TOMS RIVER – The Toms River Animal Shelter has temporarily closed, meanwhile a deal is being worked out to transfer its operations to the county.
For months, the shelter has been a controversial topic. In January, staff were forbidden from accepting new animals. Additionally, the hours of operation were expanded and the adoption fees were dropped. Mayor Daniel Rodrick said at the time that the shelter would not be closing, and that the reason for these changes was to speed up the adoption of animals that were currently in the facility. Eventually, the facility started taking animals back.
The town reached out to the county to take control of the shelter. The Toms River Council and the Ocean County Health Department both agreed to start negotiations.
On June 6, the shelter was again closed to any new animals. All employees except one were put on administrative leave. The remaining one will be doing animal control for the town – which means responding to calls for stray dogs and other situations.
Just like in January, the public was not notified of the decision to stop accepting animals. Shelter advocates feared that people would still leave animals in cages or boxes outside the building, subjecting the animals to harm.
Rodrick has repeatedly said that the shelter was poorly run. Shelter supporters have repeatedly said that his claims were unsubstantiated and that things have changed with new management more recently.
“As I have stated numerous times before, the shelter was poorly run and not well equipped. It has always been the plan to go to the county. Toms River’s mismanagement of the shelter was a disservice to the animals and the taxpayers. The county is taking it over free of charge and we will be using the trust monies to upgrade the shelter,” he said.
The trust money he is referring to is $1 million that was left in a will to the shelter. There was much debate about what would happen to this money if the shelter changed hands.
Rodrick said he’s been in contact with members of the County Board of Health and they still want to move forward. The agreement doesn’t have to be in the form of a lease.
“The fact is the facility does not meet the Board of Health’s standards and must be shut temporarily for construction upgrades,” Rodrick said. “The glass cages are poorly ventilated. Currently dogs only get 30 minutes a day out of their cage, for exercise. That is because the facility doesn’t have dog runs. Dog runs are back doors with pathways to the outside. Once the facility has dog runs, kennel aids will be able to actuate the doors to let the animals out without entering the cage. This will increase the frequency that dogs will be let out, ensuring that the animals get proper exercise. As you can imagine, this is also very important with aggressive dogs. So it’s for the safety of staff as well. The county is also going to bring in a vet, which we do not have. So we will be upgrading the facility for that as well.”
What Happens To Animals?
In the wake of the June 6 decision to close the doors, animal shelter workers put out emergency calls to other shelters and rescue agencies to adopt.
“The remaining animals that were at Toms River were brought to the Jackson facility on Friday (June 7) and moving forward will be housed at one of the two county shelters,” said Brian Lippai, public information officer for the Ocean County Health Department which oversees the shelters. “We would also like to encourage anyone that may be adopting a pet to please consider visiting our two facilities in Manahawkin and (Jackson). We have so many adorable kittens ready and available for adoption not to mention wonderful cats and dogs.”
What Happens To The Building?
Toms River and the Ocean County Health Department are still in talks for the county to take the building over.
Petitions were signed by residents to recall the resolution that had the town enter into discussion. A resolution is a legal statement passed by the Township Council that orders something to happen or allows an action to take place. If it gets recalled, it means that the resolution would go back to the council. The council would then have to either repeal the resolution or put it to voters in November.
The petition needed a certain number of signatures for this to happen. It has not been publicly announced whether this was successful.
Rodrick’s move to close the doors and put the staff on leave was done administratively, without the Township Council. This is similar to a previous recall petition. Petitioners wanted to recall a cut in police positions. The petition was certified as having enough signatures. So, Council repealed the change, but then Rodrick made the changes administratively to negate the actions of the petitioners.
“As for operation of the Toms River shelter, the (county health department) will need to evaluate their facility to determine what it will need to bring it closer to the county standard and what the ideal conditions may be to continue to provide efficient care and comfort for the animals,” Lippai said. “One example is that there is a need for outdoor runs for dogs at Toms River and that is certainly something that would be addressed.”
There’s no set timetable on these improvements, he said. The other two shelters, in Jackson and Manahawkin, can handle the additional volume why construction takes place.
What Happens To Workers?
The employees will be receiving 45 days of pay and benefits, so it is unclear if there is any economic benefit to them being put on leave.
“As for staffing, we have already hired one former employee of the Toms River shelter and would certainly encourage any others to apply for a position with us,” Lippai said.
The town will still be responsible for animal control, he said. “The Ocean County Health Department acts only as temporary housing for the cats and dogs,” he said.
