Since the Summer of 2001; things are a little different:
The shelter at the FoxNest Veterinary Hospital that has cared for unwanted pets for over 16 years will continue to share the same facilities but will now become a separate organization. With a new name, separate accounting, and separate legal status as a non-profit charity.
What's New:
A new Name: ARF: Animal Rescue Fund of South Carolina
A new web site: www. arf-sc.org
And with our new status as a non-profit charity, we hope to raise money, attract volunteers, get publicity, attract sponsors, build a nicer place for the stray pets...all in hopes of finding homes for more pets.
What's There:
What we do, who we are, and what we want to do
Our policies about dropping off and adopting pets
Upcoming events
Current lists, pictures, and descriptions of pets needing homes
Links to other shelters and rescue organizations
Lists and phone numberts of homes wanted for pets
Some Comments
Our shelter is a NO Kill Shelter, but the bad news is that we can only accommadate about 20 stray pets at a time, so we have to turn several people a week away who don't want their pet anymore.
And get this: A lot of these people get mad at us! They have a pet that's become a nuisance, they don't want to take it to the shelter where it might very well be killed, they don't want to go to the considerable bother of trying to find it another home, and then they get furious because we won't take it...or if we do have room that we charge $30!
(Our expenses for taking care of stray pets is over $4,000 a month)
I was hoping people would think how nice it was that we take care of as many pets as we do; many of them uncared for, dirty, sickly, and injured when they come to us.
I'm sorry we don't have room for them all. We hope that by going non-profit, that with increased publicity, newpaper pet of the week pictures, and the efforts of volunteers headed by Sunny Hammill, we can speed up the time it takes to find a home and therefore not have to turn so many people away. Luckily, most people appreciate what we do and often help. Thank you.
The local county animal shelters get even more undeserved bad publicity than I do. They end up destroying so many pets. A lot of volunteers have tried their best to help solve the overwhelming problem of having so many unwanted pets. So many irresponsible pet owners. So many 3rd rate people who want the cute and love of a pet but not the trouble or expense.
That's what it comes down to, so while we'd rather you adopt a pet from us, it wouldn/t hurt our feelings if you were to adopt a pet from your county shelter the next time there's room in your household for another pet.
Oconee Animal Shelter: 638-8798
Pickens Animal Shelter: 843-9693
Anderson Animal Shelter: 260-5576
Clayton Animal Shelter: 706-782-3518
Lavonia Animal Shelter: 706-356-5363
Greenville Animal Shelter:
Things you can do if you have a pet you don't want to keep for any reason:
1. Advertise. Newspaper ads are often successful and in our local South Carolina Upstate area, the nice people at our local papers will advertise free pets for free. All you have to do is phone in the ad.
The Shopping Guide: 864-882-0522
The Seneca Journal: 864-882-2375
2. Just let it run free in hopes it will run away, abandon it, or drop it off in some distant place. This, obviously, is not a responsible choice but I list it because it's what so many people do. Shame.
3. Drop it off for boarding at some nice place, but leave a false address and phone number, and never return. This happens at lot at our clinic, most frequently by Clemson University Students who must think they are so smart. And so dishonest. As an aside...it's highly risky as a business to accept a personal check from a Clemson Student...what's happening to the character of our young people?
More Shame.
4. Arrange for a no kill shelter to take on your pet if they have room.
This is a good choice, and one we provide, the biggest problem being enough room.
5. Take the pet to a pet shop to see if they'll take it. Petsmart, by the way, in Greenville SC, is very helpful in cleaning up and displaying pets from the Greenville shelter, helping to find homes. The trouble with this plan is again, limited spots...usually reserved for the cutest pets.
6. Display and give away the litter or pet at a busy place like the Jockey Lot or Walmarts, but it's very difficult to screen what kind of home the pet is likely to get.
7 . Take the pet to a regular county shelter. They will try their best to find homes, but there's a high chance the pet will be destroyed. Shelters are overwhelmed with numbers...all because so many people are lazy and cheap about their responsiblities in the first place. Don't blame the shelters...the blame rests on the big percentage of our citizens who don't deserve the title.
8. If your pet is a purebreed, call a rescue group for that breed to see if they can find a home. There will be a listing under Rescue Organizations.
Another Comment
Please don't adopt a pet just for emotional reasons. Please make sure you'll be able to give it a good home and will be willing and able to give it adequate care. Remember that it costs at least a couple hundred dollars a year to feed, pamper, and provide appropriate veterinary care for a pet. If you can't afford our token adoption fee, you shouldn't be adopting a pet at all.
Let me restate that comment...it realistically costs at least a hundred dollars a year to take reasonable care of a pet...so if you can't afford the small adoption fee, we really don't want you having the pet.
Donations & other help Welcome
coming soon... non profit status so that donations will be tax deductible.
coming soon...this page completed...but for now, a few comments
Give For Free:
One of the easiest ways to help, and it's free to you, is to access our sponsors through this web page...we'll get a commission if you end up purchasing anything...and it'll all go to helping our stray pets.
Give Money:
Any amount will be greatly appreciated...lots of clients give an extra $5 when they pay their bill...and it helps alot. Thanks very much.
Give Towels, paper towels, laundry soap, or pet food:
We use a lot of towels in our kennels and cat house, partly for cleaning but mostly for the pets to lay on. We also use a lot of bath mats, but we need things that can go through the washing machine in quanity. We have 4 washing machines going all the time trying to keep up with over 100 pets we sometimes have at the clinic...so laundry soap would be a great gift. If you give us canned pet food, we use it as treats for strays and sometimes for sick patients, so that would be a great gift. We have to be very careful with changing dry dog food on our dogs lest we cause diarrhea, so dry dog food is not a great gift, but still, if you have a bag your dog doesn't like or something we be grateful to have it.
Give Time and Love:
Our stray pets would love more walks and play time and especially just petting and touching...drop by when you have 20 minutes and ask to walk or play with the strays. Or if you're really an angel...take one or two of the more socialized pets home for the weekend to give them a break from their caged life.
Give us your referrals:
When the subject comes up, let people know that we have pets for adoption. And let people know about this web site too...
And, of course, I appreciate veterinary referrals too. Thanks.
Donate to the local Concerned Citizens for Animals (CCA):
These people live trap several cats a week around Clemson University and bring them in for neutering and a rabies vaccine which we do at cost. They could use your help. I'll get phone numbers and more information for you about this organization soon.
Donate to Your Local Humane Societies:
They too, raise money that goes to neutering pets which we also do for them at cost as do many of the other local vets. Again, I'll get phone numbers and more information for you about this organization soon.
And, of course, consider adopting a pet for ARF
Rescue Organizations
Coming soon...links and comments about the many rescue societies and people that foster pets until they can find a home.
March 2001: Thanks to volunteer Miss Katie Brown, we now have a list of links to kind hearted people and organizations that rescue different dog breeds; it's on a different page called Canine Rescue Organizations.
Please email me if you have information you'd like me to add.
mailto:foxnest@metacrawler.com
Local Information:
Golden Retriever Rescue of Oconee County: 864-882-0357
Of General Interest:
For starters, some links:
Animal Cruelty National Data Base Report and get help in dealing with cases where you think animals are being neglected or mistreated.
Bridgitt Bardot's Animal Rescue Foundation lots of animal welfare and rescue information.
Bush Meat.net devoted to stopping the massive killing of primates and other wildlife, mostly in Africa.
Our site about horses has information about horse rescue organizations...especially for race horses past their racing prime...check it out at The Horse Doctor.
Lost and Found in Upstate South Carolina:
Dogs:
19 March 2001: Black and Tan Yorkie named "Thor" stolen from a car at a Denny's parking lot in Anderson. Clipped tail and dewclaws. Dime size white mark on chest.
$500 reward for help in finding. Call Veterinarian Paul Laney in Anderson at 864-225-0015 who is the owner's vet or call the owner's cell phone at 864-376-4731
Cats:
You can import your own photos or other graphics to your page with the Imported Image Eleme
All commissions go to taking care of sick and injured stray pets
On Other Pages:
The Animal Shelter at the FoxNest Veterinary Hospital
ARF: Animal Rescue Fund of South Carolina
