SAYREVILLE ─ Sammy’s Hope Animal Welfare & Adoption Center has received the “Crusaders for Canines” award by Best Friends Animal Society.
The Sayreville-based Sammy’s Hope is an active partner in Best Friends Animal Society’s No More Homeless Pets Network, which offers help and support to animal rescue groups and shelters that save lives in their communities.
Each year, Best Friends works with its partners to produce successful adoption promotions that shine the spotlight on the hardest-to-place pets, according to information provided by Sammy’s Hope.
“Finding homes for some animals can be particularly challenging. Big dogs, special-needs pets and older animals sometimes need an extra helping hand,” said Holly Sizemore, Best Friends Animal Society’s director of National Programs, Community Programs and Services.
“And that’s where organizations like Sammy’s Hope step in. Sammy’s Hope focuses their efforts on helping big dogs in shelters. Day after day, they enter their local shelters, find the biggest dogs (and biggest hearts) and help them find the loving families they deserve,” she said.
In 2015, Best Friends awarded Sammy’s Hope a Save Them All grant to train and find homes for 66 large-breed dogs. The dogs, all of whom needed help with behavioral issues, were pulled from a high-risk shelter in the area. Folks at Sammy’s Hope then took the time to train each dog individually, giving them the skills they needed to find homes, Sizemore said.
Dave Gaier, director of Marketing for Sammy’s Hope, said, “We are thrilled and gratified to receive this award from Best Friends, a truly unique organization that does enormous good for animals. We’re proud to work with local shelters and equally proud of our wonderful volunteers, whose efforts and love for animals make it all possible.”