Cats and dogs in need if adoption in northern and central New Jersey.
Animal shelters and rescue groups throughout New Jersey have thousands upon thousands of pets in need of adoption; this gallery is just a small sampling of them.
While the goal is always to place a pet in a permanent home, there are many more ways people cane assist with caring for these homeless pets.
Shelters are always in need of supplies; with small budgets and overcrowding, they can't always be sure to have what they need to care for the animals. Donations of dry dog and cat food are always welcome, as well as blankets, towels and basic cleaning supplies.
Rescue groups can also use these donations to help offset costs for people who agree to provide foster homes for pets until they can find permanent homes.
Shelters regularly have a need for folks to volunteer their time to assist, whether it be something as simple -- and rewarding -- as stopping by from time to time to walk some pets or just provide some TLC or helping out with care and feeding. Many shelter workers rarely if ever get to spend a holiday at home, because pets need to be fed 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
And fostering groups are always in need of people who will provide a temporary home for pets until they are adopted.
Of course, the ideal way to help is to give a home to one of these adorable animals. Be sure to activate the captions to access all the information needed to contact these groups and adopt these pets.
Here's a gallery of pets available for adoption in northern and central New Jersey. More adoptable pets can be seen here and here.
Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.