COLD NOSES FOR WARM HEARTS!

Shelter Dogs Warm Hearts With Cold Noses

By Joanna Samson, FOTAS Director

as seen in the "Aiken Standard" on February 16, 2014

All my dogs were adopted from a shelter.  It never occurred to me to go anyplace else.

Dogs with pedigrees are always more likely than not to find a good home, but the thousands of abandoned animals that end up in shelters every year are not so lucky.  It haunts me that an animal whose future has become uncertain through no fault of its own may die unloved.

My husband and I adopted four dogs from shelters and one abandoned on the side of the road.  Each one of them has enriched our lives in ways we could not have foreseen on the day we brought them home.

We often ask ourselves: how did we get so lucky to find five dogs that have given us far more than we have given them - a warm place to live, two square meals a day and consistent care?

I'd like to tell you there was some method to the selection process that yielded such great results, but that would be untrue.

Our first dog, Ricky, a white shepherd mix with boundless energy, was selected because our friend with many dogs who went with us to the shelter thought there was something special about him.

Our second dog, Maggie Mae, who was picked up on the side of the road by our vet, came home because Ricky fell in love with her while waiting to get his rabies shot.

When Maggie Mae died from cancer, we took Ricky back to the shelter to interview a few prospects. He selected Mack - a brown Australian shepherd mix who willingly shared his toys and his water bowl.

After Ricky died, I was directed by some internal force to go to the Aiken County Animal Shelter even though we weren't yet ready for another dog. When I walked into the back, the very first dog I saw was a pretty dachshund mix who cocked her head and met my gaze with a "what took you so long?" look.  When I found out her name was Maggie, I was undone. She came home with me over my husband objections, swiftly won him over, and has been by my side ever since.

I went back to the County shelter after Mack died of old age. One of the staff handed me a scruffy little black and white terrier mix.

"Absolutely not," I objected, "no terriers!"

"He just looks like a terrier," she assured me. "Really, he doesn't act like one." Jack joined the family. 

So you see, the selection process for a new dog is not an exact science. It is some quirky combination of luck, opportunity, instinct and reason. Sure, you need to assess the basics: how much time you can spend, the cost of care, the type of pet for your lifestyle and your age and energy level - all of those things are important.

But at the end of the day, consistent love and care transforms almost any dog into a loving companion, especially a shelter dog.

Ricky was a resourceful rogue whose escapades are legendary and hilarious. Maggie Mae was a little angel. Mack was protective and affectionate.

Jack & Maggie Mae during the winter ice storm this week in Aiken; don't they look comfy!

Miss Maggie is, well, simply the best dog in the world. And sweet, docile Jack? As it turns out, now that he is healthy, he is indisputably a terrier. 

None of our dogs turned out exactly as we expected -  they turned out better. When the time comes, adopt a shelter dog - the possibilities for happiness are endless.

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” 

due to the ICE STORM here in Aiken, we don't have numbers to report this week

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week!” 

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

TAYLOR SWIFT   German shepherd mix, female, 1 year old, 65 lbs   Only $70 

MANDY MOORE  Tortoiseshell, female, 3 yrs old, 7.7 lbs   Only $35

New Shelter is Part of a Proud Community Partnership

A Proud Community Partnership

By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Director

as seen in the "Aiken Standard" on January 5, 2013

The Friends of the Animal Shelter – Aiken County (FOTAS) is, by its very nature, a private charitable organization created for one purpose: to supplement the limited resources of the Aiken County Animal Shelter to improve the lives of the animals who are consigned to the County’s care.

The job of the Aiken County Animal Shelter is daunting. It provides animal control and adoption services for the largest County in the State of South Carolina.  It is required by law to pick up stray dogs and cats and to accept all dogs and cats surrendered to the shelter by County residents and by City residents to the extent space is unavailable at designated City facilities. In 2012, the County took in 4800 animals, and the intake number for 2013 is expected to be equally distressing. Needless to say, the euthanasia numbers, by necessity, are haunting.

FOTAS takes its job as the private partner seriously.  It created a large network of dedicated volunteers to help with the animals squeezed into the frightfully overcrowded shelter.  It organizes off-site adoptions, foster care and transfers to no-kill facilities in other parts of the country.  It organizes donations of food, blankets and funds to help the dedicated staff at the County shelter address the day-to-day needs of a facility strained way, way past its design limits.

Perhaps the proudest achievement of the County/FOTAS public/private partnership is the new shelter under construction on May Royal Drive that when complete in February, will meet modern standards for humane care for the thousands of homeless animals that pass through its doors.

FOTAS worked closely with the County every step of the way.  It helped develop design criteria, funded the cost of the architectural plan ($125,000), and helped with the selection of the project architect. 

FOTAS volunteer Bob Bye, serves as the project construction manager, saving the County an additional $30,000 dollars.  

FOTAS has also funded the kennels, cage banks and equipment for the new shelter.

Perhaps the most gratifying aspect of this public/private effort has been the extent to which the community has rallied around – its generosity of spirit, resources, and donations to FOTAS and the thousands of unwanted animals in the County has been nothing short of breathtaking. 

And of course, all of the countless, dedicated volunteers of all ages and all walks of life from the Aiken Community who walked dogs, played with cats, helped with adoptions, managed databases, created and managed the FOTAS website, Facebook Page and prepared blast emails, wrote thank you notes, and prepared mass mailings - these are the folks that form the bedrock upon which the County/FOTAS partnership thrives.

When the new County shelter opens next month, it won’t be flashy or grand, but it will be a healthy, humane shelter built by all of us in the Aiken community.

As well it should be.  The new shelter will be able to manage the County’s current intake, but unless those numbers are reduced, all our noble efforts will be for naught.  Success depends upon the collective commitment of the whole community to a robust spay/neuter program.

We at FOTAS believe the Aiken community is up to the task and the day is nearly at hand when more people will visit their community shelter to adopt or volunteer rather than to surrender their unwanted pets.

That day can’t come soon enough.

Join us in the next phase of our work. Contact us at www.FOTASAiken.org or call us at 803-514-4313 to see how you can make a difference.

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”

Dec. 23 - Dec. 28, 2013

16 dogs and 4 cats adopted

Year to Date:  

742 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.

TEXAS   Hound,  male, 3 1/2 yrs old, 36 lbs  Only $70 

SHYRA   Domestic medium hair -- female -- 6 yrs old, 12 lbs  Only $35

Fostering Pups is a Fine Family Affair

The Wiseman family: Grant, Heather, and their twins Abby and Audrey, can tell you that a great way to unwind from a tough day is with puppies. 

Heather has an after-work ritual of scooping a ball of fur out of its pen to play or stroking it to sleep in her lap. 

Currently, there are two puppy pens in the sunroom that opens onto a fenced yard.  One of the pens has four seven-week-old, weaned pups.    

These four are the “hobbit” litter: Dobby, Dori, Oliver and Scarlett.  Dobby, the runt, has the face of a quizzical spider monkey.  His foster- family is finally optimistic about Dobby’s prospects for overcoming developmental lag in his motor skills.  Brother Oliver dines on white rice while recovering from a digestive upset.  Fat and playful, Oliver’s tummy troubles don’t seem to slow him down.

In the other puppy pen, a small terrier-mix called Nala scrambles at the sides while we look in.  She has a week’s experience with mothering “Fred,” “George,” and “Ginny,” her three babies named from Harry Potter characters.  Nala displays the nervous insecurity of a new mom made pregnant as a babe herself.  Her three scattered puppies still look like drowned hamsters.

Nala’s babies are the eighth litter in a year that the Wisemans have fostered from the Aiken County Shelter.  The latest two litters were both two days old when they arrived.  The puppies don’t always come that young, but the family has learned a lot over the last year, and they prefer that the puppies come as soon as possible, even if it means having a litter whelped in their home.  They haven’t done that…yet.

“If they spend even a week at the shelter,” Heather says, “We can see the difference.  The puppies take time learning how to trust you.”  She runs her hand along the curved spine of the sleeping shape in her lap.

Why did the Wisemans decide to do it, especially, with young twins and three large permanent dogs of their own? 

It began as an exercise for the twins, now twelve, when they were much younger.  The family fostered one pup at a time then, and the rule still is: if we keep one, we are out of the fostering business.

The job comes with its share of heartache.   A neglected stray’s legacy to her pups can be parvo.  But the occasional struggle to save the ones they can, and even the inevitable losses, have brought surprising gifts.  The family learns and grows closer.  The parents watch their girls deepen as people. 

No matter its fate, each tiny creature is assured a name, and the experience of Love.   All the pups are immortalized on iPads and in photo albums, and most are transferred to exceptional shelters, and adopted to very good homes. 

The Wisemans are deeply committed to fostering service, and recommend others try.  But if you can’t foster puppies, we urge you to donate time, food, toys, and especially old newspapers, for those who do. 

  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”

July 2^nd thru 8^th

Received:   50 dogs & 28 cats

Adopted:     8 dogs & 3 cats

Euthanized:  20 dogs & 39 cats

 Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week” 

ASTRO & HEIDI – 4 mos. Lab/hound mix.   Brindle female, black male siblings who already walk beautifully on a leash.  $70 each. 

LULU – Domestic short-hair baby.  She’s too cute to be here instead of in your lap.  Only $35! 

 

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

 

Together We Can Squeeze a Dream Out of Reality

Last Thursday, in the County Administrator’s conference room, anticipation filled every seat at the large table.  Represented was a full spectrum of stakeholders there to evaluate preliminary concepts for the new Aiken County Animal Shelter from multiple perspectives.

The architects had assimilated data from numerous site visits and meetings with shelter staff, volunteers, County Council and FOTAS representatives.  They had taken into account severe budget constraints as well as the realities of animal numbers, program demands, and the cultural pride of the Aiken County Community. 

They had researched the most cost-effective options in the field of animal holding facilities.   They were armed with the facts: what works; what constitutes a balance of efficiency and effectiveness; and how those options might converge in a wonderfully practical community animal shelter; no doubt, the last one that Aiken County will see in the lifetimes of those present.

Every perspective imaginable was represented around the table.  There were a variety of engineers, lawyers, project managers, public servants, farmers, city folk, dreamers and those with their feet firmly planted on planet Earth, and the architects.

The group addressed a creative challenge: to take all of the images and information, and then endorse a response to the stark choice facing the Aiken County community’s approach to animal control. 

If you look at last month’s figures (“By the Numbers”), the seriousness of this issue is apparent.  With the exception of feral cats, all animals coming into the shelter must be held for five days.  The shelter was designed to hold 100 animals and 623 came in.  With those numbers, humane obligations like segregation for vicious animals or quarantine for sick animals become a sardonic joke.

Therefore, the factors driving the choice of design concept for the new County Animal Shelter were:

·       Will it be able to humanely address the county’s animal control obligations?

·       Can staffing level operate it effectively?

·       Is the design the most efficient to operate (i.e. utilities and work-flow)?

·       Will it enable necessary program support (spay/neuter, foster, transfer, volunteer)?

·       Will the Aiken County Community embrace it and get involved?

·       Can we afford it?

Thirteen people stayed in the room for three hours discussing the alternatives from these perspectives.  The final decision was unanimous, because it was the best decision.  This team, working together, taking a phased approach, can squeeze a dream out of reality.

Established fact says that if you build a basic, humane, public shelter, the animals will be more adoptable and the community will be more involved in their care.

Our new public shelter is blessed with a lovely tree-filled site, big enough for walking trails, park benches and ball-tosses.  Mother Nature will assist with shade, fresh air and sunlight for a variety of spaces in the “Phase I” design.

We will start with the bare essentials and build from there.  One day, the Aiken County Animal Shelter will be a place where all the two- and four-legged creatures that can, leave better than when they arrived.  

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 - May 2012”

Citizen drop-off:  209 cats & 182 dogs

Officer pick-ups:   73 cats & 149 dogs

Adoptions/ Transfers:  26 cats & 35/45 dogs

Euthanized: 294 cats and 264 dogs or 91%!!!

SASHA- gorgeous ragdoll.  Young, spayed and yours for only $35!

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week”  
Half-Price Special goes until July 7^th!

WILMA- 2 yrs. Big, affectionate and a great watch dog!  Half-price at $35! Take her home!

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