There Are Ways to Help a Neighbor With Pets

From The Aiken Standard
Submitted Article

Last week, the Friends of the Animal Shelter received the following call:

"Hello? Is this FOTAS?" inquired a male voice with a country drawl.

"Yes?" was the tentative response. 

"I called the county, and the county told me to call you. Can you help me?"

It was the part about the Aiken County Animal Shelter telling him to call us that left the door open.

FOTAS supports the Aiken County Animal Shelter, and it is still discovering what that can mean. The caller had a dog named "Chance." The dog had been rescued by a friend of the caller who could no longer keep him. The caller, "Roger," agreed to keep Chance, in spite of the fact that Roger was unemployed, disabled, had no reliable income and was living with his girlfriend who had an infant and a toddler.

Chance, a Rottweiler mix, was a problem for Roger and his little family because he kept busting loose and running away. Roger would run Chance down and bring him back, but he didn't have the means to effectively secure the dog. The yard was not fenced; plus, Roger had this health issue that made running after a dog for a mile or more painful and potentially debilitating.

"We don't endorse tying dogs," was the FOTAS position.

But that's not what Roger had in mind. He swore that he walked the dog. He'd even built Chance a dog house.

"I can't keep him in the house. He is too rough for the kids. I have to lock him in the bedroom," Roger said. Pleading crept into his voice.

"Let me see what I can do," was the FOTAS volunteer's response. A call was made, and a couple of FOTAS volunteers agreed to go out to see what could be done to help Roger keep Chance.

Roger and Chance greeted the volunteers where the dirt drive met the road.

The large, shiny, black and tan dog's tail spoke of his enthusiasm for the visit. The little chain connected to his wide nylon collar could only be temporary. The old mobile home was at some distance from neighbors.

It was Chance's doghouse that told the real story. Built of particle board, with a good roof and "Chance" painted over the door, it was in better shape than the trailer that housed the family.

Roger had located the doghouse next to a clothesline strung between two pipes. The poles were anchored in cement, "For Chance," said Roger. Chance, a beautiful, happy, healthy dog had a home, not perfect, but good.

All it took to help this family keep their dog was a recycled cable and a $16 tie-out from PetSmart. Roger had the tools and skills to install the cable. And he agreed to neuter Chance, with help from the Spay/Neuter voucher program.

Maybe Roger will get to teach the little ones how to appreciate a really good dog.

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

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.