JOIN THE RIDE -- SAVE SOME LIVES

Join The Ride ... Save Some Lives

By Edie Hubler, FOTAS Director

As seen in the "Aiken Standard" 4-6-14 issue

If my dog Zeus only had a thumb, he’d hijack a Harley, strap his pal Meg on the back, and tour around with the wind whipping his long, silky hair.  But alas for Zeus (and good for all the other drivers on the road), he cannot drive a motorcycle.

But you can -- along with Hailey, M.Y. and Hope, three young Aiken girls who are passionate about saving as many adoptable animals that they can.

They have joined the FOTAS Ride to Woofstock campaign to raise funds for the FOTAS’ Fix-A-Pet spay/neuter program, which will provide financial assistance for those community citizens who may need a little help.  This year’s Woofstock Dogs, Cats & Music Festival will be held at the new Aiken County Animal Shelter on May 3rd.  

Hailey, M.Y. and Hope aren’t actually riding motorcycles to Woofstock (although other FOTAS supporters will be); instead, they will be “virtual” riders.  Here are their stories.

Hailey Ardis is the granddaughter of Clay and Carrie Killian, who regularly walks dogs with her grandma at the County Shelter.  Nine year-old Hailey put a blue wig on her uncle’s willing dog, snapped a photo and formed Hailey’s Goal for the Animals.  Hailey’s original fundraising goal was $300, which she surpassed quickly.  She has continued to raise money, even donating some of her allowance.  

Four year-old M.Y., the daughter of a friend of Linda Soyars’  (a long-time FOTAS volunteer), decorated her tricycle, corralled her dogs Coco & Yuke for a photo op and formed her own virtual riding team, M.Y. Groovy Riders.  She also has reached her goal, but willingly accepts more donations to her team effort.

M.Y. and her dogs Coco and Yuke, getting ready for their Ride to Woofstock for Spay/Neuter

Nine year-old Hope Dyches frequently walks dogs and socializes cats at the Aiken County Animal Shelter with her aunt, Rebecca Reindl.  In fact, I see her at every FOTAS event -- that’s how much she cares.  Her team is called Hopes Friends & Family.  Her goal is lofty -- $1,000 is her “hope”.  

Through the efforts of Hailey, M.Y., Hope and a score of other volunteers, FOTAS hopes to raise $20,000 for the FOTAS Fix-a-Pet spay/neuter program.  Solving the County’s enormous unwanted pet population through spay/neuter is a long-term proposition – most experts agree it takes at least 10 years to see a significant drop in those numbers – so FOTAS is increasing its resources dedicated to that effort.  In the meantime, we will be working feverishly to adopt out to the growing Aiken community as many adoptable pets as possible.

Join the “Ride to Woofstock.”  You can do it on your own or with a team.  You can ride for real or you can ride “virtually.”  You can sign up with an existing team, like Hailey’s Goal for the Animals, M.Y.’s Groovy Riders, or Hope’s Friends & Family.

Plus, if you and your riding team raise at least $300, you will be eligible to win an iPAD mini.  This is easy, folks. 

Challenge yourself!  See how far you can go and how much you can raise.  

Remember, it’s not what you ride, it’s what you ride for.  Ride on, my friends, ride on.

Visit  www.FOTASAiken.org or www.crowdrise.com/Woofstock2014-AikenSC for all the details. Or you can contact FOTAS at 803-514-4313.

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”

Mar. 24, 2014 - Mar. 29, 2014

16 dogs and 1 cat adopted

Year to Date:  

146 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.

OLIVIA   Boxer,  female, 2 yrs old, 40 lbs  Only $70 

CLARK  Domestic long hair -- male -- 3 yrs. old, 11 lbs  Only $35

The Morning After

By Joanna Samson, FOTAS Director

as seen in the Aiken Standard 3-30-14 issue

By all accounts, the Grand Opening Ceremony for the new Aiken County Animal Shelter on Sunday was a great success.  

Over 300 people attended the celebration. Six dogs and one cat went home with their new families.  Even the weather complied: by 2:00 the rain had stopped and the temperature had risen.

It was a wonderful day, and I was honored to be a part of it.

Now that it’s over, the difficult and frustrating work of dealing with the County’s overpopulation of unwanted animals must continue.  The stakes are high.

Here are the grim, cold facts:  In the last fiscal year, 4794 abandoned animals passed through the County shelter’s doors. The County and FOTAS were able to save 1581 of those animals.

Do the math, folks:  67% of the animals that came to the shelter had to be euthanized, many of which would have made someone a great pet.  And although 67% is a significant improvement over the 90 – 95% numbers of the past, it is still a dismal number.

“I am worried,” says Annette van der Walt, the County’s Adoption Coordinator, “that people think because we have this brand new facility the overall picture is rosier.  It’s not.  Yes, it’s a healthier environment; yes, adoptions and transfers have gone up, but the intake numbers are so much higher than the adoption/transfer rates.”  She shakes her head.  “That’s heartbreaking.”

In the 45 minutes I was at the shelter last Tuesday, a woman surrendered a lively Jack Russell cross because she was, well . . . too lively.

Then, a man surrendered 15 puppies from two separate litters.  When Sandy Larsen offered the man an opportunity to participate in the County’s low cost spay/neuter program, he dismissed her with a shrug and left.  No doubt, he’ll be back one day in the future with another 15 puppies for which the County and FOTAS will have to find homes.

“It’s been a hard day,” said Brandon Anceume, one of the kind custodians, staring glumly at the intake papers on the desk.  “They just keep coming in.” 

Is spay/neuter the answer?  Yes, it is.  But here’s another cold, hard fact: most experts believe it will take 10 years of a rigorous spay/neuter program to see a dramatic drop in the local intake numbers.

We just can’t wait 10 years!

Today, the County and FOTAS are still obligated, both legally and morally, to care and find a home for those 4800 animals.  

What can we do now?   You are the answer.  Adopt!  Adopt!  Adopt!

Thinking of getting a kitten for your kids?  Adopt from the County shelter.

Thinking of adding a new dog after your beloved canine companion has passed?  Adopt from the County shelter.  

Thinking of adding another dog or cat to your family?  Adopt from the County shelter.  

And now that the adoption experience at the new shelter is peaceful and upbeat, there is no reason to go anywhere else.  Please take advantage of the ½ price adoption special in effect until the end of this month.  Cats are $20 and dogs are $35.

Every time you adopt from the County shelter, you save the life of one of those 4800 unwanted animals, and that, my friends, brings us one animal closer to our goal of never having to euthanize another adoptable animal in Aiken County.

at the grand opening last week, Linda Boatright adopts Tom Brady,
with FOTAS volunteer Bob Gordon and Shelter Chief Bobby Arthurs

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”

Mar. 18, 2014 - Mar. 23, 2014

15 dogs and 4 cats adopted

Year to Date:  

129 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.

ANDY   Shepherd mix,  male, 10 mos. old, 72 lbs  Only $35 

GABLE  Domestic long hair -- male -- 8 mos. old, 5.5 lbs  Only $20

A Day of Celebration at the new Shelter Ribbon Cutting

A Cause for Celebration

By Jennifer Miller, President of FOTAS

as seen in the "Aiken Standard" 3-23-14 issue

FOTAS was created in 2009 in response to the alarming number of stray and abandoned animals in Aiken County and the hopelessness of their plight.  At the time, because of the sheer number of these animals, “Animal Control” consisted of a futile attempt to reduce the homeless population by euthanasia.

The conditions at the shelter were abysmal.  It was not unusual for 200 animals to be crowded in a dark, airless building built in the 1980’s to house half that number – dogs were often packed 2 to 3 to a cage, and cats were held in small cages in a room the size of a closet in the back of the building.  Because of the open waste trenches and lack of air exchange, it was difficult, if not impossible, to keep the animals healthy. In short, a trip to the County shelter in those days was a near certain death sentence: despite the Herculean efforts of the shelter staff, 95% of the thousands of dogs and cats consigned to the shelter each year had to be euthanized.

Shortly after we created FOTAS, it became clear that any solution to these problems would be short-lived without a larger, better shelter to keep the animals healthy while we worked to find them a home.  Accordingly, the construction of a new shelter became FOTAS’s primary goal.

We created a public/private partnership with the county. FOTAS raised funds through private donations to pay for the shovel-ready plans, architect fees, cage banks, kennels, the cat adoption house and shelter equipment. The county used public funds to build the building. 

Finally, on March 3^rd, after years of planning and development, the new Aiken County Animal Shelter opened its doors to the public.

Bucky with his new family, adopted this week

So many people supported the efforts to make our collective dream a reality: County Council, the County Administration, the devoted shelter employees, and the army of FOTAS volunteers who walk dogs, play with the cats, foster puppies, help with transfers and assist with fundraisers. 

We are also forever indebted to you, the members of our community, for your support and financial generosity.

However, the completion of this shelter is just the first step in achieving our ultimate goal to never have to euthanize another adoptable pet in Aiken County.  There is still so much to do. 

• We must reduce the population of unwanted animals through public education regarding pet responsibility and the provision of affordable spay/neuter services.  The ultimate success of the new shelter depends upon maintaining and reducing current intake numbers. 
• We must find ways to increase adoptions on the local level and transfers of adoptable pets to our partner shelters in other parts of the country.

• We must continue to recruit and train volunteers and raise money for future needs.

Please join us today at 2 p.m. to celebrate the grand opening of the new Aiken County Animal Shelter at 333Wire Rd.  We will be serving refreshments, free giveaways, and cutting adoption fees in half.  It will be our honor to share the happiness of achieving this important milestone with all of you in the Aiken community.

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”

Mar. 10, 2014 - Mar. 15, 2014

17 dogs and 2 cats adopted

Year to Date:  

110 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.

FRANCES   Dachshund mix,  female, 1 yr old, 22.5 lbs  Only $35 

FRISKY  Tabby -- male -- 5 yrs. old, 14.8 lbs  Only $35