by Douglas Higbee
November 26, 2024
The Aiken County Animal Shelter is among the various Aiken County agencies designated for funding through the recently renewed Capital Project Sales Tax (CPST). Passed by voters on the recent November 5th ballot, the tax will contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to fund infrastructure improvements for various county and municipal programs. $1.7 million is earmarked for “Aiken County Animal Shelter upgrades, expansions, and new equipment.”
What exactly these “upgrades” and “expansions” will be, and when they will be implemented, is hard to say. The County Council ad hoc CPST committee initially slated the $1.7 million for a spay/neuter clinic, but then backed off that commitment, with the final line item reading “upgrades, expansions, and new equipment.”
While the dogs and cats of Aiken County could always use better care in general, a new spay/neuter clinic in particular is sorely needed.
Friends of the Animal Shelter (FOTAS) President Jennifer Miller says that while the Aiken SPCA already has a low-cost spay and neuter clinic, that facility can’t handle the large volume of county animals needing that service. In addition, there are fewer and fewer veterinarians available in the county to serve the needs of its pet population. A larger and improved spay and neuter clinic, says Miller, will significantly lower the number of dogs brought to the shelter.
And that is a large number. Over the last four years the Animal Shelter has received approximately 9,000 dogs, either as strays or owner surrenders. In that same time period, the Shelter’s dog transfer program has shipped over 55% of these dogs to rescues and shelters up north.1
Indeed, Aiken County is dependent on the transfer program to keep its euthanasia numbers low. According to Miller, before the transfer program was implemented in 2009, the shelter euthanized approximately 90% of its animals. Since then, largely because of the transfer program, euthanasia rates have consistently been below 10%.
However, one can’t assume that transfer program will be robust forever, as it is dependent on donations and on shelters up north. Christine Hanko, Intake Director of Dog Star Rescue in Hartford, CT, says her program receives approximately 25 dogs per month from southern states. And while she sees the program as continuing in some form in the foreseeable future, she notes that, because of the everyday pressures on Hartford area families, lately her organization has had to take in more local dogs. This change can only have a long-term impact on the number of animals from South Carolina that organizations like Hanko’s can accept, and the dependence on transfers up north speaks to the need for larger and low-cost spay and neuter facilities, as well as stronger oversight into breeding operations.
FOTAS President Miller points to the Greenville County Animal Shelter’s spay and neuter clinic that, after only six years, has reduced the intake of stray animals by nearly 60 percent. Another recent initiative in Greenville County is for an animal care facility that will feature a new spay and neuter clinic, as well as a center for dog training and humane education. Land has been purchased, and the Greenville Humane Society hopes to raise $8.5 million for construction of the facility.
Miller hopes such a combination of public funding and private donations can be replicated in Aiken County.
Given the nature of county government, it is up to citizens to keep the pressure on county officials to schedule and complete a low-cost spay/neuter clinic. And once the project gets going, an extra donation to FOTAS would certainly help as well.
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