The Community that Cares

The Community that Cares

By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Board of Directors

as seen in the "Aiken Standard" on 12/29/13

When Amelia Overstreet turned 9, she asked the guests to her birthday party to bring donations for FOTAS and the County Shelter instead of birthday gifts for her.  They responded with enthusiasm, bringing all sorts of pet food, toys, kitty litter and grooming products.

When Amelia and her twin sisters, Sophia and Olivia, delivered this generous bounty to the Aiken County Animal Shelter this month, they were proud and excited.  When asked why she made this noble sacrifice, she said, “I have lots of toys and I wanted the dogs and cats at the shelter to have a lot of toys and food too.”

Amelia’s thoughtful act of generosity is extraordinary, but then again, Amelia and her sisters are children of Aiken, and Aiken is a community of big-hearted folks who love their animals.  

Here are just a few examples of community contributions to the cause during this holiday season:

Sara Wildasin is hosting the 4^th Annual Winter Hunter Pace on December 30 at her 1200-acre farm, Fox Nation for the benefit of FOTAS.

For the second year, Sybil Davis, a local veterinarian, and Brittani Croft, an accomplished photographer, held a Photos for FOTAS fundraiser.

Holly Woltz, also a local veterinarian, delivered boxes full of pet toys, leashes, and blankets solicited from her clients to the shelter.

Kelly Paint and Body on York Street offer car washes in exchange for donations to FOTAS.

Beth Barranco, wife of Aiken Public Safety Chief Charles Barranco, has designated FOTAS as one of the 12 Charities of Christmas on her Facebook page.

HealthSource Chiropractic and Progressive Rehab offered new patients a comprehensive initial visit in exchange for donations to the shelter.

And on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, scores of dedicated volunteers came to the shelter to walk dogs and play with the cats from 8 a.m. – 11 a.m., making it possible for those animals to receive human love and attention on the days when the shelter is closed for the holidays.

The Aiken community’s stunning generosity to FOTAS and the County Shelter has not been limited to special times or holidays. 

Donations to FOTAS in the past year have made it possible for FOTAS to purchase all of the cages, kennels and equipment needs for the new County Shelter scheduled to open in the first quarter of next year.

FOTAS was able to fund the spay/neuter of 388 pets owned by folks in the community.

Through the efforts of our volunteers and foster families and the growth of our adoption and transfer programs, FOTAS helped the County Shelter save and re-home 1581 animals during Fiscal Year 2013.

There is still so much to do.  The County’s intake numbers (almost 4800 in FY2013) are dismal.  Until the overpopulation of dogs and cats is checked through wide-spread acceptance of a robust spay/neuter program, those numbers will remain unacceptably high.

We at FOTAS are grateful and humbled by the continuous commitment of the citizens of Aiken and Aiken County to improve the welfare of the unfortunate animals that end up in the shelter system.  We are also grateful to have developed such a cooperative public/private partnership with the County.

From all of us at FOTAS to all of you, thank you.  We wish you and your families all the best health and happiness in the New Year.

May God bless.

FOTAS Volunteers work with the AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, 411 Wire Road.  For more information, contact “info@fotasaiken.org” or visit FOTAS on line at www.fotasaiken.org.

Aiken County Animal Shelter:  “By the Numbers”

Dec. 16 - Dec. 21, 2013

 

17 dogs and 11 cats adopted

Year to Date:  

722 terrific pets adopted

THANK YOU AIKEN COUNTY COMMUNITY!

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week!”

Holiday special prices thru Jan. 4 -- Shelter closed Jan. 1

**All adoption fees include:  spay/neuter, heartworm test, all shots, worming, and microchip.

WILLIE     American Bulldog/Shepherd mix, male, 2 yrs old, 61 lbs  Only $35

TONYA    Siamese, female, 10 yrs old, 6.8 lbs    Only $20 

No Place Like Home for the Holidays

 

No Place Like Home for the Holidays

by Joanna  Samson, FOTAS Board of Directors

 

Is there anything sadder than being alone on Christmas?  Maybe you’re out of the country, in the service, stuck in an airport.  Maybe your family lives far away and you can’t afford the annual trek.  Maybe you don’t have a family.  Whatever the reason, being alone on a day when it seems like (whether it’s true or not) the rest of the world is luxuriating around a Christmas Tree in front of a fire surrounded by friends and family is down right miserable.

This Christmas season, while the rest of us hustle and bustle to make Christmas special for our own families and loved ones, many adoptable animals will spend their day in a cage in the closed and dark Aiken County Animal Shelter, with no chance of interacting with staff or volunteers the way they do when the shelter is open.

I am the first to admit that I am guilty of rampant anthropomorphism, but the thought of those homeless animals curled up on some ratty blanket in a drab crate awaiting their ultimate fate breaks my heart.  I know intellectually that Christmas has no meaning for an animal, and that animals live in the moment.  If in that moment, they are fed, warm and protected . . . well, that’s a pretty good moment no matter where they are.

But still . . . what if we could make that moment even greater?  What if in addition to basic care, those animals could curl up in a loving home where they can play and be hugged and fussed over (like Woody, a recent Shelter adoptee pictured here with his owner Kayson--she put reindeer ears on Woody) . . . wouldn’t that be a better moment?

We folks at FOTAS and the Aiken County Animal Shelter think so, and we are sponsoring a Holiday Foster Program, where local families can sponsor an adoptable dog or cat for two or three days over Christmas and/or over the New Year’s holiday.    The foster family would pick them up before Christmas or New Years, keep them over the holiday, and return them to the shelter after Christmas or New Years.

I know what you’re thinking.  No, no, no!  I’ll get attached.  I’ll feel guilty taking them back to the shelter. 

I get it – but why not think instead: By giving this dog or cat a bunch of moments full of love and attention, I can override negative experiences with good ones, make the animal happier and thus more adoptable, and increase its likelihood of finding a forever home.

I wish I could remember what wise person said, “The only love I regret is the love I didn’t give,” but isn’t that the truth?  Please consider fostering a shelter animal this holiday season.  Contact the shelter at 803-642-1537 or stop by the shelter at 411 Wire Rd.

If you have been thinking about adopting a pet, now is the time. You would be saving a life as the Shelter’s kennels have become so overcrowded in the past few weeks with so many pets who were abandoned or surrendered.  Through January 4, 2014, the County Shelter adoption fees are reduced to $35/dog and $20/cat.

 

Foster, Adopt, Love and Merry Christmas, one and all.  There’s no place like home!

 

 

FOTAS Volunteers work with the AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, 411 Wire Road.  For more information, contact “info@fotasaiken.org” or visit FOTAS on line at www.fotasaiken.org.

Aiken County Animal Shelter:  “By the Numbers”

 

Dec. 9 - Dec. 14, 2013

 

12 dogs and 1 cat adopted

Year to Date:  

694 terrific pets adopted

 

THANK YOU AIKEN COUNTY COMMUNITY!

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week!” Holiday special prices -- Shelter closed Dec. 24, 26 and Jan. 1

**All adoption fees include:  spay/neuter, heartworm test, all shots, worming, and microchip.

DUFFY     Lab mix puppy, male, 20 lbs  Only $35 

 

BANFORD   Domestic short hair -- male -- 6 yrs old, 12 lbs  Only $20

 

The Cat House that FOTAS Built

The Cat House that FOTAS Built

By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Board of Directors

as seen in the "Aiken Standard" on 12-15-12

Ernie Wolf has been a FOTAS volunteer at the Aiken County Animal Shelter since its creation in 2008.  Ernie is a man who loves cats, so he was particularly troubled by the conditions at the shelter for its feline occupants. 

The adoptable cats and kittens were crowded into metal cages stacked against a back wall in an area the size of a closet in the shelter. There was no fresh air, no place to play, no opportunity to go outside.  The noise level and barking inside the shelter compounded the stressful conditions.  Moreover, there was no place for potential adopters to take a cat or kitten out of the cage for a proper introduction.

So when Sandy Larsen, the senior vet tech at the shelter, asked FOTAS to help find a better solution for housing the adoptable felines, Ernie jumped at the opportunity to help FOTAS with the project.

“We can definitely do better,” he said. 

FOTAS set about raising money to pay the cost of the new facility.  Ernie, a retired mechanical and architectural engineer, developed the basic design criteria.

In the new feline shelter the cats would be free to roam in two separate cat colonies.  It would be air conditioned, well ventilated, properly insulated and quiet.  There would be a protected outdoor space for the feline residents to play, climb, stretch out and cat nap in the sun.

Ernie worked with a local contractor to customize a 30’ x 12’ Lark Metal Building at the factory with doors in accordance with FOTAS and the County’s design criteria.  When the manufacturer delivered the specially-designed building to the site, Ernie and other FOTAS volunteers worked with the contractors to hook up the systems, outfit the inside and enclose the outside with appropriate fencing.

The C.A.T.S. (Cats at the Shelter) House opened for business 2010.  The speed and efficiency in which the project moved from concept to completion is a testament to FOTAS’ coordination, planning and fundraising, Ernie’s vision and expertise, and the County’s foresight and willingness to better the living conditions of its feline occupants.

When the new community shelter opens in January, Ernie will oversee the move and installation of the C.A.T.S. House to the new shelter on May Royal Drive on behalf of FOTAS.  There will be a few additional improvements: new metal framing for the outside runs, an overall metal awning for shade, a state of the art ventilation system and well-designed landscaping.

It will be a healthy and peaceful place for the County’s homeless, adoptable cats to wait for their chance to find a loving home.

It is a sad fact that the shelter takes in far more cats than it has space to hold, so If you have been considering adopting a cat, now’s the time.  Through January 4, adoption prices for cats have been reduced to $20. Adoption prices for dogs are only $35.

Want more information about FOTAS volunteer opportunities?  Contact us at www.FOTASAiken.org or call us at 803-514-4313

Ernie Wolf and his cat Murphy:

FOTAS Volunteers work with the AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, 411 Wire Road.  For more information, contact “info@fotasaiken.org” or visit FOTAS on line at www.fotasaiken.org.

Aiken County Animal Shelter:  “By the Numbers”

Dec. 2 - Dec. 7, 2013

 

13 dogs and 0 cats adopted

Year to Date:  

681 terrific pets adopted

 

THANK YOU AIKEN COUNTY COMMUNITY!

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week!” Christmas special prices thru Jan. 4, 2014

**All adoption fees include:  spay/neuter, heartworm test, all shots, worming, and microchip.

KENORA   Shepherd/Lab mix -- female -- 9 mos old, 31.7 lbs  Only $35 

ZACHARY   Domestic short hair -- male -- 3 yrs old, 9.6 lbs  Only $20

The Joy of Adopting a Shelter Pet

The Joy of Adopting a Shelter Pet

by Joanna Samson, FOTAS Board of Directors

as seen in the "Aiken Standard" 12/8/13

My husband David swears that shelter dogs are grateful.  He says they know they have been saved and that you saved them, and that their love and devotion are expressions of that gratitude.  

Now I can’t say for sure that our Maggie dog’s love is an expression of gratitude rather than a reciprocal response to our love and care, or that the depth of our terrier mutt Jack’s devotion to us is somehow greater than, say, a pedigreed poodle’s devotion to its owner.

But I can say this: for most of us, the choice of that special companion from a shelter is not deliberate or particularly rational.  We visit the county shelter, and somehow, despite the pain in our hearts we feel for all of those animals with an uncertain future, we are drawn to a particular animal by some primordial feeling emanating from that mysterious, magical place in our soul where the spirit kindles love.

Stormee and Chase Cato and their daughter, Kayson knew what kind of dog they wanted after their beloved Deuce, a pit bull, passed away: another big dog or maybe a Brittany Spaniel.  Nevertheless, they decided to visit the Aiken County shelter before purchasing a new puppy, more out of a sense of civic responsibility than a conviction they might find a suitable dog.

When the Cato’s pulled up to the shelter, they saw a beautiful brown spaniel cross named Woody romping with other dogs in the fenced yard, and they just knew, somehow, he was special.  Was it his soft eyes, his joyful frolicking or the gentle way he played with Kayson in the yard?  The Catos can’t say for sure, but they knew their search was over; Woody was the one.

Lynn and Woody Malone have a similar story.  They weren’t certain they were ready for another dog so soon after the death of their long time canine companion.  But their friend Edie Hubler and long-time FOTAS shelter volunteer Sandra Procter just had this feeling that a sweet, black lab mix at the shelter named Lewis would be a perfect fit for the Malone’s.

And he was – they were instantly smitten.  Was it Lewis’ soulful, big brown eyes? The playful, sometimes silly personality?  Who knows?  The Malone’s took Lewis home, renamed him Charlie, and made him a member of their family.

One might be tempted to attribute the spontaneous attraction of the Cato’s to Woody or the Malone’s to Charlie to something more mundane, like opportunity or pity, but I do not.  Fact is, there were lots of other dogs at the shelter on those days worthy of their selection.

I believe it was destiny.  The Cato’s brought Woody home the very day Chase’s father died, and Woody has been instrumental in helping the Cato’s, and particularly Kayson, cope with that painful loss.

As for the Malone’s?  Well, Charlie has filled the void left by the death of their dog with joy.  He’s claimed the sofa and the chair, steals tomatoes off the table, pesters the cat and runs around the yard with a ten gallon plastic flower pot in his mouth.

Your destiny may be waiting for you right now at the Aiken County Animal Shelter.  Maybe it’s an adorable puppy, a goofy dog or a regal cat.  Please consider adopting your new pet at the Aiken County Animal Shelter – it’s a choice you won’t regret.

FOTAS Volunteers work with the AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, 411 Wire Road.  For more information, contact “info@fotasaiken.org” or visit FOTAS on line at www.fotasaiken.org.

Aiken County Animal Shelter:  “By the Numbers”

Nov.  23 - Nov. 30, 2013

 

11 dogs and 2 cats adopted

Year to Date:  

668 terrific pets adopted

 

THANK YOU AIKEN COUNTY COMMUNITY!

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week!”

DIAMOND -- pitt bull terrier mix, female, 1 yr old, 32 lbs

DONALD -- Domestic Short Hare, male  -- 5 mos. old, 4.8 lbs.   Only $35

Putting the County's Shelter Animals on Your Holiday Gift List

Putting the County’s Shelter Animals on Your Holiday Gift List

by Joanna Samson and Edie Hubler, FOTAS Board of Directors

as seen in the "Aiken Standard" on Sunday, December 1, 2013

FOTAS has much to celebrate this year.  

With the extraordinary support and commitment of FOTAS, Aiken County, FOTAS volunteers and supporters, the new Aiken County Animal Shelter will open in early 2014.  This new community shelter has been designed to provide a proper and healthy place for Aiken County’s abandoned, neglected and abused animals while many wait for a new home.

In the meantime, there is still much to do.  

The needs of the animals in the existing County Shelter, like the Pets of the Week pictured below, continue to be an urgent priority. 

With tight budgets and competing priorities in the County, FOTAS still needs to fund much-needed items and assistance for the new shelter. 

FOTAS will continue to expand its Spay/Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) in County hotspots and provide spay/neuter services for community cats through the FOTAS sponsored program, Lenny’s Brigade.

Please consider putting the County animals on your Holiday Gift List in any of the following ways:

• Donate $10 or more as a gift to honor a loved one or friend. We will send them a lovely holiday card to acknowledge your gift.

• Donate “pet food” money to help the Shelter purchase the food that best works for the animals (mark your donation “pet food”).  

• Donate leashes, collars, cat/dog treats and biscuits, durable dog/cat and snuggly puppy/kitten toys: you will make the shelter animals so happy. 

• Donate money: Since FOTAS is a 501(c)(3) public charity, the amount of your donation may be deductible from your taxes to the extent provided by IRS regulations.

• Donate Stock: You can deduct the fair market value of gift stock from your taxes and potentially avoid the payment of capital gains taxes on appreciated stock.

• Until the end of this year, if you are older than 70 and ½, you may be able to donate up to $100,000 from your IRA to FOTAS without having to pay taxes on the transfer. 

• Come to the Aiken County Animal Shelter and adopt a dog or a cat, like Joanne Gable did last week, pictured here with her shelter adoptee, Casper.  Volunteer your time or foster some mama dogs and their puppies.

Put your generous holiday spirit to work with donations that will make a difference in the lives of  the County’s unwanted, abandoned and neglected animals.  Your support is much needed and greatly appreciated.

Help FOTAS take one more step in reaching its ultimate goal: to never, ever have to euthanize another adoptable animal.

 FOTAS Volunteers work with the AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, 411 Wire Road.  For more information, contact “info@fotasaiken.org” or visit FOTAS on line at www.fotasaiken.org.

Aiken County Animal Shelter:  “By the Numbers”

Nov.  18 - Nov. 23, 2013

13 dogs and 0 cats adopted

Year to Date:  

655 terrific pets adopted

THANK YOU AIKEN COUNTY COMMUNITY!

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week!”

SKIPPY -- Jack Russell mix -- male --  1.5 years old  13 lbs.  Only $70

DARLA -- Domestic Short Hair -- female -- 2 yrs old -- 9 lbs.   Only $35

Transforming Lives through Kindness

Transforming Lives through Kindness

by Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Board of Directors

as seen in the "Aiken Standard" on November 17, 2013

They became FOTAS foster families for different reasons.  

Carolyn McCarthy wanted to find a way to ward off the inevitable holiday blues caused by her mother’s death.  Sylvia Igoe wanted to celebrate the memory of the family’s special dog, Apple.  Dineen Daniels wanted to express her life-long passion for animals and honor her own upbringing to value the importance of all life.

They each had slightly different expectations for the foster experience.  

Ms. McCarthy wanted to teach Liam and Reece the importance of giving back, of helping out in the community.  Ms. Igoe wanted Isabelle and Sean to experience first hand significant life lessons like overcoming adversity and the power of forgiveness.  Ms. Daniels wanted to reinforce the qualities of kindness and compassion in Baily, Parker and Josh.

By all measures, the fostering experience has been a success for all three of these families.

Liam and Reece request supplies for the Aiken County Animal Shelter in lieu of birthday gifts.  

Bailey and Parker take their jobs of feeding and caring for the puppies seriously, often getting up at night to help their mom bottle-feed.  Josh helps his mom administer medicine. He plans on being a veterinarian when he grows up.

Isabelle and Sean help their mom with all aspects of caring for the momma dog and their puppies: feeding, filling water bowls, cleaning the crates, playing and socializing with the puppies and giving extra special love and attention to the momma dogs.  They know how important their efforts are in helping these puppies find a forever home.

Life lessons learned?  You bet.  Parker loves to watch the puppies being born.  “It’s so cool that each puppy comes into the world in its own little sack.”

Isabelle and Sean have learned that even though these dogs have had challenges and hardship, they never give up.  With a little help, they can forgive and learn to love again.

Liam and Reece have learned to let go gracefully when the time comes for the puppies to leave.  “We know they are going to a safe place and a nice home,” says Liam.  

“It’s hard,” says Reece, but he thinks about the next dog he will foster and help find a new home.

Foster families like these are a critical component of FOTAS and the County’s efforts to find every adoptable animal a permanent home.  Every dog or puppy transferred to a foster home frees up space on the adoption floor of the County’s grossly overcrowded shelter for another adoptable animal.  That’s a big deal.

Carolyn McCarthy says, “The change that occurs in a dog when it is shown a little kindness is amazing.  It can take weeks, days or sometimes even hours, but every dog is different by the time they leave us.”

So, too, is the family who fostered that dog – it is transformed by the kindness it shows.

FOTAS desperately needs more foster families.  Call us at 803-514-4313 for more information.  You’ll be glad you did.

FOTAS Volunteers work with the AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, 411 Wire Road.  For more information, contact “info@fotasaiken.org” or visit FOTAS on line at www.fotasaiken.org.

Aiken County Animal Shelter:  “By the Numbers”

Nov. 4 - Nov. 9, 2013

10 dogs and 2 cats adopted

Year to Date:  

629 terrific pets adopted

THANK YOU AIKEN COUNTY COMMUNITY!

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week!”

**All adoption fees include:  spay/neuter, heartworm test, all shots, worming, and microchip.

BABE,  shepherd mix.  Female, 2 years old, 31 lbs        Only $35 -- adoption special.

BENJAMIN ----    Domestic short hair, Male.  4 months old   3.4 lbs      Only $35.