Adventures in Volunteering for FOTAS -- It's a Very Rewarding Experience

Adventures in Volunteering

By Georgianna “Girl” Conger, FOTAS Volunteer

as seen in the "Aiken Standard" on February 9, 2014

It was a call to my mother from her good friend Mary Lou that started it all for us.  “Could you please foster a sweet mama dog and her three pups for a few weeks to get them out of the shelter?” she asked.  

Well, it’s been three years and almost 150 mamas and puppies, and we are still helping FOTAS get these animals to the age and good health to get adopted to their forever homes.  It has been a glorious and heart wrenching adventure.  As a family we have this time together to take care of these dog families (and some just orphan puppies) while our lives seem to take us in different directions. 

Don’t get me wrong…it’s not all rainbows and butterflies.  There is a lot of stuff to clean up, then there’s the nursing of the sick little ones and the sometimes these precious souls leave us too early.  

It’s been said our hearts grow bigger when we foster dogs and cats in need.  It’s a good thing because when each of these animals leaves us to go to their new home a little piece of our heart goes with them.  I often wonder what would happen to the animals that we have fostered if we hadn’t taken them.  The truth is many would have never left the shelter.  The chances of them getting very sick are much greater when the pups stay in the shelter.

Volunteering for FOTAS, a most worthwhile organization, is a great way to step away from ourselves and make a difference in the lives of others (human, canine and feline).  

FOTAS’ foster families are are all incredibly selfless folks who have given their home and time to help these helpless puppies and dogs.  I have relished getting to know these amazing families as we share thoughts, puppy stories and of course the friendly rivalry of who can foster the most puppies.  

Getting to know the great staff at the shelter has also been a wonderful addition to our endeavor.  It takes a special kind of selflessness for a person to meet you at the shelter after hours (sometimes way after hours) to tend to a sick puppy.

The new county shelter is about to open, but the need for foster families will not abate.  The county deals with staggering numbers of animals coming in to the facility, and volunteers are needed more than ever!  

If fostering isn’t within your capabilities, then consider walking the dogs a few days a week.  How about a few minutes in the cathouse enjoying kitten love?  There are countless opportunities to volunteer at the new shelter including working at the front desk greeting potential adoptees, cutting the new walking trails, or landscape upkeep.

Volunteering is not about the recognition, but knowing in your heart you are doing something good for the world.  

When we first started fostering, I felt it wasn’t enough to foster just a few dogs, but I realized if I could make a difference for just one dog it was worth the time.  As the saying goes…”You may not change the world by fostering one dog but for that one dog you have changed the world”.

Georgianna Conger is a renowned sporting art artist who has lived in Aiken all her life.  She, her husband Randy Wolcott, their daughter Caroline and her mother, Courtney Conger are long-time supporters of FOTAS who have fostered hundreds of mama dogs and puppies.

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”

Jan. 27, 2014 - Feb. 1, 2014

16 dogs and 2 cats adopted

Year to Date:  

72 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.

TINA FEY   Lab/retriever mix,  female, 6 1/2 mos old, 32.7 lbs  Only $70 

MADONNA  Gray tabby -- female --

1 yr. old, 7 lbs  Only $35

IT'S ALL IN THE FAMILY

IT’S ALL IN THE FAMILY

by Edythe “Edie” Hubler, FOTAS Board of Directors

Over the past weeks, we have written several times about the FOTAS foster program, where mama dogs and their puppies or dogs needing special attention are temporarily cared for in a loving home environment until they are ready for adoption.  We’ve heard about fostering from dedicated volunteers, from one lucky dog who was being fostered, and from a happy family who adopted a fostered dog.

This week and next we want to celebrate some of the children of foster families.  We asked Abby and Audrey Wiseman, Caroline Wolcott, Isabelle and Sean Igoe, Josh, Parker and Bailey Daniels and their parents to share how the experience has affected and shaped their lives.  These are two of their stories.

“The children have learned the responsibility of having to feed and care for pets, but more significantly, they have learned about life,” says Heather Wiseman, who along with her husband, Grant, and two daughters, Audrey and Abby, have fostered over 200 puppies. “Fostering has taught our family how to prioritize and think about what is most important in our lives.”

Her daughter Audrey says, “The puppies love us even though we are imperfect in so many ways.”  She says the love you see in their faces when they look at her melts her heart. “It’s an easy and fun way to help Aiken and the nice people at the shelter.”  She also thinks the puppies are funny when they howl.

Audrey’s sister Abby likes animals because they are different, but very much like us.  The puppies make her laugh because “they are so small that when they sneeze or shake their head, they fall over.”

Caroline Wolcott is the daughter of Randy and Girl Wolcott, who have sponsored close to 150 puppies and their mamas.  “The most fun about foster puppies is the age when they are just stumbling around and learning to walk.  It’s fun to watch them take their first little steps,” says Caroline.  She thinks it’s really funny when they get the “crazies” and run around their kennel.  “And then boom - they fall asleep.”

All these children are active participants in the care of these animals.  They pick up dirty newspapers, feed, give medications, bathe, and hold for the dreaded toenail clipping. All have seen first hand the miracle of birth. 

The positive effect of the fostering experience on these children has been so much bigger than simply performing a kind act for an animal.  It has taught them compassion, empathy, discipline and planning.  It develops their self-esteem because they know their role in socializing these puppies is an important factor in getting them adopted.  It brings them joy.

Sounds like a pretty good deal all around, doesn’t it?  Bring your family together; join the FOTAS foster program.  You and our many needful dogs and puppies will be glad you did. 

Call the FOTAS hotline at 803-514-4313, or email us at info@FOTASAiken.org.

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. 28 - Nov. 2, 2013

 

15 dogs adopted

Year to Date:  

617 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.

SUKI -- Shephard mix, female -- 11 months old, 55 lbs.    Only $38

C.C. -- domestic short hair, female -- 4 years old, 9 lbs.    Only $35

Shelter Continues Cats June Jamboree with 9 Lives for $9

There are many more than nine reasons you might be healthier when sharing your life with cats, and for $9 you can become part of a nationwide life-saving movement.

Adopt a feline friend from the Aiken County Shelter during the special “9 Lives for $9” event and become part of something big taking place across the country.

If you missed them yesterday at the FATZ benefit breakfast for the shelter cats, come meet the adoptable cats and adolescent kittens, 9 months or older, available in C.A.T.S. (Cats at the Shelter) adoption colony.  Friday begins a 9-day promotion from June 21 to June 29th across the United States, supported by national animal welfare organization Best Friends Animal Society with some funding from PetSmartCharities^®.

As part of the month long adopt-a-shelter-cat jamboree, FOTAS volunteers will also be at Petsmart on Whiskey Road on Saturday, June 22^nd, with our adoptable cats (and dogs, too!)

Aiken County always offers cats for $35, half the normal $70 adoption fee, but for this event they are making it even easier for people to meet the fabulous felines ready to go home. For just $9, you can save a cat who could end up saving you.

Research has supported the claims of many health-related benefits to having a cat as part of your household and family, such as:

•       Reduced blood pressure
•       Lower triglycerides, cholesterol, risk of cardiovascular disease and reduced risk of heart attack and stroke
•       Improved immune function, decrease chance of developing allergies and help prevent asthma in children
•       Reduced loneliness, stress, anxiety, depression and generally improved mood
•       Fewer health care visits, and a better, longer life!

Every day 9,000 animals are killed in shelters across the country simply because they don’t have responsible loving homes. Although FOTAS efforts to rehome our shelter pets and promote the many benefits of spay/neuter are making steady gains (see “Comparing Numbers” Chart), we have a good ways to go.

When you adopt a cat (or two) you save their lives, but your life is also better. If laughter is good medicine, cats can provide a daily dose with their comic antics, or just by snuggling up and letting you know everything’s going to be okay.

This 9 Lives for $9 adoption event is part of Best Friends Animal Society’s national mission of No More Homeless Pets®, which aims to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters. FOTAS is a participating member of the No More Homeless Pets® Network, a program of Best Friends Animal Society, offers help and support to animal rescue groups that save lives in their communities.

Of course, not everyone can or should add a feline family member.  If you are unable to provide a home for a deserving cat, perhaps you could help by donating your time at C.A.T.S, help us identify more foster homes for kittens (and puppies!), or make a generous donation to FOTAS that will help us continue to improve the condition of their innocent lives.  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:  “Comparing Numbers”

May 2012 vs. May 2013 

Look at our PROGRESS	2012		2013
	Cats	Dogs	Cats	Dogs
Animal Intake	282	331	251	259
Rescued	26	80	21	108
Euthanized	294	264	248	164

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week!” 

 

STORM – 5 yrs.  Handsome, affectionate with big adoring green eyes!
Friday he’ll be only $9 now $35 

ALEXANDRIA - 1 yr. shepherd mix.  A unique beauty and a sweetie!
Have her for only $70      

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