CONNECTIONS FOR LIFE
Wag On Inn makes room for dogs facing euthanasia
BY ALESHA WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
A Doberman-German shepherd mix with a history of abuse and bad kennel cough could cause some prospective dog owners pause.
It didn't faze Adrienne Gnassi.
Sure, Max takes some work. He's 88 pounds, 13 years old and arthritic.
But the two have formed a special bond since Gnassi took him in as a sick, homeless pup in 1995. After all, she saved him from death row, said Gnassi, a retired public-school teacher, as Max barked and enjoyed a walk on Gnassi's 3 1/3-acre property in Freehold Township.
"Nobody was interested in him," she said. "He was too big. He has a limp. It's very difficult (to get adopted) when a dog is not what people consider perfect."
But Gnassi made room for Max — and about 20 other dogs brought to Wag On Inn, the pet-rescue kennel she has operated behind her home for 11 years. The kennel takes in dogs and cats that are days away from being euthanized.
The team of about 10 volunteers, led by Gnassi and Kathy Miles of Rumson, checks animals at shelters throughout the East Coast for temperament and the likelihood they might be adopted.
If there's room, these animals get a home at Wag On Inn, said Miles, a secretary by day.
"We felt there was a need in society for this," Gnassi said.
She started the kennel at a time when Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was dealing with an influx of unwanted pets.
"One in seven dogs lives out its life in the United States. The other six are put to sleep," Gnassi said. "We would like to help as many animals as we can help, to save a life."
Gnassi and Miles, who also are Monmouth County SPCA dog trainers, spend 10 to 12 hours a week getting the animals to a veterinarian for spaying and neutering, heartworm testing, identification microchips and medical treatment.
Private donations and adoption fees pay the vet bills, Gnassi said.
Some animals, such as Max, stay on when they don't get adopted.
The kennel has become permanent home to Connie, a Korean jindo who once was afraid to enter houses, possibly because of being abused, Miles said. Wizard, a 4-year-old fox hound with a penchant for opening refrigerators, also is a longtime resident.
But most of the animals are adopted within weeks.
Wag On Inn staff accepts applications through the kennel's Web site and other animal-rescue online sites, then invites prospective owners in for interviews, checks veterinarian references and sometimes does house visits to make sure a family is a good match for a pet.
Melanie Newman and daughter Falynn, 16, of Howell and Chihuahua Lexi are among the matches made through the pet-rescue shelter. The Newmans adopted Lexi, who was found abandoned and starving in a Toms River apartment, in May, Melanie Newman said.
She and her daughter were so inspired by the shelter's work they became volunteers.
"For every one (animal) they find a home for, the next one is coming in," Melanie Newman said.
"I leave there, and I'm just filled with so many different emotions," she said. "To actually see these people do this day in and day out is amazing."
Each adoption is bittersweet.
"When we adopt an animal out, we're excited and we're sad, too, because you get very attached to them," Miles said. "It's very exciting when a dog comes to a good home.
"And whether it's somebody who lost a child and needs to nurture someone, whether it's an old person who is lonely or a family that needs a companion, the dogs bring so much pleasure," she said.
"We're helping people as well as the animals," Miles said.
