AR-News: (US-NJ) Camden County-no action for shelter animals

[CompassionForCam at aol.com]

Compassion for Camden UPDATE

June 18, 2004
Camden County NJ

by Marion Churchill
Compassion for Camden
Cherry Hill, NJ
856-751-1571


Freeholders Drag Feet Awarding Contract
    
Based on our appeal, and surely for reasons of their own, <A HREF="http://www.camdencounty-nj.org/county.html">Camden County 
freeholders</A> asked for competitive bids for the operations and management of the 
Camden County Animal Shelter. On January 30, 2004, two organizations forwarded 
their proposals to county purchasing. One, of course, came from the current 
contractor called the Humane Society of Southern New Jersey. The group is 
notoriously known for its history of <A HREF="http://www.pawsnj.org/license.html">extremely high kill rates</A> and <A HREF="http://www.banpoundseizure.org/ethics.shtml">pound seizure</A> (the 
illegal use of shelter animals for experimentation). The group is headed by 
politically connected <A HREF="http://www.pawsnj.org/hssnj.html#perr">Richard J. Perr, Esq.</A>, of the law firm <A HREF="http://www.finemanbach.com/">Fineman, Krekstein &
 Harris</A>, Philadelphia, PA/Haddonfield, NJ.

For detailed information regarding the history of the Camden County Animal 
Shelter see <A HREF="http://www.pawsnj.org/">http://www.pawsnj.org/</A>and <A HREF="http://www.compassionforcamden.org/">http://www.compassionforcamden.org/</A>




The other bid was handed in by the Animal Welfare Society of Camden County, a 
group of caring professionals with business savy who underbid Perr and 
company by some $30,000. But the most important ingredients of their all-around 
expert package is their proven ability to save lives and a determination to make 
aggressive changes for the future. Freeholders, however, don’t seem to be in 
any rush. The successful bidder may not be announced for months to come - right 
or wrong.





HSUS finds plenty wrong with current vendor



The <A HREF="http://www.hsus.org/ace/352">Humane Society of the United States</A> (HSUS) was commissioned by Camden 
County government to engage in an evaluation of the shelter. This service cost 
Camden County taxpayers some $20,000.

The HSUS study was pre-announced and the team completed its tour of the 
facility in October of last year. <A HREF="http://pawsnj.org/hsus/">The report</A> was released in February. Not 
surprisingly, Camden County freeholders did not make the report public. We obtained a 
copy via <A HREF="http://www.nj.gov/opra/">Open Records </A>request and quickly forwarded it to the media.
    
The 141-page report reinforced public outcry of unprofessional and inadequate 
shelter management on nearly every page. It pointed to everything from 
improper animal care to fire violations. But, the most depressing and saddest was 
the lack of clinical knowledge regarding the killing of animals. For the full 
report see: <A HREF="http://www.pawsnj.org/hsus/">www.pawsnj.org/hsus/</A>



On February 20, 2004 the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote: “The Camden County 
Animal Shelter was not caring for its animals as quickly as it should have, record 
keeping was incomplete and disorganized, and parts of the shelter were 
cluttered and dirty.” 



But Richard Perr, Esq. seemed idiotically overjoyed and stated to the paper: “
We’re extremely pleased to have an outside auditor to come in and evaluate 
the operation…from soup to nuts.”





Freeholders chime in



The Camden County freeholders of course had something to say, too. Here’s one 
example of their deceptive letters: “Camden County cares deeply about the 
health and safety of the animals within its borders....Camden County is a leader 
in the field of animal sheltering. We have taken an active role in providing a 
modern, clean, safe and compassionate animal shelter for the animals that 
have been entrusted to our care. We will continue to do so, always striving for 
excellence.”–Laurelle A. Cummings, Freeholder



Draw your own conclusions, keeping in mind that too many politicians see the 
public as suckers. Their greatest joy is robbing and misleading the masses, 
letting things “die on the vine” and providing for their own to ensure that the 
cycle continues.    

    

For the full report, action alert and sample letter please see: 
http://compassionforcamden.org/newsletter/2004_spring/2004_spring.html
    
    










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