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WAGGING TALES
News, Events & Happy Stories for Staff & Volunteers of Charleston Animal Society
LOWCOUNTRY FAMILY EXPO Many happy families and wagging tails attended the Lowcountry Family Expo on February 21. Attendees visited nearly 100 booths and watched stage events, including the Find Your Furry Friend Pet Fashion Show presented by Charleston Allergy & Asthma. Kay Hyman talked about each dog as they strutted across the stage and down the runway. Many gathered to watch Rosie and King in their finest attire. Puppies, Uno and sleeping Tara, were also dressed to impress and happy to be carried down the runway in the arms of volunteers and beauty queens, including Summerville’s Miss America 2015 and Miss America Teen 2015. Children were lined along with runway with hands outstretched to give and receive love from these friendly dogs.
Back at the booth, the adoptable dogs as well as Adoption Ambassador, Emma, had a lot of opportunities to get some love from the visitors. While the canines were
being adored, the humans were busy promoting Paw-‐ty with the Animals, B.A.R.K. Camps, Humane Heroes, dog training and fostering. As the day ended, many had giving monetary donations to CAS and Uno and Tara were both adopted. A fun-‐filled and successful day for all!
Mary Beth Dew and her husband live in Mt. Pleasant where they have been long-‐term foster parents for CAS.
MR. BAXTER KEEPS HIS HOME
Recently Mr. Baxter’s owner moved to a new home and Mr. Baxter had to live on a chain outside with another dog – who attacked him. The owner could not afford to take Mr. Baxter to the vet and did not have transportation. Aldwin Roman, Charleston Animal Society’s Anti-‐Cruelty and Outreach Director, picked up Mr. Baxter and brought him to the animal society where his wounds were clipped and cleaned. He went home the next day with antibiotics and pain medication.
Three weeks later, Mr. Baxter had made a full recovery. His owner was able to work out an arrangement with her landlord to keep the dog inside while he recovered and maybe stay inside for good. Three weeks after the attack, Mr. Baxter came back to be neutered, vaccinated, and micro-‐chipped. Everyone was amazed to see how much better he looked. If not for the Pets for Life program Mr. Baxter may have died or been surrendered.
The Pets for Life Program is a nationwide effort funded by the Humane Society of the United States and aims to keep pets at home with their families. Services offered are free spay and neuter surgeries, vaccinations, basic grooming, food, and micro-‐chip insertion.
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141ST ANNUAL MEETING RECAP Hundreds of supporters of Charleston Animal Society were treated to a heartwarming recap of the achievements in 2014 at the 141st Annual Meeting in February. Board members, volunteers, staff and adoptive families listened to reflections of a tremendous year. CEO Joe Elmore detailed important statistics that validated why Charleston Animal Society was recognized as the Most Honored Charity in South Carolina: CAS is the leader with over 5000 adoptions in South Carolina, the spay-‐neuter program served 12,000 animals, over 400 lifesaving surgeries were performed in 2014. Outreach included teaching 2700 children about humanitarian values and the basic science behind animal care, 1,000 families were reunited with pets, and door to door Food Bank and pet care support visits were made in some of the poorest neighborhoods in the county. In conjunction with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office and with the help of Joanna Lacey, Charleston Animal Society partnered in the equine rescue of 11 horses. Through 50,000 local supporters, donations and volunteerism reached significant levels of growth. The Chili Cook-‐Off raised over $270,000 dollars, and the Firefighter Calendar raised $360,000, made national news and orders on all seven continents!
Elizabeth Bradham, President, outlined direction for 2015: First, to create a No Kill and No Harm community. She detailed that additional resources would be needed to pursue an aggressive anti-‐cruelty campaign. Secondly, the Charleston Animal Society would launch ‘No Kill South Carolina’ following the ahead-‐of-‐schedule success of our countywide campaign. Recognizing the need to study the complexities, the process, organization and discipline to see this through, Elizabeth was undaunted by the task. Her determination was evident as she expressed the impact animals have in the lives of humans: as therapy animals, companions, police work, for the armed forces, and service animals. She concluded with the sentiment that animals are a constant source of devotion and “I invest in ‘love machines’... that’s my
story. And, I’m sticking to it.”
The evening continued with touching reminiscences of special moments with rescued animals, fostering of post surgical dogs, one which ultimately came to live with a very adoring owner: a Vietnam Veteran. Crews Chevrolet and Subaru was awarded Ambassador of the Year for their contributions to CAS including a Subaru vehicle driven frequently by Kay Hyman during CAS missions all over Charleston County.
The night’s presentation concluded with invited speaker, Dana Perino, a news talk show host on Fox News. Dana and her husband, Peter McMann, brought their dog, Jasper to the Annual Meeting. At perfect
moments, Jasper yelped a few comments and made himself perfectly comfortable in a front row seat or on stage with his human friends. Dana was involved in the Companions for Heroes program which matches dogs with war veterans returning with PTSD. Dana detailed her experiences in media roles working with politicians and past presidents including as Press Secretary to George W.Bush. Dana recalled a funny story during the time she was Deputy Press Secretary for George W. Bush. Apparently, the official turkey pardon was about to take place in the Rose Garden when there was an unexpected delay. An assistant in the White House inadvertently let Barney, Bush’s Scottish Terrier, out into the lawn. There was a near cancellation of the annual Thanksgiving reprieve for the turkeys until Barney could be caught .Dana closed with her enthusiastic support for the community of Charleston and its dedication to the mission of the Charleston Animal Society.
Beth Warner is a speech pathologist, freelance writer and supporter of many non profits in the Charleston Area
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MAKE SURE THEY HAVE A HOME We’ve all seen the videos of men and women in service returning home after several months or years away to a dog that is beyond elated. It never gets old-‐ I will watch every single video, multiple times, and without fail every time my eyes will tear up to see a dog so happy their human has returned. My dog even gives me a greeting with such fanfare after
just eight hours in the office.
But what happens when the unthinkable happens and their owner doesn’t return? Because the lifespan of pets is usually much shorter than that of humans, many people don’t plan for what will happen to their pet if something happens and they are unable to care for them.
The Charleston Animal Society recently received three senior lab mixes in this exact situation. Loved, cared for, and bonded together, these labs found themselves scared and thrust into a new environment with new humans. Everything and everyone they recognized had disappeared. This situation can be very confusing and overwhelming to a pet. Luckily, their story has a happy ending as all three were adopted together by one Good Samaritan within two weeks. However, their
story is a cautionary tale that requires each of us check our own continuity plans for our pets.
As a responsible pet owner, you provide your dog with the care they rely on you for: food and water, shelter, veterinary care and love. To provide for a future for your pets, we also suggest you make formal arrangements to specifically care for them should something happen to you. Consider your family or friends who have met your pet(s) and have cared for them in the past. While a verbal agreement is adequate, creating a will can be an important and inexpensive alternative to ensure they have a loving home and money to care for them. Make sure that neighbors, friends, and family know how many pets you have along with the names and phone numbers of emergency caregivers.
Even the youngest and healthiest of us are vulnerable to the unexpected. Having a plan in place to care for your best friend will save them from unnecessary stress in your absence. Your pets love you unconditionally – they are your family. Making sure they are cared for will be the best gift you can leave them with.
Karina Labossiere has been enjoying the Lowcountry life with her husband and adopted black lab since 2006. She works in finance by day and by night enjoys writing, working out, and watching rubbish on tv.
MABEL TEACHES A LESSON
Heather Grogran works in the Education Department at Charleston Animal Society and her job takes her to many schools in our community. Recently, Heather was very touched by a group of kids at ARCAES, Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary School. “Mable is a precious pup with a bad skin condition that has caused her to be here longer than most,” Grogan says. “So many people judge based on looks, both humans and animals. You can preach it and teach it till you are blue in the face, but inevitably judgment happens. Here in the South, we have a phrase that is sometimes nice and sometimes not so nice – we’ve all heard “bless your heart” and Mable heard it a lot! Feeling that Mable's heart had been blessed enough, I decided to create a lesson just for her. I took her to ARCAES and was amazed by what I saw. The moment I walked in I could see love on the students’ faces. They didn't even notice her terrible skin. She was just so sweet, they couldn't understand why she had not yet been adopted! I explained about Mable's condition and one by one they each came up to love and cuddle Mable. She was so happy that she fell asleep on the classroom rug during our lesson. Compassion and empathy are words rarely understood by adults, yet – thanks the students at ARCAES quickly grasped them!”
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WHEN FOSTERING BECOMES “FUR”EVER Every dog has its own unique personality and characteristics. Some will make long-‐ lasting impressions, like Fergie a 10-‐year-‐old American Staffordshire mix. Fergie lost all of her teeth, so her tongue always hangs out. A CAS volunteer recalls meeting Fergie and says she was in high spirits despite her unfortunate situation. “I met her, and she was so hopeful and happy -‐ even in the kennel,” she said.
It’s tougher to find homes for older dogs like Fergie who sometimes need more love and medical attention to heal any hardships and pre-‐existing living conditions. The good news is there are people who are drawn to helping the underdog and want to give animals like Fergie a new start.
Hans Van Heek is currently the foster parent for Fergie, and she may be just the companion he was looking for. “Currently I’m fostering Fergie or “Fergalicious” as I affectionately refer to her, but I don’t know how I could turn my back on such a sweet dog. Heek continued saying, “Even with some behavioral issues from years of neglect she’s proven to be a quick learner who is eager to please.”
Although it may require extra veterinary expenses due to her circumstance, Van Heek will happily provide that care. “In this short period of time I have lived with her she has proved herself to be a loyal, funny, and very appreciative dog that
brings a lot of joy to my household,” says Van Heek. Fergie has also become pals with Nika, Van Heek’s other dog. The fostering program brings together caring people with unique animals in need. This is just one of the many stories where fostering can turn into finding a “furever” home.
Heather Thomas is a project assistant at a local law firm. She is passionate about building community involvement for animal welfare.
400 ANIMALS SCHEDULED FOR SPAY NEUTER
Charleston Animal Society teamed up with Kia Country of Charleston to get pets spayed or neutered on World Spay Day, February 24th – and smashed records in the process. 342 people made appointments for 400 pets. Pet owners could sign-‐up online or by calling in to Charleston Animal Society’s spay-‐neuter hotline. This is the most spay neuters ever scheduled in a single day in South Carolina. Each year, Charleston Animal Society provides sheltering and other critical services to 18,000 animals. If you were unable to sign-‐up your pet for a spay/neuter appointment on World Spay Day, you can register online at http://www.charlestonanimalsociety.org/spay-‐neuter/.
UPCOMING EVENTS
MARCH 21 (SAT) HOMEWARD HOUND ADOPTION
EVENT *DANIEL ISL. CHILDREN’S PARK
MARCH 29 (SUN) LOWCOUNTRY CAJUN FESTIVAL *JAMES ISLAND COUNTY PARK
APRIL 11-12 (SAT & SUN) PET FEST
*PALMETTO ISLAND COUNTY PARK
APRIL 12 (SUN) KITTEN ICU DEDICATION
*CHARLESTON ANIMAL SOCIETY
APRIL 14-17 (TUES – FRI) DOGS PLAYING FOR LIFE W/
AIMEE SADLER *CHARLESTON ANIMAL SOCIETY
APRIL 25 & 26 (SAT & SUN) ASPCA HELP A HORSE WEEKEND
MAY 5 (TUES) LOWCOUNTRY GIVING DAY
*ONLINE
MAY 18 (THUR) YAPPY HOUR
*JAMES ISLAND COUNTY PARK
MAY 23 (SAT) 4TH KICK-OFF TO SUMMER BLOCK PARTY *TRIANGLE CHAR & BAR
AND STEEL CITY PIZZA