Animal shelter is looking for room to grow.
By: Jillian Kalonick
As Sara Nicolls makes her rounds through the feline habitats at SAVE, the Princeton animal shelter, she seems to know all the cats’ names and personalities. Identified by color-coded stickers indicating who might not be social, who is still adjusting and who is friendly, most of the cats are happy to welcome visitors.
Stepping in and out of SAVE’s buildings and winding through its narrow hallways, Ms. Nicolls, executive director since 2000, gives an enthusiastic tour, but imagines how much better a more spacious facility would be.
"We don’t have the space for as many people who want to come and see the animals. It’s so frustrating to me that people have to trip over each other, " says Ms. Nicolls of SAVE’s headquarters on Herrontown Road, comprised of a cluster of houses. "We want to have a more labor-efficient building, and to have better environments for the animals."
Established in 1941 by Dr. Cornelia Jaynes and Emily Myrick, SAVE (Small Animal Veterinary Endowment) has been through a number of transitions. Although the facility underwent renovations in 1998, the shelter has expanded in practices and presence in the community, and is now planning to build a new 22,000-square-foot building.
One of seven no-kill animal shelters in the state, SAVE takes stray animals from animal control in Princeton Township and Borough, West Windsor and Plainsboro. The shelter’s current capacity is 80 cats and 16 dogs, but Ms. Nicolls would like to double those numbers in the new building.
Her vision for the new SAVE is that of a "treatable and adoptable" animal center that is open to all two-legged visitors.
"We need to be more creative and more innovative, and make shelters places people want to visit," she says. "When the animals are happy, the people are happy when they come in. Our goal is to make it a user-friendly process, and hopefully people will come and think of us when they’re looking to add a friend to the household."
Features in SAVE’s new facility will include a dog rehabilitation and holding area, for litters of puppies and mother dogs and their offspring; a dog adoption space; dog and cat "living rooms" resembling home environments, and a cat rehabilitation area. A centerpiece will be the atrium, a bonding space for people and pets as well as a place to host classes, meetings and celebrations.
Currently SAVE assists about 1,100 cats and dogs per year and has a comprehensive adoption process. SAVE screens potential adopters and works to find them a pet that fits their needs. Animals are tested and treated by a full-time veterinarian, and neutered or spayed when they weigh more than two pounds. When an animal is adopted, a follow-up vet visit is included in the adoption costs. The cards and photographs of pets that line the walls of SAVE are proof that those who come seeking a cat or dog find a match that fits in perfectly with the family.
One of Ms. Nicolls’ favorite examples of finding the perfect home for an animal is an eight-year-old Golden Retriever that arrived at the shelter. The staff was not sure anyone would adopt a dog who was that old.
"This wonderful family called us and said they had been rescuing Golden Retrievers for years," she says. "When they came, he was covered in mud after rolling around in the ground, and they were in their bright new SUV. The dog jumped in the car and they sat and petted him, and that dog couldn’t have been happier."
In addition to rescue and adoption services, SAVE also recruits individuals to provide foster homes for animals. After Ms. Nicolls joined SAVE, the organization began taking "surrenders" (pets whose owners are no longer able to care for them) and is the only area shelter that does so. SAVE also began a humane education program for youth, a partnership with the Trenton YMCA and the neighborhood center in Lawrenceville.
"It focuses on teaching urban youth about empathy and compassion," says Ms. Nicolls. "They just have never had positive experiences with animals. What’s important is to educate people on why there are homeless animals and why animals are being abused, and stop that chain, and to get to kids at an early age so they understand how animals think and act. It’s a wonderful program and we’re thrilled to have it this year, and we hope to expand it within the community."
With more than 300 active volunteers, SAVE would greatly benefit from a more spacious facility. "We have people who would love to come and participate and volunteer, but our orientations are held outside in the parking lot," says Ms. Nicolls. "To have a light, bright space where people can really see the animals and get to know them will be the thing I’ll be most excited about."
Currently SAVE is holding its annual membership drive, which is essential to the daily operations of the shelter, and gearing up for the capital campaign for its expansion. As SAVE begins to finalize the formal application to Princeton Township, Ms. Nicolls is optimistic that the community will continue to be supportive.
"Our hope is to make this a state-of-the-art facility that Princeton can be proud of," says Ms. Nicolls. "We’ve been a small farmhouse for 60 years it’s time for us to really grow with the organization and grow with the community, and represent a wonderful facility that everyone can come and enjoy."
SAVE is located at 900 Herrontown Road, Princeton. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. For more information about becoming a member, the capital campaign or adopting a pet, visit www.save-animals.org or call (609) 921-6122.