Paws for a Cause is a Great Way to Come Together

If you can get seven teenagers to a track at 8 o’clock on a Saturday morning, it must be a good thing…or an important thing…a really fun thing, or all of the above.

It was.

Paws for Cancer held its 13^th annual walk to help raise funds for the American Cancer Society’s fight against the dread disease, and it created a new opportunity for special people to come together to support an important cause.

Katie organized Team Lula for a second year, and Valerie, coordinator for South Aiken High’s Serteens, saw a chance to include the Aiken County Animal Shelter’s adoptable dogs in the event. 

Delighted to fund the cause, FOTAS, and the  Serteens, joined Team Lula with 4 dogs and a wagon-load of puppies!

Mary Lou, a FOTAS founder, has been working with Serteens from the beginning, and loves it.  “They are so responsible, so polite, and fun, and they are so good with the dog,” she said, “I've known a couple of these kids since they were freshman and had to be driven to everything, now they drive themselves.  They are so committed.”

She also provided the gardening wagon for the pups.

Susan, a teacher, joined Team Lula.  Susan is super-dedicated to FOTAS and the County Shelter.  She accompanies the Serteens one Saturday a month at the shelter, and then comes many additional Saturdays with her own daughter to volunteer.

County senior Vet Tech, Sandy Larsen, brought the 4 dogs, two small and two large; and 3 puppies, that she had carefully chosen, to participate in the event.  That they were so well-behaved demonstrates the magnificent work that our FOTAS volunteers do with the adoptable dogs.

For example, Sasha, a lab/hound mix came to the shelter as a court case, so scared when she arrived that she just cowered and trembled.  Sasha walked the Odell Weeks track, on her leash, wagging her tail.  She is a beautiful dog who will be featured on channel 12 tomorrow morning at 6:20 am.

Of course, the puppies stole the show.  One of them had so much energy it kept scrambling over the rails of the FOTAS Puppy Wagon. 

Those puppies stole little hearts, and even challenged a Grandma’s devotion when her granddaughter fell in love with the little black fur-ball.  They already had one dog and Grandma knew that puppies, and promises to care for them, mostly do not last.

Big dogs, small dogs, and the puppy wagon all did the mile walk with the Serteens.

 

Also, a Girl Scout troop working on a community service badge was at the event picking up trash.  The busy girls proudly assembled for a small ad-hoc ceremony and presented FOTAS with a $100 donation raised from their cookie drive.  Thank you!

Although no county dogs were adopted that day, we were proud of them, and of our volunteers.  It was a great day in the Aiken Community with our Community Shelter doing its part. 

FOTAS welcomes all help.  We especially need temporary foster homes.

  

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 April 30th thru May 6th 2012  

Dogs taken in: 58

Cats taken in: 34

Dogs adopted: 5

Cats adopted: 7

Dogs euthanized: 48

Cats euthanized: 34

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week” 

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

MOZEY – 5 year old gorgeous female Labrador.   

This special dog is longing for a home. Only $35!

 

BUZZ – 3 yrs. He is a beauty, a purr-fect

 adornment for a window sill for only $20!  

Herbie Brown Represents the Best of Who WE Are!

Herbie Brown’s story is still unfolding.  A 1979 Airstream Landyacht , Herbie has been recently transformed into FOTAS’ state-of-the-art Rescue Waggin’.  How he got his name, his amazing career change, and what he will be doing, are all long stories, but considering what he will be up to in the next couple of months, well worth highlighting.

For over 25 years, the travel trailer belonged to Bert Davis’ uncle, Herb Brown, who traveled among Airstream enthusiasts as far away as Mexico, and who ultimately lived out his final years as a widower calling his beloved RV home.

“My uncle loved this trailer and he liked to help people,” Bert said, and then he did everything he could to help FOTAS get the project going.  Bert was so generous that we named the trailer after his uncle.

Herbie Brown now sports thank-you notes to his major benefactors on each rear corner.  The first are only initials of anonymous donors who funded the project.  Then he acknowledges Ernie Wolf who assembled the first crew for gutting, and basic electrical work.  There’s Robert McBrayer, who spent a few weeks with

metal patches, silicone, primer, more primer, paint and plywood securing the windows, sealing leaks, covering wheel wells, installing subflooring, priming and painting the interior a brilliant fun yellow.

Ken Simmonds did the most exquisite job of laying vinyl on the floors and up the walls that you’d think royalty would be traveling, not dogs.  Eric Figueroa of Premier Metals created the secure generator housing on the trailer’s fork so the animals could have light, music, and climate-controlled travel, winter or summer, wherever they go.

Don Bush was the brilliant craftsman who designed, constructed, and installed the four pens and their wire mesh doors.  It was no small task to get the wood to accommodate the irregular curve of aluminum interior walls designed like an airplane fuselage. 

Anthony Goehl, a recent transplant to Aiken, primed, painted, and sealed the pens so that animals who travel can find clean, healthy accommodations for every voyage.

Herbie is ever grateful to Charlie at Tyler Tire who was under Herbie in a downpour; to Sherwin Williams for the advice, primer and paint; and to Ron at Signworks who designed the messaging on Herbie’s exterior so that wherever Herbie goes FOTAS’ message will be very clear: “Rescue, Adopt, Spay/Neuter & Love!”

Soon, Herbie will be re-stationed between the C.A.T.S building and the main county shelter waiting to be called into service.  On May 26^th, he will be the star of Friends of the Animal Shelter’s march in Aiken’s Memorial Day Parade, along with volunteers with adoptable county shelter dogs. 

On Saturday, June 16^th, we hope Herbie will be the “Kitten Caboose” at FATZ Café, with Senior Vet Tech Sandy Larsen offering adoptable kitties at FOTAS’ first “Breakfast at FATZ for County Shelter Cats!”

Be proud, Aiken County, we are a community making a difference!  Just follow our latest miracle, Herbie Brown, who reflects the best of who we are!

  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 April 23rd thru 29th 2012  

Dogs taken in: 75!

Cats taken in: 37

Dogs adopted: 14

Cats adopted: 7

Dogs & Cats euthanized: Way too many!

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week” 

WILLOW – An eager beagle, 4 yrs and 27 lbs. She will entertain and accompany many good walks.  $70

 

GYPSY – Gorgeous gal! A purrfect companion who doesn’t need to be walked! $35

Exciting and Inviting Aiken County Animal Shelter Planned!

“Exciting and inviting,” is how the architect envisions the new Aiken County Animal Shelter, “It should meet the needs of today and be flexible enough to evolve over time.” 

Plans are finally officially underway!  Aiken County and FOTAS have selected the architectural firm McMillan, Pazdan & Smith to design our new County Animal Shelter.  The county signed the contract last week.

Already working with County Council on the new county complex, MPS Architects have also designed other county shelters in South Carolina and a private shelter in Greenville, and all of the end-users are very pleased with their facilities.

Last Tuesday, shelter staff and FOTAS’ president met with the architects and spent a few hours talking about the work, touring the current shelter, and defining realistic demands that will be placed on a new one.

They talked about space needs while standing in the cramped room that serves as the “office.”  From here, nine employees serve the public who may be dropping off strays, or unfortunate pets; searching for lost animals or adopting new

ones; bringing and retrieving animals for spay/neuter; or picking up foster care litters. They also answer calls, maintain records, hold meetings and eat. 

The tour proceeded through the “adoption section” where of the 17 cages only six have outdoor access.  In the back of the facility, the few cages that have guillotine doors to the outside are closed off to make two pens out of one because of overcrowding. 

The architects noted that there is no way to segregate healthy animals from the sick or vicious ones.  The cats in 5-day “quarantine” live in cages in one closet while surgeries are performed in another one.  Euthanasia takes place in the same open space that laundry is done and that holds the “post-operative” patients in cage banks.  There are no storage closets for bedding, food, or supplies.  There is no break room.  There is no hot water where the food dishes are “cleaned.”

Public demand has determined that a minimum of 35 adoption kennels, 35 quarantine and 15 isolation kennels are needed.

“But only if our programs continue,” says Chief Enforcement Officer, Bobby Arthurs, “Or we’ll be back where we are now.  We need to hammer down on spay/neuter and keep our transfers, foster homes and volunteers going.  We can’t slow down.”

Architect Cary Perkins is charged with ideas for the project.  She envisions a design that will be flexible to meet the needs for today and still evolve over time.  “We want it to be something the community will rally around and fall in love with.”  And it doesn’t have to be extravagant for that to happen. 

Cary believes it is always about the people, and she thinks our Aiken County team is the perfect group to work with: collaborative, dedicated, enthusiastic, and deeply committed.

“Clearly the staff is very good at what they do,” she says, “Because it is amazing the job they do in that space.”

Please support or join FOTAS in this remarkable journey.
  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 April 16th thru 22nd, 2012 

Received: 50 dogs and 42 cats

Adoptions:  12 dogs and 14 Cats!

Euthanized:  39 dogs and 35 cats

Aiken County Animal Shelter Pets of the Week

Adoption fees cover shots, worming, heartworm test, microchip and spay or neuter!

ISABELLA – 1 yr old Staffordshire Bull Terrier.   

As sweet as she can be.   $70 and this baby is yours!

BRISTOL –This guy is too sweet to stay any longer.   

4 yrs, a perfect darling is now $20!