WAGGING TALES News, Events & Happy Stories for Staff & Volunteers of Charleston Animal Society CONSIGN CHS PET FOOD DAY By Dr. Em Crosby On June 6, 2015 Consign Charleston had a pet food day for Charleston Animal Society. If a customer brought in 10 lbs. of cat or dog food they received a 10% discount on a single purchase from the store. If you brought in a 20 lb. bag of pet food, you could shop for 20% off a single purchase. In addition to the food donation, Charleston Animal Society had cat adoptions available in the store. There were so many cute kittens it was hard to choose which was most charming. Charleston Animal Society collected $288.00 in donations from customers and are still counting how much food was donated. As a kitten foster, it is so gratifying to see those little kittens healthy, happy, spayed/neutered and ready for adoption. It s a good feeling knowing that those adorable cats will be adopted by loving families and that our community helped them to get a good start. UPCOMING EVENTS JUNE 13 (SAT) FLAG DAY BURGER & BEER FEST *HOLY CITY BREWING JUNE 16 (TUES) SENAT SUB COMMITTEE MEETING / HEARING ON S.687 THE VET BILL *STATE SENATE BUILDING, COLUMBIA JUNE 18 (THUR) YAPPY HOUR *JAMES ISLAND COUNTY PARK JUNE 20 (SAT) HUNLEY WATERS ADOPTION EVENT *PARK CIRCLE, N CHAS JULY 9 (THUR) YAPPY HOUR *JAMES ISLAND COUNTY PARK GOING ON NOW! ALL ADULT DOG ADOPTIONS ARE FEE WAIVED! CHARLESTON ANIMAL SOCIETY WANTS TO SEND A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD THAT OUR COMMUNITY WON T ACCEPT ANIMAL ABUSE IN ANY FORM! LET S ADOPT EVERY ADULT DOG FROM OUR COMMUNITY S SHELTER INTO LOVING HOMES BY JUNE 20 TH. HELP US SPREAD THE WORD WITH YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT, WE KNOW THIS CAN BE DONE. Issue 5 6.12.2015 Page 1 of 5
ADVENTURES IN FOSTERING By Dr. Em Crosby My journey as a kitten foster began when I picked up four tiny kittens from the Foster Department of Charleston Animal Society. They were so small and vulnerable it was hard to imagine what could have come of them without there being a strong foster network. This particular litter came with no mother and weren t even able to eat on their own. As soon as I took them on, my mother instincts kicked in and rose to the occasion. I made formula; lots and lots of formula. I was on duty 24x7. I fed them day and night. In an amazingly short time, they grew enough to begin eating on their own. Their first eating experiences were hysterical and messy. They threw themselves into the bowls of food, paws extended. They all needed a thorough cleaning after each meal, so I arranged an assembly line with my daughter and son-in-law. Sarah washed them carefully, I rinsed, and Yani was in charge of drying. It was so much fun! Now, after just a few short weeks, they are all no comfortable with eating and using a litter box. I am always surprised how quickly kitties take to the litter box. They have begun their explorations; climbing everywhere they can, wanting to sit with me, purring for reassurance, and driving my dog crazy. They don t understand that he doesn't like it when they walk on him, but he s being a tolerant boy. I have a few toys that my cats have grown out of, and all of the kittens love them. After a while, their schedule has become their own. First a little pushing and shoving at mealtime (even though each has their own bowl), using the litter box, followed by extreme playing. The adorable playing consists of jumping, running, climbing and Halloween-catting around. Finally they fall asleep in the place where they were just playing. I find them everywhere. I am proud of my brood. They go back to Charleston Animal Society soon for spay/neuter surgeries and then onto adoption by wonderful families. The adoptive parents will be so lucky to have them. My kitties are loving and funny. As sad as I am to give them back, I know there will be many more to come that need my help. If you re interested in taking part in an adventure of your own, contact the Rescue & Foster Coordinators at Charleston Animal Society (Jodi Osborne & Christina Ellwood). josborne@charlestonanimalsociety.org or cellwood@charlestonanimalsociety.org Issue 5 6.12.2015 Page 2 of 5
PETSMART ADOPTION DAY How fun is this? By Winkie Welborne Recently Charleston Animal Society participated in the PetSmart National Adoption Event. I learned an interesting secret: Put the puppies in front everybody stops to ooh and aah at the puppies! Our puppies at West Ashley PetSmart were Curie, Wyatt, and Baxter. Everyone who picked them up got puppy kisses! As for the adults - Marty (gosh, I wish that I could have brought him home!) came in as a stray but was obviously someone s pet. He had so much personality and he d show it off by sitting up and waving his paws at you. And Tonto, well his photo doesn t do him justice, but he has a darling mask just like his namesake!! So cute!! Karie and Brianne are the Charleston Animal Society volunteers who spend hours on Saturdays taking care of the dogs and answering questions, cleaning up behind the dogs, and taking them for walks. So this volunteer slot, while lots of fun, is also lots of work but it s vital to the shelter because staffers and volunteers desperately want the dogs to be adopted. One young lady (I d bet money she took a puppy home!) loved them all, held them all, told them secrets and got lots and lots of puppy kisses!! She stayed a LONG time with the puppies! So the final count: All the puppies went to loving homes. Marty (my favorite) and Tonto (with the darling mask) didn t find new homes this time. At the North Charleston PetSmart, Brock and Sabrina also found new homes. But... hope springs eternal and there is always next week and another trip to a PetSmart!! Keep your fingers crossed for Marty and Tonto that their special person walks through that door and that when they leave, Marty and Tonto walk out with them! Issue 5 6.12.2015 Page 3 of 5
LIVING THE LIFE By Elizabeth Warner Vicki Roller began volunteering with Charleston Animal Society in January 2015. Previously a volunteer for Golden Rescue in Reading, Pennsylvania, Vicki arrived in Charleston after retiring from her career. She has found that her dream has come true as a shelter volunteer primarily working with dogs. Living the life! is how she described her new role with the organization. She loves meeting the dogs and coaxing them to play, go for a walk or simply receive loving attention. One of her greatest compliments she recently received came from a fellow volunteer: After Vicki assisted a family in adopting a dog at the shelter, the volunteer commended her role in the process. She said that had Vicki not brought this timid canine out of its shell, it likely would not have been able to bond with the family that ultimately adopted it. Vicki holds a Jack Russell/Dachshund mix rescued from a hoarding situation with prospective adopting families holding two of the Pomeranians available at Pet Smart in April. Vicki recently began volunteering at Pet Smart in Mt. Pleasant on adoption days. Her first experience took place following a terrible hoarding situation in Alabama. In this situation over 100 dogs were removed from a property; most were Pomeranians. The ASPCA in partnership with Charleston Animal Society, asked for help finding homes for 30 of these dogs because it was in an isolated area and overwhelmed the local community s capacity to respond. The adoption event proved to be a success and many of the dogs were adopted within hours. At home, Vicki is mom to two cats, and a dog (Weimaraner rescued from a family which crated her all day.) Pictured to the right: Raymond Varner, of Charleston Animal Society, assisted during a meet and greet with a couple looking to adopt another Pomeranian. Carly and Brent Ballard moved to the area from Hawaii with their Pomeranian rescue while Brent trains at the Navy Nuclear Power School. They adopted one of the Poms once reassured that the two would make a smooth transition into a shared household. Issue 5 6.12.2015 Page 4 of 5
A HAPPILY EVER AFTER By Heather Crosby Charleston Animal Society does its best to provide every animal in their care with their own Happily Ever After. Whether that animal is a stray, owner surrender, in poor health, or a victim of animal cruelty, Charleston Animal Society provides a voice for the voiceless. In March of this year they had to do just that. Miles, a ten-year-old Mastiff, came to the shelter from Charleston County Animal Control after a complaint from a neighbor led to a police response. Miles had suffered extreme neglect by his owner, who was charged with animal cruelty. The conditions in which Miles had been living were atrocious; his home was a closet littered with trash and broken glass. He was severely underweight and malnourished. This was a unique circumstance for Charleston Animal Society because not only were they treating Miles, but he was also being held as evidence in a criminal trial. The good news is, despite being underweight for a dog his size, Miles was found to be in excellent health. Under the care and support of dedicated veterinarians, technicians, and the Anti-Cruelty and Outreach director, he thrived, gained weight, and received a new lease on life. Aldwin Roman, the director of Anti-Cruelty and Outreach at Charleston Animal Society put together a legal file on Miles and the neglect that he suffered. A judge sentenced the former owner to a thirty-day jail sentence, which was suspended when he paid a fine and restitution to Charleston Animal Society. Roman says justice was served. He also says that while he has zero tolerance for animal cruelty, there were humane aspects to this case. For instance, Miles former owner is 25, and had Miles for 10 years. There is no doubt from Miles personality and demeanor that he was treated and trained well, Roman said. Had Miles been neglected for ten years there was no way he would have survived. He stated that the former owner looked defeated in court, and very shamed and remorseful for not providing better care for Miles. By letting pride get in the way of not asking for help, Miles s former owner failed him. Charleston Animal Society has programs in place to prevent situations like this from happening to families. For instance, The Pets For Life program helps to prevent animal surrenders and cruelty cases through prevention and education. While this outreach program is only available in certain areas right now, if someone comes in to the shelter to surrender their pet or ask for help, Charleston Animal Society will do all that it can to help an owner and a pet remain together. Miles did finally get his Happy Ever After, too. Once the trial was over and he had packed on critically needed weight, Miles was made available for adoption. He will be spending his golden years in a loving home that will ensure that this never happens again. Miles the Mastiff is another success story thanks to the valiant efforts of Charleston Animal Society. Issue 5 6.12.2015 Page 5 of 5