These 5 Dogs In Bloomfield Are Fee-Free To Adopters, Shelter Says

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The Bloomfield Animal Shelter is waiving adoption fees for five adorable dogs in an attempt to free up some much-needed kennel space, staff announced Monday.

The shelter posted the following message on social media:

“The shelter is not accepting surrendered large breed dogs until our current available dogs get adopted and/or transferred. To help a potential adopter, we’ve waived adoption fees on our current available dogs: Sniper, Brie, Muffin, Biggie and Venus. Please consider helping our dogs find their Furever Homes. By adopting, you will also help a dog in need of shelter placement.”

Potential adopters can fill out an application online here (article continues below).

Animal shelters across North Jersey have reported that they’re being stretched thin this year when it comes to space. Read More: Animal Shelters Are Hitting Their Breaking Point Across North Jersey

The Bloomfield Animal Shelter also put out a call for help in August, temporarily putting the brakes on new surrenders because it reached full capacity. The shelter also reported a huge influx of stray dogs and cats in July.

In October, the Associated Humane Societies animal shelter in Newark put out a call for help, writing that it was in an “unprecedented crisis capacity situation as dogs continue to enter the shelter at an alarming rate.”

In September, staff at the Liberty Humane Society in Hudson County reported that owner surrenders have been “off the charts.”

"We are receiving more requests to re-home pets than we have ever experienced before,” the Liberty Humane Society stated. “These surrenders aren't just unsocialized puppies or difficult cases like you might expect – they are senior animals who've been in a home for all their lives; animals in need of medical intervention; and animals who just simply aren't wanted any longer.”

"Our shelter staff is struggling to keep up and our space and resources are limited," they added.

• See Related: Hudson County Pet Surrenders 'Off The Charts' And Shelter Is Full

Montclair Township Animal Shelter workers and volunteers have also noted that they’ve been dealing with a spike in intakes lately – possibly driven by the high prices of pet services and food, Baristanet reported.

“We’re seeing something we’ve never seen before,” said Liz Morgan, director of the township shelter. “We’re used to kitten season. What’s different this year is we’ve never had this amount of dogs.”

Statistics from the New Jersey Department of Health show that there were 1,526 dogs impounded in Essex County in 2022 – nearly a 20 percent total increase from 2021.

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