Born and raised in Union County New Jersey, Jeffrey Morton has owned dogs and cats his whole life. From a Golden Retriever/Cocker Spaniel mix as a child, to an Irish Setter as a teen, to Old English Sheepdogs, Saint Bernards and French Bulldogs as an adult.
After attending college for Business Management, Jeff went to work in the retail and electronics field. After 10 years of working in corporate structure, Jeff ventured out on his own, fueled by his love of dogs, opening Shake A Paw in 1992. He expanded the original Green Brook store in 2000 and in 2006, opened a state of the art, 8,000 sq. ft. Superstore in Union.
Jeff owned two Old English Sheepdogs in the early 1990's and learned dog grooming and obedience training. He also started breeding Saint Bernards and doing breed rescue, which is finding homes for dogs given up by their owners. At one time, Jeff owned eleven Saint Bernards, two Sheepdogs and two cats! Many weekends were spent at dog shows throughout the northeast, competing for AKC Championships and meeting with breeders. He also owned and trained the #1 Obedience Titled Saint Bernard in 1996, Ch. Lil' Jon's Sigmund Freud, CD, CGC. A major highlight of his career was participating at the world-famous Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City 2 years in a row.
The Shake A Paw Center for Rescue and Adoption, a New Jersey 501c3 Non-Profit Corporation, began operations in September of 2012. In order to best serve the needs of the community and our rescue dogs, Jeff was certified in New Jersey as an Animal Control Officer and an Animal Cruelty Investigator. Our custom Adoption van attends over 15 off-site adoption events per year. Since inception, SPCRA has rescued and placed over 1,500 homeless dogs, with many of them being transferred from shelters with high euthanasia rates.
Jeff has always been committed to giving back to the community's that we serve. We recently partnered with the Union County Sherriff's Office to supply their K9 dogs with K9 vests and supplies, and have we have partnered with Union High School to provide volunteer opportunities for their students.
Jeff and family currently have three French Bulldogs, and live in Monmouth County, NJ.
Past & Present Professional Affiliations:
- President, Shake A Paw, 1992-Present
- President, Shake A Paw Franchising, LLC., 2004-Present
- President, Shake A Paw Rescue and Adoption Center Inc. A New Jersey 501c3 Non-Profit Corporation, 2012 to Present
- President, Bertinoro Kennels, 1993-1998
- President, Save Our Saints (SOS), Saint Bernard Rescue of New Jersey 1993-1998
- Member, Saint Bernard Club of America, Parent Club
- Member, Northern New Jersey Saint Bernard Club
- Member, Town and Country Dog Training Club, Union NJ
- Member, Italian Saint Bernard Club, Revana, Italy
- Dog Show Co-Chairman, Northern New Jersey Saint Bernard Club, 1996
- Featured on Good Morning America with Ch. Lil Johns Sigmund Freud CD, CGC.
- Featured on The Learning Channel, 2003-2004
- Judge, Garden State All-Terrier Club, Pre-Novice, Novice A and Graduate Novice Obedience.
- Judge, Sussex Hills Kennel Club Obedience Match, Obedience Pre-Novice, Novice A and Graduate Novice.
- Member, Better Business Bureau of New Jersey 1996
- Member, Somerset County Chamber of Commerce 2002-2004, 2015-Present
- Member and Contributor, Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, Washington DC, 1993-Present
- Member, New Jersey State Legislative Advisory Board, American Canine Association, 2003-Present
- National Legislative Advisory Board, American Canine Association, 2003-Present
- Primary Sponsor of Somerset County's first Police K-9 Dog, Owned and trained by the South Bound Brook Police Department, 2001-2008
- Sponsor of Somerset County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit, 2004-2008
- New Jersey Certified Animal Control Officer - 2012 to Present/Retired
- New Jersey Certified Animal Cruelty Investigator - 2012 to Present/Retired
- Primary Sponsor of Bound Brook's Police Departments 1st K9 Unit, 2014-2015
- Featured on 77WABC Radio in New York, 2014
- Board Member, Union Township Chamber of Commerce, 2015 to Present
- Board Member, Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council Government Affairs Committee, 2017-Present
- Partnered with Union County Sherriff's Office to supply their K9 dogs with K9 vests and supplies, 2017-Present
- Partnered with Union High School to provide volunteer opportunity for students, 2017-2019
- Primary Sponsor of the Mayors 5K Flagship event, Union Township - 2017-2022
- Vice-President, Business Support & Economic Development, Greater Union Township Chamber of Commerce - 2022
- Founding Member/President of The NJ Coalition of Responsible Pet Stores, 2018-Present
Shake A Paw is also a contributor and sponsor of over 20 animal welfare organizations, community youth groups and local charities including:
- Plainfield Humane Society
- Make A Wish Foundation Of New Jersey
- Bide-A-Wee Home Association
- Furry Friends Youth R.B.A.
- Green Brook PTO
- Dunellen High School
- Amsterdam Elementary School
- College of New Jersey
- Summit Educational Foundation
- Muscular Dystrophy Association
- A Life for Animals
- Watchung Hills Regional High School PTO
- Green Brook Fire Department
- Green Brook Ice Hockey
- Green Brook Little League
- Dunellen ROARS
- Somerset County VoTech
- Deron School of New Jersey
- Township of Union Animal Shelter
