Tag Archives: FOSTER VOLUNTEERS

2019, animal abuse, Dogs, FOTAS, News, Training, Volunteer, Volunteers

Volunteers Teach Homeless Pets about Love and Acceptance

Posted on by Bob Gordon
17
Sep

This week, I had two people tell me they can’t volunteer because the idea of witnessing the injured, neglected and abused animals who need homes would be too much for them to handle.

I told them we take a more positive approach and embrace the opportunity to greet these pets in need. Because on the day we meet them, we know their lives are about to get so much better! It is an honorable mission to help them.

Senior dog JESSICA gets some love and attention from FOTAS Volunteer Nicole Simons.

When a dog or cat arrives at the shelter emaciated, ill, neglected or abused, staff and volunteers greet them with love and make them comfortable. Now that they are with us, it’s game time! Time for them to get well and start their new life of love, happiness and never knowing hunger or loneliness again. It’s a gift to be part of a team that can turn their lives around.

Almost immediately after they arrive, we are planning what is best for these homeless pets. Do they need a rescue or a foster? Do they need a quiet home or would an active family best suit their needs? Would another cat or dog give them comfort or are they best as an only pet?

When we pull into the parking lot first thing in the morning, we see tails wagging and cats running up to the feline facility windows to meow their “hellos”. They love us, and we love them. These animals don’t think about past experiences and we don’t focus on them either. Each day we are one day closer to finding them a happy, loving forever home.

MEADOW is a volunteer and staff favorite.

Take Meadow, a white furred, 6-year-old mixed breed. She’s endured a rough past and growled at us when she first arrived. She was beyond scared. But Karen DeCamp, one of our devoted volunteer trainers, showed Meadow love and she rapidly improved. She learned how great it is to be loved and is now the gentlest dog on the adoption floor! Meadow dances around and greets people who visit her kennel. She is ready to be adopted and your new best friend.

FOTAS Volunteer Jeri Wesner is one of our most dedicated dog walkers and I love seeing her when she meets a new animal. She always smiles brightly and tells the new dog, “It’s your lucky day!” Jeri has helped change so many dogs’ lives with her patience and positive attitude. She understands that we’re here to give these unwanted pets a second chance at a good life.

MEADOW was scared and growled at everybody when she first arrived at the shelter. But now she’s the sweetest dog on the adoption floor!

So, please don’t say that you can’t volunteer because it would be too heartbreaking. Dogs and cats aren’t like us. They forgive, bounce back and have the potential to give so much love to their future adopters.

Yes, we see kittens thrown from cars, dogs left tied to trees in the woods, puppies sick from neglect — you name it. But you need to see the silver lining. These animals are now safe and out of danger. We have the ability to make their lives better and find them homes. And when we do, it’s so rewarding!

As a volunteer, you teach these pets what love is and they quickly absorb the lesson! They forgive, they forget. Help be part of their future happiness. Volunteer and invest your time in these animals.

Their lives are in our hands.

— By Kathy Jacobs, FOTAS Program Director

BY THE NUMBERS
The Aiken County Animal Shelter has already taken in nearly 200 strays and surrendered pets this month. Please spay and neuter your pets.

2019, Bully Dogs, Dogs, Foster, fostering, FOTAS, News, Shelter staff, Uncategorized, Volunteers

Sick Puppy Saved Through FOTAS/ACAS Teamwork

Posted on by Bob Gordon
03
Sep

Brindle and white mixed breed Tiffany arrived at the Aiken County Animal Shelter (ACAS) with three puppies that were barely one week old. We had no foster volunteers available, so the pups had to stay at the shelter and endure the loud barking of a nearly full intake area.

Tiffany was a great mother and very protective of her pups. We learned by walking her that she is a sweet, loving girl but just a little shy around people she doesn’t know. Her three pups were weaned and put into foster. They were fat and ready. However, one pup suddenly stopped eating. Still wagging his tail and begging to be petted, the little one just would not eat, even he was hand fed.

TIFFANY, the puppy’s mama, is still waiting for someone to adopt her from the ACAS.

When the puppy started to weaken, the foster brought him back to the shelter for medical attention. He was slowly deteriorating but tests didn’t reveal any underlying reason for his refusal to eat. He yearned for human interaction but looked hollow, which is very unusual. Dr. Levy and her team gave him fluids and kept him warm with a heat lamp. But he still would not eat.

The medical staff kept him under intense observation for days and days. I personally was not optimistic about his chances. But then he somehow managed to eat a small amount of baby food and drink a bit of puppy formula. Even though the odds for survival were still not in his favor, I asked to take the puppy home and foster him.

The puppy was still so fragile but when I gave him some chicken and broth, he lapped at it. It was so rewarding to see him eat! The little guy cries whenever I put him down. He’s still eating and now even runs and plays. He chases my dogs, bites my fingers, barks for attention. Things are finally looking up for this cutie, but he has a long way to go.

TIFFANY’S puppy would not eat but his strong drive to live, extra human attention and good medical care saved him.

His mom, Tiffany, is still with us at the shelter and available for adoption. The poor girl has spent nearly two months at the shelter and still has no forever home. But thanks to her foster dad Kelly, at least she gets to go to a quiet house each night and sleep in bed with a person who cares.

FOTAS and the Aiken County Animal Shelter work well together. The staff strives hard to give the best medical care and comfort to those that come to them, with FOTAS purchasing any supplemental medicines and equipment needed. Volunteers and foster families make such a difference with the needed follow-up care and attention.

Tiffany and her pups were saved, but the ACAS shelter has so many other animals waiting for homes. When you receive more than 500 homeless pets a month, it can become overwhelming and we need volunteers to help.

Please join us and be part of our life-saving team. There is nothing more rewarding!

Their lives are in our hands.

–– By Kathy Jacobs, FOTAS Program Director

BY THE NUMBERS
The Aiken County Animal Shelter took in 509 strays and surrendered pets from Aug. 1 to 29. This marks an unprecedented fourth month in a row the shelter has taken in 500 plus unwanted animals in 2019. Please adopt!

PETS OF THE WEEK


JESSICA
Shepherd mix, female, 11 years old, 50 pounds – $35

WYNTER
Domestic Shorthair, female, 3 months old, white and black, 2 pounds – $10

2019, Demodex, Dogs, Foster, fostering, FOTAS, injured animals, kittens, neglected pets, News, Volunteers

Fostering Medical Needs Pets Brings New Challenges, Many Rewards

Posted on by Bob Gordon
19
Aug

This has been a long summer at the Aiken County Animal Shelter (ACAS). Kittens thrown from car windows, dogs starved, puppies abandoned in the woods…we’ve seen all these scenarios come through the door again and again.

FELICITY is no long in the shelter but is instead recovering from her condition in a FOTAS volunteer’s comfy, quiet home.

Shelter staff and FOTAS volunteers work so hard to help the many pets that are surrendered or found as strays. But look at the numbers: 500 plus animals per month, forty dogs and cats in one day. Where are we expected to put them? So many of these homeless pets need time to heal properly from neglect and abuse. To save them, we need community involvement. We need foster homes.

Luckily, we have a terrific group of foster volunteers. We just need to add to our team.

Today Gary Ly is picking up Felicity. Gary is one of those special foster dads who gives our medical needs dogs a safe and happy home for a month, or even two. We never even have to ask; he will call and tell us he has time for another long-term foster. How awesome is that!

Thanks to FOTAS Foster Gary Ly, Demodex puppy FELICITY is getting the quiet environment and socializing time she needs to regain her fur.

Felicity is a one-year-old, reddish, medium-sized cutie who longs for attention. She came in mostly bald due to Demodectic Mange or “Demodex”. Demodex is very common to any shelter and we never have enough foster homes to manage all the cases. It’s not contagious, but it can worsen from stress like that caused by being in a loud, strange environment. Felicity just needs a quiet place away from the shelter to heal. When 50 other dogs are barking, it is not an ideal place to recover.

She will go home with Gary and we will provide all her food and medicine while he provides her with love and time. Felicity will come back furry, happy and home ready!

We also had a litter of seven puppies, only a few pounds each. When young puppies are scared and without vaccinations, they are susceptible to getting sick. This litter came in and received their first vaccinations but needed a foster home for two weeks, until they could get another vaccination and be ready for adoption.

Thankfully, Anne Laver was available. Anne is one of those loving people who always has a horse stall free for a litter of pups. After she took them in, they came back so happy and socialized!

When we can’t find fosters, often members of the staff step up and take care of the animals. Gibson, a sweet Tabby kitten, was brought to the shelter with a severe hip injury. His hip is expected to heal but only if he can enjoy some extra TLC in a quiet environment. ACAS Adoption Coordinator Hillary Clark-Kulis, as she has done for so many infant felines, brought Gibson home to nurse him back to health. She has been fostering him for about a week and the hope is that he’ll fully recover from his injuries by the end of the month.

Medical needs kitten GIBSON with his foster mom, ACAS Adoption Coordinator Hillary Clark-Kulis.

Because there is always demand for special needs fosters, we are asking for your help with this specific type of situation. But we also have a need for short-term fosters for healthy animals ready for adoption. If you could just try fostering one time, we think you would see how amazingly rewarding it is!

To give fostering a try, please call FOTAS at (803) 514-4313, email us at info@fotasaiken.org or stop by the ACAS located at 333 Wire Road.

Their lives are in our hands.

— By Kathy Jacobs, FOTAS Program Director

2019, FOTAS, News, Volunteer, Volunteers

FOTAS and Shelter Animals Lost an Angel

Posted on by Bob Gordon
04
Aug

“Every sunrise is an invitation for us to arise and brighten someone’s day.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway

Every so often in life, we are privileged to know someone whose kindness knows no limits and whose patience is bottomless. Someone whose humanity is so deep, they dedicate their life to helping the lost, the hopeless, and the forgotten. Someone who gives so much and asks for nothing in return.

Nanci Santos with one of her favorites, Bear. Nanci died on July 22, 2019 after a long battle with cancer.

That someone for us was Nanci Santos, a long-time FOTAS volunteer and supporter, who died on July 22nd after a long and brave battle with cancer.

Nanci was a constant and reliable presence at the Aiken County Animal Shelter. She walked dogs, helped with new programs, and assisted with FOTAS fundraisers like Woofstock. She helped develop the orientation process for coordinating and training new volunteers, sharing her own experience and knowledge with warmth and humor.

She had a lot to share, too. Typically, she arrived at the shelter before the other volunteers had finished their daily walks and visits with the animals. She visited every kennel on the adoption floor, performing a last-minute check for the afternoon, doing an occasional clean-up and distributing toys to the dogs—one, maybe two toys, even though we tried to persuade her that one was sufficient. Nanci wasn’t buying it, and we gave up trying to convince her.

Nanci loved spending time with the shelter dogs.

She also made certain that every dog had a blanket (at least every dog that wasn’t a known blanket-eater).

“She had a very high standard for putting down blankets,” says Ellie Joos, FOTAS Secretary. “She didn’t just toss them down. She placed the blankets on the pallets and tucked them in at the corners so they were smooth, sometimes adding a second blanket if she thought this dog or that dog needed some extra cushioning or warmth. That was the thing about Nanci—no matter how many dogs were on the adoption floor, she knew them all and figured out their individual needs.”

On any given afternoon, Nanci could be found sitting on a bench in the shade with a dog beside her.

Nanci gets a kiss from shelter dog Rocky.

“It was usually a dog that only an hour before had been so scared and shutdown, it would tremble in the corner of its kennel and not make eye contact,” says Kathy Jacobs, FOTAS Program Director. “She’d be working her magic, stroking the dog and talking in soft tones, and the dog would be lying beside her, head in her lap, totally relaxed and content.”

She had a gift for bringing the hard cases back to life, which in turn made them attractive adoption prospects. Without her intervention, many of those dogs might have shut down completely, spent more time on the adoption floor, and had a harder time adjusting to a new family. She made a real difference in their lives.

The animals made a difference in her life, too.

“As Nanci struggled with the long, ugly battle with cancer, her time at the shelter gave her solace, a reason to get up every day—even on the bad days,” says her husband, Steve. “She loved going to the shelter.”

The truth is, Nanci made a difference in all of our lives. The world will be a slightly dimmer place without her.

Godspeed, dear friend. You will be missed.

–– By Jennifer Miller, FOTAS President
and Joanna Samson, FOTAS Vice-President

2019, Adoption, awards, Dogs, FOTAS, News, Volunteer, Volunteers

FOTAS Owes its Success to Aiken Community

Posted on by Bob Gordon
02
Jul

When the 2019 Aiken’s Choice winners were announced for the Best of Aiken Contest (hosted by the Aiken Standard), FOTAS was voted the winner of the Best Nonprofit Organization and FOTAS’s annual Woofstock Doggie Derby Day was voted as the Best Pet-Friendly Event. We couldn’t be more touched and pleased, not only because of the recognition (always nice) but because we were selected by you, the community.

We know how many other worthy nonprofits operate in Aiken and that makes your selection of FOTAS even more meaningful.

FOTAS President Jennifer Miller and Gary Bunker cut the ribbon for the shelter’s animal wellness center.

FOTAS was formed 10 years ago in response to the heartbreaking plight of the homeless and abandoned animals in Aiken County. At the time, about 6,000 animals were consigned to the County Shelter each year: only 5% made it out alive. The County Shelter was old and outdated. There were no play yards and very few volunteers. There was no adoption program to speak of. In 2009, the founders of FOTAS dreamed of a day when no adoptable animal would have to be euthanized in Aiken County.

We’re so close. In 10 short years, intake numbers have dropped roughly 16 to 21% (still too many but making progress), but the save rate at the County Shelter has increased from a dismal 5% to a whopping 90%. The 10% we can’t save are too emotionally or physically damaged to make good, safe family pets. Maybe one day the number of animals too far gone to save will be reduced to a few rare instances. We can only hope.

The volunteers work hard but there are rewards to what they do each day at the shelter.

We could not have come this far and saved those thousands of animals without your – the community’s – support. You showed up in droves to let your elected County officials know that you wanted better outcomes for our homeless animals, and they listened. You volunteer at the shelter six days a week and on holidays, performing as many as 10 full-time jobs to supplement the County’s dedicated staff.

The adoption program is thriving thanks to the army of committed citizens who come every day to walk and socialize the animals. We are able to market our animals and go the extra mile to find every animal a home because you help us with social media, outreach, fostering and transfer programs. Moreover, thanks to our fundraising efforts and special events and your seemingly bottomless generosity, we are able to finance new programs, equipment and training for and at the shelter, as well as subsidize the costs of adoption, spay/neuter and other medical needs – all designed to increase the number of adoptions while reducing the population of homeless animals and thus the annual intake at the shelter.

Volunteer Pat Kahn comforts a new arrival.

We are humbled and proud that you have recognized our efforts and celebrate our success through these 2019 Aiken’s Choice Awards. But the truth is we owe it all to your generosity and support, and these awards honor you as much as they honor us.

With your continued commitment, we will reduce the population of homeless and unwanted animals; we will get those intake numbers down; and we will attain the goal of never having to euthanize another adoptable pet in Aiken County.

That is our pledge to you. Thank you and God bless.

Their lives are in our hands.

P.S.: Help! The shelter is overrun with kittens and puppies. If you’re thinking about a new pet, now’s the time.

–By Jennifer Miller, FOTAS President and
Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice President

BY THE NUMBERS
In June, the Aiken County Animal Shelter received more than 500 strays and surrendered pets. The shelter facility is currently full.

PETS OF THE WEEK

OLYMPIA
Mixed breed, female, 1-1/2 years old, 57 pounds – $35

BRANDON
Domestic Shorthair kitten, 2 months old, Tabby, 1.5 pounds – $10

2019, Adoption, Bully Dogs, Dogs, Foster, fostering, FOTAS, News, Pibbles, surrendered pets, Training, Volunteer, Volunteers

Fostering Prepares Pets for Adoption and Saves Lives

Posted on by Bob Gordon
25
Jun

The need for foster homes is greater than ever. The Aiken County Animal Shelter is full of puppies, dogs, cats and kittens who are confused and afraid. So far in June, we have taken in more than 400 animals in just three weeks. There are only so many places to put these animals.

Yvonne Brookes works with her foster dog, WALTER, who since has been adopted.

Fostering saves lives and is rewarding beyond words! It gives strays and surrendered pets time to decompress, heal and thrive and when people temporarily take them into their homes, it makes room for more animals at the shelter. We choose foster pets that are easy to rehome and often need only a week in your care. Puppies and kittens need a bit longer — two to four weeks.

Young Boxer mix FANCY enjoys her stay with the Brookes family while waiting to be adopted
Senior Beagle ERNIE arrived at the shelter with a serious wound but healed in a foster home and then was adopted to a great family.

Fancy, a young female Boxer mix now available for adoption, has enjoyed spending time at the home of FOTAS fosters Colin and Yvonne Brookes.

“Fancy is the most amazing little house dog,” Yvonne noted. “Calm and polite, she is a joy to have around. Loves to play with her toys and fetch balls. She is housebroken and adores travelling in the car with you. She is good with adults, children and most dogs. She will sit on command and is very trainable – always eager to please. Come give this girl some sugar and a forever home … she will love you forever in return.”

Ernie, a senior Beagle, came to us with a large wound and needed time in foster care. After being in a foster home for a week, he was adopted and his new mom reported back, “He is the best — absolutely perfect! I have been looking for a dog for three years and I am so glad I waited.”

Volunteers often write notes to the people who adopt their foster animals. Here are some examples:

“These young dogs are so fabulous. They love to play together and keep each other company. They were skittish and fearful at first, but we walk twice a day in the woods and at every turn they run back to me. We have really enjoyed watching them blossom!” – Foster Betty Ryberg

“This Southern Doll Baby is stout, sturdy, wiggles when she walks and just adorable. She plays well with her foster brother. She is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Does not bark. Enjoy her as we have.” – Fosters Gary and Toni Urben

FOTAS Volunteer Gary Urben has been fostering ACAS dogs for a long time.

“Blake is a super happy and beautiful dog. He wags his tail vigorously at the sight of his people. He is crate-trained, walks off leash with other dogs easily, comes when called, sits on command, and is eager to learn. Blake enjoys playing with other dogs, shares food and toys well. We really loved having him in our life for the week.” – Foster Shana Pearsons

Foster parents help get these pets ready for forever homes and the adopting families are so grateful. They love their rescue dogs and love to know that someone else loved them, too.

If you are interested in fostering, please contact FOTAS at info@fotasaiken.org or (803) 514-4313. You can also come to the County Animal Shelter at 333 Wire Road and fill out a short application.

Their lives are in our hands.

— By Kathy Jacobs, FOTAS Program Director

PETS OF THE WEEK

NIGELLA
German Shepherd, female, 4 years old, 65 pounds – $35

OLIVIA
Domestic Medium-hair kitten, 2 months old, 1.5 pounds – $10