The Showcase Magazine - Articles

Adopt Don’t Shop




There are many ways to get a new furry friend in your life. There are pet shops, breeders, shelters/rescues etc. Some can be controversial, but I would just like to take the time to talk about a local shelter in our area. Somerset Regional Animal Shelter is one we work closely with at PetMinders NJ, we do a yearly holiday donation collection, and our wonderful clients are very generous, the shelter puts everything to great use. It can be hard to see so many animals without homes, but we all do what we can, and they take excellent care of them.

There are many ways that people can help, even if they aren’t looking to get a new pet. The shelters always need supplies, and they have an Amazon wish list on their website as well as a list of items that are always in need. All donations are tax-deductible. They could always use more volunteers if you have a love of animals and time to spare. Volunteers can do various things such as dog walking, greeting potential adopters and applications, and even fostering.

SRAS takes in nearly 1,000 animals a year, cats, dogs, and even small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs. They are a non-profit (and no-kill shelter) and rely heavily on their volunteers, and the generous community support has helped them increase the number of animals they can help. Volunteers must be at least 14 years old, and 16 years old for dog walking. Animals that are adopted go to their new homes already being microchipped, spayed/neutered, and having the essential medical care needed. Many fundraisers and adoption events are held throughout the year, so make sure to keep an eye out for these!

Opening your home for temporary fostering is a wonderful way to help. It helps the shelter take on more animals and helps acclimatize the animals to a home setting and get all the love and care that they should receive. It also helps kittens or puppies that are too young and need a safe place until they are old enough. Animals recovering from surgery or illness also benefit from being in a home environment over the shelter, as well as animals showing signs of stress

or animals not used to being in a home at all. Overcrowded shelters mean fewer animals that can be helped!

Overall, there are many ways to help but if you do have an interest in adopting a pet in need, a shelter is a great place to start. The more pets adopted, the more space available for other animals. It is much cheaper to adopt, and if you rather skip the puppy stage, many older dogs in shelters have a harder time being adopted. Somerset Regional Animal Shelter is a great place to check out, below is their website so you can read more about the shelter, the volunteers, and all that they do. They have profiles for the adoptable pets available, and happy tails adoption updates to read the happy endings to adopted pets!

www.srasnj.org and www.fosras.com