For the love of paws and purrs
Girl Scout project helps animals in need
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer
Local Girl Scouts, who are used to helping people, extended their services to a group much furrier this year.

SCOTT FRIEDMAN Millstone Girl Scout Troop 853 members display a banner they made for Adopt-A-Pet, of the Monmouth County Rescue Association, as part of their service project for a Bronze Award.

Millstone Girl Scout Troop 853 has successfully completed its Bronze Award requirements doing volunteer work to support animals.

The troop supported Adopt-APet, a Millstone-based Monmouth County rescue organization, by sponsoring pet adoption days at Petco and Dill's Feed and Supply in Freehold, collecting pet food, toys, and supplies for animals awaiting adoption, and designing and creating a banner and tri-fold board for the nonprofit to use at future pet adoption events.

The Scouts also visited the Monroe Village nursing home with Furry Angel Therapy Dogs to cheer up patients and participated in Operation Happy Sock by making hundreds of catnip toys from clean, used socks for cats to play with at the Monmouth County SPCA in Eatontown.

Navighna Nathi, 11, said the project helped her get over her fear of dogs. She had never been near one before, let alone ever held one, she said.

"Seeing the dogs and holding them helped me get over my fear," she said. "We're not the only living things on earth. Anything with life is important."

Lauren Diaz, 11, said she enjoyed putting together hundreds of catnip toys for needy cats in the shelter.

"I think it's important to take care of animals because they're not that much different than we are," she said. "All animals and people should be treated equally."

Sarah Gollubier, 12, added, "We have to care for animals. They are like human beings and also have feelings. They should enjoy life and be happy."

The girls completed the work necessary to earn the Bronze Award under the direction of leaders Laura Dreifus, Beth Heminghaus and Lisa Diaz.

"I'm really proud of them," Dreifus said. "They all worked so hard."

Dreifus said there is a lot of badge work and other requirements to obtain the Bronze Award. She said girls in grades 4-6 can work on such a project and noted that the Millstone girls completed the project in grades 4-5.

"I think they learned a sense of being accountable and committing to the community in ways they never knew existed," Dreifus said.

Sharon Gaboff, the founder of Adopt-A-Pet, said, "I want to thank the group leader for all of her hard work and the Girl Scout Troop and the parents for all of the support they gave us."

Gaboff said the Scouts belong to the next generation of animal rescue work. She said the Scouts accomplished getting five dogs adopted.

"Animals give so much to us, it's nice to give something back to them," she said.

Jessica Heminghaus, 11, said it made her very happy to see the dogs adopted.

"I gave people a lot of information about the Maltipoos because I have dogs like that and I was happy to see them get loving homes where they can play," she said.

Elizabeth Dreifus, 10, said before the project began she had no idea that there were so many homeless animals.

"It felt pretty good to see some get adopted," she said. "Hopefully, people who love animals will adopt more so there are less homeless animals."

For Alesha Gurukar, 11, being a Girl Scout means being respectful of all creatures, especially humans.

"It feels good to help other people and to know that we all help each other," she said.