Shelter Me: Gloucester County Animal Shelter

CLAYTON, N.J. (WPVI) -- This week's Shelter Me winner is Gloucester County Animal Shelter in Clayton, N.J.

And we start with a dog who came out of her shell when she found her forever home.

When Melissa Brennan first saw Hazel at the Gloucester County shelter, she had her reservations.

"I was looking through the kennels," said Brennan. "I saw her. She was very depressed. She didn't greet me."

Brennan decided to take a chance on Hazel, and when she brought her home in November 2014 it was like she was a whole new dog.

"She warmed up pretty fast," said Brennan. "Now anyone comes over, she greets them with a tail and a kiss."

Now Hazel feels right at home with her forever family.

"She's like a person," Brennan told us. "She runs through the house when she gets real excited and goes 'Rroooo!' It's really cute. She loves to play. She loves the ball, loves to go fetch."

She especially loves being with her playmate, Musket.

"They're best friends," Brennan said. "They're inseparable. Wherever one goes, the other one's at."

The Gloucester County Animal Shelter has been making those kinds of matches for 25 years.

"It's a good feeling," said the shelter's director, Bill Lombardi. "It just makes you want to... see if we can get another one into a home."

The shelter would love to place two brothers, Chi-Chi and Nikki, in the same home.

"They're very nice dogs," said Lombardi. "They're older dogs... but they can live another 10 years."

Petunia the cat is two years old. She was found as a stray in May and is currently the shelter's longest kitty resident.

"She's a very nice cat, very affectionate," said Lombardi.

1-year-old Tigger also came to the shelter as a stray and would love a home where he can cuddle with his forever family.

"He's very affectionate, loves to be held," Lombardi told us. "I'm sure he'll be a nice couch potato. He'll like to sit next to you while you're watching TV."

And finally there's 3-year-old Ziva, a Jack Russell mix who was surrendered to the shelter a short time ago.

She might be a little skittish with other pets, but is very good with older children and adults.

If you're interested in any of the animals in this week's report, you can visit the Gloucester County Animal Shelterwebsite.

And, if you'd like us to share your shelter success stories, post a picture to the FYI Philly Facebook page using #6abc Shelter Me and tell us where you adopted your pet and how much they mean to you.

Action News will feature your stories in upcoming Shelter Me segments.