Category Archives: Volunteers

Adoption, News, Volunteers

Giving Thanks

Posted on by Angel Hartline
12
Jun

30 November 2014

GIVING THANKS

By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director

2014 has been an incredible year, and we at FOTAS have much to be thankful for and many thanks to give.

Thanks to Aiken County for its commitment to save the lives of thousands of homeless animals and reduce rampant overpopulation of unwanted dogs and cats. The strength of its commitment and the success of our partnership is evidenced by the new, state-of-the-art public animal shelter on Wire Road that opened in March, giving all those abandoned, abused and unwanted dogs and cats another chance to love and be loved by responsible owners.

Thanks to the Aiken Community for its extraordinary generosity of spirit. The community’s financial support has made it possible for FOTAS to supplement the County’s resources and its ability to provide the best possible care for shelter animals, increase adoptions and transfers, provide spay/neuter financial assistance to County citizens in need, and attack the problem of overpopulation of unwanted animals.

Thanks to all 242 FOTAS volunteers who make the work of FOTAS possible – everything from manning the front desk, walking and training dogs (91 volunteers walked dogs during the last 3 months), 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 and Lenny’s Brigade animal pick-ups, surgeries and returns.

It’s almost impossible to fully express our gratitude for all the support, commitment and generosity we have received in this daunting effort, so we will let the results speak for themselves.

As of the end of October, the shelter has seen a 14% reduction in intake, a 43% increase in adoptions and transfers, and (hallelujah!) a 34% reduction in euthanasia rates. By the end of 2014, FOTAS will have organized and funded 32% more spay/neuter surgeries than it did in 2013.

That’s a big, big deal. We and all of the animals you have helped save in the past 10 months say, “From the bottom of our hearts – thank you.”

But there is still so much to do. Although the percentages have improved, they represent unacceptably high numbers: the County still had to euthanize 2133 cats and dogs so far this year.

There is a way you can help us continue our work and express your gratitude and love for the people and organizations who have made a difference in your life: purchase a personalized tribute plaque to be hung inside the public area of the County Shelter, or a personalized paving stone to be installed on the walk outside the main entrance.

Bill and Caroline Simonson honored their dog Chen with this message: “Our big boy, companion & protector, thank you for bringing such joy into our lives.”

Mike & Jody Amacher honored the memory of their dog Baxter with this message: “In memory of our happy-go-lucky boy with a warm and loving heart!”

The tribute plaques and honor pavers make terrific and unique holiday gifts. They can be purchased through January 31, 2015 at www.FOTASAiken.org, or contact us by email at info@FOTASAiken.org for more information.

Also, through January 3rd, you can adopt a dog for just $35 and a cat for only $10.  What a bargain for a fully inoculated, micro-chipped and spayed/neutered pet!

Adopt and give the gift of love and the security of a home to a four-legged friend this year.  Remember, their lives are in our hands.

BY THE NUMBERS

Oct. 2013 Oct. 2014
Total animals received: 467 381
Total animals rehomed: 134 181
Total animals euthanized: 364 228

 

PETS OF THE WEEK

ROMEO   American bull dog, male, 1 year old, 36 lbs,  $35.00

MOLLY   Domestic medium hair, female, adult    $10.00

Adoption, Dogs, News, Volunteers

You Can’t Keep a Good Dog Down

Posted on by Angel Hartline
12
Jun

12 October 2014

YOU CAN'T KEEP A GOOD DOG DOWN

By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director

The little, red dachshund had been hit by a car. By the time Animal Control picked him up from the ditch beside the road, he was virtually comatose. His mouth and muzzle were misshapen and swollen, and his front right leg looked broken.

As it turns out, his leg was badly sprained, and his lower teeth were impaled in the soft tissue of the mouth from the impact. Over the next week, the Shelter staff administered sedatives, antibiotics and love. Day-by-day, he got better. Catherine Chadwick, the daughter of Shelter manager Martha Chadwick, named him Don Juan because he is such a loving little guy.

Enrique Vazquez is a Viet Nam veteran who lives in an apartment and walks with a cane. In recent months, Enrique has suffered a devastating family loss and the loss of his adored Boston Terrier.

Enrique told Jerry Lyda at Veteran’s K9 Solutions he was ready for another dog. On Monday morning, Jerry’s son, Jay, a trainer who works weekly with FOTAS volunteers, took Enrique to the Shelter to interview some prospects.

When Enrique met Don Juan, who had been moved to the adoption floor just minutes before Enrique and Jay arrived, it was love at first sight.

“Don Juan made a beeline for Enrique,” says Jay, “wagging his tail furiously. He jumped into his arms, rolled over and closed his eyes in ecstasy. Enrique couldn’t stop laughing.”

Volunteers and staff at the shelter rejoiced when Enrique took Don Juan home.

Then there’s Trinity, a young black lab mix with white markings, who was a victim of shocking abuse.

Picked up as a stray by Animal Control with a collar embedded in her neck, her back leg was severed below the knee with a bone protruding from mangled flesh.

Yet despite all the physical abuse meted out by humans and the obvious pain of her injuries, Trinity was not aggressive or threatening.

“She would lie quietly in her crate,” says Sandy Larsen, the Shelter’s senior vet tech. “Whenever someone stopped to check on her, she would wag her tail hopefully. I knew she was a special dog.”

So special, in fact, that she captured the heart of Dr. Lisa Levy, a veterinarian at Silver Bluff Animal Hospital who works with the shelter animals.  Dr. Levy appealed to her partners to allow her to properly amputate Trinity’s leg at the hospital gratis.

They agreed, and Dr. Levy operated immediately. By the end of the week, Trinity was back at the shelter. When she was able to walk on her own, FOTAS called on one of their most experienced volunteers, Sylvia Igoe, to foster Trinity until they found her a home.

“I was reluctant at first,” says Sylvia, “she seemed so hopelessly damaged. But I was touched by her willingness, so I agreed.”

Within 48 hours, Trinity went from cowering and shaking in her crate to totally bonding with Sylvia’s children, Isabelle and Sean, and her pack of four dogs, ranging from her big German Shepherd, Sam, to little Chi-Chi, a beloved Shelter alumni.

“Trinity is oblivious to her own disability. She runs and plays with my dogs with complete abandon. I came home the other day,” says Sylvia, “to find her happily sunning herself on a chaise lounge in the yard in the middle of my four dogs.”

“She is a rock star.”

These are stories of tragedy, resilience, forgiveness and love.

Despite their injuries and heartbreak, Enrique and Don Juan found each other. Two veterans of tragedy slowed down by age and disability – a perfect match.

Trinity teaches us about toughness of spirit and the healing powers of love. In two weeks, Trinity will leave Sylvia and go home with Dr. Levy, who just could not let her go.

The angels have been working overtime.

SPECIAL ADOPTION PROGRAM AT THE SHELTER:

SILVER PAWS & SENIORS — half price adoption special for adopters over 60 who adopt dog/cat 6+ yrs — $35/dogs — $17 cats

PETS OF THE WEEK

MAMA CASS   female, American bulldog, 6 months old, 30 lbs — $70.00

TASHA   female, Calico, 1 yr old,  6 1/2 lbs   — $35.00

Adoption, Events, Fundraisers, News, Volunteers

Community Comes Together for the Shelter

Posted on by Angel Hartline
12
Jun

05 October 2014

Community Comes Together for the Shelter

Aiken’s Community Shelter

By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director

It’s happened.  The new Aiken County Animal Shelter has become a community place to be proud of – a place where folks like to come and volunteer their time and effort.

For those of us who experienced the dismal, depressing conditions of the old shelter, the transformation has been nothing short of amazing.

The FOTAS volunteer program is thriving.  The dedicated volunteers work closely with the County staff and are a critical, consistent, enthusiastic presence at the shelter.

Jay Lyda from Southern K9 Solutions in Augusta and Susi Cohen from the Palmetto Dog Club in Aiken come to the shelter weekly to help FOTAS volunteers and County staff with basic dog training skills.

The new shelter is host to a number of on-site community events, like the very popular Woofstock and the Children’s Dog Ears Reading Program.

The shelter is also the beneficiary this year of the Aiken Lowe’s Project Heroes, a program in which Lowe’s employees volunteer to perform community service for a local nonprofit organization.

Lowe’s employees Mark Brown, Chip Poston, Yvonne Fitzgerald, Matt Diggin, Patrick Casper and William Frashuer are providing the labor and care necessary to install wiring and speakers throughout the shelter for a much-needed public address system, which can also be used to pipe-in calming music (a little Om Guitar, anybody?) for stressed-out shelter animals, staff and volunteers.

Then there’s Logan Gibbons, an Eagle Scout candidate with Boy Scout Troup 432 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who also chose the County Shelter to be the focus of his community project.

Logan and his troop members, under the supervision of his dad, Grant Gibbons, constructed a gazebo shelter in the dog exercise yard. The boys poured concrete footings, constructed new posts and moved the roof of the overhang from the shelter created by FOTAS at the old shelter.

Now, as a result of their generosity and hard work, the dogs, volunteers and staff have a place to relax in the exercise yard shielded from the scorching summer sun.

The 6th graders from Aiken Girl Scout Troup 2409 were also busy at the shelter this summer.  In order to earn their Bronze Award, the girls must perform community service. They resolved to help the homeless – both people and animals.

The girls came to the shelter twice a week for a month to help wherever needed, doing everything from weeding, cleaning and helping walk and groom the animals.

“They loved it,” says troop leader Wendy Dietzel, those daughter Ella is a member of Troup 2409. “Because they were there on a regular basis, they got to know the animals – they felt a part of it. They were thrilled when the dogs found homes. They learned about the need to spay and neuter, and they learned about the sad realities of a crowded shelter.”

“The experience really had a positive impact on the girls. It ended up being much more of an educational experience than I had anticipated.

The growing connection of the Aiken community to the County Shelter, as illustrated by these few examples, is heartwarming.  More and more, folks are adopting their new pets from the shelter, practicing responsible pet ownership, and committing to spaying and neutering their animals to reduce the overpopulation of unwanted pets.

Thank you good citizens of Aiken. Together we are making a difference in the lives of the County’s thousands of homeless and unwanted animals.

ADOPTION SPECIAL AT THE SHELTER:

SILVER PAWS & SENIORS — half price adoption special for adopters over 60 who adopt dog/cat 6+ yrs — $35/dogs — $17 cats

PETS OF THE WEEK

LOUISE   female, Shepherd mix, 4 months old, 28 lbs — $70.00

MELISSA   female, Tabby, 3 years old — $35.00

Adoption, Events, News, Volunteers

Celebrating My Community Brigade

Posted on by Angel Hartline

03 August 2014

Celebrating My Community Brigade

By Edie Hubler, FOTAS Director

Charmed by the Aiken community after a short visit here in 2005, I returned several months later to purchase a lot in Cedar Creek for my future move.  The lure of this area brought me sooner that I had expected and in 2007 Aiken became my home.  Goodbye Maryland, miss you, but I love it here.

Like many residents of Aiken, I became involved in volunteering with various organizations, but in 2011 I found a calling to get involved with FOTAS.  I helped with fundraising and chaired two highly successful events for FOTAS.   My involvement was just to be assistance to the organization, but in 2013 I joined the FOTAS Board.  Having had many pets prior to this, I thought my pet ownership days were over as I travel a lot and am also very busy here in Aiken.  Guess what — I adopted two County Shelter animals, Meg (a terrier mix, the poster “child” for several FOTAS Woofstocks) and Zeus (a shih tzu).  These two abandoned animals caught my heart, and here we are.

Many of my neighbors also support FOTAS.  Some are devoted dog socializers and go to the Shelter four days a week (one became FOTAS’ very first volunteer in 2009.)  Others help in many many other ways.  It occurred to me recently just how involved the Cedar Creek community is supporting FOTAS and volunteering at the County Shelter itself.

There are about 1200 residents in Cedar Creek (in a little over 600 homes.)  Many are retired and many still work (both full and part-time.)  Like Aiken itself, this is a very involved and giving community.  Recently I reviewed the FOTAS supporter list and was surprised that over 100 of them are Cedar Creek residents.  Not only do they go to the Shelter to walk the dogs and socialize the cats, they staff the front desk, do administrative and database tasks, chair and volunteer at special events (both on-site and off-site), participate in the short-term foster program, take photographs of the animals, help with publicity, donate towels and toys for the animals, generously donate money that helps FOTAS supplement the limited resources of the County Shelter, make peanut butter/green bean treats for the dogs, as well as issue spay/neuter vouchers for those in need.   Some residents have had parties where they asked the attendees to bring donations for FOTAS instead of hostess gifts.  The Cedar Creek Ladies Club, a group of about 100 residents, has donated large amounts of money to FOTAS — we have honored them with a bench in their name at the new Shelter which we purchased from some of the funds they have donated.

You know, I wish I knew the number of County Shelter animals that the residents of this fine community have adopted. This is a large number I’m sure — I often see them walking their dogs when I am walking mine, and enjoy their stories about how Shelter pets have enriched their lives, become their best friends and make the best pets around!

So, I am celebrating what a great community I live in and what a great community “brigade” my Cedar Creek neighbors are.  Thank you for all you do and have done for FOTAS and the County Shelter.

If you have a soft spot in your heart for our abandoned furry friends, please consider becoming a volunteer and supporter of FOTAS.  We are especially in need of dog walkers right now.  These beautiful souls can’t wait for human contact and for a daily much-needed outside break from their Shelter kennels.

Here’s a great idea!  Maybe you could rally your own neighbors and create a community brigade as well to help FOTAS and the Aiken County Animal Shelter.  This work is rewarding and you’ll make some new friends also.

Contact us at 803-514-4313 or info@FOTASAiken.org

And last, but most important — please adopt a wonderful animal from the County Shelter.  Remember, their lives are in our hands.

ANDREW      American Bulldog mix … 2 1/2 yrs old … 50 lbs … $35

HENDERSON    Domestic short hair …. 2 1/2 yrs old … 14 lbs … $17