AAA South Jersey Employee Adopts Dog Found Wandering Voorhees Parking Lot: ‘It Was Meant to Be’

VOORHEES, N.J. – Fifteen minutes before closing time on a dreary Wednesday, a knock on the door unexpectedly changed Frank Condell’s life. Outside of AAA South Jersey’s Voorhees office, a man stood in the rain holding a dog by the collar.

“When I opened the door I asked, ‘Do you need any help or anything?’ And he said, ‘I just found this dog out in the parking lot here.’ And he was trying to hand her to me, and I accepted because what else am I gonna do? I said, ‘It’s not yours?’ And he said no,” Condell recalled.

Mocha, a one-and-a-half-year-old pit bull and boxer mix, was found wandering the AAA South Jersey parking lot in the rain, according to the man who found her.

Not knowing what else to do, Condell took her home that night. Nearly two weeks later, he was taking Mocha – later renamed Maple -- home for good.

But back to that first night – Wednesday, March 27. Frank, a retail sales associate with AAASJ for nearly six months, took Maple to Chews Landing Veterinary Hospital to have her scanned for a microchip. That’s where this gets weird.

The Chews Landing staff located a microchip, but not Maple’s.

“It said she was a cat, a male cat. And they called the owner of the male cat and they said, ‘No, all my pets are here.’ So, we’re not sure what that was about,” Frank recalls.

So, no help there. Strangely enough, Animal Control and the Voorhees Animal Orphanage both were unable to find a microchip at all.

Seemingly unable to find Mocha’s owner, she was taken to Voorhees Animal Orphanage. According to New Jersey law, Maple had to stay for at least seven days in hopes of her owner coming to reclaim her.

A Facebook post by the Voorhees Animal Orphanage was shared 383 times, but with no luck. Despite an extensive search and outreach, no one came to the Voorhees Animal Orphanage to claim Maple.

“She is smart, loving and friendly. She likes other animals and may make a great new friend for your current fur baby. She walks nicely on a leash and enjoys a daily stroll. Mocha listens well and even knows a few commands. What’s not to love?!” Voorhees Animal Orphanage posted on Facebook.

After waiting the mandatory seven days, Frank decided to adopt Maple.

“I know it’s not my responsibility technically, but it feels like it. It feels like the right thing to do. I’ve also always wanted a dog, just circumstance hasn’t allowed for it. So, it kind of being thrown into my lap, it was like well I gotta take the opportunity,” he said.

On Friday, April 12, Frank took Maple home.

“The way she acts – I can’t fathom why someone would get rid of her, so it just feels like it was meant to be,” Frank said.

Frank has never had a dog. The 23-year-old currently has a pet hedgehog named Melffy. He’s a bit shy. Mocha? Not so much.

“She’s so sweet. All she wants to do is sit next to me or directly on top of me. Most of the time she wants to be a lap dog. All she wants to do is stay with us. Anywhere we go she’s right at our side. It’s adorable.”

About Voorhees Animal Orphanage
The Voorhees Animal Orphanage (“VAO”) is a 501-c-3, non-profit Municipal Animal Shelter dedicated to providing shelter, food and medical care to stray and unwanted animals until permanent homes can be found. We are an open-intake animal shelter serving 25 municipalities in Southern New Jersey, 21 of which are in Camden County. Although the Voorhees Animal Orphanage serves more than half of Camden County, NJ, we do not receive any operational or financial support from the County. The only income we receive are the monthly fees we receive from the municipalities that we serve, and adoption fees. Otherwise, we rely very heavily upon the generosity of charitable donations to help us meet our budget.

We are also an Adoption Center. That means when space allows, we are able to rescue cats & dogs from over-crowded, high-kill shelters and rescues. We work with local, regional and national shelters and rescue groups, saving lives wherever and whenever we can.

In 2023 we were able to save the lives of over 2,100 cats and dogs that made their way to our shelter. We have saved over 40,000 lives since our inception in 1988.

We do not discriminate against any breed, nor do we turn an animal away due to medical conditions or age. Each and every animal in our shelter receives individual consideration and attention, regardless of the number of animals we may have in our care.

We believe that every animal has the right home and family waiting for them. Our goal is to operate to meet or exceed a 90% live release rate (a.k.a., “No-kill”). In 2023, our live release rate was 94.3%!

We strive to be an exemplary shelter and adoption center through collaborative partnerships, responsible business practices, and exceptional customer service. It is our firm belief that working together, we can save more lives!