Newark Neglected 3 Pit Bulls Found Nearly Dead: Humane Societies

NEWARK, NJ — A family of abandoned, caged pit bulls were rescued after spending weeks trapped in their own filth in a Newark apartment earlier this month, authorities say.

That's the good news.

But although the stomach-wrenching case of animal abuse that took place on Wainwright Street has a happy ending, it also shines a light on a surprisingly unsteady relationship between Newark and New Jersey's largest animal sheltering system, the Associated Humane Societies (AHS).

It all began when the owner of an apartment building asked his cousin to look after the property in June, AHS-Newark Assistant Director Robert Russotti told Patch.

After the owner’s cousin found a family of three pit bulls left alone in one of the apartments, he discovered that the dogs’ guardian had moved out of the apartment a few weeks prior. The pet owner had left the canines – a mother, father and 3-month-old puppy – cruelly crammed into a single metal cage to fend for themselves.

The cousin called the city to alert them about the situation. There was no answer. He called again. Still no reply. And all the while, the pit bulls sat in their prison cell, wasting away.

Finally, on Saturday, July 7, the owner’s cousin called the AHS-Newark, which immediately sent animal control officers to the scene. Russotti was among the three ACOs who entered the apartment that day. What he found was shocking.

“There were three dogs in one cage… all of them were covered in feces and urine from head to toe,” Russotti recalled. The animals were starved and aggressive, he said.

“We got them out to the trucks, cleaned them up, hosed them down," Russotti said. "After a day or two they calmed down.”

The incident is under investigation, he said.

On Monday, July 9, the AHS published a post with photos about the abandonment case on their website and social media channel. (Story continues below)

DID NEWARK OFFICIALS KNOW ABOUT THE DOGS?

Although the city of Newark has its own animal control department and enforcement officers, it also has a long-standing agreement with the Humane Societies to provide part-time animal control services.

Here's how it breaks down: Monday to Friday during daylight hours, the duty of enforcing animal control in Newark falls to the city. When nights, weekends or holidays roll around, the gig becomes AHS’ responsibility.

But as it turns out, animals sometimes slip through the cracks.

Frank Baraff, a spokesperson with the City of Newark, provided Patch with a series of emails that confirm the municipal 4311 Non-Emergency Call Center was contacted about the situation on Wainwright Street at 12:11 p.m. on Monday, July 2.

According to city officials, the caller said that a tenant of theirs moved out and left three dogs in an apartment. There was no mention of animals in cages, however, the caller did say that the dogs were “malnourished and are going to die.” A service ID was created: #033718.

And that’s when a communication breakdown took place.

“There was only one call noted in the computer system during the week of [Monday, July 2 to Friday, July 6], or prior weeks,” city officials wrote in an email about the incident. “The computers were down, and during a roll over from window 7 to window 10, prevented the assigned animal control officer from seeing the call in the system, otherwise, he would have responded.”

“It is our standard protocol not to enter a private dwelling unless escorted by the Newark police,” city officials added.

Five days later, the dogs were still in their cage. Luckily, the story ends well, according to the Humane Societies:

“Mom, dad and puppy were brought to AHS-Newark where they were checked out in the medical department, cleaned up, given a good meal and made very comfortable. They are still very shaken up by their horrid ordeal, but we are hopeful that they will all make a full recovery and will soon be ready to start their lives over again in proper homes, where they will receive all of the love and good care that they deserve.”

But the AHS couldn’t resist taking a jab at Newark officials in their version of the story – which got hundreds of shares on Facebook:

“The City of Newark Animal Control was called, but they never responded, never came out to help."

'JUST WORKING OUT THE KINKS'

The AHS officers who responded to the scene were blunt about the issue: the lag in response time almost doomed a family of pit bulls.

In an email to multiple city administrators on the afternoon of July 11, Russotti wrote:

“[The landlord’s cousin] advised us that he called Newark Animal Control several times over a 2 to 3-week period and Newark did not respond (apparently because it was a private 3rd floor apartment). We were not previously notified. When we were notified on July 7, we responded with three officers including myself and were able to save the animals and they are doing well in our custody. The case is currently under investigation.”

Russotti added:

“I understand that Newark may have certain protocol restricting access to private property, but please, in the future, if you are aware of such a situation, please at least notify us, in the event you cannot immediately respond, especially when dogs’ lives are in dire jeopardy. These three dogs could easily have died. Thank you for your understanding, Rob.”

Solomon Jones, an administrator with the city, wrote back:

“Again, thank you for bring this incident to my attention. We are very pleased that all the animals were rescued and coming along in good health. In addition, we will seek to further research the incident… Again we thank you and your staff… We will hopefully avoid any future similar incidents.”

Russotti thanked Jones for his reply in a follow-up email:

“Thank you, Mr. Jones. I do appreciate your efforts and I am sure we will soon all be working together for the same cause without further issues. ‘Just working out the kinks.’ In the end this is for the welfare of the animals, and the safety of the public.”

AHS-NEWARK: WORKING WITHOUT A CONTRACT

The Humane Societies' jab at the city came at a turbulent time in the organization’s history.

The nonprofit is currently working without a contract and with a “conditional” city license at its flagship facility in Newark. It’s operating under the previous terms of the agreement “as a courtesy,” according to Russotti.

City officials provided the following update about Newark’s contract situation with AHS last week:

“The most recent contract with AHS ($675,000 per year at a per capita rate of $2.50) was set to expire January 31, 2018. It was extended in March and again in April at a reduced per capita rate of $2.25. Per a court ruling (sometime in April or May), AHS was granted their request to have their per capita rate increased to $3.50 effective May 2018. An emergency contract between the city and AHS is pending for April through June 2018. We will need to request an extension on that emergency (once it is declared) to cover July, etc. The delay is that AHS has not provided the required forms necessary to execute the emergency.”

Here’s what Newark’s recently expired contract with the Humane Societies calls for:

• Animal Sheltering - 24 hours, 7 days a week (includes feeding, watering and exercising of animals)
• Medical treatment services for animals as needed
• Crematory services for animals as required
• Animal Pickup Services (“Dead or Alive”) - 24 hours, 7 days a week on weekends and holidays (on an emergency basis at the request of the city)
• Animal Pickup Services – From 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. (on an emergency basis at the request of the city)

In addition to its Newark facility, the AHS, which describes itself as "largest animal sheltering system in New Jersey," also maintains shelters in Forked River and Tinton Falls.

According to 2016 intake report data obtained by the NJ Animal Observer blog, AHS-Newark is paid to provide animal control and holding/impounding services to Belleville, Carteret, Clark, Fanwood, Hillside, Newark, Irvington, Linden, Fairfield, Plainfield, Roselle, Rahway and Winfield Park.

The contract uncertainty in Newark comes after a scathing public outcry about alleged animal abuse at the AHS’ Evergreen Avenue facility in August 2017.

• See related article: NJ Inspectors Find Grim Violations At Newark Animal Shelter

During a state-led inspection of the shelter – which also included Newark city officials – New Jersey Department of Health inspectors reported a medley of violations that included:

• Bags of animal carcasses left laying outside the building
• Sick animals with bloody urine, diarrhea, vomiting, Kennel Cough and nasal discharge
• Dogs and cats kept in cramped, dark enclosures without exercise

In an interview with Patch after the August inspection, an AHS spokesperson said that its staff was trying their best to bring the facility up to code. However, during a follow-up visit to the AHS-Newark on Oct. 20, inspectors allegedly found:

• Incomplete and inaccessible animal intake records, including euthanasia records
• Aggressive dogs, bite-hold dogs, and court-hold dogs housed in the basement with inadequate ventilation and insufficient cage space
• Several animals displaying “signs of communicable disease or illness” that were not provided with basic veterinary care
• Numerous animals throughout the facility left without water
• An excessive amount of medical waste that was being stored improperly at the facility

Almost a year after the August 2017 inspection, repairs at the AHS-Newark facility are still ongoing, city officials recently told Patch.

Baraff stated last week that the city can’t upgrade AHS’ “conditional” license status until all its previous violations have been abated. This includes painting and scrapping of the dog kennels, which is expected to be completed “by the end of July.”

HUMANE SOCIETIES: 'WE'RE MAKING A LOT OF CHANGES'

The allegations of abuse at AHS-Newark have caused a shakeup at the top of the organization.

In the wake of the 2017 inspections at AHS-Newark, former Executive Director Roseann Trezza was hit with eight criminal counts of animal cruelty and eight civil counts of animal cruelty.

"The NJSPCA Humane Police will continue to work with our partners to monitor the situation at the shelter to make sure conditions continue to improve," authorities stated.

• See related article: Head Of NJ's Busiest Animal Shelters Charged With Cruelty

The NJSPCA’s pledge wasn’t enough for some local animal rights activists.

“Oh no, not again!” the Pet Watch New Jersey blog wrote after the 2017 inspections at AHS-Newark. “Same old excuses as last time, and the time before that.”

In October 2017, several sources familiar with the shelter alleged that Trezza ordered volunteers to sign a gag order and refrain from posting about the shelter on social media if they wanted to continue to work with the dogs at Associated Humane Society in Newark.

A September petition to remove Trezza and "stop the killing" gathered more than 4,600 signatures on Change.org. Another petition titled "Roseann Trezza needs to resign from the Newark Associated Humane Society" has gathered almost 10,000 signatures.

In May, the NJSPCA – which has seen its own recent troubles – reported that Trezza may eventually be allowed to return to her position as part of a plea deal that dismissed 16 counts of animal cruelty against her.

For now, Russotti – the AHS-Newark’s assistant director – is the person at the top of the corporate structure in the Brick City, although he emphasized that he answers to the nonprofit’s board of directors.

“We’re making a lot of changes here,” he told Patch in a phone interview last week. “In the future I think it will be very positive.”

• See related article: 5 Adorable Dogs To Adopt In Newark (PHOTOS)
• See related article: Newark Pet Stories: 'The Sweetest 110-Pound Monster I Ever Met'

However, some community activists don't share Russotti's optimism.

On Thursday, NJ Animal Observer blogger Alan Rosenberg wrote that AHS-Newark's 2017 shelter statistics were "absolutely horrible." Citing data from the NJ Department of Health's recently released Animal Intake and Disposition Survey, Rosenberg said that AHS-Newark killed 415 dogs, or 25% of the dogs who had "known outcomes" last year.

The situation is also bleak for many cats.

“AHS-Newark killed 500 cats or 36% of cats who had known outcomes last year," he stated.

Learn more about the Newark Animal Control Bureau here. Make animal control enforcement and pickup requests at (973) 733-6294 or joness@ci.newark.nj.us

Learn more about the AHS here. Contact them with shelter or animal control requests in Newark at (973) 824-7080 or info@ahscares.org

Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: YouTube / Andrew Ramos

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