I became involved with the Second Chance Animal Shelter, formerly known as the Animal Shelter of Clarendon County some ten or more years back when a stray dog in my neighborhood was hit by a car right in front of my house. My husband was at work that evening. It was a painful experience hearing that harmless creature moaning aloud suffering from whatever injury he was enduring, I felt helpless that I could do nothing to relieve his suffering. There was no animal shelter at that time for Clarendon County, and the local police had no authority to serve the country area that I resided at the time. I knew he needed to be helped or put out of his misery, and at the time my knowledge of gun use did not exist to do something humane,nor a nearby neighbor. I had to wait out his dying in quiet of the night, feeling miserable and guilty for doing nothing but crying in despair,
That terrible experience led me to join a group of Manning animal lovers in their determined effort to build an animal shelter in our county. At least I could have called friends or associates with the shelter for advice or assistance, It was a long arduous journey that took several years to accomplish, but this is my story as one of the co-founders of the Animal Shelter of Clarendon County, still going strong and helping homeless dogs and cats.
I am a donor for the Animal Shelter of Clarendon County and have been giving for a little over 3 years. I first became aware of the shelter when I saw one of their compelling donation boxes in a Shoney's - and knew I had to visit. I was afraid that what I'd see was animals in cramped cages, languishing without homes. What I saw on my visit was a happy place, with animals who are obviously well cared for. The staff and volunteers I spoke with were welcoming, friendly and helpful. Over the years I have seen this shelter grow in so many ways: bigger mission results, better processes, more collaboration outside of their immediate community, a better management team, more volunteers, more engaging communications, and better board leadership. I was thrilled to hear about the launch of the new low-cost spay/neuter clinic! I am so proud to be a supporter of the shelter and only hope that the community there will become more involved over time.
Actually, my "role" should be most of the above! I have volunteered with this shelter, I have used their services, I have donated to this shelter. The only two that don't apply is "board member" (would love to but am just too busy to do it right) and "professional in this field" although I have worked with numerous shelters over the years because we used to get transferred fairly often. Of all the shelters I have spent time helping, this is easily the best. The people working and volunteering here have always been friendly and dedicated. The place is neat and clean and the animals are well cared for - not just physical needs but social needs as well. They are serving a vital need in this county in caring for the multitude of strays we have and educating the public on the necessity of spaying and neutering, and providing a low-cost option for spaying and neutering. If I had any spare time, it would belong to this shelter, because helping here is a pleasure.
I have been affiliated with this non-profit, 501(c)3, no-kill shelter since about 2006, first as a volunteer, then Secretary on the Board, then Office Administrator for three years. During this time the people and the animals I have worked with have filled a void in my life that no one or nothing else ever could. I've been there through many managers, kennel workers, volunteers and the public. I've laughed, cried, reasoned, mediated, greeted, compromised, worried, walked and socialized dogs, scooped poop (and worn it a few times), and I wouldn't trade any of it for a million dollars--although the Shelter could sure use that kind of a big fat donation to support their spay/neuter program and save more animals. You see, the Shelter rescues as many dogs as possible from the County's Animal Control Facility, and finds them new FUR-ever homes.
The animals are fed and cared for, and the Shelter kennels are cleaned and sanitized daily by the dedicated staff, who often go above and beyond for the sake of the dogs and cats. The need for more volunteers to walk and socialize the dogs is critical. All dogs and cats adopted from ASCC are fully vetted--spayed/neutered, vaccinated, heartworm tested, dewormed, deflea'd. That's quite a deal for the low adoption fees they charge.
The citizens of Clarendon County and our members outside the county are the Shelter's "bread and butter" so to speak. The Shelter gets NO government financial support, and relies solely on proceeds from A Second Chance Thrift Store (in downtown Manning) and donations from membership and friends of the animals.
I strongly urge anyone who is not presently involved in animal rescue to get involved in some way. If you're not physically able to volunteer, then please donate. If you can't volunteer because it would break your heart--then donate. Donations of towels, blankets, pet beds, food, treats and $$ are needed. Gift certificates are available for low-cost spay/neuter. When "In Memory Of" and "In Honor Of" donations are received, a thank you card is sent to the donator and an announcement card is sent to the family of the pet or person being remembered.
If you become a Member you'll receive news about all the shelter's happenings via e-mail or postal mail.
You can visit the Shelter's website at: www.ASecondChanceAnimalShelter.com for more information and Paypal donations, or mail a check to: ASCAS, 5079 Alex Harvin Hwy, Manning, SC 29102
Have had good experiences with ASCC over the years. For a while I was volunteering with their ink recycling program. It is very rewarding to work with them. They are a very professional and the animals are treated wonderfully. It was a great day in this county when this shelter opened up. They do the best they can with the help they receive from the community. I appreciate anything anyone can do to help financially, personally, etc.
Hats off to ASCC