Editor’s Note: The incorrect phone number was printed in the paper this week. The correct number to call to schedule appointments is 609-433-6421.
In an affluent suburban area like West Windsor and Plainsboro, the notion of homeless and abandoned creatures in our midst seems incongruous. But it happens with pets more than you might think, and the problem is getting worse. Kim White, West Windsor resident, pet owner, and vice president of the East Windsor-based Animal Friends for Education and Welfare (AFEW), is doing something about the problem.
White has been instrumental in coordinating the efforts of AFEW to bring a low-cost spay and neuter van from the Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees to East Windsor every few months. Unlike other low-cost spay and neuter programs for dogs and cats, there are no restrictions on income, residence, or age. The next clinic is scheduled on Monday, April 19. Reservations are required and spaces fill quickly. Call 609-433-6421.
The cost of altering a cat (including vaccinations) is $35 for neutering and $45 for spaying. The cost for altering dogs is by weight, starting at $45. Low-cost vaccines are also available. For information about the mobile, spay/neuter van, visit www.awanj.org. Since AFEW is the sponsor, the rates are lower than those posted on the website.
“Growing up with a dog or two I always wanted to do something for animal welfare,” says White, who understates both her involvement with pets and her efforts to help cats and dogs in need of assistance.
White also helps with animal adoptions held at Corner Copia, located on the corner of Princeton-Hightstown and Old Trenton roads, on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To see some of the pets looking for forever homes, visit www.petfinder.org/shelters/NJ14.html
In addition to the spay and neuter van, AFEW, as well as other animal groups in the area, rescue pets in need of homes. Whether they are owner-surrounded or found on the street, “forever homes” are always in need, and this need is even greater now. Because of the growth in the population of West Windsor, Plainsboro, and surrounding communities, and the increased prevalence of pets in homes (now estimated to be one in every three) existing shelters are overflowing with animals. Princeton’s SAVE animal rescue center, which has worked with both West Windsor and Plainsboro towns for years, is now overcrowded and not accepting all animals.
Born in Plainsfield, White’s family moved a lot — both in New Jersey and out-of-state, due to her father’s job as a naval architect, but also managed to be involved with animals. “I’ve always loved horses,” say White. “I’ve been riding since I was eight.” She worked in a riding program in the Poconos for 13 summers while she worked in a public school setting and had summers off. She ended up buying the camp horse, Ginger. “She’s 20 years old and I still give lessons on her.”
“After attending college in Virginia to study horses, I realized that I needed to keep it as a hobby — not a career,” she says. “I had no idea what I wanted to do so I took a year off.” She returned to school at Trenton State, where she earned a bachelor’s in psychology, and followed that with a master’s from Rutgers in social work.
After college, living in East Windsor in 1994, she learned about AFEW, which had started in 1993 with just six people. “They wanted to focus on helping people with their pets before they needed to go into shelter.” Sometimes people must give up their cats because of illness, finances, a move overseas, or personal situations.
These days, working as a social worker, White divides her time between Sylvan Learning Center, being part of the child study team in area private schools, and counseling children in grades K to four at Tabernacle Elementary School in Vincentown.
White’s commitment to animals is part of her daily routine. She now has three dogs and several cats sharing her West Windsor home. Kiana, 10, is a yellow Labrador retriever. Shannon, 11, is a greyhound rescued from a racetrack in New Hampshire. Kris, 15, a Maltese, was adopted when he was 12 — after an elderly couple could no longer care for him.
Kiana and Shannon are certified therapy dogs and visit Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in Hamilton once a week. With White, they went through testing and health and reference checks, with Therapy Dog International.
But, she emphasizes, others can help homeless and abandoned animals without making a commitment nearly as deep as hers. “We always need money because supplies including towels and crates cost money,” she says. “We also need people to help with computers and fundraising.”
Following are some of the other animal rescue efforts being organized in the West Windsor-Plainsboro area:
APAW, Animal Placement AGency of the Windsors, located in West Windsor, has been providing shelter for dogs and cats since 1969. The shelter run by Stephanie Brocksbank can be contacted through website: www.apawpets.org or at 609-799-1263. They are open every day but Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. by appointment.
Bettina Roed, the animal control officer for both West Windsor and Plainsboro since 1993, is trying to set up a West Windsor-Plainsboro virtual animal shelter. “We could fund and find foster homes to buy extra time for friendly and outgoing animals who do not have anything significantly wrong with them,” she says. “If everyone in the two towns donated $1, we would have enough money to help all of the animals.” For information about this project, contact Susan Santucchi at 609-799-2259.
Fostering a pet, says Roed, “is a great way to see if the child will really walk the dog, give it food and water, and play with it. If expenses are a concern, medical care for a foster animal is also covered.”
Focus on Animals is an animal rescue organization based in West Windsor. This group offers animals for adoption at Petsmart, Route 130, Hamilton. Www.focusonanimals.org.
Animal Rescue Coalition of New Jersey. “I love making a difference,” says Emily Epstein of West Windsor. “Watching an animal go from a shelter to a home is so rewarding.” A West Windsor resident for over 12 years, Epstein is a founding member of this new coalition including AFEW, Animal Allies, Animals in Distress, Pet Rescue of Mercer, and Stray Catz. Www.animalrescuecoalition.net.
They are working with legislatures to pass a bill that all animals leaving a municipal shelter must be spayed or neutered. This does not affect private area shelters like SAVE and APAW.
Epstein and her children, Matthew, 7, and Rachel, 9, help out with adoptions at Petsmart in Nassau Park on Saturdays.
“We provide safer adoptions because the dogs are fostered and we know their personalities,” says Epstein. “We speak to the vet and check the home before an animal goes. If they say there is a fence, we want to see the fence. Pets are not a luxury — they are a responsibility. We don’t want these animals to suffer any more.”
