I f you’re a pet lover like I am — and committed to the notion that one of the most noble acts we can accomplish is to rescue a cat or dog from a shelter, and support the good work those shelters do on shoestring budgets — you had to be saddened by the recent news that the Sayreville Pet Adoption Center may have to close its doors.
After more than 18 years of saving the lives of cats and dogs, the no-kill shelter has fallen on hard times due to the loss of municipal contracts with Helmetta, Spotswood and Sayreville. In past years, SPAC derived most of its operating revenue from those towns, which paid a stipend to house stray and unwanted pets, including feral cats that had been trapped after living rough. The municipalities are now contracting with a new, larger facility in Helmetta, and while I certainly understand the economics of their decisions, it’s sad to think that one of the consequences might be the closure of SPAC.
It’s especially disheartening now, when the need is even greater than it has been in past years. It’s a harsh fact of our national economy that more pets are being given up to shelters because their owners simply cannot afford to feed them any longer. And that has led to an increase in the number of animals dropped off, or outrightly abandoned, at SPAC.
“In today’s economy, many folks are coming forward to surrender their pets due to foreclosures, evictions, lack of employment, etc.,” SPAC Director Barbara Keegan told Greater Media Newspapers recently. “With owners in such dire straits, we are not able to charge our normal surrender fees of $100 to $150, which barely cover the cost of housing, food and medical needs for these animals.”
She said the shelter has also seen a “tremendous increase in the number of animals just being abandoned in front of the shelter.”
“In the past two weeks, we have had a cat left in a shopping cart, kittens left in a garbage can, a dog left in a cardboard box,” she said. “These are desperate times for many people. And yet we cannot turn our back on these animals who end up here through no fault of their own.”
It costs a lot of money to run a shelter, especially a no-kill shelter that will house and care for an animal until it is adopted, no matter how long it takes. There are vaccines, spaying and neutering, flea and tick treatments, veterinary exams, and treatment for illnesses. Then, of course, there’s the cost of running the facility — heat, water, maintenance, and food for the 150 animals that live there.
With itsmain revenue streams cut off, and relying solely on the short money it makes from surrender and adoption fees, SPAC is reduced to living on the charity of others, so it’s easy to see why they feel they can’t go on. They may be right, and there is simply no way to go forward. That’s the reality.
But we might be able to help them hold on for a little while. I think it’s time for us to pitch in. One thing that will help SPAC is to adopt out some of the animals, and their goal is to find homes for 40 to 50 cats and at least five to 10 dogs. So if you’re thinking of adopting a rescue pet, this is a good time, and SPAC is a good place to look. At this point, you have to wonder what will happen to all those homeless animals that don’t find homes if the shelter goes dark. You can find them on the Web at various locations by typing SPAC Sayreville shelter into your browser.
SPAC also conducts several fundraising events over the course of the year, and you can find out more about them by calling 732-727-3895. They’re also looking for volunteers.
In the end, however, it’s likely going to come down to donations. If you have extra canned cat food, cat treats, cat litter, paper towels, rawhide chews, bleach, laundry detergent or canned dog food, they’ll be happy to take it. If nobody is around, you can leave your donation at the door. SPAC is located at 1400 Main St. in Sayreville, right next door to the Sayreville Police Station.
They’ll also take money, of course, and that might be the best of all. Let’s help them keep the lights on and the bellies of those homeless dogs and cats full for a little while longer.
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Speaking ofAmerican generosity, I got a real kick out of the list of gifts given to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge — William and Kate — when they made their first international trip as a married couple. For example, in Morocco they were given a camel saddle and trappings; they got a ceremonial sword, a wristwatch and two silk rugs in Kuwait; and Zulu spears and shields in South Africa from the Zulu royal family. Lots of people gave them jewelry. They also got a lot of weird stuff, like a jar of Vegemite (inedible stuff people slather on bread inAustralia) and a papier-mâché statue of a cassowary, which turns out to be a large flightless bird. I have it on good authority that William wanted to put that one in the living room window, but was overruled by his bride. The list of stuff they got in various countries goes on for pages.
So what did they get when they came to America, land of plenty? Well, here’s the entire list: a set of earrings, a book and double DVD, a framed film still, a teddy bear, an iPad from the governor of California, a book, another DVD, a Chicago Sun Times newspaper, a pair of wine coasters, a selection of medals, a certificate of greetings, four more coasters and a bread board.
Reliable sources claim that as he was boarding the plane back to England, he asked Kate, “Can we burn their capital again?”
“As soon as I’m finished reading the paper,” she said.
Gregory Bean is the former executive editor of Greater Media Newspapers. You can reach him at [email protected].