New Jersey Animal Shelter Operating Without License Amid Repeated Violations

Following 3 consecutive failed inspections and repeated allegations of neglect, a New Jersey animal shelter is currently operating without a license.

The laundry list of violations the independently run shelter in Newark received included deplorable conditions, kennels in severe disrepair, sick animals not receiving basic veterinary care, and failure to have a supervising veterinarian establish an adequate health care program.

The Newark facility is 1 of 3 locations in the state owned by Associated Humane Societies, and it serves as animal control for the city and 13 nearby municipalities.

The current violations are just the most recent in a string of failed inspections the Newark shelter has received dating back to the mid-1980s. A scorching 2003 report conducted by New Jersey’s State Commission of Investigation references numerous historical violations specific to the Newark shelter, including instances of obviously sick animals housed with healthy ones, cages frequently filthy, and rampant disease.

Following an anonymous complaint, local and state health officials conducted an initial joint inspection of the facility on August 22 that resulted in 40 violations. Two subsequent inspections noted improvements, but the shelter still failed to meet proper licensing requirements with the state.

In September, Associated Humane Societies published a response to the severity of the inspection’s findings on its Facebook page. “We look at this as an opportunity to review and improve our processes and to retrain established and new staff,” wrote Jill Van Tuyl, assistant director and Associated Humane Societies spokesperson.

More recently, Van Tuyl spoke with nj.com, acknowledging that the shelter’s conditions are unacceptable and promising that staff was working to rectify the repeated violations.

"It's an old building that has a lot of issues and we're doing our best to make sure any deficiencies with regard to the facility are rectified," she said.