Area Veterinarians Offer Free Spay, Neuter Services

From The Aiken Standard

Submitted article 

In any given year, more than 5,000 dogs and cats are received at the Aiken County Animal Shelter.

The City of Aiken's numbers are equivalent proportionate to population. Nearly 90 percent of the county animals and roughly 60 percent of the city dogs and cats are euthanized (based on 2009 figures).

The problem is animal overpopulation; the solution is spaying and neutering our pets.

With these unhappy statistics in mind, last spring eight of our nine Aiken County veterinary clinics came together to offer county residents a gift.

Joining with Aiken County Animal Control's Voucher Program and the Aiken SPCA's low-cost spay/neuter services, the county vets formed "Stomp Out Strays - S.O.S."

Almost without exception, each animal clinic pledged to honor a given number of applications from county residents for free spay/neuter services for dogs and/or cats, most for the period of one year, from March 1 through February 2011.

So, here we are, more than six months into the program, and how has it fared?

Like any new effort, the results are mixed.

The good news is that the demand is there. The number of the orange vouchers issued now exceeds 1,700. Much like the popular voucher program run by the county, more people need the service than can be accommodated.

Many clinics reported being booked through the end of the year, and in some cases right through the life of the program. The response truly belies the notion that people in the county don't care about spaying or neutering their pets. That's a significant upside.

But the S.O.S. initiative was not without its problems.

Intended to help those who meet "predetermined qualifications," some of the offices were dismayed by the number of people who came with vouchers in fancy cars or from fancy addresses. Other concerns were with the people who qualified for the service, who made the appointment and didn't bother to show up or call to cancel. One of the vets took her day off to provide the service for free and was stood up.

Yet, every vet we spoke to reported there were many more heartwarming stories of people who really needed their help and who were truly grateful. The vets reflected how rewarding it can be to do something to confront the huge tragedy of animal overpopulation and the many problems that accompany it: accidents, human-animal altercations, the damage caused by packs and the dangers of disease.

All seem to evaluate their experiment as a "worthy effort," even as they all will be relieved to see it end.

FOTAS honors the effort these professionals are making. On behalf of the entire Aiken community, we offer a resounding "Thank you!"

With each attempt made to confront this ugly blight on our image as an animal-friendly community, we learned something. We learned what works and what doesn't; we learned what is true and not so true about who we are; and, hopefully, we ultimately choose a better way and try again. Offer your suggestions through our website.

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

Animal Fosters Give Shelter Pets a Fighting Chance

From The Aiken Standard

Submitted article FOTAS foster volunteers give their time freely

What kind of person can bring a litter of puppies, often with the nursing momma, into their home and then six to 12 weeks later surrender them back to the shelter?

The Aiken County Animal Shelter depends on these people to save the lucky few out of hundreds of puppies that come through its door in any given year. Obligated to take every unwanted dog and cat in Aiken County, no matter the condition, the shelter cannot assure a healthy environment for unvaccinated pups. If any are to have a chance, they need to be fostered. And that's what FOTAS volunteers Pam, Birgit and Marcia do; they foster puppies and, amazingly, they do it over and over again.

Pam saw an ad in the paper seven years ago: "Mollie's Militia needs your help now."

"Hey, I'd like to do this," was her response. And so it began with two puppies. Then three, and at one point she had 30 dogs she was fostering, 10 of which were pups. She's fostered and placed over 600 dogs.

She'd go out every single Saturday, sometimes with signs that read, "Our time is up. Please save us." Pam's voice fills with passion as she describes her "Carolina Ditch Dogs," like they are a rare breed. She's had to replace her carpet from making sure her pups are house-trained. Her dedication is breathtaking.

"It's mutt city for me," she declares with pride.

Birgit, too, got started with Mollie's Militia almost 11 years ago when she adopted a puppy. Then she got a little fence, and told herself, "Hey, I can do this."

She got some more puppies to foster and kept another one. Then she was fostering everything: abuse cases, mental cases, hard-to-place cases and mothers with litters; not all of them would make it. Eventually, she ended up with eight dogs of her own and was feeling a little burned out; that is, until she heard about FOTAS and the Aiken County Animal Shelter's volunteer program.

Birgit and Pam, friends and partners in the dog rescue business for years, claim a long held soft spot in their hearts for the Aiken County Animal Shelter; but not Marcia.

One bad experience and Marcia spent 11 years telling people to stay away from the county shelter. Then she, too, heard about the need for help, accompanied by the promise, "If you foster the puppies, as long as they are healthy, we won't put them down."

Marcia took two 6-week-old pups for six weeks; then a mother and two puppies; then an escape artist mom with seven puppies.

"They have a chance in life because I got them ready," said Marcia, who now calls it "tithing her time."

"It's almost like an addiction," whispers Birgit like a prayer, "because it just makes you feel so good."

And Pam's husband warned her, "If you adopt one, you have to quit." So she gives them up, each of the pups she has lovingly raised, because it is like a calling, and she can't quit.

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

Young Volunteers Help Pets Find Forever Homes Online

From The Aiken Standard 
Submitted article

It all began in July of 2009, when Seth, then 10, was perusing the Help Wanted section of the Classifieds.

"I want to do this," he declares unequivocally. The Aiken County Animal Shelter was looking for volunteers.

"I'd seen the ads," mom, Susan admits, "But I knew enough to stay away. You know you want to take them all home." But Seth really wanted to volunteer, and his older brother, Alex, wanted to volunteer. So one day they went to the Aiken County Animal Shelter where they walked dogs, played with dogs and discovered that whoever had been trying to help the county shelter keep a presence on Petfinder.com was no longer there.Petfinder is a national website. "The virtual home of 348,867 adoptable pets from 13,557 adoption groups," declares its homepage.

The Aiken County Animal Shelter is one of those groups. To use the service, organizations have to have photos and profiles for each of the adoptable animals it wants to list. That's where Susan and her boys entered the picture.

"My husband had just bought me a digital camera, and I love playing on the computer," Susan explained as if it were meant to be.

In the beginning, they were at the shelter just about every day. "It kind of became an obsession," she recalls. "Seth would beeline it for the cats, and Alex would help me with the dogs. We try to get three good shots: one standing, one sitting and one of their face." She tries to give each homeless animal the best possible chance on virtual display.

To access Petfinder on the Internet and the dog or cat options at the Aiken County Animal Shelter, visit www.petfinder.com and fill in the information about city, state and shelter; or visit www.fotasaiken.org and click on "adopt me" to view county pets hoping for a forever home. More than likely, the helping hands in the photos of the animals are either those of Alex or Seth.

Seth is the cat man. On the three or four days a week he and his mom are at the shelter, you can find him in C.A.T.S., the new cat shelter. "Seth loves the cat house," Susan said. Since he's been volunteering, he's already brought home one kitten, Zoe, a cat whose head he swears changes shape depending on her mood. "Sometimes it's round, and sometimes it's kinda pointy," he said, like he is describing something quite special.

Alex, now a junior at Aiken High, runs cross-country, so no surprise that his pick from the shelter was a high-energy chocolate Lab named Coco who just might one day be a running buddy. Alex's schedule this year limits him to Saturdays at the shelter. And he is there every Saturday, helping his photographer mom get just the right shot for each lucky dog or cat whose profile, composed with loving care, will be posted on Petfinder.com.

FOTAS Volunteers work with the Aiken County Animal Shelter, 411 Wire Road. For more information, e-mail info@fotasaiken.org or visit www.fotasaiken.org.