IT TAKES AN ARMY!

IT TAKES AN ARMY!

by Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Board of Directors

as seen in the "Aiken Standard", Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013

Since the start of the recession in 2008, the number of abandoned and neglected horses has skyrocketed as a result of financial hardship caused by changed circumstances.  We’ve all heard the heartbreaking stories: horses left on a farm without food and water when the owners are forced to move, or abandoned by feckless owners in parks and other people’s pastures, even in a stranger’s trailer at a horse show. 

Aiken County is not immune to this disturbing trend.  Just two weeks ago, Bobby Arthurs, the County’s Animal Control Officer, received a call from a good Samaritan, who found a small bay mare wandering along a county road in South Aiken.  The Samaritan caught the mare and put her out in his own fields for the weekend, and now he wanted the County to pick her up.  What does the County do in these situations?

According to Mr. Arthurs, the vast majority of calls he receives about stray horses involve an accidental escape, and with the help of neighbors and the responding deputies, those horses are returned home immediately.  Of the few that have to be transported to the shelter, most are claimed by the owners within 24 hours.  

On rare occasions, the owner cannot be found.  In those cases, the County holds the horses for a 10-day period to allow time for the owner to surface.  If the owner cannot be found, the County’s veterinarian tests and inoculates the horse, and then it is transferred to Equine Rescue of Aiken (ERA) for any necessary rehabilitation and “rehoming”.  According to Jim Rhodes, the manager of ERA, all but one of the 25 or so horses transferred to ERA from the County over the years has been successfully re-homed. 

Thanks to the efforts of FOTAS and ERA, the new Aiken County Animal Shelter under construction on May Royal Drive will be better able to handle the occasional emergency need to hold a stray horse.  The County plans to construct two small, temporary holding pens with run-in sheds that will double most of the time as additional dog play areas. FOTAS, who has been raising money to furnish and equip the new shelter with fencing, cage banks and the like, asked Mr. Rhodes for advice on how the paddocks and run-in sheds could be designed.

“To our great delight,” says Jennifer Miller, President of FOTAS, “Jim offered to have ERA raise the money and install the new paddocks, which allows FOTAS to expend those funds on other critical furnishings and equipment for the new shelter.  ERA has been and continues to be a great partner in handling these isolated incidents.”

“It takes an army,” says Mr. Rhodes about the amount of people and resources necessary to properly rescue and re-home an abandoned horse.  He’s right.  

It also takes an army of goodhearted people, responsible government and generous donors to build a community animal shelter.  To the good citizens of Aiken and Aiken County, thank 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”

Oct. 20 - Oct. 26, 2013

8 dogs and 1 cat adopted

Year to Date:  

601 terrific pets adopted

THANK YOU AIKEN COUNTY COMMUNITY!

Aiken County Shelter “Pet of the Week!”

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

SALLEY -- Bull/Carolina dog mix ... 3 yrs old ... 36.6 lbs       Only $70.

BELLA ----    Domestic short hair female kitten.  2.9  lbs      Only $35.