Did you now that most of the dogs that the Aiken County Animal Shelter receives know basic commands?
They get picked up as stray dogs but when asked to sit, they get so excited! It’s like we are now speaking the same language. Most will sit and give us their paw! The majority of our adoptable dogs are house-trained as well.
We will never understand how someone can spend time teaching a dog commands and house-training them only to let them go and never look for them.
Recently, I was visiting a school and two children raised their hands to tell me that their parents were breeding bully breed dogs. They were so proud, but I felt so defeated.
We have taken in litter after litter this year and many have been left in boxes on the side of the road.
Just last month, eight little puppies, three to four weeks old, were left on the road in a box. When they arrived, we struggled to find foster homes to care for the babies. Luckily, we did but then more and more kept coming in. Some healthy, some with mange, some barely hanging on.
Sweet Igby was left in a crate outside the shelter while we were closed. I can only imagine how scared he was. He is the most gentle, squishy and sweet pup!
What has happened to empathy? We see dogs cry when we leave at the end of the day because they are so lonely. When we arrive in the morning, it is heartbreaking listening to all of the dogs barking to go outside to potty. They have been trained not to potty inside and are desperate to get out. Who do you pick first?
Today when I arrived to take a dog to the WRDW-TV News station for the Take Me Home segment, I was in tears. Ricky was pacing, Marty was circling, Reid was licking the kennel bars, Niles was crying for attention, and poor Ruby wanted a hug so badly that she was jumping in the air trying to get my attention. These dogs and so many others desperately want love and to have their basic needs met.
How can we help them?
Please stop buying puppies from breeders. Come to the shelter. We have so many adoptable puppies, we have foster to adopt programs for the little ones. Our adult dogs are home ready and will do anything to please their new family.
We worry all the time about slowing adoptions. How will we save all of these pets? Please share our social media posts, please tell your neighbors, please volunteer to foster a dog, a puppy, kittens. Please take a shelter dog on a Doggy Day Out to the park. Please help.
Their lives are in our hands.
By Kathy Cagle, FOTAS Programs Coordinator
