Visit GMHS on the web to view all the homeless pets searching for a forever family and submit your adoption questionnaire electronically. We continue to conduct meet and greets and adoptions by appointment in response to COVID-19. With an approved questionnaire, a member of our Adoption Team will schedule a time for you to make your very own heart connection!

Arg You Ready for November's Adopt a Senior Pet Month?

Senior pets, like hound-mix Cook, are often the last to be adopted from shelters, overlooked because of their age or the assumption they are in a shelter because they are "problem pets."

Senior pets lose their homes for a variety of reasons, usually having nothing to do with their behavior or temperament. Reasons for their surrender include the death of a guardian, loss of job, a move, change in work schedule, and various other lifestyle changes.

Senior pets need homes just as much as puppies, kittens, and younger adult pets do, and there are many perks to adopting a senior pet! Most older pets have already been trained and are past the destructive phase. Senior pets usually have a lower activity level and require less exercise. Their physical size is established, and their temperaments and personalities are fully developed.

If a senior pet sounds like a perfect match for you and your family, visit our Available Dogs and Available Cats pages and look for pets 6 years of age or older.

Your contribution saves the lives of small animals like Fidgy the Guinea pig. He was rescued by our partners at Gloucester County Animal Control from a dumpster, where he had been discarded like a piece of garbage. Fidgy looked and felt awful and was diagnosed with a terrible case of sarcoptic mange. Months later, sweet Fidgy has finally received a clean bill of health and has squeaked the way into the hearts of his adopters! Thank you for providing GMHS with the resources needed for Fidgy to recover and find an amazing home!

The generous support of staff, volunteers, and donors enables GMHS to provide daily care, cover special medical needs, foster animals in homes as needed, and arrange transportation to adoption-guaranteed partners. We are also committed to education, outreach, and transparency. Our annual statistics are available on our website, and we also offer you a monthly snapshot.

Burton is one of the homeless senior pets at GMHS waiting to make a heart connection. He is looking to be the top dog in a one-pet home. Could his ideal match be with you?!

GMHS is looking to grow our volunteer team and will hold a virtual volunteer open house on November 12, at 5:30 PM, via Zoom.

The shelter's greatest need is for Highway to Home volunteers who transport pets to rescue shelters located 300 or more miles away. Current volunteer opportunities at GMHS also include canine/feline wellness assistants and front desk assistants.

At the November virtual open house, Volunteer Manager Waynette Petty will present all of our current volunteer opportunities and answer questions. New volunteers will receive individualized training to promote physical distancing and everyone's safety and well-being.

To attend the open house, email Waynette Petty at volunteer@gmhumanesociety.org.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the GMHS Highway to Home program has been working diligently with our network of trusted adoption-guaranteed partners to help place homeless pets in areas where adoption demands are high and rescues have space. When a pet from GMHS goes to one of our incredible partners, they average less than one week in the new shelter before being adopted.

In the beginning of the pandemic, GMHS saw a sharp decrease in transports while we all worked to figure out our "new normal." Despite that initial slowdown, we saw a major increase in transports starting in July as many of our partner shelters were seeing their adoption demands ramp up. Because of this, GMHS was able to transport an incredible 107 pets between September 1 and October 31, 2020. Even more incredible is that every pet from GMHS has been adopted into their forever home. Not only were we able to help 107 pets find their families, but that also opened up space for us to save more lives at GMHS.

Thank you to all of our GMHS staff and volunteers for making these two incredible months possible! Pictured is Jada (on right), a six-year-old dog who was at GMHS for 156 days. She went to one of our partner shelters in September and only spent three days in the shelter before being adopted. She is loving her new doggie sister!

Losing a pet is a frightening and emotional time for both the owner and the lost pet. Stray pets that you take into your home must be reported by law. If your dog has gone missing or you have found a stray dog, contact Animal Control immediately both in your county and surrounding counties. For lost or found cats, an email containing a current photo and the pet and owner's information should be sent to intake@gmhumanesociety.org. You can post lost or found pets on Finding Rover and utilize local social media groups.

If you find a pet, a local veterinarian's office or GMHS would be happy to scan the pet for a microchip. A microchip is the best way to ensure your pet makes it back safely to you, and it is critical to keep their microchip information up-to-date. Always keep identification tags on your dog's collar, be aware of leash laws in your area, and nearby threats to your pet's safety. Visit our website for more tips to help you recover your lost pet.

The Theresians Society of St. Therese Catholic Church presented GMHS with more than 250 lbs. of donations from their Octave of Service drive. We are grateful to them for hosting a drive and extending such kindness to GMHS and the homeless pets in our care.

A huge and heartfelt thank you to our friends at the Abingdon Episcopal Church for sharing their heart for homeless pets and their commitment to community. They took up a special collection for GMHS, and the gift will be used to save and transform the lives of pets in need.Thank you for helping to make our mission possible!

Many thanks to those who have sent GMHS toys, food, and other specialty goods through Amazon Smile. These donations help homeless pets feel more comfortable in the shelter while they wait for their forever home. Visit our Amazon Wish List to support animal care as we work together to save more lives.

Carve out space in your garage with a vehicle donation to GMHS! You could even qualify for a sweet tax deduction. The CARS Vehicle Donation Program will work for the best price, so you can be done with it and we can do GOOD with it! The tow is free and the process easy. Call (855) 500-RIDE or donate online. The CARS Vehicle Donor Support Team is available seven days a week to answer your questions and facilitate your donation.

Happy Halloween from available pets Daphne, Pookie, and Bond!

Like and follow GMHS on social media to stay in-the-know about the latest shelter news, homeless pets available for adoption, adoption success stories, and more!