5 Point Pleasant Area Animal Shelters: Adopt, Volunteer Or Donate

POINT PLEASANT, NJ — Spring brings National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, but when that has come and gone, many pets remain, waiting for homes around Point Pleasant.

Those adorable puppy and kitty eyes may seem unfairly enticing, but pets are great companions. It's been shown and reported that pets can increase wellness and enhance mental health.

If you just love animals but you're not in a situation to adopt right now, you might consider volunteering at a local shelter. Help is usually needed with exercising dogs, cleaning, feeding pets, and helping to raise funds. Donating is also a way you can get pets into homes; your donation may keep costs of local veterinary care low so more people can afford to adopt pets.

5 Great Animal Shelters Around Point Pleasant

Jersey Shore Animal Center
This rescue and adoption spot is home to the Bow Wow Boutique thrift shop, which helps support the work of caring for animals.

• Volunteer to walk dogs, socialize cats, work in the thrift store, or help at an event.
• The animal center accepts donations to support all the work that goes into the rescue and adoption of pets who need homes.
• People who feed stray cats can call the center to get help; the feral felines can get spayed or neutered, and receive rabies vaccines. Find out more here.

K's Kitten Rescue
K's Kitten Rescue in Brick is a registered nonprofit serving Ocean and Monmouth counties, as well as other Jersey Shore areas.

• K's offers adoptions for $150, which includes some veteranarian services.
• Feral cats in the area are neutered and released.
• K's foster services helps rehome cats when an owner cannot keep it. You can help by fostering, or volunteering some other way.

Toms River Township Animal Shelter
Toms River Township offers adoptions from its shelter at 235 Oak Ave. It's one of only four municipal animal shelters in New Jersey.

• Applications are available online and the township screens applicants.
• An adoption fee of $150 includes spay or neutering, rabies and distemper vaccine, and a microchip. The fee for cats is $75. Older pets can be adopted for less.
• Available pets are on PetFinder.com.

Monmouth County S.P.C.A.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals offers services to the north in Monmouth County, including affordable veterinary care, pet dental care, and a spay or neutering clinic. They're at 260 Wall St. in Eatontown.

• The shelter needs help, in donations and volunteers.
• Check out S.P.C.A. services at low costs here.

Manes & Tails Organization
Not to play favorites with the canine and feline, the equestrian also sometimes needs to be rescued. This New Jersey organization helps older or abandoned horses — sometimes headed for slaughter — to find homes.

• Their website explains the organization has been "Rescuing, Rehabbing, Retraining and Rehoming Horses Since 1995."
• You may not have a stable to take in a horse but you can learn more. You may want to support these horses another way; you can donate to this unique nonprofit.

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