Dear Editor:
Over the last month, the Liberty Humane Society (which takes in strays in Hoboken and Jersey City) has blocked adoptions, hindered volunteers from working with dogs (Fuller, Chase, Justice, and many others), and has decided to revert to its old style of “less managing and more euthanizing of dogs.” I am not just concerned with the dogs but the fact that, even on a shelter level, our officials can’t manage this facility properly and are going to hinder volunteer and rescue efforts. Already there has been major distrust and concern, and this will lead to the shelter being left alone to euthanize dogs and intimidate workers at taxpayers’ expense.
You may know of a dog, Justice, that had a minor issue and yet he never received any attention to correct it, even with the Monmouth SPCA and Lt. Erinspek requesting to take the dog on behalf of an adopter. One of the shelter directors, who was heard saying she didn’t like the dog, had it euthanized. Furthermore, once she made up her faulty decision (contrary to the evaluations by the ASPCA), no one was allowed to work with dogs she had targeted, thus closing the door on volunteers who can help.
She tried to put down another dog, Chase, but the dog lay down and they had to abandon the euthanasia. A couple came in to see another dog, Fuller, a fun dog that had good evaluations, but one of the directors interjected and even had the dog overly evaluated by the ASPCA. Volunteers were told on Aug. 22 that evaluations were unfair to Fuller, and that he should have been placed, but now his life is now in danger. This is not about public safety. It’s about foolishness, mismanagement and reducing dog populations by unfair killings.
Volunteers are no longer able to work with dogs. For most of us, we enjoy helping dogs with their bad habits and making them good pets, but Niki Dawson doesn’t care about this; it’s much easier to keep things simple. Don’t manage, just euthanize. People are wondering why dogs are being euthanized that have been deemed adoptable earlier.
As a volunteer and taxpayer, I don’t want to see a mismanaged shelter with a mission to help dogs become a corrupt wasteful facility that turns adopters and rescuers off, and kills dogs unfairly. The shelter has reported that many dogs were rescued, but I fear they are not reporting their operations ethically.
Why is it that the same players keep popping up, thwarting the full-bloom potential of the shelter? I ask for an investigation of the shelter and a citizen oversight committee ASAP. I ask also for a grand jury investigation into the shelter’s incorrect dog evaluations and practice of withholding the truth from the public and angering potential adopters. I also ask that many citizens do their best to call the freeholders and council members and demand LHS Board to resign and appoint people with management skills and a desire to protect animals and educate the public. Then, maybe, we will see Liberty Humane Society be the shelter others will respect.
Mike Porowitz