written by Miss Anna Lawrence
When you hear the number, it’s unimaginable – two hundred seventy six. Who has 276 of anything? For one now infamous couple from Howell, NJ, imagining 276 of something is easy – they had that many dogs living with them.
On Monday morning, a simple flyer went out to the students of Assumption Catholic in Perth Amboy, NJ. Bring in a dollar to help buy dog food to donate to the Monmouth County SPCA, who rescued those dogs from Howell and are currently in the process of assessing them and preparing them for adoption. On Tuesday the response came pouring in. By Thursday, a little over $260 had been raised to provide for the shelter. That money was used to buy 6 huge bags (38.5 pounds each!) of dog food that Miss Lawrence delivered to the Monmouth County shelter on Thursday. Students from PACS also collected money for an additional 4 bags of dog food. That was a whopping 385 pounds of dog food!

Shelter volunteers and patrons alike were delighted to see the sizable donation. Miss Lawrence spoke with the community liaison, Isa Fowler who explained that the dog food is used not just in the shelter but is also given to new pet "parents" when they adopt a dog, and to families who foster pets as well, to help ease the financial burden of fostering a pet. Most of the dogs from Howell are at the shelter, but many have already been placed in foster homes.

Two of the Howell dogs were out in the adoption center of the shelter. Volunteers there stressed that they were still not actually ready to adopt, but as is the case with many shelters, including the one here in Perth Amboy, there are already plenty of dogs and cats waiting to be adopted.

If you are interested in sending more help, the Monmouth County SPCA has information on their website on how to donate money directly to them to fund the cost of assessing the dogs, and gives detailed information on the kinds of supplies they still need. The shelter is a very nice and well run facility, but the magnitude of taking on 276 new animals all at once is an undertaking no operation could really be ready for.
For many of the students of ACS, one dollar may not seem like a lot, but when we put all our dollars together, it was easy to make a difference in the lives of these animals.