Liberty Humane Society


Jersey City, New Jersey

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About Liberty Humane Society

Liberty Humane Society in Jersey City, New Jersey is an open-admission shelter whose mission is to foster a community of compassion and respect and provide animals in need with a chance at a lifelong, loving home.

They contract with Jersey City, Bayonne, and Hoboken, meaning every stray animal found in those cities is brought to Liberty Humane Society, day or night.

Liberty Humane Society cares for, treats, and finds homes for thousands of animals every year. Re-homing animals who have nowhere else to go is one of the most essential aspects of their mission, but their long-term goal is to build a community in which those services are no longer needed. They believe homeless animals in shelters are a symptom of more substantial community issues, including the lack of four key needs:

  • Access to affordable veterinary services
  • Access to affordable spay/neuter services
  • General pet education
  • Specifically, animal training knowledge

In Hudson County, 17% of households live below the poverty line. That doesn’t stop these families from having pets, and Liberty Humane Society doesn’t believe it should!

However, pet care is daunting for owners with few resources. Liberty Humane Society understands that pets are an essential component of many modern families and tries to help their community access affordable resources so their pets can stay happy and healthy.

Through their low-cost public Wellness Clinic, Humane Education Program, and surrender prevention services, their goal is to reduce the number of animals who enter the shelter while providing a higher quality of care for all animals.

Considering adoption from Liberty Humane Society? Read below for more info on their adoption process and fees.

Contact Info

Address:
235 Jersey City Blvd
,
Jersey City
,
NJ
07305
Phone:
(201) 547-4147
Email:
lhs@libertyhumane.org
Website: libertyhumane.org

Hours of Operation

Mon: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Tue - Fri: 10:00 am - 7:00 pm
Sat - Sun: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Adoption Process

Adopting an animal in need is one of the kindest things you can do. When you adopt from Liberty Humane Society, you enable them to help more community animals and work toward a day when every pet has a home.

Here’s how their adoption process works:

  1. Visit the shelter in person or browse available pets on PetFinder. Shelter staff does their best to keep PetFinder up to date, but visiting the facility is the best way to know who's available.
  2. If the animal you’re interested in meeting is labeled “Foster," then this animal doesn't live at the shelter but is still available for adoption. Contact the shelter before visiting so they can set up a time for you to meet them.
  3. Everyone who lives in your home must come meet the animal, including any dogs you have (only if you're looking to adopt another dog).
  4. Once you find your perfect match, complete an application online or in-person at the shelter. Application forms can be found below.
  5. After meeting the pet, speak with an adoption counselor. If your application has been approved and the animal is ready to go, you can pay the fee and take them home that day!

You'll need to provide a few items when completing your application, so gather the following documentation before visiting:

  • Valid photo ID
  • If renting, a copy of your lease or your landlord’s contact information
  • Cat carrier or dog leash and collar (also available for purchase at the shelter)

Application forms for Liberty Humane Society can be found below:

  • Adoption Application - Cats
  • Adoption Application - Dogs

Adoption Fees

Adoption fees at Liberty Humane Society are as follows:

Dogs

  • Puppies: $225
  • Adults: $175

Cats

  • Kittens: $150
  • Adults: $120

For more information on what your adoption fee includes, contact Liberty Humane Society directly. Remember, your fee helps Liberty Humane Society partially cover the many costs they incur caring for each animal before they find their forever homes.

Adoption Process & Fees

Our writing team is hard at work researching this shelter's adoption process and fees, so this page will be updated soon!

In the meantime, here's some nice-to-know info that applies to nearly every animal shelter, humane society, and rescue.

Why Rescue A Shelter Dog?

Because shelter dogs are full of love!

Is it because they know you saved them and love you harder for it?

I can't say for certain, but yes.

Jokes aside, there are three things all shelter dogs need to thrive in their new home:

  1. Love
  2. Patient
  3. Training

Older shelter dogs, generally 1+ years old, may have experienced a lot of trauma, which often results in one of 8 common behavioral issues:

  1. Anxiety
  2. Aggression toward people & pets
  3. Resource guarding
  4. Destructive behavior
  5. Housetraining regression
  6. Poor social skills
  7. Leash reactivity & barrier-related aggression
  8. Constant whining

These issues are correctable! Your dog isn't broken, they're just damaged. You can fix them with enough love, patience, and a good training plan.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, finding good dog trainers can be hard. Like everything else, dog training is moving only. but there are great online dog trainers that are proven to work and can help get your new pup on the right path.

Animal Shelter vs Humane Society vs Rescue: What's the Difference?

You can learn a lot about an animal welfare organization just by looking at their name.

Animal Shelters

  • Most Animal Shelters are city or county-run organizations, often operated by the local Animal Control department, that manage strays and handle owner surrenders.
  • They usually have kennel facilities you can visit to adopt animals, and they usually have less stringent adoption requirements, lower adoption fees, and same-day adoptions (because their goal is to get animals out of the shelter).
  • Unfortunately, they usually know very little about each animal, including their true personalities and any behavioral problems.

Humane Societies

  • Most Humane Societies are non-profit organizations, many of which are no-kill shelters.
  • Some (but not all) are affiliated with The Humane Society of the United States.
  • They exist to improve animal welfare in the local community and often partner with city or county-run Animal Shelters that often euthanize animals due to capacity restraints.
  • They usually have kennel facilities, sometimes at multiple locations, and usually offer other services to the community such as low-cost spay/neuter clinics, community education programs, and more.
  • They may also have some animals in foster care.
  • There's a lot of variation in process and fees among Humane Societies, but they usually have really good websites that detail everything for you.

Rescues

  • Most Rescues are foster-based organizations that don't have physical facilities.
  • They usually have websites and contact emails, but not all of them have phone numbers.
  • Because they don't have a physical facility, you need to view animals in their foster network online, usually on their website but sometimes on their member pages on either PetFinder or Adopt-a-Pet.
  • If you see an animal you'd like to meet, contact the rescue using the process listed on their website or via email. They'll help you through the application process and set up a time for you to meet the animal at the foster's home.
  • Adopting from a rescue generally is the most expensive option here and takes the longest, but you get an animal that's been cared for in a loving home environment and their foster can tell you a lot about their personality.

6 Tips to Improve Your Adoption Experience

Adoption processes vary drastically from organization to organization, but here are some general tips that apply in most instances. Note that we'll use the term "shelters" here for simplicity but it includes all types of rescue organizations.

  1. See an animal online that you'd like to meet? Call the shelter before your visit to make sure the animal is still available. This especially applies for puppies, which are adopted out quickly.
  2. Usually, you'll need to get some paperwork in order: a photo ID, vaccination/medical records for any pets you currently have, possibly your vet's contact info and a couple of personal references, and (for renters) proof you're allowed to have a pet (copy of your lease or your landlord's contact info).
  3. If you need to provide contact info for your vet, let your vet know ahead of time. Otherwise, they may not release your information.
  4. Many shelters require your current dogs to meet adoptive dogs. Your current dogs need to be up-to-date on vaccinations.
  5. Some shelters require you to schedule a home visit to ensure a suitable living environment for the new animal.
  6. Adoption fees may seem excessive, but they're actually amazing values. Truthfully, caring for a pet is expensive. Most adoption fees include required medical care to get the animal ready for their new home including (but not limited to) spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, general vet exams, flea/tick treatment, deworming, heartworm testing/treatment for dogs, and feline leukemia and feline AIDS testing/treatment for cats. In general, your adoption fee is less than the cost of this care, so you're saving money in addition to your new animal's life!

If you have any questions about adopting an animal (what you'll need, what to expect, etc.) feel free to contact the PetLists team!

For more information about what's included in your adoption fee, or any other questions about the adoption process, reach out to
Liberty Humane Society
in
Jersey City
,
New Jersey
directly using the contact info above.

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Other Shelters in

New Jersey

Curious about other shelters? Here's 6 more. You can also browse all
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You can also go back to our listing of all 50 states to find shelters elsewhere in the US.
All information on this page is accurate and up-to-date to the best of our knowledge. If you spot an error, please contact us using our contact form.
Note: Hours of operation and other information on this page are subject to change during the COVID-19 pandemic.