to read the June 2016 issue of Wagging Tales Newsletter

WAGGING TALES
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thur, 7/7
4-8 PM
Yappy Hour
News, Events & Happy Stories for Staff & Volunteers of Charleston Animal Society
James Island County Park
LOOKING FOR LOVE
Mon, 7/18
7-9 PM
By: Helen Mitternight
"Dog Day Monday"
Riverdogs Stadium
Thur, 7/21
Don’t be fooled if you see Cosmo and
he grumbles at you. Cosmo is a lover
who just wants to be nuzzled. It just
may take him a minute to warm up to
you.
4-9 PM
Chili Team Sign Up Night
Revelry Brewing
Mon, 7/25
“Initially, I definitely felt like I’d bitten
off more than I can chew,” recalls
Shelly Rivera, who has been fostering
Cosmo for several weeks. “For about
a week and a half, he was doing a lot
of grumbling and hissing.”
9 AM – 5 PM
No Kill South Carolina Summit 1
Pawmetto Lifeline
Columbia
Thur, 8/4
Rivera, who works at Charleston
Animal Society, has four cats of her
own but agreed to take Cosmo on when he seemed unfriendly after being
surrendered to the shelter.
4-8 PM
Yappy Hour
James Island County Park
“I had him set up in a bedroom of his own and I went in there to feed him, sit
with him, and clean out his litter box,” she says. “Actually, it took four days
before he would even let me clean out his litter box. He definitely threw a
few tantrums, but I just went into his room and I’d sit doing nothing so he’d
realize it was going to be okay.” Rivera says the two-year-old buff tabby cat
was just scared after being with the same family his whole life and then
being forced into new circumstances, which is entirely understandable.
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**Come visit us at the shelter
anytime during business hours!!
2455 Remount Road
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North Charleston
“Now I can’t go anywhere in the house without him following me,” she says. “He trips me about 10 times a
day because he’s right beneath my feet. He loves to be petted. I think
he would sit all day being petted.”
Cosmo has warmed to Rivera’s husband and even warmed to her
parents who were visiting on a vacation. He gets along really well with
her other cats too, although he does better with the males, perhaps
because they are younger.
“My two boy cats run around and play and chase, so I think he would
do better in a home with cats that are younger and like to play,” she
says.
The key with Cosmo is to realize that he needs a little time to get cozy
and comfy, and that the reward for allowing him to come into himself is so
worth it.
“I think with anyone, the most important thing is that he probably is going
to be a little defensive at first just because it takes him time to warm up to
new surroundings,” Rivera says. “But if you give him the time he needs to
realize he is in a safe place, he’ll be a wonderful and warm cat for someone.
If I’m making lunch, he’s curious and he has to be on the counter watching.
He follows me around all the time like a little lost puppy.”
If you or someone you know is willing to take the time to court Cosmo, call
Charleston Animal Society at (843) 747-4849. Cosmo deserves his second chance at a loving home.
WHO’S WHO?
By: Winkie Welborn
WELCOME ABOARD KURT TAYLOR
Meet Kurt Taylor, Director of Government Relations. He may be one of
our newest employees at Charleston Animal Society, but he certainly isn’t
new to government. Kurt recently retired from Charleston County after
23 years having served in various roles including, most recently, County
Administrator. Prior to that, Kurt served as Assistant Solicitor in the
Ninth Judicial Circuit. In addition, he was elected to serve on North
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Charleston’s City Council for 14 years.
Kurt was brought on to Charleston Animal Society to (1) lead Charleston Animal Society’s extensive legislative
efforts both statewide and locally, (2) secure a fair and full contract for services with Charleston County and
local governments as its animal disposition vendor, (3) prompt a full reform of animal drawn vehicles in
downtown Charleston to move it from a cruel to a humane practice and (4) provide legal guidance to
Charleston Animal Society on a wide range of day-to-day issues.
Kurt, also a member of the Animal Law Committee of the SC Bar, was instrumental in animal organizations’
efforts to prevent protectionist restrictions from being placed on the animal welfare sector.
He’s married to his wife Melody and they have 2 children – one college student and one rising senior in high
school. Of course, like all staffers, they have rescue animals. Kurt has adopted 3 dogs from Charleston Animal
Society including, most recently, a Pug with special needs as featured in the Fall 2014 edition of Carolina Tails.
So where does Kurt see himself in 5 years? He hopes to be right here at Charleston Animal Society helping this
great organization grow.
Welcome, aboard Kurt! We’re lucky to have you!!
AROUND TOWN
This past spring our friends at Sea Island Builders held their 1st annual
Spring Social at Tavern & Table in Mt. Pleasant. Guests enjoyed drinks, nice
weather, and contributed to a great cause. Charleston Animal Society was
delighted to be the honored charity at this special event. Two animals
found new homes and more than $5,300 was raised for our shelter!
Thanks so much to Sea Island Builders and all of their guests for supporting
us!
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By: Em Crosby
Consignment Charleston, one of our valued partners, held a
cat and dog food drive on Saturday June 4, 2016. Anyone
who brought in 10 pounds of food to donate received a 10%
discount at the store and if someone brought in 20 pounds of
food they received 20% off their purchase. An annual event,
once again the community did not disappoint. Generosity
was everywhere with the amount of donated food.
The event raised 2,757.5 lbs of pet food, and $40 in
donations to our shelter.
Consignment Charleston always amazes. There was a buffet
set up for everyone and as the day progressed, breakfast items
were replaced with sandwiches, olives, chips, cookies, and
watermelon with goat cheese. Everything was yummy. Those
volunteering really appreciated the buffet.
There were adorable
kittens available for
adoption and many
shoppers came by to
hold a kitten and
donate money to
Charleston Animal Society.
The day was a success and we
are very thankful to have the
support of Consignment
Charleston as well as the heartfelt
donations by their customers and our
supporters.
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MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY
By: Samantha Kindsvater
Air traffic of all sorts filled the skies on May 14, 2016 as it usually does above Charleston Animal Society on
Remount Road. But the clear, sunny day was special because the day marked the first Military Appreciation
Day held by Charleston Animal Society to honor active duty, guard, reserve, veterans, and all other military
families.
The Navy band played and CEO Joe Elmore spoke about the partnership between Joint Base Charleston and
Charleston Animal Society, while community members gathered to honor both military members and the
animals that serve along with them in duty.
Lt. Col. Ralph E. Taylor, Deputy Commander of the 628th Mission Support
Group at Joint Base Charleston introduced one such pair featured at the
event. Staff Sgt. Jonathan Garrett, who is an Air
Force working dog handler, and his canine teammate Chico were there to
highlight this special bond. Taylor pointed out that the dogs and their
handlers work together as “well-oiled machines” and that military working
animals are essential to the military mission. <Inside the facility, a video
was shown that displayed the longstanding history of working animals in
the military.>
Veteran Pat Riley, a featured speaker at the event, relayed her own
military experiences and emphasized the therapy that pets can bring to
service members. In addition, she introduced a new memorial that is now circling the flagpole in front of the
facility. The Joan August Terry memorial reads “To honor military veterans, active, guard, reserve, their
families and the animals who have served this great nation. We are truly grateful.” Terry, a lifelong supporter
of both service members and animals, left Charleston Animal Society a generous $10,000 donation!
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Many people attended the event, which also featured
an outdoor lunch and plenty of opportunities to tour
the facilities and meet some of the animals. After their
performance, several members of the band spent time
snuggling a bunny in one of the adoption rooms and
others took the opportunity to fill out an adoption
form or look into volunteering.
Lily Dixon, an Army veteran from the Vietnam era, said
she decided to attend because she was looking for a
volunteer opportunity. Her apartment does not allow
pets and she misses the interaction with animals.
Another guest, Howie Mizel, said he attended the event both to show his support for the military and to
support the mission of Charleston Animal Society.
Other community members, such as Gina Buchardt and her son Bradyn, are regular supporters and came for
the appreciation event. Gina volunteers with the feral cat
program and Bradyn said he arranged a pet food drive to help
the organization.
In addition to the appreciation event, free adoption and free
spay/neuter appointments for existing pets were available to
all military members from May 13 through May 22.
Left: The Navy Nuclear Training Center band under the direction of
Chaplain Laura Bender and Master Chief Blair Barker opened and
closed the program.
Thank you to the many men, women, and animals who have served our great country!
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HOMEWARD BOUND
By: Helen Mitternight
You might be forgiven for hesitating to bring home an animal classified as “special needs.” In fact, it takes a
special person to seek out these unique pets. Joshua and Amanda Shilko of Seabrook Island are those special
kinds of people who understand and are prepared for “special needs” animals, and when a dark calico cat
named Cookie needed a home with certain care, they didn’t hesitate.
“We’ve got a little bit of a zoo here, to be honest,” Joshua says. “We have three other cats, four dogs and two
bearded dragons.”
The couple ran a special needs rescue operation in Pennsylvania before relocating to Charleston, so Cookie’s
needs didn’t faze them. Cookie, a former stray, has cerebellar hypoplasia, which means that a part of her brain
never fully formed. The result is movements that are wobbly and a bit jerky. She also has idiopathic ulcerative
dermatosis, a fancy term for a skin condition that causes ulcers. In Cookie’s case, the ulcers are on her feet.
They don’t seem to bother her, but she does leave little bloody footprints wherever she goes.
And the Shilkos say they are pretty sure Cookie is completely deaf.
“We’ve made very loud noises when she’s
sleeping, and then we blew at her,” Amanda
says. “She only responded when she felt the
motion. She doesn’t respond to noises and she
yowls very loud.”
Joshua says the couple has had other deaf cats
and previous deaf cats have also been
screamers rather than meow-ers. “We thought
it was because they could feel the vibrations
when they were loud,” he says. Another family
had adopted Cookie from the Charleston
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Animal Society, but brought her back when her needs became too great.
“I think she came back because they had a hard time keeping up with the bloody pawprints in the house,”
Joshua surmises. “Our house is pretty much a fort with the rest of our animals. We avoid things that can get
stained or ruined.”
Several of their other pets also have special needs. One dog has epilepsy and a thyroid condition, and another
dog has severe skin allergies. Shilko says that Cookie’s brain condition is one of the reasons they wanted to
adopt her.
“We used to foster dogs and our all
time favorite foster dog had the
same condition. We just loved how
goofy she was. It made us go and
meet Cookie and then we fell in
love. She is sweet as can be.”
And apparently Cookie has no idea she has special needs. “We try to keep her paws clean but she speeds
around here like a nutcase, like she doesn’t even know there’s anything wrong,” Joshua says. “She gets along
really well. She’s still feeling out the other cats, but the dogs love her and she loves the dogs. And she sleeps
on top of the bearded dragons’ terrarium and plays with them through the glass.”
The Shilkos have no regrets about adopting a special needs kitty. “She’s not the only special needs animal in
the house. We have the ones that are a little unique,” Amanda says. “That’s one of the reasons we’re drawn to
the special ones,” Joshua adds. “They have a hard time getting out of the shelter and they are more likely to
be returned when people realize they’re more work.”
It’s a special home with love and care for those animals with “special needs.”
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SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ
By: Morgan Edens
May 27th marked the one year anniversary of a rescue that would help give a face to animal
cruelty. On this date in 2015, a beautiful brown Staffordshire terrier mix was rescued off the
streets, her mouth bound shut with electrical tape. The horrendous pictures of her swollen
mouth and tongue were shared and viewed around the world. And now, a year later, the
world has become familiar with the face of this special survivor named Caitlyn.
This year, Charleston Animal Society celebrated Caitlyn’s recovery the entire day on social
media, posting pictures and stories about her and her terrific rescuers. Comments poured in
from well-wishers all over the world. Many lauded what a wonderful spirit Caitlyn has and how
the images of her and her story had touched them even from far away, through their
computer screens. Followers tracked her story throughout the year, celebrating her progress,
and growing to love her more and more alongside the staff and volunteers of Charleston
Animal Society.
I’m sure Caitlyn is overjoyed that she’s helped bring awareness and the plight of abused
animals to such a forefront in the public’s mind, and I know without a doubt, she’ll never stop
giving back to her rescuers and her adoring fans with her fun-loving spirit and beautiful staffie
smile. Ultimately, I think Lee Campen-Parks said it best when she commented on Facebook,
“She is just a beautiful story of the willpower to live, recover, and teach.”
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PETIQUETTE
Charleston Animal Society recently hired a Canine College Coordinator, who is also a CPDT-KA certified dog
trainer & instructor. You’ll be hearing more about Caitlin Kuczko in the near future, but in the meantime, here
is a schedule of our upcoming Dog Training Classes at the shelter.
AUG 10TH: Dog Obedience 101
AUG 10TH: Puppy Kindergarten
AUG 15TH: Pet Therapy Prep Class
AUG 21ST: AKC Puppy STAR
AUG 21ST: Puppy Pre-School
AUG 23RD: Basic Dog Obedience
EVERY 2nd SATURDAY: Puppy Club
BY APPT: In Home Private Training
To learn more or register for classes, visit www.CharlestonAnimalSociety.org/dog-training/
If you’re interested in contributing to the Wagging Tales
Newsletter, please contact Jamie Healy at
[email protected]
We’d love to have you on our amazing volunteer team!
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