** The following article was previously published in Quo Vadis on February 16, 2015 **
Sammy’s Hope, an animal welfare and adoption center, will host a grand opening next to the Sayreville Animal Hospital on Feb. 26 at 4:30 p.m. to help reduce the amount of homeless animals in the Middlesex County area.
Sammy’s Hope is an animal welfare organization that formed in September of 2010. It all started when dedicated adult volunteers would go to municipal shelters to socialize the homeless animals that were there.
Hubbard mentioned that they concentrated on long-stay animals. When asked what kind of breed was most common, Hubbard said, “Pit bulls were common long-stay animals because of the misconceptions about them.” She went on to say, “With proper training, they could be great family pets.”
On their website you will see their logo, which is the face of a Pit bull; Pit bulls are perceived by some as a “vicious breed”. Pit bull owner, Nicolle Centrella, described her Pit bull, Nala, as “the friendliest dog she has ever known”.
“Nala was thrown out with her sister on a really cold and snowy night,” Centrella said, describing how Nala, like many other Pit bulls, was abandoned. “Luckily, Nala and her sister survived and my friend found them just in time. He told me about both dogs and I immediately told him that I would take one of them, which turned out to be Nala. She was so cute and she was so happy when I got her.”
The “Pit bull” breeds are well-known in dog-fighting rings. On www.NJSPCA.org, Col. Frank Rizzo, chief law enforcement officer for the New Jersey SPCA, says, “This is a business. It’s gang-related. Pit bulls are viewed by their owners as prizefighters and the ones that lose are discarded like trash.”
“Sammy’s Hope was named after a big Pit-bull brindle mix named Sammy, who had a deceiving face, but was a teddy bear at heart,” Hubbard said, sharing the story behind the adoption center’s name. “Sammy was the first to get fostered and soon after being fostered, he was adopted into a loving and happy home down by the beach.”
The founding members of Sammy’s Hope thought Sammy exemplified what their mission was all about. Sammy’s Hope is dedicated to trying to find loving and forever homes for the animals they continue to care for.
Sammy’s Hope doesn’t only help dogs; they also make great efforts in finding cats loving homes, too.
“We converted dog kennels into cat kennels,” Hubbard explained. “We have music, enrichment activities and volunteers that come in to socialize with the cats.”
Sammy’s Hope Animal Welfare and Adoption Center opened on Jan. 12. The facility is “small and controllable”, according to Hubbard, who went on to say, “We only have one employee and about 65-70 volunteers who come in on shifts to help out with the animals.”
“The grand opening for the Sammy’s Hope Animal Welfare and Adoption Center in Sayreville is set for Feb. 26 at 4:30 p.m.,” according to Nj.com, which goes on to say “The new facility will serve the needs of homeless animals in the Middlesex County area.”
The new adoption center is located on 1400 Main St. in Sayreville, NJ next to Sayrebrook Animal Hospital.
To volunteer with Sammy’s Hope, go to www.sammyshope.org, or e-mail volunteers@sammyshope.org.
