'Clear The Shelter Day' A Big Success For Ocean County Animal Facilities Both North And Sound

The recent "Clear the Shelters" event at both the Northern and Southern Ocean County Animal Shelters recently resulted in 46 dogs and cats going off to their forever homes, according to a report in The Sandpaper.

Twenty-three animals from each shelter were adopted during the July 23 nationwide event, including 18 cats and 5 dogs from the Southern Ocean Animal Facility in Manahawkin and 20 cats and three dogs from the Northern Ocean Animal Facility in Jackson.

It was the first time the Ocean County shelters participated in the event, which waives adoption fees for dogs and cats. Another 80 pets were adopted from the two shelters in the three weeks leading up to the event, thanks to promotional advertising, said shelter manager Brian Lippai.

A few of the people who came to adopt an animal at the Manahawkin shelter waited for the event for the free adoption fees, threis purpose, said Dorothy Reynolds, president of The Friends of the Southern Ocean County Animal Shelter, which helped promote the event at the local shelter along with Shelter Saviors and Rescued Friends.

“There are a lot of expenses to getting a pet by the time you get all the necessary supplies, the dishes and leashes or bowls and cat litter," Reynolds said. So this way they could put that money towards the other needs.”

The event was "incredibly valuable" in helping to promoting both of the shelters, Lippai said.

“Many people that didn’t find their new best friend said they will be back in the coming weeks and will tell all their friends about our wonderful facility and awesome pets,” said Lippai.

Sadly, it doesn't take long for an animal shelter to fill up again.

“Since the event we are already getting close to full capacity again,” he said.

More people should be getting their pets from shelters and not from a pet shop or breeder.

“People don’t realize that every time they purchase a pet from a pet shop or breeder it means that a pet in the shelter did not get a home,” she said “So it was good to see shelters promoted, and it seemed like it did very well across the country. Many animals found a home that day that might still be sitting in a shelter otherwise.”

To read more about how you can help both shelters throughout the year, click here.
Photo credit: Friends of the Southern Ocean County Animal Shelter