On January 13, 2005, we visited the Animal Welfare Association (AWA) in Voorhees, NJ. We met with Paula Dean, Volunteer Coordinator, who showed us around and answered questions. Here's what we learned:
When was the shelter started, and who started it?
The shelter was started by Kay and Charles Clausing, and also Dr. Rothman (a veterinarian, still practicing in Collingswood, NJ). These people first began finding foster homes for unwanted animals in the 1940s, and then decided to build a shelter to help meet this need. In 1964 the shelter opened. In 1999 the AWA shelter became a no-kill shelter (the animals are not "put to sleep", euthanized). The shelter property is over 10 acres.
Why was the shelter started?
There were none nearby and people who love animals answered the need. The mission - to eliminate animal suffering, promote the importance of the human/animal bond and improve recognition of the roles of animals in the well-being people.
Where do you get the funding or money to run shelter?
The money comes through donations. The shelter is not funded by local government.
How many animals do you work with per month?
At any given time there could be about 100 cats and kittens, 60 dogs and puppies, and 30 rabbits and other small animals.
Paula said dog breeds go in cycles, and that right now they have mostly beagles and hounds.
How many animals get adopted?
About 2000 a year.
How many animals get claimed?
The shelter does not accept stray pets, only unwanted pets brought in by their owners and also sometimes animals from other shelters. It costs an owner between $75 - $200 to surrender a pet they no longer want or can no longer care for.
They will take in animals from other shelters if these don't have enough room.
The puppies at the shelter came from Cumberland County, NJ, and also from the state of Virginia.
How many people work in the shelter?
35 volunteers, and 30 paid workers. Volunteers aged 16 and up go through training, and those under 16 must be with an adult.
Training includes a two-part orientation, then additional training for a specific job.
What are the different job duties?
- vet on staff, special ICU to house recovering animals
- kennel attendants
- office staff
- vet techs
- secretaries/clerks
- membership services
- executive director
- comptroller
- volunteer coordinator (Paula Dean)
- night watchman
What kind of food do the animals get?
Mixed dry and canned.
How do you tell a nice dog from a mean dog?
There is an Animal Assessment Room and a Specialist to assess the animals. There is a Temperament Assessment, like they do on the show Animal Planet, in a room with couches. The animal is given food, and then the food is taken away to see how the animal reacts.
Some of the special things the AWA offers include:
- Seniors for Seniors Program - reduced rates for seniors to adopt animals over the age of 6
- Humane Education programs to classrooms and youth groups
- Spay Neuter Clinic
- Pet therapy for local nursing homes
- Camden "Flower" Project - AWA Mobile Spay, Neuter Van visits neighborhoods in Camden (reduced fees)
- they accept all species of animals
- they screen for feline leukemia or canine heartworm, and animals are vaccinated
- periodic animal behavior assessments
- for dogs they offer an in-house obedience program
- they have a pet representative at the PetSmart store in nearby Moorestown who promotes proper care of pets and also showcases animals to adopt
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