Benji Bingo!

It's that time of the year again for our fall fundraiser, Benji Bingo! Come join us Monday night, November 8th at the Ten-Eleven Galleria (1011 Broad St, Camden, SC) at 6pm. It's $20 to get in, and that will get you some Bingo Cards (with cash prizes) and food provided by Carolina Cafe. There will be a cash bar with music and the infamous Rubber Chicken auction. In years past, it has been stuffed with $1000 cash, weekend get-aways, gift cards, and much more! You can call the shelter if you have any questions!

Look in your mailboxes for the recent February Newsletter! If you didn't receive one and would like to be added to the mailing list, please contact the animal shelter (wcas@bellsouth.net) and let us know you would like to receive upcoming newsletters.

 

Also, a few weeks ago a male Boxer was brought to the Shelter and had been hit by a car. He is a wonderful dog and has such a great personality. However, there was no identification on his collar and he was not microchipped. The shelter waited as long as possible for his owners to come forward and reclaim him, however no one did. Noah's Ark Rescue of the upstate of South Carolina http://www.noahs-arks.net kindly took him in and generously funded his Surgery and Veterinary Care. This rescue now needs help. They pull animals from Shelters when there are no more options for the animal and give them a second chance at life. Please take a moment and view their website and donate, be it $1 or $100, every little bit counts.

Dogs, Cats, Kittens, Puppies, Birds?

The Kershaw County Humane Society serves as the County Animal Shelter for Kershaw County. That means we take in any type of animal (both domestic and feral). Kershaw County Animal Control responds to calls for Livestock (Horses, Cows, Sheep, Goats, etc) as well as any type of bird. More recently at the shelter, we have had turtles, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, turkeys, and a hawk. All find homes (either through our adoptions, or through a rescue organization) fortunately and their stay at the shelter provides a break from the norm (barking puppies and meowing cats).

Today the shelter took in 4 Parakeets. Two of them are light blue, one violet, and the fourth is green and yellow. While they provide entertainment to the office workers, they also intrigue the "misfits" which have never been up close to such a vibrantly colored dog-eater (at least, that's what the birds told the dogs). But the birds are settling in and the dogs are looking over the shoulder to make sure they stay in their cage.
This does however remind everyone how the selling/buying of animals (both domestic and exotic) can become unfair to the animals. Whether dogs and cats are over bred to sell their litters, or that a Parakeet can become so common that it's just as easy to buy a Gold Fish as it is an exotic bird from a Pet Store, the bottom line comes down to animals being purchased into households that acted on an "Impulse Decision".

Here at the shelter, when someone wants to adopt a pet as a gift or "surprise" we talk him or her into an Adoption Certificate instead. We also encourage potential adopters to consider the responsibilities that a cute and fluffy puppy will have years down the road. At the shelter, when animals are surrendered, a very common reason is "Unrealistic Expectations". Either the puppy grew into too "large of a dog", or the cat sprays, or the puppy cries at night, or whatever reason -- we all know that with animals, they bring us so much love and happiness but also require quite a bit of up-keep and responsibility.

So for the Parakeets' sake, Think before you buy -- and if you buy,

consider saving a life instead of buying one!

*Also, these birds are up for adoption!*

City of Camden unanimously passed a new City Ordinance in November of 2009 that made it illegal to keep an animal (in this case a dog) on a chain, cord, rope or tether of any kind to a stationary item. You are able to put the dog on a "Runner" or some type of pulley system that enables the dog to move around freely without being tangled -- however they can not have on a choke or pinch collar on the "Runner". This is a great move for the City of Camden. Tying a dog and leaving them there is so physically and emotionally traumatic for the animal. Dogs that are tied are more aggressive when they become loose, and they also suffer mentally and develop negative behaviors such as food aggression, and form habits from boredom (such as digging, chewing, etc)

All in all, it's not fair to the dog. In extreme cases, the animals are neglected and left outside in inclimate weather and it is a shame. Hopefully this new Ordinance will improve the lives of many dogs in the community and will help lead the way to more laws to protect the animals in Kershaw County.

This week, "Sheen" was adopted! For those of you who have been to the shelter, you may have noticed (and been greeted by) Sheen, a Blue Pit Bull. He's still young, around 1 year old and came in through Animal Control as a neglect case. He was picked up because someone reported there was a dead dog on the property. Sheen was chained to a tree, and the other Pit Bull on the property beside him (who was also chained) had died. Sheen was emaciated and it was clear that he had been overbred (for selling Pit Bull puppies). We took him in and were able to clear up his medical issues and slowly but surely, the weight came on.

It was clear from the spark in his eyes, that he was a special dog. We taught him to walk on a leash, to play, to socialize with strangers and other dogs -- and he loves cats! We slowly introduced him to the other "Misfits" at the shelter. His new home became the "Meet and Greet" room and he greeted everyone who came through the door. He slept on the couches and decided he was to be an inside dog. One morning he was turned outside in the fenced in area and after he had played, immediately wanted back inside. He is such a funny dog!

Ron and Danny were able to find a home for him and he left on Tuesday to his new forever home. He is a true case showing how dogs, especially Pit Bulls, given a second chance, can have such a turnaround. We are so happy for him and can't wait to find out how he does in his new home!

Here's Sheen and Tyler, this was taken right before he left and he loves everyone!

There have been many exciting changes at the Animal Shelter! Our "Old Cat Room" has been cleared out and turned into our "Meet and Greet" room. This room gives potential adopters the opportunity to play with a puppy or dog outside of their kennel area but still inside the building (It's nice when it is chilly outside or raining!) and this is important because it gives the dog an opportunity to relax and their personality comes out!

We also have various equestrian items on sale in the "Meet and Greet" room, so if you are looking for blankets, girths, saddle pads, etc, come on down and see what we have. All of the proceeds benefit the shelter!

Today was an exciting day at the shelter (they are never boring that's for sure), we had Patsy Topping come down and pull 5 of our adult Lab mixes and put them on a horse trailer headed to New York where these guys will have a second chance for being adopted. We are so grateful and thankful for Patsy and her volunteers and for all of the hard work and long driving hours they have put into saving animals.

Another "Thank You" goes to Ron Danta and Danny Robertshaw (and their helpers!) for painting the Puppy Room! A new floor is also on the way and the new neon green sure has brightened up the room and it looks wonderful. They started Danny and Ron's Rescue and have and continue to do so much for the animals.

Here's Scully, a 2 year old Lab mix that came to the shelter in November. He has scars on his nose and was very timid and it was clear he came from an abusive situation. He was picked up by Animal Control as a "stray" and was never reclaimed. Over the past few months he has gained weight and confidence! He is one of the adults that are making the trip to NY and we are all so thankful and glad he has this second chance at life, he deserves it!

Here is a picture of some of the Horse Blankets for sale at the shelter in the "Meet and Greet" room. There are all different sizes and types of blankets available and very moderately priced.

And here is the Puppy Room! As you can see, the kennels are painted green and all of the white area was repainted as well. Since the area has to be cleaned so thoroughly multiple times a day, there aren't any floor paints that can withstand the cleaning supplies that are needed to ensure the floors are clean. This causes the paint to flake off over time. To get around this, Ron and Danny are purchasing tiles to floor the Puppy Room. We are so thankful for their generousity!

Also, be sure to check out WLTX out of Columbia on Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm. They show "Pet Pause" which features different animal organizations each week. The WCAS is one of the organizations and we just had our airing this evening and there will be another Thursday morning (tomorrow) on the 6am News. This evening was "Gamble", a Husky mix puppy and  in the morning will be "Clyde" a very plump Domestic Shorthair and both need loving homes! WLTX Pet Pause and on the right side of the screen will be a box that says "Pet Pause Video" and after the Ads load, there are different episodes you can watch.

New Blog!

Thank you for visiting the Walter M. Crowe Animal Shelter's blog. Check back here for weekly updates on events and information that are going on at the shelter. If you haven't already, please take a look at our website, http://www.waltermcroweanimalshelter.org and feel free to contact us if you have any questions!