The Tail that Saved Ansel

Ansel was a stray, but someone must have loved him, because all you had to do was look his way and that tail would wag his whole great big American Bulldog body.  Everything wagged.

A happy dog-tail is a good thing, but in the narrow confines of the shelter pen that tail whacked itself bloody.  The volunteers were concerned. The shelter staff would pull Ansel, clean and bandage his tail, and Ansel would chew the wrapping off.  The solution seemed to be to dock his tail.

County Vet Kim said you can’t dock a tail in a mature dog without risking nerve damage, so she shortened Ansel’s tail a few inches.  But keeping the dog from messing with his wound was hopeless.  A foster placement was needed.

December and Kenny Clark own the Bark Mart in Graniteville, a full-service, locally owned, animal-lover’s paradise.  There is not an animal care product you could want that they don’t carry, plus grooming, boarding, and a low-cost spay/neuter clinic next door.  In the last half-year the Clarks have donated over 6,200 lbs. of high-quality dog food to the county shelter to help keep the dogs healthy.

December agreed to foster Ansel so his tail could heal.

Ansel arrived at the Bark Mart in a muzzle.  It was to keep him away from his tail, but as Chief Arthurs handed December Ansel’s leash, she was already deciding to firmly establish herself as “Queen” in the big dog’s mind.

She took him on rounds of the property as Ansel’s wiggle grew desperate.  He so badly wanted her to like him and to reassure him that he was going to be okay in the new place.  December ignored him.  Finally, tired and confused, Ansel sat.  As soon as his butt hit the floor, December was all over him with loving praise. From that moment on, Ansel was hers to command. 

Highly trainable, Ansel learned to sit with a simple motion of the hand. He never messed his kennel, even when tested for endurance, not once.  She fed him great food and he put on good weight.  He learned to greet every dog in the boarding kennel politely, and he had toys and treats and even a “blankey” that he toted around.

The family that saw Ansel on Petfinder lived two hours away in Pelzer, South Carolina.  December agreed to bring Ansel to meet them.  She bathed him and he buried his big face in her armpit as if he knew he was leaving.  December waivered about letting him go.  They had become good friends.

The Pelzer family; mom, dad, two girls and a boy, arrived at the shelter 90 minutes early.  They passed the time playing with a pit-bull named Theodore.

When Ansel Arrived, It was love at first sight.  They took him for a walk.  The dad had always had American Bulldogs and pits.  “He’s big, but we love him,” the girl-child said.  The next weekend, they came back and adopted Theodore.

The end of this tail is a grand beginning.

tagline:  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”

April 15^th thru 28^th

Brought in:      90 dogs and 49 cats

Adopted:         24 dogs and NO cats!

Put down:        72 dogs and 60 cats

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week!” 

 HYDE – Chow-Chow 2yr. 53 lbs.  Will aim to please his new best friend.  Only $70

HALEY –  Adult female Siamese mix. 9.5 lbs.  Gorgeous blue eyes and mellow-mellow. Only $35!

 

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

Gary Willoughby Leaves County Shelter Memories and Brighter Future

Chief Bobby Arthurs and Gary Willoughby assumed leadership of their respective shelters at almost the same time and began forging a relationship that would transform both operations in five years.

Since 1990, when the current Aiken County Shelter was built, the Aiken SPCA were next-door neighbors, with the City Annex in-between.  But the two shelters might as well have been on opposite ends of the world.

2007, the SPCA, a long-time private no-kill shelter, had big plans for a new regional spay-neuter and pet adoption center moving full-speed ahead.  While our public animal shelter next door had a euthanasia rate pushing 100%, and barely hopes for building and staffing an adequate facility for neglected, abused and unwanted county animals.

The first thing Bobby and Gary did to establish ties between their operations was create a legal “Transfer Agreement” between the public shelter and a private rescue operation.  Although the SPCA can stay full without many County Shelter transfers, that original agreement paved the way for FOTAS to build Aiken County Shelter’s Transfer Program into perhaps the largest in South Carolina.

During the ensuing five years, the two men forged a mutually beneficial working relationship, and a friendship.  The SPCA helped the County move animals they would have euthanized because they are not equipped to house or re-home them: livestock, horses, ponies, pot-belly pigs, hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, and some heart-worm positive dogs.

Then, when the SPCA had the fire that required emergency vacating of their facility, the County stepped in with housing, even sharing their “surgery closet” so that the SPCA could continue operating.

Gary Willoughby also partnered with the County by serving with Chief Arthurs on the Aiken County Animal Control Advisory Committee (AC3) throughout his tenure as Executive Director of the Aiken SPCA and their new Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare.  The AC3 provides animal control policy recommendations to County Council, and the SPCA perspective has added breadth and depth to the knowledge base of that advice.

The last, and perhaps most significant, achievement that the leadership of these two organizations has fostered is SNAP, FOTAS’ Spay/Neuter Assistance Program.

SNAP was proposed in late 2011 by a citizen-proponent of spay/neuter during the hey-day of all the building plans between the SPCA and the County.  Piloted as a donor-funded voucher program, SNAP has evolved into a state-of-the-art collaboration among County Animal Control, volunteers, the Albrecht Center’s high-volume spay/neuter clinic, private donors and small grants. 

Last week, Gary Willoughby and Bobby Arthurs sat at the same table, likely for the last time.  Key players from FOTAS and the SPCA were also in attendance.  The purpose was to define the future of SNAP with an SPCA without Gary.

The SPCA has its new Albrecht Center.  The County just broke ground for their new shelter, and FOTAS is feverishly raising money to furnish it.  The missions now unite with Spay/Neuter: FOTAS and County Animal Control target trouble spots; the SPCA provides transport and low/cost surgeries.  All we need are your donations to SNAP. Everybody wins! 

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”

March 4^th thru 10^th

Received: 11 dogs and 4 cats

Adopted: 10 dogs and 1 cats

Euthanized:  13 dogs and 22 cats

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week!” 

 AMY – 8 mos. Blue Tick Hound.  This little lady is a “hound-doll!”  Come grab her or her brother Alvin or only $70 



 

SO-SO – 6-year-young Persian Mix.  This lovely lady is purr-fect for your lap.  Only $35!

*All adoption fees include: Spay/Neuter, heartworm test, all shots, worming, and microchip 

FOTAS Seeks Help for a Family in Sudden Need

Some faiths assure us that God will not place a burden upon us greater than we can bear.  If true, there is a young woman (she turned 27 this week) whose huge heart caused God to call upon her for help. 

FOTAS found out about Taisha, and her new family of five children and one dog, last Monday because the dog, a Jack Russell she named BJ, had been seriously injured in the road. 

Two months ago, Taisha didn’t have any children, or a dog.  The last dog she rescued found its way to a new home, allegedly by a child who stole him.  When Taisha finally found her dog, he was in good care, and she didn’t have the heart to separate him from his new family. Oh, that big heart!

A friend asked Taisha to rescue BJ. She and her dad had just moved to a 3-acre property.  BJ was neglected and abused.  There was talk of dumping him.  BJ arrived at Taisha’s home, starved and scared of everyone, hiding in her closet.

A couple of weeks later, the five children arrived.  The fifteen-year-old, we’ll call Tanya, called Taisha because she and her three half-brothers ages 6, 8, and 9, and little half-sister, 5, had been evicted.  The mother, an addict, was gone, incapable of caring for them, and Tanya was terrified that the siblings would all be separated. 

Taisha and her dad took the five children in.  Beds were donated; clothes and school supplies acquired, with help from Christ Central and Taisha’s church.

Then Taisha’s dad crushed his finger at work and was put on temporary disability, allowing him to be home nights during their transition. 

Tanya had never liked dogs, but the uprooted adolescent, and the little abused dog bonded.  BJ loved the children and learned to play, chasing a foam football that he had yet to learn to bring back. He was a new dog.

The accident occurred because BJ followed Tanya to the school bus.  When she boarded, BJ chased the bus and was hit by a bread truck. Taisha came home from the store to find her neighbor with BJ wrapped in his jacket.

Taisha drives a scooter and doesn’t have a car.  She didn’t have the money to pay for “services-when-rendered” at the vet clinics she called.  Ultimately, she was referred to Aiken County Animal Control. 

Chief Bobby Arthurs could have had the injured animal picked up for disposal.  Instead, he called FOTAS.  FOTAS agreed to loan Taisha a crate and the estimated $1,000-1,500 for BJ’s surgery.  Taisha followed the officer with BJ to the animal clinic on her scooter.  She will repay FOTAS in biweekly installments. 

“Things just keep falling into place,” she says.  This is a young woman worth investing in, we say, part of a responsible, animal-loving county.

BJ After Surgery

BJ came home on Thursday morning. 

To help lighten Taisha’s burden, you can send a check to PO Box 2207, Aiken, 29802, or donate to BJ’s Fund on our Website.

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”

August 13^th thru 26^th

Received: 137 dogs and 87 cats

Adopted: 13 dogs and 8 cats

Put down: 89 dogs and 83 cats

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week” are HALF PRICE*!

WESLEY – Terrier mix 2.5 yrs. 51 lbs. 

He’s a little bit gimpy, but sweet as he can be.  Only  $35!

PRECIOUS  – Adult female tabby with big blue eyes.   

What else could you call her?  $35.

 

*All adoption fees include: Spay/Neuter, heartworm test, all shots, worming, and microchip and are half price thru 9/8/12!