In 1985 our Founder, Flo Essig, answered an ad in the paper for dog walkers at the local 7-day hold facility. She was horrified when she learned that the animals being kept there were euthanized after their 7 days, and were never even given a chance to be adopted. Flo made it her mission that this would change and, in 1986, she received permission to provide these animals with a chance to find new homes. With the help of a small group of supporters, Flo began to take the dogs and cats from the shelter to local flea markets on weekends as well as helped to staff the shelter with volunteers to aid in adoptions directly from the facility. Four years later, in 1990, The Volunteer Auxiliary for Animal Shelters, Inc. officially became a 501(c)3. The mission of Vol Aux is to increase the adoption rate and decrease the euthanasia rate of shelter animals in Ocean County, NJ and beyond. We primarily work with the Northern Ocean County Animal Facility in Jackson, NJ, but we are involved in multiple facets of rescue throughout New Jersey. 31 years, and many happy tails later, we've grown and expanded our life saving programs. Some of our current programs include our Adoption Bus Events, Shelter Dog Walking, Cat Adoption Room, Dog and Cat Fostering, Pet Food Pantries, TNR (Trap Neuter and Return), Rescue outreach, and much much more! The Volunteer Auxiliary is run solely by dedicated volunteers committed to helping shelter and homeless animals. A large part of our adoptions are done at off-site locations, staffed solely by volunteers. These locations have enabled us to place many animals in loving homes.