From the Executive Director’s desk …

It’s open!!

People keep asking me how it feels … and I have to say, it feels surreal. After all this time planning, surreal is still the best word I have. After the six months of really hard work and uncertainty, surreal is still the word that comes up first.

But then the following words come to mind and heart: gratitude, perseverance, awestruck, happy, motivated.

Gratitude…

to all the people that helped get us here: volunteers, donors, adopters, advocates, family, friends. Truly, without all of you there would be no Karma Cat + Zen Dog Rescue Society!

Perseverance…

or perhaps stubbornness. One of my favorite, personal hashtags sums this up: #fuckyouiwontdowhatyoutellme (sorry mom and those with sensitive ears/eyes!). But seriously, my whole life has been built on this approach. I know what I want and not much will get in my way of achieving it. Get on board, or get out of the way. 😉

It’s not that anyone told me we couldn’t do this … but I did get a lot of puzzled looks and questions. Why go through so much trouble? Why take the hard road to open this adoption center (instead of just sticking with existing pet stores)? Why agonize over all the details?

The answer is simplified to “because we can and we should” and “because the animals need us to speak and advocate for them. Karma Cat + Zen Dog has been very blessed over the past 8 years with amazing adopters, volunteers, and donors. People that believe in our vision that every companion animal is respected, fed, warm, happy, and not in danger of being killed because it is temporarily homeles.

Awestruck…

because the Milltown Adoption Center is real, is open and is damn amazing. We made a thing!!

And then it happened … the space was complete, the inspections were done, certificates were hung on the wall. We were finally ready to welcome cats into the space!

Off to the shelter I went to get some kitties! We pulled six cats from a local shelter specifically for our new space.

Sometimes an imperfect picture captures a most precious emotional moment. When you zoom in on this kitty’s face, you can almost feel his contentment. He knows he is safe in a warm bed with a full belly.

This is “Sixteen” and he’s one of the very first residents at our Milltown Adoption Center. THIS is why we worked so hard to open this center: cats like Sixteen that need a safe place to rest their head while their forever home finds them.

All the uncertainty, changes, late nights and expenses melt away when this is the view that greets and calms you.

Happy…

because: cats! And they are ready for adoption!

Motivated…

to do more. Yes, really – if we can build this adoption center from practically nothing as such a young organization, we can do anything we set our minds to. Join us, and let’s make NJ an even better place for our companion animals to live. Adopt. Volunteer. Donate. Support.

Thank you to all our supporters, volunteers, and Board of Directors that made this possible!

We are located at 39 S. Main Street in Milltown. Currently, our open adoption hours are Sundays: 12 – 4 PM, Mondays & Tuesdays: 12 – 2 PM, Wednesdays & Thursdays 5 – 7 PM, & Fridays: 4 – 6 PM. And on July 29, 2018 we will have a Grand Opening/Open House event from 12 – 6 PM!

Thank you for being on this journey with me!

~Christie, Executive Director