A total of 46 pets were adopted from the Ocean County Animal Facilities during the nationwide “Clear the Shelters” event held July 23. Twenty-three animals were adopted from each of the shelters, including 18 cats and five dogs from the Southern Ocean County Animal Facility in Manahawkin as well as 20 cats and three dogs from the Northern Ocean County Animal Facility in Jackson.
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| Photo via Patch During the nationwide event, 23 animals were adopted from the Manahawkin shelter. |
With help from promotional advertising, an additional 80 pets were adopted from those shelters during the three weeks leading up to the event, according to Brian Lippai, shelter manager.
This was the first year the county’s animal facilities joined the national, one-day adoption event, which aims to unite homeless animals with loving new families by waiving adoption fees. A few of the people who came to adopt an animal at the Manahawkin shelter had waited for the event for this purpose, said Dorothy Reynolds, president of The Friends of the Southern Ocean County Animal Shelter, which helped promote the event at the local shelter along with Shelter Saviors and Rescued Friends.
“There are a lot of expenses to getting a pet by the time you get all the necessary supplies, the dishes and leashes or bowls and cat litter. So this way they could put that money towards the other needs,” Reynolds stated, noting many people generously donated funds and also dropped off much-needed blankets and towels. Wet and dry cat and dog food is always needed and can be dropped off anytime, she added.
During the event, Friends volunteers offered free giveaways and provided water since it was a hot day while members of Shelter Saviors helped adopters get acquainted with the available animals.
“Many people that didn’t find their new best friend said they will be back in the coming weeks and will tell all their friends about our wonderful facility and awesome pets,” said Lippai, who noted the county will be participating in next year’s event since it “greatly reduced the number of pets” in the facilities and was “incredibly valuable” in promoting both of the shelters.
“Since the event we are already getting close to full capacity again,” he said.
Reynolds noted that more people should be getting their pets from shelters and not from a pet shop or breeder.
“People don’t realize that every time they purchase a pet from a pet shop or breeder it means that a pet in the shelter did not get a home,” she stated. “So it was good to see shelters promoted, and it seemed like it did very well across the country. Many animals found a home that day that might still be sitting in a shelter otherwise.”
This year’s participating facilities included nearly 700 shelters across the country. Pet adoptions totaled 47,210 for a combined total of 66,895 pet adoptions in 2015 and 2016. Approximately 20,000 pets found new homes during last year’s inaugural event, which included nearly 400 animal shelters in the U.S.
Those who came in to adopt at the Manahawkin shelter seemed “like very responsible and enthusiastic pet owners, which was nice to see,” said Reynolds. “The people that came in were people that really wanted a pet and were looking forward to it. When they brought their pet out, they’d say, ‘Oh, isn’t he or she cute? We can’t wait to get them home.’”
She noted that many of the area’s pet shops also did well that day since most of the adopters bought their new pets toys and supplies.
“I thought it was a very successful event because so many (pets) found homes,” said Reynolds. “The mixture of 18 cats and kittens was a lot to be adopted in one day. Some of the dogs that had been placed in homes had been at the shelter quite a while, so it was very nice to see them going off to a new home.”
Lippai said the shelter is always in need of “dedicated, experienced” dog walkers since some just join on a seasonal basis or have only a limited time to offer their services. Walkers must be at least 21 years old and able to handle big dogs. An orientation program at the Manahawkin shelter is provided by shelter staff and Friends volunteers “so they’re well-trained,” said Reynolds.
“The highlight of every dog’s day in the shelter is getting out for a nice walk,” she said. “If people would just give a couple of hours a month, it would be great. It’s whenever people have the time because the dogs need to go out every day.”
Reynolds also noted that the shelter desperately needs cat fosters, especially baby-bottle feeders.
“They get so many (cats) in, and the shelter gets crowded,” she stated. (The cats) “need to get out into homes where they can have some individual attention, particularly bottle-baby kittens. When kittens are found that are really young, they have to go out to a bottle-baby feeder the day that they’re found because obviously they need to be fed right away.”
For more information about the Manahawkin shelter, call 609-978-0127.
— Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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