A total of 22 animals from the Gloucester County Animal Shelter found new forever homes on Aug. 17 during the fifth annual Clear the Shelter event, which waives adoption fees for cats and dogs.
In all, the shelter had 35 cats, 12 dogs, two rabbits and a guinea pig available for adoption during the event. Prior to the event, the shelter spayed, neutered and vaccinated each animal.
“Eighteen cats and four dogs found new homes, and there are 22 fewer animals at the shelter, that is a successful day. Clear the Shelters really helps promote adoption,” said Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger.
Gloucester County is one of the dozens in New Jersey that participated this year. Started in 2015 by NBC and Telemundo, it has helped more than 250,000 pets find forever homes throughout the country, according to its website. This year alone, there were more than 2,000 shelters across the country that participated in this event.
Every year, according to the website, millions of pets end up in shelters across the country. Shelter adoption rates have been steadily rising since 2011, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, leaving approximately 1.5 million dogs and cats to be euthanized each year due to overcrowding.
The shelter says that over 150 people attended the adoption drive throughout the day.
The average adoption rate for the shelter is 15 cats per month.
“Clear the Shelters helped us adopt out more cats in one day then we usually can in one month. It’s very satisfying to see the shelter animals and their new families together,” said Freeholder Deputy Director Frank DiMarco, liaison to the Gloucester County Animal Shelter.
For more information about the pre-adoption application or other information, call the Gloucester County Animal Shelter at (856) 881-2828 or find on Facebook at GloucesterCountyAnimalShelter.
