Moving On Up to the New Shelter

Moving on Up

By Joanna Samson, FOTAS Director

as seen in the Aiken Standard 3/9/14 issue

It finally happened.  As of last Sunday, County staff and FOTAS volunteers had completed the move from the small, outdated, dilapidated shelter to the beautiful new Aiken County Animal Shelter down the road.

The Cat House and the cats had been moved earlier in the week.

Then, on Sunday FOTAS volunteers walked many of the adoptable dogs the short distance to their new quarters in the Adoption Wing, while other FOTAS volunteers moved puppies and older dogs by truck.  County staff moved all of the intake dogs by truck to the Animal Control Wing.

By 3:00 p.m., all the animals had been moved and were safely nestled in their new digs.

It was a glorious, euphoric moment.  FOTAS volunteers and County staff were a little breathless with exertion, but they were all smiles.

And the four-legged residents?  The change was astounding.  The dogs wagged their tails and relaxed in their outdoor runs, enjoying the fresh air.  Despite all the activity and all the people, the shelter was the closest thing to peaceful that a building housing that many animals can be. Really.

Oh sure, there was the occasional hoopla over the escape artist who jumped from kennel to kennel until finally cornered, or the puppies yipping for dinner, or the little Chihuahua cross barking for attention, but by and large, the anxious, high-pitched barking so common in the old shelter because the dogs were all crowded together in close, inside quarters was absent.

I knelt in front of the kennel of an 8-month-old, little white and red pit bull named Pete, who showered my outstretched hand with big, wet kisses.   I thought: “You know what, Handsome? You’ll be okay in this place. Here you’ll have more time and a better chance for some lucky soul to overcome their uneasiness about pit bulls and fall madly in love with you.”  I leaned my forehead against his cage and choked back tears.  

But wait! We aren’t finished! Now that we’ve provided a clean, inspiring, happy community shelter for the animals, we need you, the community, to do your part.

Please: come to your community shelter and adopt your new pet.  Don’t be afraid you will be overwhelmed by despair. On the contrary, you will be able to take your time and find that perfect animal in a hopeful, cheerful setting.  Remember, every pet that finds a home makes space for another animal on the adoption floor, potentially saving two lives.

Please: volunteer your time with FOTAS.  We desperately need volunteers to sit behind the desk to greet the public, answer the phone and help the Adoption Coordinator.  

Okay, meet and greet not your thing?  We will find a job for you that makes you happy: walking the dogs, playing with cats and puppies, grooming, helping with the gardens – there are so many possibilities.

Pick up the phone now and call the FOTAS hotline at (803) 514-4313 or contact us at info@fotasaiken.org, and we’ll get you started.  I promise you’ll be glad you did.

FOTAS Volunteers work with the AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, 333 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”

Feb. 24, 2014 - Mar. 1, 2014

9 dogs and 1 cats adopted

Year to Date:  

81 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.

PETE   Pit bull/boxer,  male, 8 mos old, 43 lbs  Only $70 

SIMON COWELL  Domestic short hair -- male -- 7 yrs. old, 10 lbs  Only $35

The New Aiken County Animal Shelter is Now Open -- It's the Place to Be!

The New Community Animal Shelter – the Place to Be

By Joanna Samson, FOTAS Board of Director

as seen in the "Aiken Standard", 3/2/14 issue

This is a big weekend for the Aiken County Animal Shelter, FOTAS and in particular, the 200 animals living at the old county shelter on Wire Road.  They are finally moving to the new County shelter after years of planning and a little over a year of construction.

The new shelter has been designed to properly house and care for the 200 animals that are currently crowded into a space designed 25 years ago for a maximum capacity of 100. In designing the new shelter, the County and FOTAS’ primary focus was to ensure that the animals were housed in a healthy environment to increase their prospects of adoption.

The most important defense against the spread of the disease among the animals in the shelter is proper air exchange and waste removal, so state of the art mechanical and plumbing equipment has been installed to address those issues.

While the physical improvements in the new shelter are noteworthy, the impact on FOTAS volunteers and County staff cannot be overstated; they will no longer report to a dreary, noisy institutional building to do God’s work. 

The new shelter is cheerful – colorful graphics of dogs and cats grace the walls of the lobby, along with inspirational quotes, like “In a perfect world, every pet would have a home and every home would have a pet.”

Volunteers can walk and play with dogs in two spacious playpens, located outside of the adoption wing far from the goings and comings of animal control.  All dogs and cats have access to the outside from their kennel runs or crates, a major improvement over the dark, indoor kennels at the old facility.

This new facility, a testament to the progress that can be made when public entities and private citizens partner to make the world a better place, is a concrete demonstration of the County’s move from euthanasia as its primary means of controlling the homeless pet population to a system based on animal advocacy.  

But this new facility is not a magic bullet to address the distressing overpopulation of unwanted animals in the County. We must continue to reduce the intake numbers at the shelter (4800 last year alone) through systematic, targeted spay/neuter and educational programs. If we do not, the new shelter will also be overwhelmed by the sheer number of the County’s homeless animals. We cannot allow that to happen.

In the meantime, FOTAS and its volunteers will continue to work like the dickens to find homes for the County shelter’s animals through increased foster families, off-site adoptions and transfer programs.

If you are considering adopting a pet or volunteering, now is the time and the new community shelter is the place. When you are adopting, the shelter is a pleasant place for you to meet your prospective new best friend.  As a volunteer, you can walk and socialize the animals, greet potential adopters in the cheerful new lobby, help organize transfers, and man off-site adoptions.  

Call or contact FOTAS today at (803) 514-4313 or at info@fotasaiken.org.  You will be glad you did.

FOTAS Volunteers work with the AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, 333 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”

Feb. 17, 2014 - Feb. 22, 2014

6 dogs and 3 cats adopted

Year to Date:  

81 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.

FREDDY   Labrador retriever,  male, 2 yrs old, 51 lbs  Only $70 

BEN STILLER  Domestic short hair -- male -- 7 yrs. old, 10 lbs  Only $35

Felines are Masterpieces

“The Smallest Feline is a Masterpiece”

By Edie Hubler, FOTAS Board of Directors

as seen in the "Aiken Standard" 2-23-14 issue

That’s how Leonardo da Vinci spoke of cats.  They are special, just ask any other cat lover.  These beautiful creatures are agile, graceful and meticulous about their grooming.  While dogs live to please their humans and will do almost anything for food – sit, stay, roll over – cats by their nature are much more independent.  A good cat would consider a demand to perform a trick for food beneath him, and he would never, ever deign to respond to a reprimand. A cat could care less about packs or their human’s desire to be the pack “alpha.” A cat bestows its affection on a deserving human, and once they do – that cat becomes their friend for life.

Most Saturday mornings, Becky Reindl is walking dogs at the Aiken County Animal Shelter. She frequently takes her niece, Hope Dyches, who likes to spend time with the cats. Becky also fosters cats from the County Shelter and delights in talking about the experience.  

“Kittens start to play as soon as they can stand up,” says Becky, “but they fall down a lot because they have no balance. When they play, a kitten will stalk up to pounce on another unsuspecting kitten, but because they misjudge the distance they can jump, the stalking kitten misses and ends up pouncing air. Watching my foster kittens play and grow has provided me with countless hours of entertainment.”   

Becky’s current foster cat, Merlyn, plays with a mamma dog & four puppies she is fostering.  Merlyn jumps on the dog’s tail, then runs under the sofa to hide. The startled dog gives chase, but is too big to crawl under the sofa.  In the meantime, Merlyn, who has already crawled out from under the sofa unseen, sneaks up behind the dog again and pounces.  He’s a strategic hunter, that Merlyn.  

Then there’s Romeo, an affectionate 6 year old Serbian red cat who was adopted by Bobbie and Ron Kastet when he was a kitten.  Bobbie fell in love with the little red kitten at first sight, who greeted Bobbie with a kiss – hence the name Romeo.  He models like a pro for Bobbie’s camera, and purrs like an engine. Because Romeo also retrieves balls & toys, the neighbors claim he is really a dog in a cat’s body.  

Romeo’s best friend is Pinot, a bassett/golden mix adopted from the County shelter by Dave & Linda Engleman.  Romeo and Pino have play dates and even sleepovers.  When Pinot comes for a visit, he “calls” Romeo and the cat comes running.  Pinot licks the top of Romeo’s head and Romeo kisses Pinot’s feet.  They sleep and eat together, and when they are lucky enough to be given a little ice cream, Romeo puts his paw inside the dish and feeds both himself and Pinot.  Don’t believe it?  Well, just look at the photo of Romeo feeding Pinot!

Ellie and Bill Joos, FOTAS volunteers, walk dogs at the County Shelter several days a week.  Although they love dogs too, they are particularly fond of cats and have two of their own - Sheba and Buddy. While at the Shelter, Ellie makes a point to also visit the adoptable cats (which she calls fluff balls) to help socialize them. She often posts photos on Facebook of the available cats at the County Shelter -- she calls it kitty lovin’.  

Please join our other FOTAS volunteers at the Aiken County Animal Shelter.  The dogs and the cats can always use a little lovin’ and we are looking for lovin’ homes for them too.

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”

Feb. 3, 2014 - Feb. 8, 2014

11 dogs and 3 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.

MIA FARROW   American bulldog,  female, 2 yrs old, 38 lbs  Only $70 

BEN STILLER  Domestic short hair -- male -- 7 yrs. old, 10 lbs  Only $35