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Publisher Brian Foster brian@lowcountrydog.com Chief Canine Officer Peanut Social Media & Content Coordinator Julie Murray julie@lowcountrydog.com Editorial Columnist & Rescue Coordinator Alicia Williams alicia@lowcountrydog.com Copy Editor Chelsea Salerno Intern Fern Wooden Staff Writers Kelly Glasson Hali Selert Photographers Southern Vintage Photography Stono Tides Photography Web and Design Consultant Laura Olsen Contributing Writers Kimberly Blaker Dr. Suzy Shannon For advertising and media inquiries please email contact@lowcountrydog.com
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Above and cover photo by Southern Vintage Photography
In this issue
We believe that our dogs are our best friends, and that’s why we need a reliable source to turn to for information on all things “dog” in our community. Our mission is to be the number one Charleston area resource for dog owners regarding regional dog-centric and dog-welcoming events, health & wellness information, dog training, trends, and local news. We also strive to be a mouthpiece to the public for various Lowcountry-based pet nonprofits, and we promote pet adoption and other responsible pet care practices.
6.
Founded in Charleston, South Carolina in 2005 as a print magazine, we re-launched in 2015 as “Charleston’s Digital Dog Magazine.” We continue our mission to be the best dog friendly resource in the Lowcountry.
22. A Day in the Life of a Shelter Worker
SIT, STAY... BEHAVE: For The Love of Dogs
10. HEALTH & WELLNESS:
14.
16.
Importance of Dental Care in Dogs PEACE, LOVE & REAL TALK: with Alicia Rose Willliams FEATURE STORY: The Business of Saving Lives
COVER STORY
Photography by Southern Vintage Photography and written by Chelsea Salerno
32. IN THE NEWS 34. LOWCOUNTRY DOG ANIMAL ADVOCATE:
38.
Tamara Giordano Williams GO GREEN: Adopt A Recycled Dog!
42. LOCAL DOG EVENTS
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NEW LOOK, SAME SPIRIT I f you have b e e n a reader o f Lowcountr y Do g Ma ga zi n e fo r a while, yo u have may have n oti ce d a n ew lo ok to this issue. O ur D e ce mb e r 201 9 Issu e mar ks the star t o f o ur 15 th year o f publishin g . We d e ci d e d to make so me cha n ges to sta r t t h is m om en to us yea r i n our h isto r y.
Peanut 's
P O I N T O F BR O U G HT BACK P RINT We sta r te d i n 2 005 as a p ri n t publicatio n an d were s o unt il 20 15 wh e n we became “ Char leston’s Di g i tal D og Magazin e. ” While yo u won’t f i nd sta cks of o ur publicatio n all over tow n , you will fin d a few co pies in key l o ca ti ons . We still live by o ur “ go g reen” m o t to a n d th e refo re decided to have p ro m ot i onal co pies prin ted each issue to have i n wa i t i n g ro o ms aro un d the area as we ll as oth e r places yo u fin d magazines fo r rea d i n g . N o t prin tin g ten tho usand co pi es of ea ch issu e as we did in th e old days, saves over 300 trees a year and l ike a d og, I l ive by the m o tto that “trees a re for p e e i n g . ” If yo u are readin g t h is i n p ri n t ri gh t n ow, yo u have yo ur hands o n o n e of th os e pro m o tio nal co pies. We ho p e t ha t you will take the time to follow us o n s ocial m e dia, go to o ur website or subs crib e to us o n the Issu u app s o you ca n rea d us on yo ur pho n e, tablet or PC w hen e ve r you wan t .
V I E W
My name Peanut and my official t i t le is Ch ief Canine Officer. My friends call me Nut t y and I call all t h e sh ots aro un d he re , so I get my ow n column, Peanut ’ s Po i n t o f View. WHAT TO EXPECT We have some great content to he l p yo u und erstand your d og b et ter as we ll as some cute local d ogs. We also pla n s o me great events t h rough out t h e yea r to he lp raise money and awareness fo r l o cal rescues and sh elters. In 20 19, we rais e d over $30,0 0 0 for local rescue g ro ups . We have big plans for 20 20 and we ho pe yo u will join us as we celeb rate 15 years o f publish ing.
N E W LO G O Yo u may n ot i ce my cu te head has star ted a p p ea ri n g e ve r y where. Well with the new l o ok ca m e a n ew ico n an d who better to rep res e n t t h e bran d than mys elf. Oh , I fo rgot , i f you are n ew to Lowco un tr y Dog Ma ga zi n e you may n o t kn ow who I am. www.lowcountrydog.com
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T R A I N I N G
DOGS ARE MORE EMOTIONAL THAN SCIENCE ONCE GAVE THEM CREDIT FOR
W R I T T E N B Y : K I M B E R LY B L A K E R
In living with and interacting with our dogs, we get to know them well. Despite their inability to talk, we often understand their emotions based on their body language. Scientists now know what dog owners have suspected all along. Dogs experience a wider range of emotions than scientists once thought. The dog brain is substantially smaller than the human brain when accounting for body size, so it isn’t as complex as our brain. Yet, MRI studies reveal dogs’ brains aren’t much different from humans. MRIs have revealed the same sections of both the human and dog brain light up based to various types of stimuli, according to board certified neurologist, Dr. J.P. McCue, at New York City’s Animal Medical Center, reported in “Dog Brain Facts: Understanding Canine Cognition.” It’s also been found that dogs produce oxytocin, the neurotransmitter and hormone that creates the emotion of love in humans. In fact, research has found that when our dogs stare into our eyes, it activates oxytocin, creating a bond similar to that between a mother and infant. David Grimm, in his article, “How dogs stole our hearts,” at sciencemag.org, reports on the research of this phenomenon. In an experiment
by Takefumi Kikusui, an animal behaviorist, and his colleagues, dogs and their owners gazed into each other’s eyes. Their gaze ranged from a few seconds to a couple of minutes. The researchers found in those dogs and owners who gazed longer, the oxytocin levels rose 130% and 300% respectively. This adds to the growing body of research that supports dogs can feel love and attachment. Just like in humans, dogs’ brains develop as they grow. In humans, the brain reaches full development around the age of twenty-five but dogs’ brains are fully developed around the age of 6 months. At this point, dogs’ emotional development is equivalent to a two and a half year old human, according to researchers. To gain perspective on what that means in regards to dogs’ range of emotions, Stanley Coren, in “What Emotions Do Dogs Actually Experience?” charts the emotions of a two-and-a-half year old child. These include joy, love and affection, contentment, excitement, shyness and suspicion, fear, disgust, distress, and anger. At that age, however, children don’t experience feelings that require self-consciousness, such as pride, shame, guilt, and contempt.
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T R A I N I N G
How to read your dog’s feelings Here are some of the ways dogs express different emotions. Joy. Dogs often express this when a family member comes home or a familiar guest comes to visit. Dogs often run and jump, wag their tails, and lavish kisses. They also express joy when playing by barking or giving a playful bow. Love and affection. When dogs are feeling affectionate, they might nudge you with their nose, make affectionate eye contact (as opposed to the threatening eye contact of an unknown dog), or make soft groans and sighs while lying next to you. Some dogs will lean their bodies up against you while sitting or standing. They also express their love through kissing, jumping, and rolling onto their backs with a wagging tail. Shyness, suspicion, fear. These emotions are often quite evident. Dogs might flatten their ears, avoid eye contact, tuck their tail under, cower, pant, or shake. They can also have dilated glassy eyes. Pacing, hiding, whining, barking, sneering, nipping, or submissive urination can also be signs of fear or shyness. Distress. When dogs are depressed, they can experience changes in appetite, behavior, sleep patterns, and reduced activity levels. Emotionally distressed dogs also show this in their posture with downcast eyes and a low bent neck. They might also lick or shed excessively. Anger. If your dog has ever ignored you or given you the cold shoulder, there’s a good chance it’s mad at you. But if you’re doing something that makes your dog particularly angry, your dog might take a rigid posture, bark loudly in your direction, or make sharp or short barks. This is a warning
to stop whatever you’re doing that’s making your dog angry. If your dog begins growling, howling repeatedly with a rising pitch, or showing teeth, it’s prepared to attack. What about hackles? People often think raised hackles indicate a dog is angry or showing aggression. Sometimes that’s the case. But raised hackles are an involuntary reaction and most often caused by a host of other emotions. These include excitement, arousal, fear, shyness, defensiveness, or being startled. That said, dogs can bite out of fear, not just anger. The best way to know the meaning behind the raised hackles is to look at other body language that indicates what the dog is feeling.
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Every dog has it’s day. But the best ones are here.
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H E A L T H
&
W E L L N E S S
BENJI goes to the
dentist W R IT T E N
BY :
S U Z Y SH A N N O N
Veterinarian at Veterinary Dental Care and Sweetgrass Animal Hospital in Summerville
Benji is 11-year-old toy Yorkie who came to our clinic last year as a rescue dog. As part of my advanced veterinary dentistry training, we were working with rescues to provide their dogs with much needed dental care. Benji was barely four and half pounds, so small he could get lost in a handbag. He had the personality of a polite little boy and sat still as I examined his mouth. It was apparent that he had very little dental care if at all throughout his life. He had such severe periodontal disease that fur from his coat was trapped in pus between his teeth and gums. It was the type of dog mouth that made me wince and feel pain for the dog. Amazingly, Benji was bright and alert and still eating. We proceeded to anesthetize him for further examination and treatment and we found that Benji had twenty-four teeth missing and all but one of the remaining eighteen were diseased. We extracted all the affected teeth except for one. The tooth that remained was healthy so it was best to preserve it as removing the tooth would risk require bone removal. As a toy dog, Benji already had small jaw bones and removing bone would put him a higher risk for a jaw fracture. Two weeks after Benji’s procedure, the front part of Benji’s jaw fractured. His jaw did not fracture from a strong force or impact, it fractured because the bone was so weakened over time from periodontal disease. Benji had to wear a muzzle made for his size that supported
his jaw while it healed. He was extremely brave and his jaw healed well! Periodontal disease is one of the most common diseases affecting dogs. One study showed that 80% of two-year old dogs are affected by the disease. The disease is caused by bacteria in the mouth adhering to teeth and gums. The bacteria leads to inflammation and the inflammation ultimately causes destruction of structures that hold teeth in place. One of these structures includes the bones that make a dog’s jaw. For Benji, inflammation from periodontal disease caused such severe bone loss that his lower jaw fractured. How can this be prevented from happening? Control of the bacteria by regular professional dental cleanings and home dental care can help
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prevent periodontal disease. Treatment of the disease requires dog owners to be proactive. One dental cleaning does not cure the disease, control involves regular dental care. One of the most difficult things about periodontal disease is that it has very few symptoms. A dog owner can smell bad breath but he or she may mistakenly dismiss the smell as “doggy breath�. Dogs with periodontal disease continue to eat despite having loose, abscessed and painful teeth so sometimes there are no obvious signs. Another difficult aspect of periodontal disease is that it requires anesthesia for a diagnosis. A dog will not sit still while a dental x-ray plate is in his mouth or periodontal probing. Both of these procedures could be harmful to the dog if he did bite down and chew and therefore anesthesia is required for safety and comfort. Dogs like Benji do well under anesthesia and recover to go home the same day. Benji is now living a very happy, healthy life with the family who
adopted him. They are taking excellent care of him and plan to have his one remaining strategic tooth professionally cleaned to prevent the effects of periodontal disease.
Dr. Suzy Shannon is a Veterinarian at Veterinary Dental Care and Sweetgrass Animal Hospital in Summerville.
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H E A L T H
&
W E L L N E S S
9730 Dorchester Rd SweetgrassAnimalHospital.com
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dog surrender
EDITORIAL BY: ALICIA ROSE WILLIAMS Founder, Eunoia Rescue
Surrendering an animal is no decision to make lightly... your pets are living beings, not a regrettable wardrobe choice, proceed accordingly.
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SO... YOU WANT TO GET RID OF YOUR DOG BECAUSE… WHY? In rescue, you hear every excuse as to why someone is getting rid of their dog. For some people, getting rid of a pet is no big deal, but others whose pets are family, getting rid of a member you have had for years or even months is an impossible action. Two of the common reasons we get dogs returned or surrendered is divorce and children. We chose to tackle these two reasons in this issue. When one gets married, they usually do so, thinking that this is “it.” Finally, you’ve found the one, and you’re going to spend a lifelong of happiness with one another…hooray! One day you wake up one day and realize that you’re miserable. Belongings are divided between the couple who got married. Then it comes down to one of the most precious items – the dog. Over the past few months, I have personally come across so many different outcomes with this scenario. The first one being, returning the dog to the rescue where it was adopted. Returns like this have happened TWICE in the past few months with Eunoia Rescue. Each of the dogs were adopted from the rescue as puppies and returned as adult dogs. They have been returned with no manners, under socialized and begging for attention. It’s quite sad. Yes, I understand that “returning them to the rescue is better than being dumped” – but do you know what’s even better than turning them back into the rescue? Answer: Figuring it out your own self. What gets me is that both animals were returned less than a year after they were initially adopted. Did the couple not know that they were experiencing problems before they adopted a puppy? Did they think a puppy would honestly solve their problems? It’s mind-boggling and upsetting. The other thing that boggles my mind is why one or the other in the couple would not or could take custody of the dog? Do you ever hear of couples divorcing returning their kids to the hospital where they were born?
Before you jump to the conclusion and yell that dogs are not kids, I don’t think that, but should they be treated as clothes that no longer fit, either? Then, we were contacted by a shelter about an owner surrender, who was basically surrendered out of spite. The husband was rewarded the dog in the legal agreement – but the wife didn’t want her ex-husband to have the pup – so she just decided to surrender her to a kill shelter instead. After digging up old vet records for the dog, we found out that she had been suffering with an UTI infection for over two years. We were given the option of returning the dog to the “ex-husband,” but based on the fact that illnesses for the dog were utterly neglected – we decided to adopt her out to a whole new family. I understand that divorce is rough, but it is no excuse to behave like an indecent human being. We will have an article about the legal side of divorce and dogs in a later issue as a feature, but as for an opinion on an excuse for surrendering your pet, it’s a pretty lame one. The other common reason for returning a pet is children. A single person or young couple adopt a dog in the early stages of their relationship. It’s a common occurrence nowadays. Love grows, marriage happens, and soon the pitter-patter of little feet that aren’t dog paws. Well, what do we do if the dog doesn’t get adjusted instantly to another small creature sharing its space? Well commonly, that answer is to get rid of the pet. The safety of the children is paramount, but most times, families are uneducated and do not attempt to adjust their lifestyle. Not every animal is okay with another similarly sized animal in its face and pulling its ears, tail, or other body parts. The time a child is crawling and walking is usually the time that this occurs, and dogs are given up. There are plenty of trainers, books, and tv shows that could help this family work on this transition. I heard of a family that kept their dog separated from the toddler aged kids until the kids learned the rules, and the dog adjusted. There are plenty of options besides giving up on the dog you swore you would love the rest of its life. Unfortunately, vows to pets are as strong as vows in marriage; it seems with so many ending in failure.
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THE BUSINESS OF SAVING ANIMALS W R I T T E N B Y: J U L I E M U R R AY
So, you decided to get a pet for yourself or your family. You have already made the responsible decision to “Adopt, Don’t Shop” and now you have to decide which shelter or rescue organization you want to visit. There are several choices here in the Lowcountry and you may think all of them are funded and run in much the same way. Upon doing my research for this article, I found out just how different one shelter can be from another –in terms of intake numbers, contributions, government funding and operating costs. No matter what, though, it is clear that the mission of each one is the same…to save animals and help them find their forever homes. We’ll give you the facts! The first thing you may want to consider is what “type” of shelter you want to visit. There are three main types found in the lowcountry: LI M I T E D IN TA K E This type of shelter has a finite capacity and cannot admit all animals. They are usually privately funded and most of their animals come from owner surrenders or are transferred from other,
Not all rescues and shelters are created or run equally... we’ve sifted through the data and here’s what we found in the Lowcountry.
more crowded shelters. Most do not euthanize adoptable animals, and each animal can stay at the shelter for as long as it takes them to be adopted. Because of this, with each animal that is considered for intake, a decision must be made whether or not they are considered “adoptable”. (ex. Pet Helpers) COUNT Y OR M UNICIPAL SHELTER These are typically open-intake, which means they take in animals from the general public or those seized by animal control agents on patrol. They are run by city or county governments and funded by tax dollars. Sadly, the funding they receive is frequently not enough for the number of animals they are tasked with caring for so often they pair up with non-profit organizations to help make up the difference. (ex. Berkeley Animal Center) NONP ROF IT- RUN P UBLIC SHELTER These shelters contract with a municipality to run adoption and animal care. These types of shelters
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receive government funding like a county or municipal shelter but also have a fundraising arm that brings in additional donations and grants for funding. They are typically run by an Executive Director and are free to establish their own policies and procedures. This provides the advantage of being able to fundraise (a.k.a. more money for animals!), while also providing vital assistance to their community. Many of these shelters are considered ‘nokill� which means only a small percentage of animals that are considered adoptable could be euthanized. Animals who are sick, aggressive or deemed unadoptable can be euthanized without affecting their live release rate. (ex. Charleston Animal Society & Dorchester Paws)
*Data source: https://sos.sc.gov https://www.berkeleycountysc.gov
To show you just how vastly different these types of shelters can be, I researched five South Carolina shelters and gathered information on things like yearly contributions and grants, salaries paid, adoption numbers and euthanasia rates.
loving environment for rescued, abandoned, abused or neglected animals. Since BAC is county run, BAC Penny Paws, a non-profit organization, was created by volunteers to assist on a daily basis and by volunteering, fostering, adoption events, and raising funds to supplement financial needs.
Jasper Animal Rescue Mission: A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Jasper County. Dorchester Paws: A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and the only open-admission shelter in Dorchester County. Partners with Dorchester Code Enforcement. Charleston Animal Society: A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1874 with a mission of never turning away a local animal. Pet Helpers: A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Pet Helpers is a limited admission shelter with the mission of ending euthanasia of all adoptable animals. They also operate a low cost spay/neuter clinic. Berkeley Animal Center: A Berkeley County government division that provides a safe and
As you can see, the clear front runner in terms of contributions, grants and funds raised is Charleston Animal Society. On the other end of the spectrum is Jasper Animal Rescue Mission. According to their tax records, their fundraising
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F E A T U R E
S T O R Y
*Data source: https://shelteranimalscount.org
proceeds were only $4,563, but they receive yearly contributions from Jasper County and the City of Hardeeville ($176,000 and $10,000 respectively, in 2018) Unlike the other shelters, Berkeley Animal Center is unable to accept private contributions/grants and fundraise itself, since it is a governmental agency. Recently, a private shelter in Berkeley County closed and BAC was left as the only open shelter in Berkeley County. Between May and June of 2019, they took in over 600 dogs, cats, puppies and kittens. As you may know, even caring for one or two animals can add up –imagine caring for 600 animals and providing all of their food, medical needs and comforts.
THIS GRAPH TAKES THE TOTAL INCOME AND DIVIDES BY THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ALL ANIMAL INTAKES FOR 2018
EUTHANSIA: Euthanasia happens regardless of what type of shelter it is. The type of shelter as well as it’s own policies determine what animals get adopted vs get euthanized. For example, in Berkeley County, which does not have TNR (trap, neuter and release) program for cats, the number of cats euthanized is staggering. More than 60% of the cats entering the shelter are euthanized compared to less than 5% in Charleston County, that has a successful TNR program. For dogs, Berkeley County is currently running at about a 25% euthanasia rate which has improved in recent years thanks to rescues like Eunoia Rescue, Pet Helpers, Carolina Coonhound and many others pulling at risk animals from BAC. Charleston and Dorchester are running at ‘no kill’ levels for dogs which is not what it was 10 years ago when the area was euthanizing close to 50% of the animals entering the shelter.
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SPREAD THE LOVE: You can see by the pie chart things are a little skewed when it comes to wealth distribution in the local animal shelter community. The two shelters in Charleston County have just under $1,000 per animal, where as Berkeley and Dorchester are running with $183 and $241 respectively per animal that comes into the shelter. Jasper County is similar size to Pet Helpers to its number of animals but far behind them in terms of dollars. Are these more highly funded groups unworthy of the money they receive? Absolutely not, but do the shelters in neighboring counties deserve better? This should be absolutely yes, without question. If you are a resident of either Berkeley or Dorchester counties you need to let your representatives that you elect know that animal welfare should be funded and taken as seriously as it is in your neighbors in Charleston. TAKE AWAY: Saving animals is a business and unfortunately, it’s an expensive one. I would urge anyone reading this to visit all 5 of the shelters covered in this article and see where your donation dollars are going. If you would like to help, VOLUNTEER at any one the shelters as the more help they have, the more they can do. Underfunded shelters like BAC need plenty of volunteers to help with daily tasks as they don’t have the payroll to have enough staff. Another way to help is to FOSTER with either the shelter or a local rescue group. The more fosters in the area the more animals are out of shelters. Lastly DONATE, but before you donate, think about where your donation dollars will make the most impact.
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W R I T T E N B Y CHELSEA SALERNO P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S O U T H E R N V I N TAG E P H OTO G R A P H Y
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The first thing you notice when you walk into the Berkeley County Animal Center is the smell. It doesn’t smell dirty, but it has that typical animal shelter smell of bleach mixed with urine and dog funk. The next thing you notice under the bright fluorescent lights is a cage with four adorable kittens to the right and a bulletin board full of missing cat posters to the left. An animal control officer walks in to inform the staff that she has three more stray cats, bringing the total number brought in today to fifteen. It is not even noon yet. Dianne Shelley shakes her head and prepares to intake three more cats with no real place to put them. It’s clear within a few minutes of meeting Dianne that she has a real passion for animal rescue. Working at a shelter like Berkeley isn’t easy; it’s the third biggest county in the state. It has one tiny animal shelter. That means every single stray or unwanted animal in the 1,228 square miles of Berkeley County is brought straight to Dianne and the crew at the BAC. When asked what got her into rescue, Dianne said it had always been integrated into her life. When she was a child, she dreamed of being a vet, and she was constantly surrounded by foster pets. She got a job working with animals out of high school and never looked back, aside from a short stint at Moe’s before returning to the animal welfare world where she belonged. Her past employment includes Dorchester Paws (formerly Francis R. Willis SPCA) and the Barker Lounge before finding her place at the BAC www.lowcountrydog.com
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in 2017. When asked what her favorite part about working in the rescue was, Dianne said she loves the feeling of making a difference and witnessing the growth as neglected and abused animals learn to be happy healthy pets. Plus, there is always some excitement buzzing around her, and there’s rarely a dull moment, something a lot of jobs don’t offer. A typical day in the life of a shelter worker is long. Dianne gets to work between 7 and 8 am and doesn’t leave for around 12 hours. There’s a lot to be done before the shelter opens to the public at noon, and intakes start at 8 am. First up on the agenda is processing any strays brought in by animal control overnight. They have a key to the holding room where the animals can be safe until shelter workers arrive in the morning. Once that is complete, Dianne can begin the process of preparing everyone’s morning medication. Every animal has a unique case, so sometimes, this task can be pretty time-consuming. If they are understaffed that day, Dianne helps with cleaning out the kennels and day to day upkeep of the shelter. There’s a lot of work to be done as they have over 50 dogs and 100 cats. Aside from the adoptable cat rooms and dog rooms, there are several quarantine rooms for both dogs and cats. There is also an outdoor run that houses even more dogs. There is a row of kennels that
are explicitly reserved for dogs that have been brought in by animal control and are waiting on their owners to come to pick them up. Sometimes, this can take days and even weeks. There are animals everywhere. After all the animals have received their morning care, it is time for Dianne and the
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rest of the crew, to turn their attention to the animals that aren’t housed in their shelter. Fosters come in to receive updated vaccines, and people bring their pets in for the meet and greets with potential adopters. Strays are brought in almost hourly by animal control to be processed and vetted. Volunteers come in to walk the dogs and sometimes take them for fullday excursions or sleepovers, which lightens the load a little. Still, the number of strays can quickly get overwhelming. Once the strays are processed and assessed, it’s time for Dianne to decide who needs to get fixed and who is ready to go to foster care. She also considers the possibility of them being picked up by another rescue to adopt out. After that, it’s time to start all over again with second walks, medications, and feeding time. Twelve hours after she arrives, it’s time to head home and get ready for another busy day of rescue work. Like most careers, there are high and low aspects of rescue. It can be a thankless job, and the staff at BAC can feel the impact of that. Sometimes it can feel like they aren’t making a difference at all, like nothing matters. Feeling as though the number of strays coming in is
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never-ending, and they will never be able to help them all. They can’t help them all, it just isn’t possible, but Dianne says the most rewarding part of the job is when they can help a dog or cat learn to be a pet and find their fur-ever home. Seeing a dog who once cowered and shook in the corner of their kennel learn to trust humans again is what makes the job worth all the tears and anger. Some days are better than others, and they can adopt 5-6 dogs out, and some days, none get to leave the shelter. The unpredictable nature of the job is what makes it different from your typical 9-5. There is a dark side to working at a shelter like BAC, one that no one likes talking about. In a shelter like this one that is funded solely with taxpayers dollars and not private donations, there is little money to throw around. As a result, tough choices have to be made. Euthanasia is a part of every animal shelter, whether they claim to be “no-kill” or not. Some are “less-kill” than others, but you will be hard-pressed to find a shelter that doesn’t euthanize ever. Unfortunately, BAC has to euthanize more animals than a private or nonprofit
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run shelter. With no TNR (trap, neuter, release) program in place for stray or feral cats, over 60% of cats brought into the shelter have to be euthanized. This number is overwhelmingly high, especially when compared to a shelter that does have a TNR program. Shelters such as Charleston Animal Society only have to euthanize around 5% of the cats enter the building, because of the TNR program. Because of private rescues that pull dogs from BAC, the number of dogs euthanized at the shelter has improved to about 25% but that number is still high. Euthanasia is 100% the last resort but it has to be done if an animal is a danger to the public, itself or other animals or if the animal is too sick or hurt to live a healthy, happy life. No one wants to euthanize, but sometimes it is the only option. Since animal control isn’t euthanasia certified, the decision falls to Dianne and the crew at the BAC. What can be done to lower those numbers? For starters, a TNR program HAS to be implemented to start saving cats. Dianne and her co-workers are pushing for a spay and neuter clinic at the animal center, unfortunately, there is a lot of red tape to work through. Independently run rescues have been pulling dogs from the shelter for years. Thanks to rescues similar to Eunoia, Carolina Coonhound, Pet Helpers, Carolina Boxer Rescue, Lowcountry Lab, etc.., many dogs have been saved from euthanasia. BAC has limited kennels available, especially since some of them have to be left open for animal control. By leaving those kennels available, any dog can be transferred to another rescue going into doggie foster care if accessible. Purebred dogs are less challenging to move to breed-specific rescues, and most of the time, they barely see the inside of a kennel before being picked up by a relief organization. Because of rescues like these, the number of dog euthanasias is decreasing yearly. This alone, however, is not enough.
Because the BAC is a government entity, they are not allowed to accept private donations, so organizations like Friends of BAC step in to fundraise for them. Friends of BAC actually raised around $15,000 for a new surgery room! If you are unable to donate financially, donate your time. They always need volunteers to help clean the kennels and walk the dogs. You can even come to take a dog for the day or overnight just to get them out of the shelter and show them a little fun. The cats need socializing too. There are so many of them, and the friendlier they are, the more likely they are to get adopted. Fostering is also a huge and vital way to help. The more kennels that are available, the more animals the shelter can save. Foster homes = empty kennels. You are under no obligation to adopt, but if you do decide, your foster would be the perfect fit for you, you are entitled to first “dibs.” Finally, we need to elect county officials that CARE! They are the ones who decide where our money goes, so electing people who want to spend money taking care of our animals.
So what can we do to help? After all, it is our job as a community to help our animals. It isn’t fair to expect a shelter that is mainly left underfunded to be able to keep up with the number of animals coming in every day. We have to do something. Of course, the easiest way to help is to donate. www.lowcountrydog.com
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Animal rescue is no joke. Between the long hours, a thankless community, and tough life or death decisions, the job can be overwhelming and sometimes can feel like nothing makes a difference anyway. Thankfully for the city of Berkeley County, there are people like Dianne Shelley, who have dedicated their time and life to fixing our problem. The lack of space and funding isn’t the shelter’s problem, it is the community’s. It is about time we step up and do our part to limit the number of strays and surrendered pets coming through the shelter. Fostering, donating, and electing people who care is just the beginning of what we need to do to save our animals, but it’s a start.
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"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive." - Gilda Radner
Lowcountry Dog Calendar Model, Ruby from July 2020 Image by: Southern Vintage Photography
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In The News 2 Year Old Bulldog Wins Best in Show
Thor beat out more than 1,900 dogs to take best in show at the show presented by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia. With his adorable waddle and Winston Churchill looks, the dog won over the judges and the fans— although his selection was a surprise to his handler. He tipped over from a crouch when Thor was named the overall winner.
Bon Jovi’s New Song “Unbroken” Is About The Impact Service Dogs Have On Veterans With PTSD
Bon Jovi released a new single called “Unbroken” on the 1st of November. It’s from the documentary titled, “To Be Of Service,” which looks at the relationships between veterans from the Afghanistan, Iraq, and Vietnam wars and their service dogs. After its theatrical release in New York last Friday, the film will be out in theatres in Los Angeles on November 8th, and it’ll be released on Netflix on Veterans Day a few days later on the 11th of November.
Federal Animal Cruelty Bill is signed into Law
In a rare display of political unity, President Trump on Monday signed a bipartisan bill that, for the first time, makes acts of animal cruelty a federal crime punishable with fines and up to seven years in prison.
For more top stories, visit www.lowcountrydog.com/top-stories
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Needless to say, Tammy’s house is always a little hectic but always full of love. Tammy also has 2 rescue grand-cats and 4 rescue grand-dogs whom she has also bonded with. She sarcastically says that “she can’t get away from animals,” but deep down inside she loves all of it.
This month’s Lowcountry Dog Magazine’s animal advocate is ... TAM A R A “ TA M MY ” GI OR DA NO W I L L IAMS Tammy is self-employed and owns a company named TAG Gas Works. More importantly though - Tammy is always on call for Eunoia Rescue emergencies, a full time Nana to her grandchildren and still tends to care for her “grown ass children who apparently will never grow up.” Tammy has three rescue dogs of her very own and all are a little nutty in their own way. Ace the a purebred cocker spaniel was adopted from our local county shelter. Cocker spaniels were originally bred for hunting, diving in marshes, and going through trenches to retrieve their prey. However, Ace refuses to go outside when it’s too cold, too hot, raining, or when the ground is a little damp. Vegas, a spaniel mix, was adopted from a local animal rescue. Vegas was originally used as a puppy mill momma. Vegas spends most of her time hiding behind a chair (that’s where she feels safe) and comes out to say hello when she feels like it. Outside guests generally don’t know that Vegas exists because she hides so much. Tammy lets Vegas do as she pleases because “why not?” Then there’s the newest addition, Diamond, who was adopted from Eunoia Rescue (an animal rescue founded by Tammy’s daughter). Diamond is some type of pincher mix. She is incredibly needy, doesn’t like men (including Tammy’s husband) and has zero manners.
Tammy originally became involved in animal rescue about 8-9 years ago by volunteering and fostering through the Charleston Animal Society. A little over 4 years ago, Tammy’s daughter founded Eunoia Rescue. Tammy states she was “forced” to volunteer for Eunoia Rescue. During the beginning of the rescue, the rescue was actually operated out of Tammy’s and her husband’s (Tom) home. “I must give accolades to my husband – he tolerated the house being constantly upside down from different dogs coming in and out. He also gave a lot of his money to the organization so that more dogs could be saved (Tom may not know this himself though, so shhh).” Tammy’s most memorable “rescue” story is pretty unique. Tammy is a spiritual woman and was reading the story of Isaiah in the Bible when she received a call. The caller knew that Tammy was an animal lover and needed her help. There was a black Labrador mix abandoned at an apartment complex. Being the woman she is, Tammy hopped up, grabbed a leash and off she went to save the dog. Tammy went through the correct hoops to make sure that this dog didn’t belong to anyone and an owner was never found. Tammy even put an advertisement in the “lost and found” section in the paper (back when that was a thing) – still, no one stepped up to claim this pup. The next step was to find this guy a home. So Tammy placed another advertisement, but this time she was searching for a home – complete with an interview and a home inspection. Finally, a gentleman reached out and a meet and greet was arranged. The dog did great with the man’s other dogs and seemed to like the man who wanted to adopt. My mom agreed to bring the dog back the next day so that the now adopter could prepare for a new addition. “My son is going to be so excited,” said the man. The next day, Tammy
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pulled up to a beautiful home. She was prepared of the bitter-sweet moment of letting this pup go live a happily ever after. The adopter opened the door, stated that his son is just so thrilled, and then called out – “Isaiah your new dog is here!” The story still gives Tammy chills till this day. The son’s name, Isaiah, was the same story in the Bible Tammy was reading when she received the call that a dog needed help. Sometimes, the universe lines up for these things to happen. Tammy knows that this arrangement was meant to be. When asked about advice that should be given to someone who wants to help animals, Tammy states that you have to “be committed.” She goes on to say that, “Animals are creatures with hearts and souls. If you cannot commit to be there for your foster/ rescue, then do not even offer to help because it is a waste of the rescue’s time. Dogs chew shoes, walls, and important papers. They make a mess in the house. They have also been neglected, abused, abandoned, and dumped to fend for themselves. They don’t know love. They need to decompress from a loud and boisterous kill shelter when transitioning to life in a loving home. You must commit yourself to love them back, even when it’s tough.”
them. People that contribute to this operation are contributing to the over population of animals.” Tammy will never quit fighting for the heartbeats of animals. Knowing that she has already saved many dogs from euthanasia gives her to the drive to continue to fight for more. Tammy says that in a way she has saved humans as well by providing them joy in adopting a doggy soul mate. This all makes her heart very happy. Keep up the good work, Tammy! These animals need you. Thank you for not only being an example of a strong woman but an example of a phenomenal human all around. You are truly one of a kind.
According to Tammy, the top ways to help is to first – find a verified non-profit animal rescue (501c3), then lend a hand by transporting, fostering, volunteering for that organization. Make sure that your own animals are spayed and neutered – and if you have the opportunity, sponsor another dog to be spayed or neutered – it is so important! At the end of the day, the easiest (and sometimes most beneficial) way to help is to donate money. There is NEVER enough money to help the amount of animals that need it. When it comes to law making, Tammy has ideas that should take place as well. “Ban backyard Do you know an animal advocate that deserves to be breeders AND the ones that support/buy from featured here? Reach out to contact@lowcountrydog.com 35 www.lowcountrydog.com
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Over 35 Years Experience in the Pet Industry.
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GO GREEN | ADOPT A RECYCLED DOG
PET HELPERS
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GO GREEN | ADOPT A RECYCLED DOG
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Events
D E C E M B E R 1 2 / 0 1 / 2 0 1 9 Ch arl est on Christ m a s Para d e D own town , 3 pm 1 2 / 0 7 / 2 0 1 9 Touch A Tru ck Car Show 2 p m to 8 pm at Can e Bay Hig h S ch ool H osted by Law En fo rcement Un i te d Team LowCo un tr y, S C 1 2 / 0 7 / 2 0 1 9 Sant a Paws Ad o ptio n Event Pet Helpers 11 am to 5 pm 1 2 / 0 7 / 2 0 1 9 Craf t y B a st ard s Ar t s &Craf t s Fair 10 am to 4 pm at Joe Riley Park 1 2 / 0 7 / 2 0 1 9 Ni ght Christ m a s Para d e Town of M o n cks Co r n er 6 p m to 9 pm 1 2 / 0 7 / 2 0 1 9 Sant a i n t he Swam p Cypress Gardens 1 0 a m to 2 pm
1 2 / 0 8 / 2 0 1 9 Summer v ille Ch rist mas Parade 2 p m to 4 p m 1 2 / 1 4 / 2 0 1 9 Folly Beach Ch rist mas Parade 12 p m to 3 p m 1 2 / 1 4 / 2 0 1 9 Holi-i-nub Benefit for Carolina Boxer Rescue at Queen South in Waxhaw, NC 12 pm to 4 pm 1 2 / 1 4 / 2 0 1 9 Edist o Ch rist mas Parade 2 pm Palmetto Blvd. “Rockin Round the Christmas Tree.” Holiday Market Festival to follow at Bay Creek Park. Vendors, food trucks, live music.
J A N U A R Y 0 1 / 1 8 / 2 0 2 0 Eat , Drink & R escue Lowcountry Dog’s 5th Annual Eat, Drink and Rescue comes to Smoky Oak Taproom on James Island from 1 to 4 pm with 6 local rescues, local vendors, live music and more.
M A R C H 0 3 / 0 7 / 2 0 2 0 Woof st ock 20 20 : A Low count r y D og Music Fest ival Lowcountry Dog’s 2nd Annual Woofstock Music Fest features live music, vendors, food trucks and more. go to woofstock2020.com for more information . Ch eck out our Events page for e ve n more local events. www.lowcountr ydog .com/ events
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30th Annual
HOLIDAY FESTIVAL OF L I G H T S
M E R R Y. M A G I C A L . M E M O R I E S .
NOVEMBER 15 - DECEMBER 31, 2019
C H A R L E S TO N CO U N T Y PA R KS.CO M
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