Adopt a Pet, Make a Friend

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MJ ALVAREZ
Cats like Greg are available for adoption at the Monmouth County SPCA.

By Judy O’Gorman Alvarez

The ASPCA estimates that 6.5 million companion animals enter animal shelters in the United States each year. That makes for a lot of furry and not-so-furry friends waiting for a “forever home.”

The good news is many shelters and humane rescue groups are seeing double the typical number of requests to adopt pets since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States last spring. Why not take on the acclimating, training or bonding with a new pet while family members are working or schooling from home and have more time to devote to the challenge?

Animal shelters, rescue groups, pounds and humane societies are great places to begin searching for new companion animals. According to DoSomething.org, a not-for-profit site that focuses on empowering and encouraging young people to take action around issues that matter to them, each year approximately 2.7 million dogs and cats are euthanized because shelters are too full and there aren’t enough adoptive homes.

Homeless animals outnumber homeless people five to one. While private breeders and reputable pet stores may have purebred animals that make great pets, to relieve the problems of relinquished or homeless pets residing in crowded shelters, prospective pet parents are urged to first consider adopting shelter pets.

Some of the advantages to adopting a pet from a shelter include:

• Well-behaved animals: The Humane Society of America says most shelter pets end up in facilities not because of behavioral issues or something they did wrong, but due to circumstances affecting their owners, such as moving, divorce or even death. That means there are thousands of housebroken, behavior-trained pets just waiting for a new family.

• Lower costs: When a person adopts a pet, microchipping, first immunization costs, neutering/spaying, and some vet costs may be covered by the adoption fee. Plus, that adoption fee can be hundreds of dollars less than purchasing a pet from elsewhere.

• Longer life expectancy: The Canine Journal says “mutts,” or animals whose genetic makeup are a combination of at least two breeds, tend to have fewer health problems and live longer than their purebred counterparts. But shelters also house many purebreds for those who prefer to go that route.

• Room for others: For every adopted cat or dog, room is freed up to take in more pets that need assistance.

• Hurt puppy mills: Puppy mills produce pets in factory-style facilities that seldom take the welfare of animals into consideration. Adoption hurts puppy mills’ bottom lines and helps fight against their inhumane breeding techniques.

Animal shelters can be the first and last stop for animal lovers looking to welcome companion animals into their lives, but COVID-19 safety guidelines have forced organi- zations to switch from in-person adoptions to virtual meet-and-greets. Nowadays, the search for a pet may feel more like an online dating service as prospective adopters peruse the photos of cuddly creatures and read the creative write-ups to find the right cat, dog or small or exotic animal such as rabbit, bird, hamster or reptile, among others.

Once you fill out an application, listing all members of a household – including other pets – you can make an appointment to meet your intended.

Among the many places to find adoptable pets are:

-Monmouth County SPCA, Eatontown, monmouthcountyspca.org

-Associated Humane Society, Tinton Falls, ahscares.org

-Home Free Animal Rescue,Red Bank, homefreeanimalrescue.org

-No Paw Left Behind Animal Rescue, Union Beach, nopawleftbehindar.org

-St. Francis Feline Fellowship Foundation, Union Beach, stfrancisfeline.org

-3 Hearts 4 Paws Animal Rescue, Morganville, 3hearts4paws.com

-Three Little Kittens, Asbury Park, threelittlekittens.org

-Catsbury Park, Asbury Park, catsburypark.org

This article originally appeared in the April 15, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.