Aiken SPCA

8/31/2010 12:33 AM
By DANIELLE WESTFALL
2003 adopter from the Aiken SPCA

I wanted to give the Aiken SPCA an update on a dog I adopted in May 2003. Lacie is a Labrador retriever that was surrendered by her owner in April 2003. Her previous owner had planned to breed her to sell the puppies but when she found out Lacie had heartworms, she decided to surrender her rather than pay for treatment.

Her name while she was at the shelter was Fancy. I found her on Petfinder.org. She was 19-months-old and described as very sweet. She was obviously purebred but had no papers. Continue reading From Aiken to Guam, a dog’s life since leaving the SPCA

8/24/2010 12:30 AM
By GARY WILLOUGHBY
Aiken SPCA executive director

The sights are familiar ones: large groups of kids lined up around their bus stops, school zone lights flashing reminding us to slow down, the big yellow bus stopping at railroad crossings; school is back in session.

Going back to school means new opportunities, reuniting with old friends and making new ones. Kids get to learn new subjects and get one year closer to becoming grown ups and having kids of their own. Continue reading Back to school for shelter dogs, too

By AMY BANTON
Staff writer
I’ve never lived without some sort of animal in my house – to me, having some kind of fur, fins or feathers grace my home is only natural.

Aiken is well known for its horses, which I believe is the first indication that this area loves its animals. Another indication is the Aiken SPCA itself. I visited the no-kill shelter recently for a story I’ve been working on and met a few of the volunteers. I’ve seen those same volunteers at the local PetSmart and the Aiken SPCA Thrift Store on Fridays and Saturdays trying to find homes for cats and dogs. Continue reading Spaying, neutering is essential for pet population control

A penchant for volunteering and helping others served as the impetus for Orlando, Fla.-resident Allyson Urban to direct her energies toward making a difference.

While Urban was in Aiken, she made a life-changing decision. The daughter of Sweet Water Christmas Tree Farm’s Scott Urban adopted 10-month-old Izzy, a German shepherd/husky mix, from the Aiken SPCA on Aug. 5. Continue reading Disney employee aids in improving area shelter with grant

8/17/2010 12:30 AM
By GARY WILLOUGHBY
Aiken SPCA executive director

Bruce Springsteen wasn’t talking about male dogs when he wrote this song 25 years ago, but the saying certainly applies in the animal welfare world.

If you walk through any shelter where they are holding stray dogs, you’ll notice two things right away; many of the dogs are male and most aren’t neutered. Whether they are 6 months or 6 years old, they were picked up because they ran away from home when “love was in the air.” Continue reading Some dogs were born to run

It’s time to get your furry friends sudsy.

The third dog wash of the summer to benefit the Aiken County SPCA will be held this Saturday at Cold Creek Nursery from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Volunteers will be on hand to bathe, de-flea and groom your dogs. The dogwashes wouldn’t be possible without the support of the many volunteers who brave the heat and spend four hours washing and grooming the dogs. Continue reading Canine cleaning for a good cause

8/2/2010 2:32 PM
By GARY WILLOUGHBY
Aiken SPCA executive director

Minivan; check. 2.5 kids; check. You have your house in the suburbs. Mom and Dad both work now to make ends meet. After work, they become the family taxi service doing everything from picking up the kids from school, taking them to soccer practice or maybe a dance class.. Continue reading A family pet can make a great addition to any household

7/27/2010 9:33 AM
By Bobby Arthurs and Gary Willoughby
The humane treatment and prevention of animal overpopulation is a job that Aiken County government and the Aiken SPCA take very seriously, as do the many other public and private rescues and animal control departments. In this article we would like to share with you how your county government animal control department is organized, how it operates, and how it works with the Aiken SPCA as a long time partner in a cooperative effort to address the humane issues that affect both people and pets. Continue reading Aiken County, SPCA work together for animal welfare

7/27/2010 12:25 AM
By GARY WILLOUGHBY
Aiken SPCA executive director

By the time I wake up at 5 a.m. to start a new day at the SPCA, the little green light on my phone is ringing and there are new e-mails waiting to be read.

The first one I come across this day is from a supporter and volunteer who found a stray male lab mix running down the road in Barnwell County with the pads of his paws bleeding due to too much time spent running on hot pavement. He’s very underweight, too. Can I make room for him? We do. Continue reading A typical day at the SPCA and the words ‘We are Full’

7/20/2010 12:30 AM
By GARY WILLOUGHBY
Aiken SPCA executive director

Sometimes we have cats at the shelter that cannot live well as house pets. However, they can still enjoy a good quality of life and serve a purpose as a barn cat. Cats in our barn cat program fall into one of three categories:

* Cats whose litter box habits make them unsuitable to live in the house

* Cats that are just too independent to appreciate being cooped up in cages here at the Aiken SPCA

* Cats that are semi-feral, shy or fearful of people and that may prefer the company of other cats and animals Continue reading Barn cats are available