“I’ll do anything; just don’t ask me to go to the shelter,”
say most of the dog and cat lovers who want to support the Aiken County Shelter
and volunteer with FOTAS.
Of course it’s heartbreaking. You walk in and all those eyes are watching
you, following you. “Please, please,
please pick me,” pray those eyes amidst a cacophony of barking. If you love dogs (of course you do; you are
there), you want to be the answer to those prayers, and you can’t.
It is much the same in the cat house, you sit and the cats
come purring, eager for a neck rub, a fanny scratch, a cuddle. You watch them cavort and compete for your
attention and think how lovely it would be to do this from your own sofa, but
you can’t. So you plead, “Don’t make me
go to the shelter. I can’t.”
So what would you get, if
you could and you did? There are some
very special people who do go, regularly.
Four days a week, every week, some FOTAS volunteers are at the shelter
walking dogs on leashes, teaching them manners and simple commands, or just how
to trust that someone cares. Others go
twice a
week and stay until every adoptable dog has been taken out
of its cage. Even once a week makes a
difference.
Caroline recalls intending to volunteer one day a week and
for two-and-a-half years she has gone four days, every week. Why?
She says it is so rewarding to make a difference in so many lives. She loves seeing the dogs get a new
home. She loves helping with the
transfers to our northern rescue partners.
She loves helping the new volunteers learn the ropes. “People should come and find out they can do
it, Caroline says, “Don’t get discouraged; the dogs can sense it, and some are already
so scared.”
Jim and his wife, Carol, joined Sybil Davis’s “Walk a Hound,
Lose a Pound” program at the shelter. Sybil taught them when the dog pulls on the
leash, to just stop; don’t let them pull you.
They learn. Carol walks the
smaller dogs and leaves happy, in a dirty shirt, knees covered in dog hair. With or without Carol, Jim stays until all
the dogs have gotten out.
Denise and Sandra spend four days a week with the dogs. “It’s
a calling,” says Denise, “You have to have a passion for it. If a dog is sick, we notice. If I miss a day, I want to know what happened
at the shelter. It’s where my heart is.”
“I was an RN for 40 years,” says Sandra, “I like nurturing,
but there were days when I didn’t want to go work. I never feel that way about going to the
shelter. I think of that special one who
is waiting for me. I love dog kisses and
the dirty shirts!”
Why not try it? You
will find love at the Aiken County Shelter, and may help others find love,
too. Until April 7th, all
dogs and cats are half price.
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 the Week of March 12th thru 18th 2012
Received: 73 dogs
and 25 cats
Adoptions: 9 dogs and 3 cats
Euthanized: 30 dogs and 14 cats
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| BRUNSON 1 yr 27 lbs Darling $35 includes shots,microchip, neuter |
“Pets of the Week” Spring Adoption Special ½ Price!
 |
| MANDY Petite Precious Calico 1/2 price $20! |
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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.