A Partnership Making a Difference for Sheltered Animals

By Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta

Animal Dignity Organization of Pequannock Township (ADOPT) and Pequannock Animal Shelter have had a wonderful partnership over the past two decades. With Pequannock Animal Shelter providing temporary homes for pets, and ADOPT providing the funds, and the fundraisers, it’s a win-win for the animals.

Christianne Morales, shelter manager of Pequannock Animal Shelter, began her journey at the shelter in 2009 when she started out as a volunteer. The shelter has all sorts of pets—dogs, cats, hamsters, parakeets, guinea pigs, mice, and rabbits. Morales stressed how shelters get bombarded with rabbits during the month of May—after Easter time. “They don’t realize the upkeep and the novelty wears off,” she said.

Morales feels that when pets are surrendered it’s the most heartbreaking thing, especially if they lived in a home all their lives. “Animals get very depressed if they come from a home of love,” she said. “They went from a home to a cage. Our biggest challenge is to break them down and get them to a point where they trust people again. There’s been times when dogs were surrendered. They won’t eat.”

However, according to Morales, Pequannock Animal Shelter has a high success rate. Last year, between dogs, cats, and rabbits, they took in over 100 animals and 85 were adopted.

The success stories are heartwarming. A few years ago, a 7-year-old girl adopted a shy cat named Zoey, who never lived in a home before. Zoey would cower when approached. Now, living in her fur-ever home, Zoey isn’t shy anymore. The same family came back to adopt Zoey’s sister, Sparkle.

Morales herself took a liking to an older cat named Pretty who was a feral. “She wouldn’t let anyone touch her,” she explained. “I spent a lot of time with her. I just focused on her. She sat here [in the shelter] for two years. I ended up getting married in 2017. My husband and I brought a house. We took Pretty home. I had to save this cat’s life. I finally got her to sit on my lap.”

The animals available in the shelter are all healthy, fixed, chipped, and vaccinated. Adoption fees are low, at $25. This is all possible thanks to ADOPT, which was created in 1991. Denise Goll, volunteer, officer of ADOPT, and treasurer, said the organization was created by a group of concerned citizens in order to raise funds to improve the quality of life for these sheltered animals.

“I feel like I’m a second generation of ADOPT,” said Goll. “We have a lovely partnership with the town. We take lead from Christianne about what kind of care animals need. Our mission statement is to give animals better quality of life. We pay vet bills. We pay for procedures. We run events. We’re very successful. We have a core group of members.”

People will come from as far as Pennsylvania or lower upstate New York, according to Goll. They’ve been able to reach a larger audience since they’ve paid for ads on Facebook to boost their adoption posts.

Pets available for adoption can be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/ pequannockanimalshelter