By Mary Ellen Day, Special Writer
Anyone considering getting a new pet and come to the second annual Dog Adoption Day at the Manville Hillsborough Elks on Brooks Boulevard from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. The event will be held rain or shine.
In conjunction with Rogers Rescues, the Elks have over 15 organizations that will be part of the event to make the public aware of pet adoption. Organizer Scott Mikaelian, an Elk and the secretary of the motorcycle club, invited a number of rescue organizations.
”What we are looking to do is get the dogs that are in shelters or foster homes as much exposure as we can, trying to find them homes,” he said.
Mr. Mikaelian and his wife, Robyn, have been Rogers Rescues volunteers for about four years and are a foster family. They have saved more than 24 dogs.
”It’s something that we are both very passionate about,” he said.
Organizations involved in the event besides Rogers Rescues include NJSPCA, Camp Bow Wow; Beagle Rescue League; Dog Rescue League; Garden State German Shepherd Rescue; People for Animals; MidAltantic Great Dane Rescue; Eleventh Hour Rescue; Edison Animal Shelter; St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center; Loving Care Pet Rescue; Second Chance for Animals; Plainfield Area Humane Society; Association Humane Society Newark; and 3Hearts-4 Paws.
Dogs will be on hand but will not be able to be adopted on the spot as there is a process for adoption.
”The reasons why we pull dogs from shelters and foster them is because they are in a bad environment and we don’t want to send them to another bad environment and wind up in another shelter again or being abused. There is a lengthy pre-qualifying process for people to adopt their dogs,” Mr. Mikaelian said.
This is the place to talk to multiple organizations if you are seriously considering adopting a dog and get as much information about it as possible.
”I hope every year to make it a little bit bigger to try to get the word out more and we can get more homes for dogs,” said Mr. Mikaelian.
According to Mr. Mikaelian, the Elks are also having an open house at the same time to show the community what they are all about.

