Reaching a Community in Need with RBARI Community Pets! - needs $2,000 for Community Programs

Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc. (RBARI): (Oakland, NJ)

Our goal is to promote proper humane education and decrease breeding in our community, with a special focus on the Paterson, NJ community due to both need and our relationship with animal control. This program will save hundreds of dogs and cats from a life of pain, suffering, and trauma.

1. Free Spay/Neuter Program to provide support to a community in need. This free spay/neuter program is aimed at low-income families to decrease the unintentional breeding of dogs and cats and support pet retention. This program will also include providing additional support, such as medical care and supplies to individuals in need so they can retain their beloved pets.

2. Networking to save more lives. This includes networking to locate resources, support, homes, and rescues for cats and dogs in need within the community.

3. Trap, Neuter & Return (feral cats only). TNR (trap, neuter, return) support program for feral cats that includes the intake and placement of any kittens and/or adoptable cats identified.

Our focus area is on low-income areas and communities heavily affected by dog breeding and fighting, sadly with an overwhelming number of pit bull/pit mixes. The program specifically targets animals at risk of breeding.

The lack of resources among the communities we serve, coupled with the high need for humane education, is significantly growing an already large problem. Ensuring an animal is spayed/neutered is not always a top priority, which leads to accidental litters going to an already overcrowded shelter—thus leading to the otherwise unnecessary euthanasia of healthy dogs and cats. The lack of spay/neuter also creates additional future concerns for the animal, medically and behaviorally—causing many to surrender their dogs and cats to the Paterson Animal Control facility.

It took a strong grass-roots campaign to create the level of trust and flow of information to make this program successful, and RBARI’s connection to the Paterson community has the unique situation of doing exactly that. RBARI staff go into the Paterson Animal Control facility twice a week to assess the dogs and cats for adoption. RBARI staff rescue as many as possible through networking efforts. We additionally take calls directed to the Paterson shelter and attempt to rescue as many Paterson dogs as possible, going into the community to assess. RBARI has worked with the community for over three decades in various initiatives and established the necessary relationships to get this program off the ground.

Mission Statement:
Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc. (RBARI), the leading no-kill animal shelter in Northern New Jersey, is dedicated to second chances by providing safe refuge and essential medical and behavioral care, along with new forever homes to New Jersey’s homeless and abused dogs and cats.

Focusing on animals with the greatest need, RBARI is especially committed to those often rejected, including seniors; urgent medical cases; and surrenders. RBARI regularly pulls from local animal control facilities, thus placing an emphasis on “local first,” allowing us to impact the rate of euthanasia as well as reduce the homeless population. This ensures RBARI helps those animals closest with nowhere else to turn.

RBARI also supports the community, assisting in animal welfare emergencies and working with partner organizations to provide low-cost spay/neuter surgeries for communities in need. We also offer trap, neuter, and release programs to help stem overpopulation and stop the cycle of homelessness and abuse that too many animals suffer.