Adventures in Volunteering for FOTAS -- It's a Very Rewarding Experience

Adventures in Volunteering

By Georgianna “Girl” Conger, FOTAS Volunteer

as seen in the "Aiken Standard" on February 9, 2014

It was a call to my mother from her good friend Mary Lou that started it all for us.  “Could you please foster a sweet mama dog and her three pups for a few weeks to get them out of the shelter?” she asked.  

Well, it’s been three years and almost 150 mamas and puppies, and we are still helping FOTAS get these animals to the age and good health to get adopted to their forever homes.  It has been a glorious and heart wrenching adventure.  As a family we have this time together to take care of these dog families (and some just orphan puppies) while our lives seem to take us in different directions. 

Don’t get me wrong…it’s not all rainbows and butterflies.  There is a lot of stuff to clean up, then there’s the nursing of the sick little ones and the sometimes these precious souls leave us too early.  

It’s been said our hearts grow bigger when we foster dogs and cats in need.  It’s a good thing because when each of these animals leaves us to go to their new home a little piece of our heart goes with them.  I often wonder what would happen to the animals that we have fostered if we hadn’t taken them.  The truth is many would have never left the shelter.  The chances of them getting very sick are much greater when the pups stay in the shelter.

Volunteering for FOTAS, a most worthwhile organization, is a great way to step away from ourselves and make a difference in the lives of others (human, canine and feline).  

FOTAS’ foster families are are all incredibly selfless folks who have given their home and time to help these helpless puppies and dogs.  I have relished getting to know these amazing families as we share thoughts, puppy stories and of course the friendly rivalry of who can foster the most puppies.  

Getting to know the great staff at the shelter has also been a wonderful addition to our endeavor.  It takes a special kind of selflessness for a person to meet you at the shelter after hours (sometimes way after hours) to tend to a sick puppy.

The new county shelter is about to open, but the need for foster families will not abate.  The county deals with staggering numbers of animals coming in to the facility, and volunteers are needed more than ever!  

If fostering isn’t within your capabilities, then consider walking the dogs a few days a week.  How about a few minutes in the cathouse enjoying kitten love?  There are countless opportunities to volunteer at the new shelter including working at the front desk greeting potential adoptees, cutting the new walking trails, or landscape upkeep.

Volunteering is not about the recognition, but knowing in your heart you are doing something good for the world.  

When we first started fostering, I felt it wasn’t enough to foster just a few dogs, but I realized if I could make a difference for just one dog it was worth the time.  As the saying goes…”You may not change the world by fostering one dog but for that one dog you have changed the world”.

Georgianna Conger is a renowned sporting art artist who has lived in Aiken all her life.  She, her husband Randy Wolcott, their daughter Caroline and her mother, Courtney Conger are long-time supporters of FOTAS who have fostered hundreds of mama dogs and puppies.

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”

Jan. 27, 2014 - Feb. 1, 2014

16 dogs and 2 cats adopted

Year to Date:  

72 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.

TINA FEY   Lab/retriever mix,  female, 6 1/2 mos old, 32.7 lbs  Only $70 

MADONNA  Gray tabby -- female --

1 yr. old, 7 lbs  Only $35