Shelter Me: Animal Adoption Center

LINDENWOLD, N.J. (WPVI) -- The Animal Adoption Center in Lindenwold, New Jersey is celebrating 25 years as a safe haven for animals.

Chris Harris is the Shelter Director at the Animal Adoption Center.

He says, "The one constant has been the dedication of the staff, the dedication of the volunteers. They're walking dogs, socializing cats so we have a really, really dedicated base of support."

Socialization is paramount in finding a forever home.

"The faster you get them socialized with people and other pets the easier it's going to be to make that transition from the shelter environment to the home environment," says Harris.

With more than 800 adoptions in 2014, the no kill shelter continues to improve its adoption rates.

"We want to make the best match we can for every dog and cat because when they leave here I want to wave good bye. I don't ever want to see them again unless they're coming back for a visit," said Harris.

If you are interested in adopting any of the animals seen in the video, you can go the Animal Adoption Center website.

And for everyone out there who's ever adopted a shelter pet, we want to hear your stories.

Post a picture to the FYI Philly Facebook page #6abc or Shelter Me Facebook page and tell us where you adopted your pet and how much they mean to you.

We will be featuring your stories on upcoming Shelter Me segments.