Services

EASEL provides many services including: Residence Assistance for Low-Income Households, Behavior Training for Dogs and Cats, Behavior Training Tips, Pet Surrender Services, and a Lost Pet Checklist.

Pet Surrender and Other Services

If you cannot keep your pet, EASEL might be able to help…

EASEL accepts cats and dogs by appointment only from Mercer County, as well as pets originally adopted from us, and from our donors and volunteers.  If you fall in one of these categories the fastest way to get on our list is to click here to complete our online form. Fax form to 609-631-8038 or email to  petsurrender@easelnj.org and we will contact you about taking the pet into the program (see below for more information). Finally, you can call 609-883-0540, but expect to wait several days for a call back.
If you live outside these our service area or did not adopt your pet from us originally, please click here to find other shelters and rescues in your area.  At certain times of the year, we may have space to help, so please inquire at petsurrender@easelnj.org

For information about posting your pet on our shelter partner,  GetYourPet.com click here.  It’s also a good idea to do as much as you can to find a new home on your own, such as posting at work or in shops near you. Click here for a flyer you can use to post your pet.

Adopt-a-Pet and the Petco Foundation have a great, easy to use website for posting your pet online. Click below..

Surrender may not be your only option

We understand that giving up a cat or dog can be a very difficult decision for you and the stress associated with a new environment can be tough on a pet.

We do our best to work with owners who would like to keep their cat or dog but are experiencing stresses or circumstances that make having them in their home seem impossible. There may be a solution or program available to help you and your kitty. Explore the options below or email us at info@easelnj.org  for advice or to discuss possible solutions.

We can also help dog owners with referral to local training centers. For more information email happydogs@easelnj.org

For cat behavior counseling, email happycats@easelnj.org

Can’t afford to take care of your pet?

Are you having difficulty affording food for your pet? EASEL offers support for pet owners who need assistance buying food or prescription diets and invite you to apply for assistance. Click here to fill out the assistance form. Our resources are very limited so, please visit our services page to see a list of local food pantries that may have pet food available.

If you don’t think you can afford medical care for your pet, check out EASEL’s clinics for both cats and dogs, low-cost spay/neuter options, and programs to help reduce the cost of care for pets who have emergency medical needs. Click here to fill out the assistance form, print and fax to 609-631-8038. Click here to access a list of helpful low cost veterinary options. Take a look and see if there are solutions that fit your situation.

Moving?

Consider moving to a new apartment that is pet friendly. Click here for a list of pet friendly apartments in NJ and nearby PA.

Resident Assistance for Low-Income Households

EASEL offers several low-cost services to eligible, financially disadvantaged residents such as those receiving public assistance, seniors, and veterans. An assessment, documentation, verification, and proof of financial need will be required to determine eligibility.

We educate on responsible ownership and provide vouchers for spay/neuter services. The program helps families avoid the stress of unwanted offspring and reduces the number of animals at local shelters or on the streets.

• Low-cost dog spay/neuter vouchers ensure families help reduce unwanted offspring and reduces the number of animals at shelters or on the streets.
• Low-cost micro-chipping
• Low cost veterinary care
• Pet food assistance

Behavior Training

Proper training is important in the quality of an animal’s life – particularly homeless animals who exhibit behavior that would discourage adoption. EASEL Animal Rescue League evaluates our shelter animals and provides training for bad habits, if needed.

Before abandoning any household pet, we strongly encourage training and to consider a trainer. Home training is much more effective in a home than at a shelter. Most issues can be resolved with some basic techniques and consistency. Giving up a companion should always be a last resort.

Feline Behavior Modification Training/Counseling

Cat counseling program teaches EASEL’s adopters, fosters, and members of the community how to manage litter box issues, aggression, scratching, change management (e.g., new family member(s), and medical issues thus increasing retention rate of adopted felines. Home visits are made, if needed. Services are provided free of charge but donations are always welcome. For cat behavior training, please email happycats@easelnj.org.

Dog Behavior Training/Counseling

Volunteers work with professional trainers on basic obedience training, lack of confidence, or lack of focus in our shelter dogs. In more serious cases, EASEL helps abused dogs overcome fear issues or misdirected aggression brought on by fear. Using temperament tests, we employ other training techniques to overcome any issues we discover. Volunteers assist in dog introductions to your other family members when needed and can provide in-home assessments to help a newly adopted dog adjust to their new environment. We can also recommend a trainer to help if on-going training is needed. For more information, please email happydogs@easelnj.org.

Pet Behavior Tips

For your convenience, we have compiled downloadable Dog and Cat Tips PDFs for common pet behaviors and in management of unwanted pregnancies furthering increasing the population of cat colonies.

For Pet Tips click here.

Lost Pet Checklist

EASEL ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE partners with Petco Love Lost to make reuniting lost pets easier and free using image recognition technology to search a national database. 

A lost pet can be a frightening experience for any pet parent. Immediate action is crucial, but where do you start? Follow the steps below for the best chance of a reunion. 

What to do immediately after your pet goes missing: 

Walk the neighborhood: Take a walk around the immediate area and speak to any neighbors, postal service workers, landscapers, or anyone who may have seen your lost pet. You know your pet best, so look in areas that your pet may have been interested in or comfortable hiding in. Most pets are found close to home.

Share their scent: Put a couple of your pet’s favorite items near the most common entry ways into your home. The front door and the door into your yard would be the best locations. You can include items like their favorite bed, blanket, toys, their litterbox (if cat) and any other items they use frequently. Their scents may help them find their way home.

Next Steps: 

1. Search for your lost dog or cat on Petco Love Lost: We have partnered with Petco Love Lost to easily help search the national lost and found database and create a searchable/shareable alert for your missing pet. Upload a a picture of your pet or searching by location. Powered by facial recognition technology, Petco Love Lost helps match found animals to reported lost pets nationwide. Visit Petco Love Lost and search now!

If you haven’t done so already, be sure to register your pet on Petco Love Lost to do things like create a Lost listing that can be shared and print out premade fliers. You can also receive fliers via text message or email.

2. Use the sharing features on Petco Love Lost to distribute your lost pet listing on other social media outlets like Facebook, Craigslist, and Nextdoor.

3. Make sure your pet’s microchip information is updated: If a finder takes your missing pet to be scanned for a microchip, you want to make sure that all the information is correct so that you will be contacted immediately.

4. Check with your local animal services, animal control, and animal shelters: Call to see if your missing pet is at one of these locations. An in-person trip is preferable so you can look and see if your pet is in their care. Many organizations allow you to place a lost report with them, where you can leave a photo of your pet and your contact information. ADD YOUR LOCAL SHELTER’S CONTACT PREFERENCES HERE.

Download our Lost Pet Checklist PDF with tips, websites, and ideas on how to find and reunite with your best friend quickly.