Montclair Animal Shelter: How Many Adopted, Euthanized?

MONTCLAIR, NJ — How many animals entered the Montclair Animal Shelter last year? And how many were adopted and euthanized?

Every year, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) conducts a voluntary survey among the state’s licensed animal shelters and pounds. This document – the “Shelter/Pound Annual Report” – includes the numbers of intakes, adoptions and euthanasias performed at the facility that year.

Earlier this month, the NJ Animal Observer blog posted the 2017 shelter statistics for each individual shelter, which were obtained via the state’s Open Public Records Act. Read the full post here and see the totals for the Montclair shelter below.

MONTCLAIR ANIMAL SHELTER

• Overall Capacity - 26 dogs; 100 cats; N/A others
• Intakes – 236 dogs; 303 cats; 24 others
• Adopted – 112 dogs; 232 cats; 6 others
• Euthanized – 2 dogs; 17 cats; N/A others
• Reclaimed By Owner – 59 dogs; 10 cats; 1 others
• Transferred To Other Shelters/Pounds – 53 dogs; 22 cats; 16 others
• “Other” (ie: died, escaped, TNR) - N/A dogs; 38 cats; 0 others
• Holds Contracts With - provided ACO and holding/impounding services to Montclair, Nutley

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: THINGS TO CONSIDER

Patch reached out to the NJDOH, asking what readers should keep in mind as they review the data from 2017. According to State Public Health Veterinarian Colin Campbell:

“This is a voluntary survey of New Jersey impoundment facilities and may not include responses from the management of all such facilities in New Jersey. Facilities that were operating during the survey year but did not report to the Department of Health are listed with zero animals impounded.”

In addition, some animal shelter workers caution that the annual shelter/pound reports may not tell the entire story… and in some cases may be outright inaccurate.

Montclair Animal Shelter Director Liz Morgan told Patch that a shelter’s totals may include “wildlife” such as birds, which would be included in the “other” category. In addition, a shelter’s euthanasia totals might include animals who arrived at the facility “beyond medical intervention.”

Morgan said that there’s another factor to consider when looking at the 2017 shelter statistics: a digital divide.

For example, the Montclair shelter uses a software program called PetPoint to keep track of the data that it eventually sends to the state DOH for its annual report. With the aid of the program, every incoming animal gets assigned a unique identification number, making it a snap to compile data on overall adoption and euthanasia numbers.

However, many “smaller government shelters” that can’t afford such software are still compiling their records on pencil and paper, making them far less accurate, Morgan said.

“I’ve seen some of these stats from other shelters… there’s some really bizarre stuff that absolutely can’t be accurate,” Morgan said. “If you do the basic math, it doesn’t add up.”

The problem with possible inaccuracy is also noted by the NJ Animal Observer blog, which wrote:

“Most New Jersey animal shelters do not properly account for their animals. Simple math dictates the number of animals at a facility at the beginning of the year, plus all animals coming in during the year, less all animals leaving for the period, should equal the number of animals a shelter has at the end of the year. Stunningly, 59 out of 93 shelters reporting these dog statistics and 60 out of 91 facilities submitting this cat data failed to get this right.”

One of these shelters is the Associated Humane Societies, which confirmed to Patch that the totals for 2017 were handled “improperly" at their Newark facility.

Roseann Trezza, the current executive director of the AHS’ sister facilities in Tinton Falls and Forked River, released the following statement on Wednesday:

“With regard to the [Newark] shelter statistics, the assistant director who was handling that task did so improperly and we are still trying to correct the matter. That assistant director is no longer in our employ.”

Trezza – who is serving a two-year suspension from operations at the AHS Newark facility following charges of animal cruelty – said that executive assistant Karen Powell, who works out of Newark, is now involved in correcting the 2017 statistics.

Assistant Executive Director Robert Russotti told Patch that the data utilized was from years 2016 and 2017, and based upon that data, the AHS staff prepared the Newark survey “to the best of their abilities and knowledge.”

The AHS is working to improve all aspects of the Newark branch going forward, Russotti said.

• See related article: Essex County Shelters Euthanized Most Dogs In New Jersey For 2017

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