year. Animals are doubled-up in the kennels. Staff and volunteer resources are stretched to the max. Why? Blame inflation; COVID, FLU, and RSV outbreaks, burgeoning development and population growth in the County; chronic shortages in spay/neuter services; and increased pet restrictions in rental properties. At this rate, the shelter’s ability to save every adoptable animal in 2024 is in jeopardy. That’s a heartbreaking prospect.

God bless you and your family during this holiday season, and may God bless the County’s homeless animals during these difficult times.

Their lives are in our hands.

By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice President

Their positive qualities cannot be captured in a photo. Their stories need to be told and the right adopter has to be reached through social media and word of mouth. This requires close teamwork between FOTAS and the shelter, as well as lots of shares and likes on Facebook and Instagram.

Take Jax for example.

Nine-year-old, brown and white, mixed breed Jax arrived at the County Shelter in bad shape. He was starving and looked like a walking skeleton. He also had an old back leg injury, likely from being hit by a car, which caused him to limp. Fly bites had scarred his ears and he was full of fleas. The senior stray had the saddest eyes, but they brightened when people greeted him.

Terrified at the shelter, Jax needed a calmer environment in which to decompress. Thankfully, FOTAS Volunteer Christine Harmel took Jax home to foster him and his sweet personality began to shine as he gained more confidence under her care.

Over the next month, we posted Jax all over our social media. Still, no one came to visit him. Then his luck changed. Debbie Roland, a local realtor, saw Jax online and shared his photo and story with her uncle Dennis in Pennsylvania. His dog had recently passed away and Jax was just the kind of dog he was looking for! FOTAS arranged Jax’s transport to Dennis and the sweet dog is now living his best life.

“This morning was the first day of school up here, so all the kids were at the bus stop during his morning walk,” Dennis said. “Of course, Jax had to greet every kid.”

Another homeless dog who benefited from social media is Crystal. This three-year-old, white 46-pound mixed breed needed a home with a fenced-in yard. A true gem, Crystal loves other dogs and playing in water. Crystal just has one so-called imperfection. She is deaf.

Even after weeks of posting a myriad of videos and photos of Crystal on social media, no one came to visit her. However, just as we were losing hope of adopting her out, the right person saw Crystal on Instagram. Faye Brothers, a woman with a deaf dog in need of a friend, saw a video of Crystal shared by her daughter. When Faye learned Crystal was deaf, she knew she was the dog for her family. FOTAS arranged Crystal’s travel to Faye’s home in upstate New York and now this amazing stray and her new canine sister, Remy, are besties!

There are other homeless pets at the shelter just like these two special dogs – animals that need extra support and promotion to ensure they get good homes. Please follow FOTAS on Facebook and Instagram and share our posts with your friends. With one click, you just might save a homeless pet’s life.

Their lives are in our hands.

By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director

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

Some months passed before we finally decided not to get another dog. I began looking for a way that I could still be around dogs and offer some meaningful service at the same time. One activity that Gabe absolutely loved was our daily walks. When I learned that the Shelter needed volunteers to walk dogs, the connection was immediate.

I had never been to the Shelter, and didn’t even know where it was. That was easily resolved but I still had many questions. I got answers to them when I attended an informative orientation session for volunteers that was held at the Shelter.

I learned that at any given time there are 34 dogs ready for immediate adoption. Therefore, dog walkers have lots of dogs to choose from for walking. Our choice. There are all sizes, all ages, and many different breeds/mixed breeds. At first I was hesitant to walk any dog that had pit bull features. I soon discovered that these were among some of the most loving, affectionate dogs at the Shelter and my hesitation vanished.

I learned to slip a leash over the head of any dog, including those that would sit patiently and easily accept the leash to those that were excitedly moving and jumping. The Shelter is located in a nicely wooded area and we walk the dogs on trails that wind around and through the woods. A typical walk time depends on the walker; for me it is from 15-20 minutes. The pace of each walk varies with the dog and can range from slow and leisurely to the excited, full-speed ahead of the “pullers.”

The Shelter gives every dog a name. Just last Thursday I walked Faith, Isaiah, AJ, Misty, Hutch, and Boone. Being an “oldster” myself I have a fondness for the older dogs; Faith is one of them.

In my nearly three years as a volunteer I have taken over 1,000 walks with hundreds of different dogs. I have developed attachments to many of them. Such relationships form naturally when you share the love and compassion you feel for these formerly homeless and abandoned dogs. They will return your affection many times over.

This year the Shelter’s save rate is over 90% and every adoptable animal received has been saved. My greatest satisfaction comes when I go to Zeus’s kennel, for example, and there is a different dog in it. Where’s Zeus? “He was adopted Saturday.” My heart celebrates every time I hear that. And it’s extra-special when a dog like Zeus had been in waiting for a long time for his forever family to find him.

Finally, I have had the pleasure to get to know many of the wonderful Shelter staff and other volunteers. Being affiliated with such friendly, dedicated, caring folks has been an added blessing to my experience.

Please go to fotasaiken.org to learn about more volunteer opportunities. Their lives are in our hands.

Written by Ernie Ness FOTAS Volunteer