Aiken County Animal Advocates
THE VOICE OF PAWS
(Palmetto Animal Welfare Services, Inc.)
By Joya DiStefano
Oh, Wagener area residents, you have no idea how proud you
can be of what you have started here in Aiken County. Let me tell you.
In the spring of 2012, a bunch of animal advocates got
together and took advantage of an opportunity to compete to raise the most
money of any other rescue group participating.
The contest was sponsored by an outfit called Pawmetto Lifeline in
Columbia that had just opened a high-volume clinic, and it was out to spay or
neuter any animal they could get their little scalpel on. The Aiken County group won the contest and
was rewarded with nearly $5,000 credit at the Pawmetto Lifeline clinic. That money served to begin a targeted
spay/neuter project that is gradually establishing itself in local communities
throughout Aiken County. Wagener was chosen
to be the pilot project, and, with the tireless cooperation of Town Hall and local
resident, Dottie Gantt, Wagener remains the most successful community-based
spay/neuter assistance program going.
Why Spay or Neuter your pets?
Perhaps you don’t care all that much what happens to all the
unwanted dogs and cats in your area. As
long as they don’t bother you, it should be someone else’s responsibility,
right? Then they are in your yard, in
front of your truck, dying along the roads, converging on your bitch-in-heat,
fighting with your male dog, howling through the night. This is not a problem one can shoot his way
out of.
Most people who have pets care about their welfare. Most…
Your animals will be healthier, happier pets if they are spayed or
neutered. They will be content to remain
home. They will have way fewer
incidences of cancer. They will mark
less, fight less, and mess in your house less.
You will find they are more loving, because they are less
frustrated. A male dog can sense a
female in heat within a mile in every direction. Unaltered, the poor animal has to function
with a message screaming in their brain, I NEED TO BREED! By altering them, we
eliminate that message and all the physical complications that go with it.
There are a bunch of old-wives tales about the negative
effect of spaying or neutering your animals.
It is not true that your female will get fat and lazy. Fat and lazy is due to too much bad food and
not enough exercise. If your dog hunts,
it will still hunt. If your dog is
protective, it will still guard. And,
no, breeding your beloved pet will not give you a replacement copy. Breeding your pet will put more breeding
animals into an already over-populated environment. And they can start young; dogs by 6 months
and cats by four months.
How to Get ‘r Done!
The local Spay/Neuter Assistance Program has made it so easy
to get your pets fixed, you just can’t put it off any longer. Here’s how it works:
For Household Pets
- You go to the Wagener Town Hall and ask for an enrollment form.
- Fill it out your contact information and identify the dogs or cats you want to have fixed.
- Provide information regarding your income status/ number of animals you own.
- Leave the completed form at Town Hall
Based on the number of animals in the applications, a
surgery date will be scheduled at the SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare
in Aiken. If you want your animal(s)
transported from Wagener, you will be told what day to bring it/them to the
Wagener Gazebo on the morning of surgery.
The animals will be returned the following morning. Arrangements can also be made for you to
self-transport in either or both directions.
The cost is $20 for each animal and includes rabies vaccine and a
microchip.
For more information call:
(803) 634-0564
Lenny’s Brigade for “Community Cats”
A community cat is an
unowned cat that calls the outdoors home.
Community cat colonies develop where there is shelter and a food
source. Without assistance, they can
often get out of control. People, who
like cats, take pity on the strays and feed them, often find themselves facing the
painful situation of being overrun. Lenny’s
Brigade offers a humane approach; one that does not promote killing healthy
cats; one that can help bring the situation back under control. If you or someone you know is in such a
plight, call the Lenny’s Brigade Hotline: (803) 507-6315. Someone will get back to you and tell you how
to proceed.
People of the Aiken County East, you have led the way! Let’s not stop now. You have a solid core of animal advocates among
you who can help you continue to show Aiken County the way! Spay and Neuter your pets. Let’s put an end
to unwanted litters, and the cost and heartbreak they bring. Let’s do it together!
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