** The following article was previously published in Quo Vadis on November 2, 2015 **
Sammy’s Hope Animal Welfare & Adoption Center will be hosting their first Halloween event on Saturday, Oct. 31 from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at their center located on 1400 Main Street (those using GPS should use the address 989 Main Street) in Sayreville to celebrate Halloween and also help animals find their forever homes.
While stores are stocking their shelves with everything Halloween related, from candy to costumes and even Halloween decorations, Sammy’s Hope Animal Welfare & Adoption Center in Sayreville is preparing to hold their Halloween event with hopes to try and help animals find their forever homes.
According to Dave Gaier of Sammy’s Hope, “We’re excited to host our first Halloween event, after opening just in January. Bring the kids—they’ll have fun, and families can experience the joy of bringing a dog, cat or kitten permanently into their homes. Or just drop by to visit us, and consider becoming a Sammy’s Hope volunteer, donor or just a friend. We welcome everyone… and so do our loving, sweet animals!”
Since black and orange are the colors for Halloween, and since black pets are harder to adopt out for a number of reasons, one being the common superstitions that surround black pets and black cats in particular, the adoption fees are reduced for black and orange cats and kittens.
Two animals at Sammy’s Hope that are looking for their forever homes are Sky, a black cat, and Tiger Lily, a black dog. According to Sammy’s Hope website, sammyshope.org, Sky is an adult cat that is a domestic short hair, and Tiger Lily is a young, female, Border Collie mix.
Sammy’s Hope’s website gives a short “bio” about the adoptable pets. When you click on Sky’s name, his bio says, “The first thing you will notice about Sky is his inquisitive bright yellow eyes set against a jet black coat. Sky is very intelligent and curious, exploring every nook and cranny that he can find.” They go on to say, “He loves to play and run around, but the thing that he loves the most is ‘hunting’ the mouse on the end of a wand toy, once he catches it, he will walk around carrying it dragging the wand behind him. He would do best with an experienced cat caregiver, and no small children. ”
Also on their website, the short bio for Tiger Lily says, “Come meet beautiful Tiger Lily! Lily loves to be where the people are, will happily sit for neck and chin scratches all day. She loves other dogs, who make her happy, playful nature shine through.” They go on to say, “Lily is a graduate of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Behavioral Rehab Center, where she participated in a program to help her overcome her fear of people. She has passed the program with flying colors and is now ready for a home of her very own. We just know she will bring joy to any family who welcomes her into their forever home.”
The inspiration behind the Halloween event is thanks to one of their board members. According to Gaier, “One of our board members, Naomi Milner, really loves Halloween and wanted to use the holiday to help us meet more people in the community and introduce them to our wonderful animals.” Gaier goes on to say, “Halloween is a wonderful day to visit Sammy’s and meet our adoptables.”
The Halloween event will be fun for everyone. There will be music, refreshments and a raffle where you will have the chance to win either a Kindle Fire HD6 or one of two LED TVs. As if the possible prizes aren’t good enough, there will also be dogs, cats and kittens that you could see, play with and adopt, helping Sammy’s Hope find their forever homes.
An important thing to note about Sammy’s Hope is that it is a private shelter. Sammy’s Hope takes in animals from other shelters and rescue organizations. Gaier said, “this allows the team at Sammy’s to provide extra attention and training for our dogs and cats, and also frees up space at those other shelters so they can care for more animals.” Gaier goes on to say, “We’re currently working with several organizations including Liberty Humane Society, the ASPCA and the Woodbridge Animal Shelter.” Help Sammy’s Hope celebrate Halloween and come to their event which will be filled with raffles, music and the opportunity to meet the faces behind Sammy’s Hope and their lovable animals.
