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Health & Fitness

Scooter's Adoption Marks '800' for Good Dog Rescue

Like many of the dogs saved by Home for Good Dog Rescue, Scooter was on the list to be euthanized, but thanks to the Timberlake family, Scooter has a new home.

Scooter Has a New Home Thanks to Cranford Family 

Like many of the dogs saved by Home for Good Dog Rescue, Scooter was on the list to be euthanized. Scooter, a nine month old Labrador mix, was scheduled to be euthanized on Friday, Jan. 20th, but Home for Good Dog Rescue made arrangements to pull him out of the Waynesboro Georgia Animal Control facility the day before.


Home for Good Dog Rescue made arrangements for Scooter to be transported up to New Jersey where he was fostered by Laura DeCotiis and her husband Marc. According to Laura, Scooter loved running around and playing chase with Laura's Akita Chow mix Dusty. He received lots of pets and belly rubs while in foster care. "We loved Scooter just as if he were our own dog." Laura said.

Luckily for Scooter, the Timberlake family of Cranford, New Jersey was looking for a new dog. According to Karen Timberlake, they had been thinking about getting a dog for about 2 years and had only recently started looking. Their neighbor told Karen about Home for Good Dog Rescue so the family checked out the Home for Good website and saw Scooter. After submitting their application, the Timberlake family was contacted by Home for Good and a “meet and greet” was scheduled.

Mathew and Karen Timberlake along with their two sons, Harrison and Christian, met Scooter at Laura's home on January 25th.  After spending some time interacting with Scooter, the Timberlakes decided that Scooter was the one for them.

On Saturday, February 11th, the Timberlakes were presented with a gift card purchased by Home for Good and a bag of Nutro dog food donated by Nutro in honor of Home for Good’s 800th adoption.

Scooter is adjusting well with his new family and has even gone on a few trips with the family. According to Karen, Scooter is a favorite with the neighborhood kids and loves to play with other dogs. Scooter has also been trained to run alongside Karen while she bicycles.

When ask if he helps out his Mom taking care of Scooter, 7-year old Christian Timberlake said that he lets Scooter out in the morning and feeds him. Christian’s and Scooter’s favorite game is playing “tug of war” together.

Laura commented, “We were very happy that he went to a wonderful home with a nice family who seem to love him. It was hard to say goodbye to him". Saying goodbye is hard, but the reward of fostering is knowing that you played a role in saving a dog’s life and connecting him with his forever home family.

Anyone interested in adopting a dog, fostering, volunteering or donating to Home for Good Dog Rescue can call (908) 598-8212 or email contacthfg@gmail.com.

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“A Taste of Italy” Dinner and Tricky Tray – Saturday, March 10, 2012


This year’s event will be held at the Long Hill Community Center, 264 South Warren Avenue in Stirling, New Jersey.  The dinner will start at 7:00 P.M.  Tickets are $35 per person and $15 for children under 12 years of age. A limited number of tickets are available.  Advance tickets or reservations are required.  Tickets can be purchased by calling 908-598-8212 or emailing the organization at contacthfg@gmail.com .

The scheduled Home for Good Adoption Events for February and March are:

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February 18th - Pet Valu, 237 Main Street, Madison, NJ
February 25th - Pet Supply Plus, 410 Springfield Ave., Berkeley Heights, NJ
March 24th - PetSmart, 187 Millburn Ave., Millburn, NJ
March 31st - Pet Supply Plus, 410 Springfield Ave., Berkeley Heights, NJ

Robert Barnes is the Community Outreach Coordinator for Home for Good Dog Rescue. Home for Good is a volunteer-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit animal rescue.

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