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"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." |
Annette Lamberti had one desire, she wished to be able to alleviate the suffering of unwanted cats in Northern NJ. After draining her own personal finances, Annette knew she had to do something. So, in 1991, Annette founded S.T.A.R.T., Save the Animals Rescue Team, which has grown into an organization with over 40 volunteers dedicated to rescuing homeless dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens. We get our animals from many different situations like: owner surrenders, strays off the streets, and rescue them from local pounds and shelters where they would have been euthanized. These animals are evaluated, checked by a veterinarian, microchipped, and spay/neutered. As we do not have a shelter, all our animals are fostered in loving homes until they are adopted. S.T.A.R.T. holds regular pet adoption days with the goal of finding permanent homes for all the animals since we do not euthanize.
In addition, we are very passionate about helping with the local pet overpopulation problem. We maintain sterile cat colonies through TNR (trap, neuter, release), ensure all pets are altered before they are adopted, offer low-cost spay/neuter options and are involved with four other animal rescue groups in a coalition that operates a mobile spay/neuter van. All of us are volunteers and are dedicated to helping animals and believe that they are all unique, special creatures deserving of respect, kindness, and love.
Meet Marguarita... our Petco Paramus Greeter
Hi, my name is Margarita and I am a 3 year old Chihuahua who was rescued by my foster Mom in April 2006. Since then, I have been helping her at Petco by greeting people and raising money for my other furry friends. Each month my mom creates a new seasonal theme with different displays, and I get to wear cute costumes. When we greet the people, my Mom talks to them, and I just look cute, give kisses, and get lots of petting. Besides Petco, I do a few other volunteer activities. I really enjoy going everywhere with my mom to spread the word about START and adoptions and how wonderful it is to own a rescue. Please come and see me someday. I am so cute that you might not believe that I am real! Meet IcePop... Our Mascot and Ambassador for Pit Bulls
I am not up for adoption. I am S.T.A.R.T.'s Ambassador for Pit Bulls. I also won the vote to be the new 2005 Mascot for S.T.A.R.T. I was running against, MoonDoogie, a Cat and I won! My Mom rescued me when I was about four months old. Someone was going to drop me off at a shelter but my Mom took me home instead. Since then, I have had obedience training. I have passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. I have one big sister Cassie, a Yellow Lab and a new sister about 8 months old named Simone who is a Belgian Shepherd mix. Simone is our most recent rescue. Mom, me and my sister were fostering her litter and just could not giver her up. We all help Mom when she fosters little puppies and kittens, and I like helping the most because of my strong maternal instincts.  I am currently helping raise money for START, so they can help more animals like me, who may have otherwise ended up in a pound or shelter. I go into Petco once a month, dressed up in various costumes, designed by my nanny, Marge, and give kisses for $1.00. Look at me and my little buddy in our Easter Bunny costumes above! I started back in September 1999. To date I have raised over $10,000 for Start. Now thats a lot of kisses! It is amazing, the reactions of people after kissing me, in finding out what type of dog I am. I wish people would understand and educate themselves when it comes to Pit Bulls. I am not a bad dog because I have had a good responsible owner. We truly feel there are a lot of people who should not be dog owners. My personal goal working with START is to educate the public on Pit Bulls. If they can see how nice I am maybe they won't be so afraid of me. I hope to see you one day at Petco! If you would like to speak to me, e-mail me at icepop6898@aol.com I look forward to hearing from you!!!! If you are interested in becoming a volunteer and joining our work of helping homeless animals, please take a moment and fill out our online application. Thank you Volunteer Application P. O. Box 1098 Little Falls, NJ 07424 973-785-1245 Phone 973-785-3610 Fax Info@startpets.net Email |
