Category: New Jersey

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Undercover Investigation: Stressed, Cruelly-Treated Animals Trapped in Mall “Petting Zoos” Including Woodridge, NJ

SeaQuest is the source of hundreds of animal abuse complaints

Keeping wild animals in small, bare cages inside a retail shopping mall is absurd and abhorrently cruel. Yet this is the business model of SeaQuest, a for-profit chain of shopping mall-based wild animal petting zoos that has been plagued with controversies and cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture more than 110 times for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.  

SeaQuest peddles public interactions with wild animals such as sloths, sugar gliders, capybaras, coatimundis, kinkajous, wallabies and Bengal cats, as well as various fish, reptiles and birds. Customers grab, handle, pet and poke at these animals intermittently all day long. The animals have no access to sunlight or fresh air, no means to escape the loud, chaotic environment created by scores of adults and children coming in and out of SeaQuest facilities throughout the day, and no space or natural habitat in which to express their natural behaviors.  

Such an environment—at SeaQuest and other facilities like it—doesn’t teach people to respect and admire animals. It teaches them that wild animals are playthings to be toyed with for amusement. The Humane Society of the United States sent an undercover investigator to two SeaQuest locations to shine a spotlight on this cruelty and strengthen our broader push for an end to it. 

There is a an abusive #SeaQuest “zoo” in #Woodridge, New Jersey in addition to other locales . 

Local animal activists are fighting to have this abomination CLOSED. We wish them luck!

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PIXIES AND PAWS “RESCUE” IS JUST AN EXTENSION OF CRUEL PUPPY MILLS

Pixies & Paws, which sells animals from cruel breeders

FROM NEWS 12 NJ AND LONG ISLAND

Documents provided to Kane In Your Corner News 12 Investigative unit show Pixies and Paws, a self-proclaimed “animal rescue” based in New Jersey and serving the tristate area, purchased more than 160 dogs from commercial breeders in Ohio. The purchases were made during a three-month period alone. It’s an arrangement some consumer groups say means Pixies and Paws is acting less like a rescue and more like an online pet store.
In an investigation in May, Kane In Your Corner spoke to Jonisha Lewis about her experience adopting a dog from Pixies and Paws. She said the dog had such significant health problems that her veterinarian deemed it “unfit for sale”. “My son was crying,” Lewis said. “And he was just like, ‘Why? Why Is this happening? Like, why is he sick’?” Then there was the adoption fee – a whopping $1,500… which at first, Pixies and Paws refused to refund, although it eventually relented after Kane In Your Corner began investigating.
PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE ADOPTING. NO REPUTABLE SHELTER OR RESCUE WOULD ASK FOR $1500, FOR STARTERS!
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Sweet Boy Carmine Deserves a Forever Home! Meet Him at Sammy’s Hope

Bellissimo Carmine! Smart and sensitive, with a playful side, best describes Carmine. He loves car rides and going on adventures, and he walks nicely on leash. Carmine’s discerning taste in people is evidenced by the top-notch Sammy’s Hope volunteers he spends time with, and he has quite the fan club! He’s a volunteer favorite, but nothing would make his fans happier than to see him find his loving, forever home! He’s such a wonderful boy!
To meet Carmine please complete an interest form?  www.sammyshope.org/adoptdogs
An adoption counselor will contact you to schedule an appointment. We (and Carmine, of course) would love to see you at our shelter in Sayreville, New Jersey to meet sweet Carmine. He might just be your newest family member!
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Sammy’s Hope Shelter in Sayreville, New Jersey Needs Volunteers!

Sammy’s Hope Animal Welfare & Adoption Center is a Sayreville, New Jersey non-profit, all-volunteer organization whose mission is to care for homeless animals, socialize them, and provide for their medical needs while finding them loving, forever homes. This private shelter, whose only source of funding is donations and adoption fees, has been operating since February of 2015 in a facility co-located with the Sayrebrook Animal Hospital.

Sammy’s Hope has been able to stay afloat during the Covid pandemic by operating as appointment-only for visiting the animals and for approved adoptions. But it’s back on a mostly regular schedule, open to the public, and once again needs volunteers (who love animals!) to join their volunteer team!

Volunteer requirements are:

  • Minimum 18 years of age
  • Have health insurance coverage
  • Can commit to a 2-3 hour shift on the same day and time each week
  • To work with dogs: able to handle and walk dogs weighing 35+ pounds, and work in a kennel environment
  • To work with cats: comfortavble with cats and kittens, and can work a midday “socialization” and play shift

If you’re interested, and they hope you are, please visit https://www.sammyshope.org/volunteer

THANK YOU!

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What IS the Canine Condition?

“The Canine Condition” is a DOGumentary series and Podcast addressing what is being done to end the neglect, abuse and abandonment of dogs in the United States today, hosted and produced by actor and animal rescue advocate Jacqueline Piñol, and her husband, singer and actor Jonny Blu.

The DOGumentary is the product of several years work by Jacquie and Jonny, whose travels across the United States took them to Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey and New York. This series focuses on who is taking action around the country to improve the canine condition and how to prevent further overpopulation and neglect of man’s best friend.  Go here to see the beautiful dogs that were rescued, and see the movie trailer here!

The Podcast comes weekly every Monday, bringing awareness about all the issues associated with dog adoption, and providing all dog lovers and pet owners with information and resources on how to raise a healthy and well-balanced dog. If you’re thinking about getting your first dog, or just want to know where and how you can help a dog in need, this is also a place for you! Each podcast features a special guest, interviewed by Jacquie.

If you care about homeless animals, and want to learn more and how you can help alleviate this terrible problem, THE CANINE CONDITION is for you!

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Do You Love Dogs? The Canine Condition Podcast is for YOU!

If you love and care about dogs, come–sit–stay (and listen)!

Here are The Canine Condition podcast series, hosted by animal advocate and actress Jacqueline Piñol, who is also the producer and director, along with her husband Jonny Blu, of The Canine Condition “Dogumentary” about the state of homeless and shelter animals across the United State, and what’s being done about it.

The podcasts feature lots of shelter dog talk, and in my case the story of pitbull “Sammy,” our wonderful Sammy’s Hope Animal Welfare & Adoption Center in Sayreville, NJ  and its loving volunteers, the need for spay and neuter, the prejudice against bull-type dogs, and much more! Jacqueline and I also discuss the great work of wonderful animal advocate Niki Holloway Dawson and The Island Animal Alliance, which rescues dogs from hurricane- and poverty-ravaged Puerto Rico and transports them from Miami to rescues and adoptive families in New York and New Jersey.

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Fairview NJ Police Chief Kahn Allegedly Delights in Drowning Innocent Animals

FROM HSUS/NEW JERSEY RE POTENTIAL CRIMINAL ANIMAL CRUELTY

Yesterday we received a disturbing tip alleging that Fairview, New Jersey Police Chief Martin Kahn had produced and promoted an instructional video showing how to trap and drown “nuisance” animals in your own backyard. This appears to run afoul of multiple state laws regarding animal cruelty (Title 4:22-17) and criminal activity (Title 2C:5-1). Inflicting such cruel treatment onto animals isn’t just unethical, it is illegal!

Upon originally verifying the validity of the initial complaint, we believe that this situation warrants further investigation by the New Jersey OAG’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability under the state Attorney General’s Office.

We have the utmost respect for our state’s law enforcement. When there are situations like these that erode the integrity of our faith in law enforcement, especially when innocent animals are at stake, we must take them seriously. We are including the video which was taken directly from the chief’s Instagram profile before it was removed, for the public to judge for themselves.

We encourage you to contact the AG’s office at https://nj.gov/oag/opia/ and join us and other organizations calling for a full investigation of this matter.

In the video, the chief admits to the past killing of numerous animals by the methods he is promoting in the video. The trapping, torment, and drowning of animals on individual personal property outside the legal regulations of hunting and trapping is NOT permitted in New Jersey. Here’s the video: https://www.facebook.com/HSUSNewJersey/videos/255892582224349/?t=14

 

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Farrow is Waiting for His Forever Family (You?)–at Sammy’s Hope!

Handsome Sweet Farrow!

Hi! My name is FARROW and I’m currently residing at the Sammy’s Hope Animal Welfare & Adoption Center in Sayreville, New Jersey. As you can see, I’m a very handsome boy, and my volunteer friends here at the shelter tell me I’m also a very good boy!

AND–I’m also a “Dave’s Fave!” That means my adoption fee is already paid, for a qualified family!  So please stop in and meet me?
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Please Support Sammy’s Hope’s Annual Donor Match Fundraiser!

Sammy’s Hope Animal Rescue and Adoption Center in Sayreville, New Jersey has begun its annual Donor Match Fundraiser! This is our largest and most important effort, allowing us to provide love, medical care, enrichment and socialization to homeless dogs and cats while we work to provide them forever homes.

If we can reach our $25,000 goal by December 31, our wonderful anonymous donors will match it with their own money. All donations are tax deductible and may be made online at www.sammyshope.org/donate or by check, mailed to: Sammy’s Hope P.O. Box 7281, North Brunswick, NJ 08902. Please share and spread the word to help us reach our goal!  #ThankYou  #SammysHopeLove

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Tell the SAYREVILLE NJ Town Council to prohibit puppy mill sales!

Puppy Mill Photo-credit HSUS

With millions of homeless animals and tens of thousands being killed (euthanized, the euphemism ) daily for lack of shelter space, there is no place in a decent, humane society for any puppy mill, ever. None. 

The Sayreville Town Council will be discussing the passing of a pet ordinance to prohibit the sale of dogs and cats from puppy mills in pet stores in the Township. The meeting will be Monday evening Nov. 25.
If you care about animals, please contact the Town Council members and ask them to vote for the bill prohibiting the sale of animals bred in cruel puppy mills.

HERE ARE THEIR ADDRESSES:
dbuchanan@sayreville.com
kdalina@sayreville.com
denriquez@sayreville.com
vkilpatrick@sayreville.com
dmcgill@sayreville.com
mnovak@sayreville.com