Edison Animal Shelter dogs have place to romp and play

J.P. Stevens senior builds two dog runs for Eagle Scout project

BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer

 Sonny, a hound and pit bull mix, enjoys one of the dog runs. Sonny, a hound and pit bull mix, enjoys one of the dog runs. EDISON — Sonny, a hound mix, and Aries, a pit bull mix, wagged their tails and trotted around their new dog run area along the side of the Edison Animal Shelter.

The project was the brainchild of Alykhan Gangji, 17, who is entering his senior year at John P. Stevens High School. Gangji, a member of Boy Scout Troop No. 44, constructed the two large dog runs for his Eagle Scout project.

Township officials including Mayor Antonia Ricigliano and Jay Elliot, director of the township’s Department of Health and Human Services, came to congratulate Gangji on Aug. 29 on the completion of his project at the shelter, located in the Municipal Complex on Municipal Boulevard.

As Gangji looked out at the finished project, he smiled.

“It’s great,” he said. “I could not have done this without the help of the township and all the volunteers.”

 Alykhan Gangji’s Eagle Scout project involved building two dog runs at the animal shelter. Alykhan Gangji’s Eagle Scout project involved building two dog runs at the animal shelter. Gangji said he was in the seventh grade when he was thinking ahead of what he wanted to do when the time came for his Eagle Scout project.

He said his older sister was president of the JPawS (J.P. Stevens for Animal Welfare) club, which educates the students at J.P. Stevens and the community about animal welfare issues.

Gangji raised a total of $1,800 for supplies and had $456 left over, which he donated to Sammy’s Hope, a volunteer-run rescue group that finds forever homes for shelter dogs and cats. The group works closely with the Edison Animal Shelter to adopt out many of its large breed dogs and homeless cats.

Geoff Goyette, board director of Sammy’s Hope, thanked Gangji for the donation and said the dogs at the shelter get exercise and socialization seven days a week, and this also has helped keep the dogs housebroken.

“This has made it easier in our case,” he said. “This shows that [the animals] know that somebody will be there for them, and it will be a smooth transition as they move from our house to your house.”

Elliot said the space where the dog runs were installed was previously a swampy and muddy area after it rained.

“When it was dry, we would store old cages in the area,” he said. “It was not an area we wanted to take anybody.”

Elliot said last summer Gangji came to the township with the idea.

“We thought it was great and he got the support of the council,” he said. “Now along with the dog runs, there is an area that we can bring a new stray dog or animal [into the shelter] without having to walk through the lobby area. This is great for the health and safety aspect.” Gangji designed his project and started fundraising for materials for the fencing. It was approximately two weeks ago that they put the final pieces and touches together.

“The construction of the project started in the spring and occurred on multiple days — there was a Saturday into Sunday among those days,” said Elliot.

The Department of Public Works led by Jeff Roderman helped grade and pave the area where the dog runs are located.

Elliot said this is the first Eagle Scout project done for the animal shelter, and another Scout’s project is in the works.

The Edison Animal Shelter serves Edison, as well as Metuchen, Piscataway and South Plainfield.

For more information about Sammy’s Hope rescue, visit www.sammyshope.org.