The Friends of the Burlington County Animal Shelter, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The all-volunteer group cooperates with the county animal shelter to care for shelter pets and place them into adoptive homes. We also work to reduce the number of homeless pets in our community by sponsoring low-cost spay-neuter surgeries. The group was founded in November 2010 and incorporated in February 2012. We are extremely proud to be a Platinum level member of GuideStar, an organization that ranks non-profits on their financial transparency. We’re also very proud to have been named runner up 2020 Best Charity by the readers of the Burlington County Times. This is our fifth time winning the award as best or one of the best charities! We are also proud to be a Best Friends Network Partner. The Best Friends Network, made up of hundreds of shelters, rescue groups and other animal welfare organizations in all corners of the country, is committed to saving the lives of homeless pets through collaboration and implementation of effective adoption, spay/neuter and intake prevention programs. In partnership with Best Friends, we are leading the way by implementing proven methods and inspiring communities to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters. Together, we will Save Them All. We are also a proud participant in Shelter Animals Count, a collaborative initiative formed by a diverse group of stakeholders to create and share a national database of sheltered animal statistics, providing facts, and enabling insights that will save lives.
Potential adopters are encouraged to look at dogs and cats online to see if there is a shelter pet you’re interested in adopting. You can then fill out an application and then call the shelter to schedule an appointment to meet the pet. If you are a renter, the shelter will need to have verification from your landlord that you are allowed to have a pet. If you able to bring a copy of your lease containing the pet policy that helps speed the process. If you’re not able to do so, please pur your landlord’s phone number on your application so the shelter can contact him/her to verify the pet policy. The shelter allows 24 hours to attempt to reach the landlord before accepting new applications on the animal for which you applied. If you have another dog at home, it’s a good idea to bring your dog with you if you are applying for a dog as the shelter does require a dog meet. If a dog meet is the only thing pending, the shelter will allows 24 hours for you to bring in your dog for a dog meet before accepting new applications on the animal for which you applied. Once your application has been approved and you have interacted with the animal and the animal is spayed or neutered, you are able to take the animal home the same day. If you don’t wish to take the animal home that day, you have 24 hours to arrange a pick-up for the animal before the shelter starts accepting new applications on the animal. If the animal you have chosen still needs to be spayed or neutered, you can complete the adoption paperwork to put a hold on the animal until it is spayed/neutered. After the animal is fixed, you have 24 hours after the clinic to pick up the animal. If you’re adopting a cat, it’s a good idea to bring a sturdy, appropriately-sized carrier. For dogs, bring a leash and collar.