Humane Society Reinstates Volunteer Program

The Associated Humane Societies announced on facebook this evening that the volunteer program at their Tinton Falls facility has been reinstated.

AHS announced the suspension of the program last Sunday, claiming that volunteers failure to follow protocol for handling animals housed at the shelter cause animal deaths and injuries to both animals and humans.

Asbury Park Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, a volunteer at the facility, called the claims by AHS “outrageous” and dubbed the management of the facility “apathetic” to both guests of the facility looking to adopt pets and the animals themselves. The volunteers was wage a PR campaign against the programs termination throughout the week.  A protest was scheduled for tomorrow at the facility.  It is unclear if the protest will happen, given the reinstatement.

Here is the statement posted today announcing the reinstatement of the program:

We are pleased to announce that our volunteer program at our Tinton Falls facility is up and running once again. We have revisited the volunteer policies, rules and procedures, and made some necessary changes. Going forward, we feel that the tools are in place to have a strong, dedicated group of volunteers that will add joy to the lives of our animals awaiting adoption, while following guidelines that will ensure the safety of all animals and humans involved.

Tinton Falls volunteers attended an orientation today and were back to walking dogs and socializing with cats by this afternoon. They are looking forward to working hand in hand with AHS staff to make our program successful. We will be holding more volunteer orientations in the coming weeks. During the brief pause in volunteer activity over these last few days, our AHS staff were more than happy to give extra attention to the animals in their care, which included walking dogs throughout the day. Pictured here are several of our Tinton Falls dogs enjoying some exercise today with staff and volunteers. More news on our volunteer program in AHS Tinton Falls will be coming soon. Thank you all for your patience and support.

Quinn told MMM that she was unaware that the volunteer program had be reinstated, but that she’s glad that the public pressure is working.

Asbury Park pays AHS over $50,000 per year to care for the city’s stray dogs and cats. Quinn said approximately 33 Monmouth County towns have similar arrangements.

Posted: April 17th, 2015 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Asbury Park, Monmouth County, Monmouth County News, Tinton Falls | Tags: Amy Quinn, Asbury Park, Associated Humane Societies, Monmouth County, Stray dogs and cats, Tinton Falls Animal Shelter | 1 Comment »

• Tweet

---