My name is Benji!

For Dogs: Adopters fill out our application on clawsadopt.org. We call every applicant for an interview. If we believe they will be a good fit we call their references and perform a virtual home check. At that point we set up a meet-and-greet with the potential adopter and the pet. We have the adopters sleep on the decision and call us the next morning to let us know how they are feeling. If they would like to proceed all dogs go on a two week trial (with paperwork) prior to the official adoption. After the end of the two weeks if all is going well we send them over the official adoption contract and collect payment. For Cats: We receive applications and screen them. We invite people to come to our cat adoption events to meet the available cats/kittens. At these we interview potential adopters and match them with the correct cat/kitten for them!

The Closter Animal Welfare Society (CLAWS) was founded (as Lost Pet Services) on December 4, 1969. With our network of dedicated volunteers, we rescue, foster, and find forever homes for abandoned and unwanted pets in the northern NJ area. We encourage the public to spay and neuter their pets to reduce the number of unwanted animals in our area. CLAWS is not a shelter.​ CLAWS has no paid employees, receives no funds from the state, and exists solely on donations and money we make from fundraisers and adoption donations. Because of this, 100% of every dollar raised goes directly toward the care of our animals.​ CLAWS is licensed in the State of New Jersey as a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.