FOTAS Begins Year Four with an Annual Meeting and Celebration

On August 18^th, FOTAS celebrated its volunteers, accomplishments, and its vision for the future at our third annual meeting for members.  The meeting highlights are worth sharing for those who wonder what we have been up to.

The 2012 FOTAS Annual Meeting was billed as a “Potluck Snack Celebration,” and nearly forty stalwart members braved the midday heat on the grounds of the County Shelter.

Borrowed tailgate tents were pitched in front of Herby Brown, the 1979 Airstream converted to FOTAS’ signature Rescue Waggin’, and the podium was the ramp to C.A.T.S. (Cats at the Shelter), a lovely adoptable cat colony, another FOTAS contribution to the County Shelter.

Three tables covered with food, iced beverages in coolers below, entertained the attendees until the meeting was called to order. 

The FOTAS treasurer report was an appropriate launch to the meeting/celebration: FOTAS has no debt, and no real overhead as an all-volunteer organization.  This allows all of the money raised, after expenses, to directly benefit the county’s homeless animals.

In addition to Herby and C.A.T.S., here are some additional ways FOTAS has invested over $75,000 in the county Shelter to date:

·       Commercial Laundry Equipment

·       Large dog Play Yard

·       Stainless Steel Cage Banks for surgical recovery

·       Grooming tub and table

·       Platform Scale

·       Renovated the Autoclave for surgeries

·       Toys, treats, food, flea & tick treatments and shampoo

·       Kennel decks and Kuranda beds to get the dogs off the concrete

FOTAS has also raised enough money to fulfill its commitment to the County in the MOU for the new shelter construction: the county makes the funds for the building a priority and FOTAS pays for the Architectural and Engineering costs.

 FOTAS has over 1000 members and roughly 75 active volunteers with both lists still growing. Our volunteers realize FOTAS’ mission by:

·       Making shelter animals more adoptable with training, exercise and TLC;

·       Fostering mamas and puppies or kittens, babies without mamas, and special needs cases;

·       Organizing and staffing fundraisers like our benefit breakfasts, golf tournament, Hunter Pace, Giving Parties, and, of course the grand event: Woofstock Festival of Mutts and Music (to be augmented this year by better weather, a Mutt Strut and, we hope, another Motorcycle Ride-to-Woofstock on 11/10/12);

·       Staffing adoption events at Petsmart and local businesses;

·       Establishing and expanding our Spay Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) to target local communities; and,

·       Maintaining our database, website, social media, thank-you-note and canister program, and writing this column.

In short, FOTAS is volunteers and donors.

The meeting ended with the introduction of two new board members, Frank Townsend and Joanna Dunn Samson, our own banker and lawyer to help steward our growing pains. 

FOTAS’ mission is, in part, to help the Aiken County Animal Shelter be a healthy, happy place where no adoptable pet has to go to die. 

Last year 5,011 unwanted animals came into our shelter, FOTAS helped the county shelter save 1,652 or 33%.  Now that’s worth celebrating.

  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”

FY 11-12	City of Aiken	Aiken County
Imp. Dogs/Cats	656	5,011
Ret. to Owner	143	307
Trans /adopted	159	1,345
Euthanized	376	3,808

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week” are HALF PRICE*!

MAY – Lab mix, 42 lbs. A real doll and your new best friend for only $35!

KINDLE – Baby male Siamese mix.  He’s a rare beauty for only $35

 

Plans for the New County Shelter Beckon County-wide Involvement

The crowning achievement of the public/private partnership between Aiken County and FOTAS will certainly be the completion of the new Aiken County Animal Shelter planned for next year. 

Three busy years have passed since FOTAS was founded by three women seeking to make a difference in the welfare of thousands of animals received and destroyed each year at the Aiken County Shelter.  The organization’s progress has been huge, a direct result of a magical teamwork that evolved among the players: County and Shelter Staff, Council, FOTAS volunteers, community groups, businesses, and local governments.

What began as an initiative to address dire conditions at our grossly inadequate, understaffed, underfunded shelter, has  become the very essence of what Gandhi meant when he said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” 

Just substitute “county” for “nation” and you capture the spirit of the FOTAS/ Aiken County team.

Last Wednesday, FOTAS volunteers sat down with the architects from Macmillan, Pazdan and Smith to talk about how to convey critical elements of the project to the public.  As the essential needs of this shelter building project take shape, FOTAS and the architects are reaching for broad community support through the Capital Campaign necessary to complete it.

The conversation among those at the table last Wednesday was already well-versed in the barebones, pragmatic obligations of animal control law.  The challenge then became adding principles of responsibility and morality to animal welfare in our public shelter, then creating a facility that could act as a hub for Helping to promote those values throughout the county.  

 The architects’ initial drawings reflected their deep understanding of: the way shelter staff work; the animal control obligations of county government; and, the animal advocacy dreams and desires of FOTAS members.  

First, it will be a humane, healthy environment for homeless animals.  It will be a place where minimal staff can work most effectively and efficiently.  The new shelter will provide access and space appropriate for all the public demands it must accommodate: the animals brought to, developed within, and adopted from it.

Adopting lots of animals into responsible, forever homes requires a place that invites public involvement: volunteers to get the pets ready, and adopters willing to come to their public shelter to look for a pet.  Ultimately, our new shelter will have an open stable-like feel, and multi-purpose indoor and outdoor spaces for fun and productive people-pet interactions. 

Finally, our new Aiken County Shelter will provide a hub for county-wide programs that build commitment to spay/neuter and responsible pet-ownership.

FOTAS is working with the county shelter to improve data-gathering; to assist funding opportunities for future shelter-based programs; to prevent unwanted pets; and, to  give back to the larger community.

The new Aiken County Animal Shelter is a beginning, and it will be a healthy, happy place where no adoptable pet has to go to die, and the heart of a responsible, animal-loving county.

Join us.  There are many ways to help.

Aiken County Animal Shelter:  “By the Numbers”

For August 6 thru 12, 2012

Received:  66 dogs and 51 cats

Adopted:  10 dogs and 2 cats

Put down:  57 dogs and 33 cats

COWBOY – 1 yr. “Singing Chihuahua!”  You sing; he sings.  Cute as a bug for only $35!

 Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week” are HALF PRICE*!

DIABLO – Baby male tabby.  Bold gray stripes and white mittens.  Too cute for only $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!