Motors & Mutts: 5th Annual Pet Adoption and Bike Run Family Event Combo to be held in Manville/Hillsborough and Augusta

Motors & Mutts: Pet Adoption & Bike Run Family Event Combo to be held in Manville/Hillsborough and Augusta

The Manville-Hillsborough Elks #2119 will host its 5th annual “Dog Adoption Day” and team up with the 9th annual “Joann Miller Memorial Motorcycle Run” on Sunday, April 23. This combination ride and pet rescue family-friendly and BBQ event is open to the public and all ages.

The event takes place from 11 AM to 5 PM on the grounds of the Manville-Hillsborough Elks Lodge at 1500 Brooks Blvd., Hillsborough. Picnic fare and beverages will be available. The Dog Adoption event will take place from 11 AM to 3 PM and provides an opportunity for area animal shelters and rescue groups to connect with the local community and promote awareness of the abundance of shelter and foster animals awaiting adoption. Proceeds from the run benefit the Beagle Rescue League, and K9 Soldiers through the Argos Project to fund service dogs for Veterans in need, and the Plainfield Area Humane Society.

The run begins at the historic Chatterbox Drive-In, located at 1 NJ-15, Augusta, NJ. Check-in and registration takes place from 8:30-10:30 AM. Kickstands are up at 10:45 AM. Registration is $20 per person and includes full complimentary continental breakfast as well as admission to the picnic at the ending point of the ride at Manville-Hillsborough Elks’ Pet Adoption Day. The run will be a police escorted mile ride through some of New Jersey’s most beautiful scenery in the Skylands Region.

Bikes from the Motorcycle Run will park in an off-site lot nearby to minimize the impact of the noise on the animals at the event. Both events will be held rain or shine.

“Combining the two events brings together two organizations that give assistance and bring about awareness to two causes that I am most passionate about: animals and veterans in need and their families. I can’t explain how exciting this is for me,” said event Chair, Elks Member and Sergeant at Arms of the Lodge’s Motorcycle Committee Scott Mikaelian.

Scott is also a volunteer / foster dog family with Rogers’ Rescues, a non-profit organization that helps place homeless dogs into loving adoptive homes. Rogers’ Rescues foster dogs currently live as members of the family with foster home volunteers. This foster care environment enables them to acclimate dogs to home-life, evaluate the dogs in real life situations and provide more information to potential adopters about the dog’s behavior. Rogers’ Rescues will participate in the event and have dogs available for adoption and “meet and greet.”

Shelters and other organizations that are slated to participate in the adoption event include: Rogers’ Rescues, Beagle Rescue League, Dog Rescue Supporters, K-9 Elements, Big Dog Rescue Project, Seer Farms, Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League, K9 Soldiers, and Plainfield Area Humane Society. Many others are still pending confirmation as of press time. There is no charge for the non-profit shelters to set up and attend the event.

The Manville-Hillsborough Elks is also the recipient of a recent Elks National Foundation (ENF) Beacon Grant. The Lodge plans to use the ENF grant money to sponsor spay/neuter for several pets awaiting adoption at the Plainfield Area Humane Society through the Friends of Animals Low Cost Spay Neuter Program. This is the second year the Lodge used ENF grant funding for helping animals in need in the community.

“The grant also helps us raise awareness and take an active role in helping the overabundance of animals in the shelters. Spay and neuter programs help lessen the impact to local shelters and the numbers of strays,” said Scott Mikaelian.

For additional information, please call 908-725-1717.