Lucky Trip Pays His Good Fortune Forward

Pull up to Equine Rescue of Aiken’s barn, and you may be greeted by Trip.  He’s shaped like a pointer only black with brindle and brown lights in his shiny coat.  And it’s not just the tail and grin that welcome you; his entire slender frame wags with excitement.  Trip’s greeting is so enthusiastic that you may not notice that he is missing a leg.

Trip was originally named Trigger.  He arrived as a puppy more than a year ago in a North Augusta neighborhood and soon came to rely on the neighborhood for his care.  When a car mangled his hind leg, Trigger’s owners tried to deny he was theirs, then provided no care.

The neighbor Trigger turned to for help three days later, raw bone protruding from his infected leg, knew she was moving to an apartment, knew her Chihuahuas would hate him, and she spent thousands to save him anyway.  Ultimately, unable to place him, she surrendered him to the Aiken County Shelter.

The FOTAS volunteers adored Trigger.  Why not?  He is affectionate, intelligent, eager to please, and easily one of the happiest dogs alive.

Meanwhile, the mission at Equine Rescue had evolved to encompass rehabilitation.  And under Jim and Debbie’s expansive definitions of care, the mission not only included rescued horses, but puppies, dogs, cats, kittens and people, especially disabled veterans.

Months earlier, Jim had queried FOTAS about a three-legged dog to help with the veterans.  Then there was the injured puppy that needed a leg amputated.  That baby didn’t make it out of surgery.  Then Debbie said no more dogs.  Then their rescue dog named Tilly started showing aggression towards the horses.  And then there was Trigger needing a home. 

FOTAS arranged the swap, Trigger for Tilly, who was transferred up north.  Trigger went to the farm, Jim made a joke (you will have to ask Jim) and “Trigger” became “Trip.”

Jim and Debbie were a bit concerned about how their very insecure Great Dane, Kelso, was going to handle Trip.  Kelso is very attached to Debbie and, therefore, quite protective.  The other eight canine members of the family sniffed Trip’s stump, offered their condolences and moved on.  Kelso decided it was time to have a very best friend and Trip fit the bill. 

When thunder and lightning portend the end of Kelso’s world, he turns to Trip, and Trip to him.

Trip has been at Equine Rescue for about a month now and you would think he founded the program.  His upbeat presence is everywhere: surveying the Shetland ponies learning to trust, supervising the volunteers tacking up to ride, checking that the eleven 5-week-old terrier-mix puppies found in an abandoned house are okay, and assuring that Jim doesn’t need him for something else.

Would you like to help? Trip wants to be certified as a therapy dog.  The puppies all need a home, as do a momma cat and her three kittens (check Equine Rescue of Aiken’s website for pictures).

Please, Support Animal Rescue.

  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 July 16 – 22, 2012       

Received:  93 dogs, 52 cats, 1 chicken, and 1 possum
Adopted:  9 dogs, 6 cats
 Euthanized: 52 dogs and 52 cats

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week”

CAPER – 2 Yrs. Shepherd mix.  He is just as smart as he looks.  Great dog for $35!

CRUNCHER – Baby male tabby.  He will grow up to be the prince of your mansion! $35 

 

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

Espresso, now Bauer, a Love Story

This story began early January in the dirt at the end of a two-foot chain.  The young officer responding to the call scooped the brindle bundle of bones with pleading eyes into his truck.

When the officer delivered the starved creature to the shelter, he insisted that every effort be made to save him. 

They named him Espresso.  He tested negative for heartworm.  Too weak to eat, he was fed a liquid diet, then canned food, before he could eat the kibble.  In less than three weeks he went from 13 to over 38 pounds.

When he made it onto the adoption floor, Espresso became a darling of the FOTAS volunteers; but, even with his survival story, being a pit-mix made him one of way too many of his kind. 

Our love story continues with a couple of remarkable women we’ll call “Carla” and “Erin,” who met last summer through Facebook and a dog who needed a home.  Carla lives with her many dogs, two horses and a husband in Aiken County , but she has worked in rescue for over thirty years across two hemispheres.  Erin, new to rescue, lives with her husband and four dogs in New England. 

“Erin’s Dogs” was founded four years ago following a crisis and the heartbreak resulting from her own ignorance of how to incorporate another rescue dog into her home.  When consulted, the local SPCA’s response was, “Bring the dog in and we’ll temperament test her.  If she fails, she will have to be put down.” Not an option.

With professional affiliates, Erin’s Rescue dedicates itself to the guidance and support families need when looking to successfully adopt a dog.  It addresses three basic concerns: the kind of dog sought; placing the right dog in the right home; and, follow-up after the dogs are placed.  Once an Erin’s Dog, always an Erin’s Dog.

Carla works the Aiken County end of their rescue partnership.  It began last summer when a FOTAS 30-dog transfer to Connecticut fell through and she stepped in with the connection to Erin.  Now Carla volunteers regularly, knows and takes stunning photos of adoptable dogs, pulls, vets and ships many of them to Erin.

Since happenstance put Carla, Erin and FOTAS together in July, over 120 dogs have been rescued and placed in successful, appropriate, supported families as one of “Erin’s Dogs.”

Ultimately, Carla pulled Espresso for Erin’s Dogs, and last Wednesday Espresso went home with his new family.

Erin’s note that accompanied the photo of the event read: “Good Things Happen Because People Make Them Happen. Espresso (now Bauer) is cuddled up with his family. That kid in the middle? Yup. That'd be his best friend.”

Thursday morning , Espresso/Bauer’s new “mom” wrote, “…He had the cutest sad face when our teenager walked out the door for school. This little guy has so much love to give, and we have just as much in return!”

Now the Love Story really begins.

Happy Valentine’s Day from FOTAS! 

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”

Dogs Saved with Rescue Partners in 2011: 

In Aiken County:                75

In South Carolina:              12           

Out-of-State:                    368 (approx.)

TOTAL:                        455

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week” 

WOODY – Chow-shepherd mix, 

1 yr. 42 lbs. Gentle and friendly, a perfect Love for Valentine’s Day. 

HALF PRICE SPECIAL! $35

CHECKERS -

A friendly gal about 1 y ear old and weighing 9.1 lbs. 

Has a beautiful coat and has been spayed. $20!

With FOTAS, All-Volunteer Means Business

Oh, FOTAS, how far we have come!  In June of 2009 a few of us held a benefit breakfast for the Aiken County Animal Shelter.  We stood in parking lots, sold tickets and made out-of-town friends buy them for bookmarks.  We raised over $2,700, our symbolic beginning. 

Two years later FOTAS, now a 501c3 public charity, committed to raise $100,000 to partner with Aiken County on a badly needed shelter expansion project, a momentous undertaking for all concerned.  The first phase of the comprehensive needs assessment study has been completed and is now under County Council review.   

Concurrent with working on the shelter expansion project, we have ongoing program commitments. Shelter  volunteers see that the dogs get out of their cages at least once a day, six days a week.  The dogs learn that someone cares, to walk on a leash and play well with others.   And our kitties need attention every day, especially afternoons.  Our volunteers also work with local vets and council representatives in the very important work of funding and promoting spay and neuter programs.

In two years FOTAS volunteers saved hundreds of county dogs through our transfer program with northern no-kill shelters.  Each occasion for a transfer requires many volunteer hours finding shelters, assuring dogs are selected, approved, spayed/neutered, fostered, and shipped healthy.

FOTAS’ foster homes offer most abandoned litters of puppies and kittens their only chance to survive the unavoidable contamination and afflictions of shelter life.  We are blessed with too few of these angels-of-mercy and pray for more all the time. 

The money FOTAS raises makes everything else possible.  Every fundraiser is conceived and implemented by volunteers including our signature Woofstock Festival.  Our equestrians hold hunter-paces; our golfers do golf tournaments.  Also, through their good works numerous civic organizations generously make FOTAS their beneficiary on behalf of the Aiken County Shelter. 

We appreciate all the people throughout the county who find our displays or read this newspaper* and send a donation to FOTAS’ P.O. Box 2207, Aiken, 29802.  Now you can even make one-time or monthly donations on our website.

 Being an all volunteer organization, every dollar is spent directly on shelter needs.  Since that first breakfast FOTAS has provided the county shelter with: numerous supplies; shelter and flooring for the overflow pens, a large-dog play area, a unique adoptable cat and kitten facility, post-surgery and cat-intake stainless cage banks, and the committed $100k for the needs analysis and shelter expansion design.  

FOTAS volunteers have also: designed and run our website,  database,  blogs,  broadcast emails, brochures and accounting system.  Volunteers secured our 501c3 status, report to the state and IRS, do the banking and issue honorariums and thank-yous.  And the leadership that keeps it all running is all-volunteer.

FOTAS is a membership organization.  If you care about our county shelter and its animals we hope you will join us.  Make any kind of meaningful contribution and you’re in.

  *The Aiken Standard posts these BLOG post articles each week.

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 October 10th thru 16th     

Dogs taken in: 56

Cats taken in: 40

Total: 96 

Dogs adopted: 15

Cats adopted: 1

 Total: 16

Dogs euthanized: 33

Cats euthanized: 41

Total: 74

Rescued Dog Deserves a Loving Forever Home

From The Aiken Standard

Submitted Article

It began with children from the neighborhood. They saw the large, golden dog tied to the front of an empty dwelling with nothing but a nylon ski rope. They saw that the rope was eating further and further into the flesh of his neck each time he lunged against his tether.

Thank God those kids told their parents, and the parents called the sheriff. The sheriff notified Animal Control. It was after hours when Officer Ford went to the scene.

By that time, a collar had been conveniently inserted between the dog's neck and the nylon rope, but this ruse could not conceal the lacerations.
"The dog was almost decapitating itself," said Officer Ford.

But what Ford found most notable was that, despite the abuse, this handsome dog was, "Very loving, with no sign of aggression."

Ford took the dog and called the county vet tech, Sandy Larsen, to let her know he was bringing in a seriously wounded animal. Larsen came immediately to the shelter and called the county vet. Following his instructions, she not only attended to the injured animal, but seeing how special the dog was, she immediately tested him for heartworms.

"If he was heartworm negative," she said, "I was determined to save this dog.

They named him Roper.

Roper's original owner was cited for animal cruelty and custody of Roper was awarded to the county.

Roper is now completely healed and sports a beautiful wide red collar of which he is quite proud. The volunteers all love him. He's very much the dog that he appeared to be on that fateful night: alert, intelligent and loving. He deserves a safe, devoted, forever home. We have high hopes for his adoption. Roper's already a celebrity and has been on TV.

The lessons we can take from Roper's story are many. It's unfortunate that we must begin with the fact that it is unlawful to tie a dog in any way that it can harm itself, or leave the animal without food, water or shelter.

We obviously hope that no dog has to be tied at all, preferring a good fence, but failing that, there are humane ways to ask a vigilant dog to safeguard our property. We could think of ourselves as their guardians, and demonstrate that we appreciate the jobs these loyal creatures do on our behalf by the way we treat them in return.

As a community we can learn from the initiative of the children who first reported Roper's condition. If you see an animal suffering from cruelty or neglect, call. Roper's life depended on it and, sadly, so will the lives of others.

The County Shelter's Dispatch number is 642-1537. You can also use that number if you are interested in adopting Roper. The Sheriff's number for non-emergency calls is 648-6811. For emergencies the number is always 911.

It is upon all of us to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Let's not let them down.

FOTAS volunteers work with the Aiken County Animal Shelter, 411 Wire Road. For more information, email info@fotasaiken.org or www.fotasaiken.org.

Shelter Seeks Life for Puppies

From The Aiken Standard:

Updated: 12/24/2009 2:15 PM

Sometimes new life needs a little extra TLC to get off on the right footing.

Puppies are no different. The Aiken County Animal Shelter has begun a program to give puppies a chance at survival. Each month, an average of between 400 and 600 animals are brought to the shelter where there are only 13 adoptable kennels. The shelter is brought more animals than for which it has space, and despite being adoptable, nine of 10 animals don't make it out alive.

As the number of animals continues to increase, the issue of space also increases. To ensure more pets are adopted, the shelter and Friends of the Animal Shelter (FOTAS) have developed a foster care program for puppies. The program is an expansion of a foster program already in place.

"We have had a foster program for a while for sick animals who will get better; often they just have kennel cough," said Sandy Larsen, a veterinary technician at the shelter. "We just started the foster program with puppies. Being here is stressful for them with the barking and so many different people handling them. The big battle is to keep the puppies from getting sick while they are waiting to get their shots."

"This is just one of the many reasons we need expansion," said Jennifer Miller, FOTAS board member. "There is no place to have them, and it is horrible to have to euthanize these puppies."

Larsen explained that puppies who have been fostered will receive priority and will not be euthanized when they are brought back.

"Puppies go fast, and even after they stay an additional 30 days after their shots, they are often transferred to no-kill shelters," Larsen said.

Puppies must be at least 12 weeks old to be adopted; therefore, the longest foster period would be about 10 to 12 weeks.

"Puppies are weaned at six weeks. They get their first shots at five weeks, wait two weeks, get their second shots, and then after two more weeks they can be placed back at the shelter," Larsen said.

"We are sending out an urgent plea to the community to help us foster puppies because there is not space," Miller said.

In addition to the foster program, the shelter is seeking volunteers to walk the dogs and help make them adoptable.

"Volunteers make such a difference," Miller said.

FOTAS is in the midst of fundraising and encouraging the County to expand the shelter.

"We hope the County will do the much-needed expansion they talk about. The goal is 50 adoptable shelters," Miller said. "The shelter is over 20 years old and was built to hold 200 animals and handle about 100 calls a month. With the growth in Aiken, the shelter now receives 500 to 600 calls a month, and the shelter hasn't changed."

The next fundraising event is Jan. 9 at Three Runs Plantation. FOTAS will hold a combined test and dressage show with all proceeds going to the shelter. Those interested in competing should call Mary Lou Welch (803) 215-8917.

Anyone interested in fostering or volunteering should call the Aiken County Animal Shelter at 642-1537.

Contact Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@aikenstandard.com.