The Wiseman family: Grant, Heather, and their twins Abby and
Audrey, can tell you that a great way to unwind from a tough day is with
puppies.
Heather has an after-work ritual of scooping a ball of fur
out of its pen to play or stroking it to sleep in her lap.
Currently, there are two puppy pens in the sunroom that
opens onto a fenced yard. One of the
pens has four seven-week-old, weaned pups.
These four are the “hobbit” litter: Dobby, Dori, Oliver and
Scarlett. Dobby, the runt, has the face
of a quizzical spider monkey. His foster-
family is finally optimistic about Dobby’s prospects for overcoming
developmental lag in his motor skills. Brother
Oliver dines on white rice while recovering from a digestive upset. Fat and playful, Oliver’s tummy troubles
don’t seem to slow him down.
In the other puppy pen, a small terrier-mix called Nala
scrambles at the sides while we look in.
She has a week’s experience with mothering “Fred,” “George,” and
“Ginny,” her three babies named from Harry Potter characters. Nala displays the nervous insecurity of a new
mom made pregnant as a babe herself. Her
three scattered puppies still look like drowned hamsters.
Nala’s babies are the eighth litter in a year that the Wisemans
have fostered from the Aiken County Shelter.
The latest two litters were both two days old when they arrived. The puppies don’t always come that young, but
the family has learned a lot over the last year, and they prefer that the
puppies come as soon as possible, even if it means having a litter whelped in
their home. They haven’t done that…yet.
“If they spend even a week at the shelter,” Heather says,
“We can see the difference. The puppies take
time learning how to trust you.” She
runs her hand along the curved spine of the sleeping shape in her lap.
Why did the Wisemans decide to do it, especially, with young
twins and three large permanent dogs of their own?
It began as an exercise for the twins, now twelve, when they
were much younger. The family fostered
one pup at a time then, and the rule still is: if we keep one, we are out of
the fostering business.
The job comes with its share of heartache. A neglected
stray’s legacy to her pups can be parvo.
But the occasional struggle to save the ones they can, and even the
inevitable losses, have brought surprising gifts. The family learns and grows closer. The parents watch their girls deepen as people.
No matter its fate, each tiny creature is assured a name,
and the experience of Love. All the
pups are immortalized on iPads and in photo albums, and most are transferred to
exceptional shelters, and adopted to very good homes.
The Wisemans are deeply committed to fostering service, and
recommend others try. But if you can’t foster
puppies, we urge you to donate time, food, toys, and especially old newspapers,
for those who do.
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.orgAiken County Animal Shelter: “By the Numbers”
July 2nd thru 8th
Received: 50 dogs & 28
cats
Adopted: 8 dogs & 3 cats
Euthanized: 20 dogs & 39 cats
Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week”
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ASTRO & HEIDI – 4 mos. Lab/hound mix. Brindle female, black male siblings who
already walk beautifully on a leash. $70
each.
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LULU – Domestic short-hair baby.
She’s too cute to be here instead of in your lap. Only $35!
All adoption fees include: Spay/Neuter, heartworm
test, all shots, worming, and microchip!
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