A fter years of serving Sayreville and the surrounding community, the Sayreville Pet Adoption Center (SPAC) will be shutting its doors on Dec. 31.
The adoption center, run in partnership with the Sayrebrook Veterinary Hospital in Sayreville, had been struggling financially for a few years and had come close to bankruptcy in 2011. The organization decided to shut its doors permanently due to its financial problems.
“Part of the reason [for our financial difficulties] is because we believe fully in sending the animals home fully vetted, meaning that they are spayed or neutered, and other treatments,” Barbara Keegan, director of the Sayreville Pet Adoption Center, told Greater Media Newspapers. “Adoption fees don’t cover all of those costs, and we weren’t willing to give that up, because if you’re going to send pets out that aren’t spayed and neutered, you’re contributing to the population problem.”
Keegan said that financial difficulties began in 2010, when the shelter cut ties with four municipalities. The towns —Sayreville, South River, Spotswood and Helmetta — did not want to continue the practice of “trapneuter return,” which traps feral cats, neuters or spays them, then releases them back where they were found. When the municipalities decided to abandon that practice, the shelter was no longer on board and decided to cut their contracts with the municipalities, which translated to a major cut in revenue.
“After that, we always took in pets from people who couldn’t keep them anymore, but that was really the crux of our operation,” Keegan said.
Mounting expenses led to a near-closure in December 2011, but a donation campaign helped the organization stay afloat for the rest of the year.
“We had a large outpouring of support from all over the place, and that really kept us going through this year,” Keegan said. “However, it started to dwindle, and with Hurricane Sandy, we reached a point where we had to face the fact that we couldn’t do it anymore.” Although they receive donations and a stipend from the veterinary hospital, the economic downturn has had a negative effect on those funds.
“We were always subsidized by them, but the economy affected them too,” Keegan said. “It’s a big vicious cycle.”
By press time, there were 55 cats and nine dogs left for adoption out of the 120 animals the shelter had when it announced its closing Dec. 1. Those who wish to adopt an animal will not have to pay the adoption fees and will also receive pet food.
“We’re going to give what we can to people adopting, and whatever we have left over will go to other shelters and to the needy,” Keegan said.
Any animals left by Dec. 31 will be transported to other nonkill shelters, and Keegan will remain at the shelter after the formal closing, if necessary, to ensure all the animals are safely in another home.
“No animal will be euthanized,” Keegan said. “Even though the shelter will close Dec. 31, I will be here to ensure that the last animals get out.”
SPAC is also looking for monetary donations to pay off its remaining bills.
“We still do need every penny that can come in, especially because we’re losing the adoption fees,” Keegan said.
Those interested in adopting a pet can visit SPAC’s adoption page at http://sayreville. petfinder.com.
Contact Stella Morrison at [email protected].