It’s official. The results are in. The Aiken community has spoken. For the fourth consecutive year, Friends of Aiken County Animal Shelter was chosen by the citizens of Aiken as the Top Nonprofit Organization, Top Pet Rescue Organization, and Top Animal Event pet (Woofstock Doggie Derby Day) . We are delighted and honored and therefore very, very proud.

We are proud of our volunteers who work tirelessly to care for the animals at the Aiken County Shelter seven days a week (including holidays), as well as the volunteers who go the extra mile to make our events iconic. , like Woofstock, a spectacular day. for families and their four-legged friends.

We are proud of the army of foster families who care for countless numbers of homeless puppies and kittens and animals with special medical needs, as well as the short-term foster families who house those animals that are not locally adopted until they can be transferred up north to one of our sister rescue agencies. We are proud of the network of cherished transfer partners we have developed over the years, helping to save every adoptable animal.

We are proud of our dedicated and generous donors, who have helped fund so many of County Shelter’s vital animal programs – everything from special medical supplies, equipment and services; socializing dogs in our Dogs Playing for Life playgroups; to provide pet food to the elderly and citizens in need; to everyday items like collars, leashes, kennel beds, treats, toys – anything that can make a stay at the shelter more productive and less stressful for animals. The generosity of our donors has also funded important additions to the County Shelter complex: the Medical Isolation Building for treatable conditions; fencing for playgrounds on the shelter grounds; and the PAWS Building (currently under construction), which will provide meeting rooms for shelter dogs and potential adopters, a training room, and a new and improved open cat colony for adoptable cats.

And finally, we are proud of our partnership with Aiken County: an engaged county council that responded to the needs of homeless animals in the county; the dedicated management and staff of County Shelter, who are always willing to try new ways to save the county’s homeless animals; and County Animal Control, for whom we provide, among other things, human runners and dog shelters who have spent their lives at the end of a chain.

You see, these three 2022 Aiken Choice Awards aren’t just ours – the honors also belong to you, the Aiken community, who have supported our work every step of the way. You have enabled FOTAS and the county to save more animals than any other CSRA rescue agency. Period. Full stop. Even better? All of our resources are dedicated to rescuing abandoned, abused, and neglected animals in Aiken County.

Thank you for your commitment, your support and your generosity. Together we can make 2022 an even better year. May God bless you and have a happy and healthy 4th of July.

Their lives are in our hands.