From The Aiken Standard
Submitted Article
Happy Birthday, FOTAS!
Barely a year ago, three women decided to move beyond animal control policy to animal advocacy and formed a new nonprofit. They committed to help Aiken County transform conditions at the county Animal Shelter through a public charity. On July 29, 2009, Friends of the Animal Shelter Inc., (FOTAS) was founded. Its primary mission: To reduce the number of companion animals dying at the county shelter.
The problems were huge. Five- or six-thousand unwanted, neglected, and abused cats and dogs were coming through each year. Most were housed in cages and overflow pens for five days, put down, bagged and dumped in the landfill. Many in the Aiken community were unaware that the county shelter and the Aiken SPCA were not the same place.
Barely a year ago, three women decided to move beyond animal control policy to animal advocacy and formed a new nonprofit. They committed to help Aiken County transform conditions at the county Animal Shelter through a public charity. On July 29, 2009, Friends of the Animal Shelter Inc., (FOTAS) was founded. Its primary mission: To reduce the number of companion animals dying at the county shelter.
The problems were huge. Five- or six-thousand unwanted, neglected, and abused cats and dogs were coming through each year. Most were housed in cages and overflow pens for five days, put down, bagged and dumped in the landfill. Many in the Aiken community were unaware that the county shelter and the Aiken SPCA were not the same place.
Others thought that "the County" dogs went to be "put down," not a place to adopt a pet.
After 20 years, a decaying Public Works facility was grossly inadequate for the population it served and wrong for Aiken's identity as an "Animal friendly community." Additionally, it was difficult for citizens who cared to find a way to help.
It's been a busy year.
FOTAS' volunteer program is about to celebrate its first birthday, and the dogs are getting out of their cages more days at least for a little while.
FOTAS continues to transfer a few lucky dogs to a no-kill shelter in Massachusetts.
On Halloween, the FOTAS mascots handed out thousands of treats for dogs and humans while promoting spay/neuter.
The equine community held three events to raise awareness and money in October, January and April.
In November, FOTAS expanded the previous county shelter open house and held a vendor-supported pet fair to encourage visits and boost adoptions.
The shelter's holding pens now have concrete floors and a shade roof. The big dogs up for adoption have a big yard to run in with a modest picnic shelter for their handlers.
Since the second one, FOTAS' benefit breakfast at Applebee's is practically a tradition. Until June, when numbers shot up, County shelter adoptions were up, and the kill-rate was finally dipping below 90 percent. Soon, our biggest and our proudest accomplishment so far will be announced to the public. We don't want to spoil the surprise. . . it was a good year.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured by the way in which its animals are treated," Mahatma Gandhi once said.
In Aiken, we tell our visitors that "character comes first," and offer them a list of its attributes. And here we are, FOTAS and the Aiken County Animal Shelter, celebrating our first year and hoping that one day the way we treat all our animals will reflect who we truly want to be as a community.
Spay or neuter your pets, and rescued animals need patience, loving guidance and are well worth the time.
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Your comments and input are always welcome. We appreciate any suggestions or thoughts that will help FOTAS with their goal to help the Aiken County Animal Shelter become a happy, healthy place that never has to euthanize an adoptable pet.