Gary Konecky
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5 commentsPrint.More news about the Liberty Humane Society

December 7th, 2010 3:02 pm ET.Do you like this story?
During 2010 there has been a bitter battle for control of the Liberty Humane Society (LHS). Lawsuits and counter lawsuits have been filed by both sides in the dispute. Allegations of criminal conduct have been made by both sides. Now in the latest round of legal skirmishing, there is an unconfirmed report that Diana Jeffrey, a key person for those currently in control of LHS, has been charged with harassing a volunteer at the shelter.

This report comes days after rumors surfaced of a ringworm outbreak at LHS. The purported ringworm outbreak follows not one, but two failed inspections conducted earlier this year by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. Current shelter management blamed the failed inspections on prior management despite the fact almost all the violations related to day-to-day operations of the shelter. Violations current management of the shelter was cited for include:

? Incorrect sanitation procedures

? Lack of a supervising veterinarian

? Animals with communicable diseases not being separated from healthy animals

? Improper record keeping

? The facility not being in good repair

? Improper use of cages so as not to prevent injury to the dogs in the cages

? Improper storage of pet food that could result in contamination of the pet food

? Expired pet food

? Failure to control insects

? Failure to properly disinfect animal food receptacles

? Improperly stored medications including dewormers

? Expired medications

? Lack of proper cleaning of animal enclosures

? and a host of other violations.

Many of the same violations were cited in both failed inspections, inspections that were nearly two months apart. When I visited the shelter in person, many of the violations cited in the inspection reports were clearly present. A look at these violations clearly shows the animals at this facility are or have been needlessly exposed to injury, diseases, and life threatening conditions.

This is not some private animal shelter. This is not some crazy person with too many cats. This facility is the municipal pound for Jersey City and Hoboken. This shelter is taxpayer funded. Why are tax dollars being spent for this chamber of horrors? Why is it that despite documented deficiencies at this shelter, neither city has stepped in to oversee its operations?

Why is it that current shelter management seems preoccupied with filing SLAPP lawsuits and shutting down Facebook groups that seek to expose conditions at this shelter? Perhaps instead of worrying about their critics, current shelter management should spend some time looking after the animals in their care.

Over the years, including just last week, I have visited numerous animal shelters, including ones in:

?Wantagh, NY
?Middletown, NY (two shelters, one being the local pound)
?Port Jervis, NY (a local pound)
?Teterboro, NJ (the Bergen County Animal Shelter)
?Oakland, NJ
?Montclair, NJ (a privately run shelter serving as the local pound)
?Madison, NJ
?North Branch, NJ (a privately run shelter serving as the local pound)
?and others.
With the exception of the now closed shelter in Montclair, I have never seen any shelter with conditions as appalling as the conditions at LHS.

http://www.examiner.com/religion-soci ... he-liberty-humane-society