Eleventh Hour Rescue, Animals Being Kicked Out of Morris County PetSmart

As if the animals under the watchful eye of Eleventh Hour Rescue haven’t sustained enough change and uncertainty, now comes another ordeal.

On Monday, Aug. 25, the Rockaway Township-based, all-volunteer animal rescue and adoption agency received a letter from PetSmart Charities, stating its years-long contract to house cats and dogs at the Mt. Olive PetSmart location would come to an end, and quickly.

Ten years ago the Arizona-based business and the Morris County organization built a relationship, one that would allow EHR to hold weekend adoption events outside the store at the International Trade Center Shopping Mall between routes 46 and 206.

Four years ago, after the relationship had blossomed so well, PetSmart Charities opened 14 Everyday Adoption Centers across the country. The Mt. Olive location was number 10, and EHR was approached by the company to have its animals available inside the building.

This month, however, that relationship has come to a screeching halt, and the ramifications are vast. PetSmart Charities has asked EHR to remove its pets from the location by Sept. 25 – just 30 days after the notice was sent.

“We value loyalty, we value partnerships,” said longtime EHR volunteer Roger Keyser. “This isn’t the way you treat partners.”

PetSmart Charities Media Relations Manager Steve Pawlowski told Patch that the contract between the two has expired, and the business has “elected not to renew the agreement.”

The reason, Pawlowski said, was the Everyday Adoption Center will be closing for remodeling. Pawlowski did not respond when asked what the remodeled space will be used for, or why EHR was only given 30 days to vacate the premises, despite asking for more time.

“They just won’t tell us why this is happening,” Keyser said. “We’ve never had any issues or been in trouble for anything. They just won’t give us a reason.”

EHR has successfully re-homed more than 10,000 animals in the past four years, many of whom went through PetSmart in Mt. Olive.

But with the immediate need to find homes for the animals currently kept at PetSmart comes an additional issue: the animals EHR has committed to rescuing and are in the pipeline to be adopted through the organization.

EHR is a no-kill shelter, and won’t be putting its animals in any place that would allow for such, but for the time being, the organization will need to find boarding homes and shelters in the area to house its animals.

EHR has a strong following, with more than 50,000 Facebook friends and homes across the region who have fostered or adopted animals from the organization.

Once the announcement went public, a petition through Change.org – which can be seen here – under the name of Boycott Petsmart and Petsmart Charities, has garnered nearly 2,800 digital signatures.

The signatures have come with more than just names, including scathing remarks about the company.

“What you are doing is absolutely wrong… I pledge to NEVER shop at any PetSmart ever again…” said Jeanette Vanderhoof.

“Shame on you for putting business before lives. I will NEVER shop at petsmart again,” said Cate Ladd.

“It boggles the mind how a company that promotes, and, of course, profits off the welfare of animals, can come up with the idea and subsequent action to break ties with a reputable rescue group. EHR was the primary reason I and so many of my friends and colleagues shopped EXCLUSIVELY at Petsmart.....NO MORE.....unless this decision is reversed, I can only hope the local media get hold of this info and should that happen, your profits, along with your reputation nationwide, will surely tank. RETHINK YOUR POSITION,” said Jennifer Boehm.

“What we need right now is adoptions, that’s our top priority,” Keyser said.

Adoptions through EHR at the Mt. Olive PetSmart will be available until Sept. 25.

Photo Courtesy Eleventh Hour Rescue