Beacon Animal Rescue Prides Itself on Being a ‘Non-Kill Shelter’

OCEAN VIEW – When an animal rescue group in Sussex County, Del. was recently forced to close they still had many abandoned and homeless animals with nowhere to go. Enter David Haines. Haines is the Manager of Beacon Animal Rescue. Its mission statement reads as follows: “Beacon Animal Rescue is a small non-profit organization made up of volunteers dedicated to saving unwanted and unclaimed cats and dogs destined for euthanasia in the municipal animal shelters of southern New Jersey.”
“Through sterilization, vaccination, socialization, humane training methods and necessary medical treatment, Beacon strives to comfort, rehabilitate and ultimately place the animals in our care into safe and loving homes,” Haines said.
Even though the distressed shelter in Delaware was out of its usual purview, Haines felt compelled to help. He and a few of his helpers went to Southern Delaware with the intention of taking two dogs. They came back with four lucky ones. Three days later the shelter closed and the 16 unadopted dogs were euthanized.
According to the Humane Society of the United States 80,000 dogs a day are killed and 3 to 4 million dogs and cats annually are destroyed.
Haines, a retired school teacher, is a slim, soft spoken man who “always loved animals. I just walked in one morning and said ‘I want to volunteer.’” He took over the day to day management from Al Reese who is now in 2012. Reese managed the facility almost from the beginning in 2004 when it took over the facility from Upper Township. Reese stresses that Beacon is strictly a No Kill Rescue. Reese emphasizes that “Cape May is a No Kill county” – unusual for the Garden State. He says that only vicious and very sick animals are euthanized. Reese credits his wife Kathleen with getting him involved. “She came to volunteer and I came with her.”
Right now there are 16 dogs and 40 cats living at Beacon located in Ocean View on Butter Road. In addition to the out of state Delaware rescues there are puppies from the Bahamas; these are Royal Bahmian Potcakes. The Potcake is a breed of dog of mixed ancestry with a long face, smooth coat and a variety of colors. They are found in the Turks, Cacaos and the Bahamas. In Nassau alone it is estimated that there are from 6,000 to 8,000 strays. They are named after the residue found at the bottom of pots and cake pans usually referred to as “cake.” Five of the six were flown in by a volunteer pilot and one flew commercial.
According to Haines the most prevalent reason for surrendering a pet is financial and the next is when an owner has to move. With the downturn in the economy pet surrenders and abandonments have quadrupled in the past two years according to the Humane Society. “I select all the dogs we get here,” said Haines. Both he and Reese had high praise for Cape May County Shelter Director Judy Davis. “She and her staff are wonderful to work with,” said Reese.
The most important advice Haines and Reese have for anyone introducing a new canine into the family is to have patience. “The second most important thing to have is patience and the third most important is patience.”
“In our society everything has to be instant but when you rescue an animal it doesn’t work like that. You must take it slowly,” said Haines.
The shelter is immaculately clean and there is almost no smell. The bedding for the dogs and cats is washed daily, the floors are washed and the cat cages and dog runs cleaned. This is a lot of work and so there is always a pressing need for volunteers. Volunteers like JoAnn Hergenhan, Bernadette Drager, and Patty Kelly who all volunteer to walk the dogs several times a week.
Sara Soens is in charge of the felines. “She’s our Cat Woman,” said Haines.
Volunteers do more than just dog walk and clean. They can paint walls, cut grass, work on the computer, answer phones, hold cats or pet dogs. Anyone interested in volunteering can call or come in and fill out an application. If you join you will have the opportunity of working with “cool, generous people who love animals.” And you will help find homes for young Bret the Foxhound, a dog introduced and bred by George Washington, Mindy the slate grey Staffordshire terrier, Georgia the Shih Tzu, or Wolfen the collie/shepherd mix as well as many of the gorgeous purring cats.
Adoption fees are $150 for dogs. $250 for puppies and $75 for cats. There is a Seniors For Seniors program that cuts the fees in half.
Beacon is a 501(c-3) and donations are tax deductible.
Contact Beacon at:
701 Butter Rd, Ocean View, NJ 08230
(609) 390-7946
To contact Helen McCaffrey, email hmccaffrey@cmcherald.com.