Second Chance Pet Adoption event in Manahawkin will give adoptable cats and dogs another look

Local Girl Scout Troop 421 will host its second annual Second Chance Pet Adoption event at Manahawkin Lake Park on Saturday, May 4, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. A rain date is set for Sunday, May 5.

The event is being held to help promote forever pet adoptions. A number of local pet rescues and shelters will be in attendance during the day, including Homeless Paws, Labs 4 Rescue, One by One Cat Rescue, German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue, East Coast Paws ’n’ Claws Animal Rescue, Pug Planet Pug Rescue, Popcorn Park Zoo and Southern Ocean County Animal Facility.

Photo via Facebook
Members of Girl Scout Troop 421 make
pet supplies for their second annual
Second Chance Pet Adoption event.

Adoptable animals will be available for meet and greets throughout the day. Admission is free, but donations for the rescues, including dog and cat food and treats, as well as toys and supplies, are welcome.

“Our main reason for this event is to get exposure for the rescues and to educate the community to adopt from rescues and shelters,” said Diane Rydell-Modri, troop leader for Girl Scout Troop 421. “A few rescues lost everything during (Superstorm) Sandy. The (troop) girls love animals, and they really want to continue to help them,” she added.

Three years ago, the girls won the bronze award, a leadership adventure and the highest honor a Girl Scout junior can achieve, for their help working with Homeless Paws, a nonprofit organization comprised solely of volunteers and foster families who rehabilitate and place animals into appropriate homes. The annual adoption event gives the girls the opportunity to continue offering their support to such organizations.

With assistance from other local Girl Scouts, Troop 421 will assemble handmade blankets and toys for the animals during the day of the adoption event.

Many pet-related vendors will be in attendance, too, including the Stafford Veterinary Hospital and Lucky’s Bed and Biscuit. The Stafford Township Police Department will also provide dog demonstrations. An “Around Town” raffle basket of pet supplies worth more than $200 from local businesses will be awarded, too. WOBM radio station will play music between 1 and 4 p.m.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Second-Chance-Pet-Adoption/420819348010961?fref=ts.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.