The summer months are nerve-wracking at the Aiken County Animal Shelter, and this summer is no exception. Dogs are doubled and tripled-up in the kennels due to extraordinarily high owner-surrenders. We recently heard a shelter in Georgia is euthanizing adoptable animals because they ran out of space. That is our constant nightmare, but FOTAS volunteers and shelter staff are working double-time to avoid that outcome in Aiken.
Last Saturday began at 9:00 a.m. with the monthly FOTAS-sponsored pet food assistance drive. Cars were already lined up before we opened, and by 10 a.m., FOTAS had supplied food for more than 100 pets whose owners simply needed a little help. No owner should ever have to surrender their pet to the shelter because they can’t afford food—not if we can help it.
At 10:00 a.m., our “Dog Ears Listening” event began, which FOTAS sponsors with the Aiken County Library. Young school-age children come to the shelter with their parents and read to the dogs in kennels. It’s amazing how quiet the dogs get as the children read to them. I’m not sure who enjoys the event more: the kids, the dogs, the parents, or the FOTAS volunteers who supervise the program.
Simultaneously, in the outside yards, staff and volunteers were managing play groups of selected dogs as part of our “Dogs Playing for Life” program. Dogs are social animals, and this play time is critical for their physical and mental health, and a happy, relaxed dog is a more attractive adoption prospect.
After play groups wrapped up, the obedience training began, where volunteers, under the guidance of trainer Jennifer Jotblad, teach the dogs basic commands to make them more adoptable. Dogs who have been at the shelter the longest get the most attention. One such dog, Lady, has become a star. Volunteer Malia Koelker takes Lady in her car for doggie-day outings, taking her to Hopeland Gardens and treating her to chicken nuggets at McDonalds. Lady loves the car and next week, if she is not adopted, will go to an offsite adoption event at Dover Saddlery.
At 11:00 the shelter doors officially open for adoptions. The shelter is participating in the “Pick Me” South Carolina adoption event, where shelters across the state waive or reduce adoption fees. I was pleased to see potential adopters come through the door. It also made my day to see a new foster pick up a dog—we always need more fosters.
Then a good Samaritan pulled up with two dogs he found on the street. Both dogs were microchipped, and the kind gentleman agreed to drive the dogs to home. Love those happy endings!
I then had the pleasure of catching up with volunteer Joanne Goble. Joanne had moved to Maryland in 2020 to be close to her family. Although she loved Maryland, she loved volunteering for FOTAS even more. She recently moved back to Aiken and has resumed her volunteer duties at the shelter. How cool is that?
FOTAS and the county staff are working overtime during these hot days to make sure no adoptable animal must be euthanized on our watch, but we need your help. Please adopt, volunteer, foster, and donate.
Their lives are in our hands.
By Jennifer Miller, FOTAS President
