Make a Big Difference in a Little Life by Fostering

Once upon a seaside dawn a silver-haired man, deep in thought, was walking a long stretch of beach when he noticed a young woman off in the distance.  She appeared to be dancing as she reached down, picked up something from the sand, and hurled it out beyond the breakers into the sea.  As he approached her, she repeated the act again and again with curious determination.

Then he saw the multitude of starfish that had washed up on the shore.  One by one, the young woman was throwing them back into the water.

“What are you doing?” he asked in amazement.

“I can’t leave them here,” she replied, “The sun will be up soon and they will all die.”

“But there are miles of them along the beach!  You cannot possibly make a meaningful difference,” the old man chided.

Without speaking, the young woman reached down, picked up another starfish and threw it way out into the dark undulating ocean.  Then she turned and looked squarely at the old man.

“It made a difference to that one,” she replied, and returned to her task.

The old man stood for a moment and then walked on, picking up starfish and tossing them into the sea.

Puppies and kittens come by the box load to our Aiken County Shelter.  Already overcrowded with open sewage drains and horrid ventilation, there is no way to keep these tiny innocents healthy. 

The chance to save our pups to be adopted, or shipped out to no-kill shelters, requires that they be placed in foster care until they are 4 to 8 weeks older and immunized against the most life-threatening diseases.

Fostering can be truly rewarding according to our current foster families:

"Two bags of dog food for endless entertainment."

“Fostering does the heart good!”

“It is a way of appreciating God’s miracles.”

“Often abandoned without a mother, puppies sometimes died, but they had been held and pampered like the most precious creature in the world.  They knew love.”  

Please consider becoming a puppy foster parent (4 to 8 weeks), or a short-term (5 to 10 days) foster home.  Our short-term care is for dogs already approved for transfers who are taking up precious kennel space while waiting for their rides up north to no-kill shelters.

To become a foster parent for dogs or cats, please fill out a Foster Care Form, fax it to the shelter: 803-643-4006, or fill one out right there at 411 Wire Rd.  You will be contacted for a site evaluation by an Animal Control officer to

simply confirm your ability to provide a safe environment.

If you are ready to commit to a forever home for a new pet for the holidays, beginning tomorrow the Aiken County Shelter will be offering an end-of-year half-price special on all adoptions. 

Please join FOTAS this holiday season in making a difference in Aiken County, one innocent creature, one helpless litter, one bag of Pedigree, or one shelter improvement at a time.  God bless you.

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”

For Nov. 28th thru Dec. 4th    

Dogs taken in: 77

Cats taken in: 20

Dogs adopted: 9

Cats adopted: 5

Dogs euthanized: 60

Cats euthanized: 24

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week” 

MARCO – with his pal Maggie, just itching for a run in the woods!  Two for the price of one!

PUMPKIN -  a very handsome gentle boy to warm your lap this winter for only $17.50.