Foothills Humane Society was recently awarded a $500 grant from Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce. The Carolina Foothills Chamber Foundation Grant is for “Improving our Community through Microchips.”

This grant allows FHS to microchip the first 70 pets free. The pets need to reside within FHS’ service area. This includes all of Polk County, as well as neighboring jurisdictions of Landrum, Campobello and Gowensville.

It is a sad fact that hundreds of animals go missing in our community in a year’s time. These lost companions are left to roam. The lucky ones have been microchipped, and can be returned to the owners easily. The “Improving our Community through Microchips” project will provide this service free of charge to animal’s owners and will dramatically increase the chances for a lost animal to be reunited with its family.

When an animal is brought into FHS, the animal is immediately scanned for a chip, which stores all owner information. This not only gets the animal home quicker, but it also reduces the cost of FHS sheltering the animal for days. This is a savings for all taxpayers. For more information regarding a free micro-chip for local animals, please call Foothills Humane Society at 828-863-4444.

FHS is a non-profit, 501(c)3 open-admission, adoption-guarantee animal welfare organization serving the rural foothills of Polk County, N.C. and Landrum, Campobello and Gowensville in the northern Greenville and Spartanburg counties of South Carolina. FHS serves approximately 2,300 animals per year through various programs. In addition to successful adoptions and rescue programs, FHS offers many volunteer opportunities, public training classes, training and behavior assistance for shelter dogs and boasts an average 98 percent placement (also referred to as live-release) rate, meaning that 98 percent of shelter animals are adopted into loving homes or transferred to reputable rescue organizations.

– Submitted by Selena Coffey