Column: Aiken community cares deeply about animals

John Boyette, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·2 min read

Oct. 8—I could hear Love to the Rescue before I saw it.

As I parked my car on Richland Avenue and made my way toward Osbon's Laundry & Cleaners on Thursday, the sounds of a hound dog baying were hard to ignore. If I didn't know where I was going, the hound provided ample (and amplified) clues.

Even if you were driving on Pendleton Street, you might have seen a white pony named Smarty. That was another sign that something was going on downtown.

The event was the unveiling of the Love to the Rescue Wall. For a donation of $200 to the Friends of the Animal Shelter, an artist will paint a portrait of your rescue animal and have it hang on the wall.

"This is an ongoing mural," organizer Betty Ryberg said. "These will stay up for your lifetime."

There were 40 spots available Thursday. By Friday morning, Ryberg reported, nearly half of those had been taken. So far the effort has raised more than $10,000 for FOTAS.

I don't know of many communities that care for pets and animals more than Aiken County. We are blessed to have organizations like FOTAS and the SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare.

When I took over this job in 2019, I joked that we have more columns devoted to animals than we do humans. That's not quite true, but we do have a number of columnists who volunteer their time to keep us informed about what's happening at our local shelters.

Many of the artists were local high school students, and Aiken County Superintendent King Laurence was eager to support the cause. After all, he's got a couple of dogs of his own.

Many politicians made time in their busy schedules to salute Love to the Rescue. Sen. Tom Young spoke, and Aiken City Council members Kay Biermann Brohl and Gail Diggs presented a proclamation on behalf of the mayor.

Aiken County Council Chairman Gary Bunker pointed out that you can measure the compassion of a community by how it acts for those who can't speak for themselves. Before FOTAS was formed in 2009, nine out of 10 animals that went into the county shelter never came out. Now, nine out of 10 find a home.

"You are making a difference," Bunker said.

About 4,000 homeless and abandoned animals wind up at the Aiken County Animal Shelter on Wire Road each year. But, thanks to people like FOTAS President Jennifer Miller, most are rescued.

"It takes a village," Miller told me after the event. She also thanked me for the stories and photos that we run regularly in the paper about FOTAS.

"Every article saves a life," she said.

I didn't hear the hound dog bark his approval at that sentiment, but I gladly second it.

Thanks for reading.