[Dailydrool] Letters needed - animal suffering at Associated Humane Societies, Newark, NJ

[Donna Funk]

**I received this information via e-mail today and I wanted to share. If
anyone can spare a few moments to write an e-mail or even just forward this
on to a few more people that would be something. The situation at this
animal shelter is appalling as you will clearly see if you view the photos
shown in the link below (removed). I will warn those of you with weak
stomachs that you may want to avoid looking at the photos as they are pretty
upsetting. This is not an shelter in some backwoods rural area of the
country. This is Newark, NJ.**

Please forward the below alert widely.

Dear companion animal advocates:

Several weeks ago I learned of appalling conditions at Newark's Associated
Humane Societies, documented by inspectors in the state health department,
Office of Animal Welfare. Under the Open Public Records Act, I obtained
copies of pictures and reports from July and August 2009 (attached), letters
from state health department veterinarian Colin Campbell to AHS director
Roseann Trezza, plus reports dating back to 2005 and one from 1996.

The pictures contain images that are, in my opinion, nothing short of
criminal neglect and abuse, and depict horrific suffering of animals in that
so-called shelter. In fact, I don't have the words right now to describe the
scenes of feces, infections, rotting dead animals, utter filth and more.
Plus, the dead cat and dog tossed haphazardly in shopping carts and left to
rot behind the building indicates not a shred of compassion was extended to
these animals even after they were killed! Their deaths were bereft of any
dignity.

Repeat violations indicated on the inspection reports include

. improper veterinary supervision

. injured and sick animals receiving no medical treatment

. animals being killed before the required 7-day holding period

. improper euthanasia protocols

. animals left sitting in runs saturated with feces and urine, causing skin
infections on their bodies and feet and,

many more serious infractions.

AHS has no foster homes program, doesn't allow volunteers (what does AHS not
want volunteers to see?), or holds off-site adoption events like other
shelters/pounds that go the extra mile to make adoptable dogs and cats
available to the public. Many potential adopters will not go to a run-down
area of Newark to adopt and without these critical programs, most of these
animals will never have a chance at finding homes.

According to a health department source, the AHS adopted out only 9% of its
cat population in 2008, meaning 91% died or were killed. These animals
deserve better than this!

And according to AHS's 990's (which are public record) this facility has a
$4 million annual budget and both Roseann Trezza and Terry Clark (who also
sits on the NJ SPCA's Board of Directors) annually earn, respectively,
around $125,000 and $110,000 to run this place. Clearly the photos and
high-kill rate of animals belie what is published in AHS newsletters, where
solicitations for donations to "help animals in need" generate even more
money. Animals are suffering while AHS and its leadership sit on large bank
accounts!

As if the 2003 SCI reports weren't bad enough, it now appears nothing has
changed for animals who have the misfortune to end up in the hands of the
Associated Humane Societies.

Link to AHS pictures (click on slideshow):

http://picasaweb.google.com/Libbywill1973/AssociatedHumaneSocietiesNewarkNJ7
3009#
<http://picasaweb.google.com/Libbywill1973/AssociatedHumaneSocietiesNewarkNJ
73009> 

Link to the 2003 State Commission of Investigations (SCI) report on
Associated Humane Societies:

Actual report, PDF, 153 pages: http://www.state.nj.us/sci/pdf/ahs.pdf

2003 Press Release: Waste and Abuse by Associated Humane Societies

http://www.state.nj.us/sci/pdf/ahspress.pdf

Statement of a former AHS volunteer

Animal advocates have been trying to force New Jersey's Associated Humane
Societies (AHS) to vastly improve conditions for the animals in their care,
for decades--all for naught. Even the 2003 State of New Jersey Commission of
Investigations report documenting deplorable conditions for the animals has,
apparently, not resulted in much, if any, improvement.

I can only testify to what I personally saw.

I was a volunteer at the Newark facility about 15 years ago. I witnessed
filthy, stinking dog runs. I witnessed lack of medical care for suffering
animals. I witnessed terrified, NON-feral cats housed in the open area with
feral cats (one whom I adopted, FIV+ Oscar, lived with me only a short-time
until he died from cancer).

The vet was forced to focus on paying customers, as the veterinary office
was also used as a for-profit veterinary facility. Fortunately, for the
animals, the veterinarian in charge, when I was there, was an animal
advocate and did all that she could to treat the animals and to make sure
that as many as possible were spayed/neutered. Most of the care that the
animals received was due to her diligence, not to AHS policy--in fact the
veterinarian had to fight with the powers-that-be to treat the animals. I
saw her treat animals who had been wounded (or become pregnant) WHILE at
Associated Humane. I adopted two cats who were about to be killed, because
they were FIV+. One of them lived very happily until last year.

I adopted/fostered many of the animals (dogs, cats, rabbits--who were housed
in a dark, dirty room that the public did not see--and guinea pigs), as did
the other volunteers, because we could not stand to see them suffer at AHS.
Of course, we could only take a small number of the hundreds of animals who
were housed there. One of the rabbits I adopted was missing a leg, but none
of the staff could tell me when/where/how she lost the leg--or even if it
happened while she was housed at AHS.

I also heard, from staff and volunteers, of pitbulls who had been stolen
from Associated Humane--in Newark, you can only imagine what horrors these
dogs faced.

When injured animals came in, the focus was frequently not on helping the
injured animal, but on using them to raise funds.

All of those who volunteered with me were as disgusted with conditions for
the animals as was I. I also spoke to volunteers who served before and after
me, whose experiences mirrored my own. I was fired as a volunteer when I
spoke out against the practice of feeding the animals as little as possible
(for reasons of stinginess, despite the large amount of donated food) and
against charging more (a LOT more) for purebred animals (as this promoted
the idea that purebreds are more desirable than mixed breeds).

As I never returned to AHS, I did not know whether conditions had improved.
I had told people who asked me, that I hoped they had. Sadly, this does not
appear to be the case.

--------------------------

--------------------------------

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Please contact the two state veterinarians who oversee the Office of Animal
Welfare, which is responsible for inspecting pet shops, kennels, shelters
and pounds. Ask why there has been no follow-up inspection of AHS since
August, and why the state didn't issue a failing grade after finding REPEAT
violations:

Colin T. Campbell, D.V.M., C.P.M.
Senior Public Health Veterinarian
Infectious & Zoonotic Disease Program
NJ Dept of Health and Senior Services
Email: colin.campbell at doh.state.nj.us

Faye E. Sorhage V.M.D., M.P.H.
State Public Health Veterinarian
Infectious & Zoonotic Disease Program
NJ Dept of Health and Senior Services
Email: faye.sorhage at doh.state.nj.us

Contact Matthew Boxer, NJ State Comptroller, and urge him to open an
investigation of Associated Humane Societies:
comptrollertips at osc.state.nj.us

Contact the NJSPCA Board of Trustees and demand the immediate dismissal of
Terry Clark from the Board:

frizzo at njspca.org; sygoldberg at njspca.org;sshatkin at njspca.org;
ryocum at njspca.org; Biermann at njspca.org; jhunker at njspca.org;
apeterson at njspca.org; mrayhill at njspca.org; avansavage at njspca.org;
K9getem at aol.com; Sherryrams at aol.com; avansavage at njspca.org



-- 
Melissa

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.dailydrool.org/pipermail/dailydrool-dailydrool.org/attachments/20091013/33543e8f/attachment-0002.htm>