Union County Animal Cruelty Officers Help Those Without A Voice

UNION COUNTY, NJ — Pets are regarded by many as a member of the family and it can be heartbreaking to see the conditions some animals are subject to. Yet officers at the newly formed Animal Cruelty subsection of the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Special Prosecutions Unit must endure seeing these tragic situations to be able to help animals who have no voice of their own.

The subsection was formed on May 1 in response to a change in legislation that transferred the power of investigating animal cruelty cases from the SPCA to the local county prosecutor’s offices.

Since Union County’s unit went into affect they have seen more than 20 cases of animal cruelty, said the assistant prosecutor assigned to the animal cruelty subsection, Patricia Cronin.

“Some of these cases resulted in only warnings to people, such as leaving a dog in a hot car for a couple of minutes,” Cronin said.

While some cases are much worse and have resulted in criminal charges. Since May, there have been six cases of hoarding where a total of 127 dogs and about 15 cats were rescued, Cronin and Sgt. and Chief Humane Law Enforcement Officer in Union County, Vito Colacitti recall.

“There was one in Roselle where 41 dogs were removed where every inch of the home was covered in fecal matter,” Cronin said. “It was not only unsanitary but there were so many dogs fighting for food, one was missing an ear, they were breeding constantly and the home was uninhabitable for humans, much less dogs. And the smell of ammonia was so bad.”

• See Related: Investigators In Hazmat Suits Rescue 40 Dogs From Roselle Home

Another heartbreaking case was when 13 dogs were found in Elizabeth in “horrible conditions,” Cronin recalls.

“One dog was found with 26 missing teeth and another dog with seven teeth rotting,” she said

• See Related: 52 Pets With Teeth, Hair, Skin Issues Rescued In Union County

“One other horrific case, probably the worst we handled was when we charged a man with running over a puppy and killing his dog, said Colacitti. “It was really heartbreaking.”

• See Related: Man Intentionally Ran Over Dog, Killing It In Hillside Lot: Cops

In each case, Cronin and Colacitti give overwhelming thanks to the shelters that have stepped up to treat, care and help adopt these animals in need. Many are nonprofits accruing high medical bills to treat the animals.

Shelters include:

• All Star Pet Rescue, Linden
• Best Friend Dog and Animal Adoption, Cranford
• Brendan’s Meadows Rescue, Mountainside
• Edison Municipal Animal Shelter
• Feline Rescue of Staten Island
• Lost Paws Animal Rescue, Pittstown
• Montclair Township Animal Shelter
• Puppy Love Pet Rescue, Roselle Park
• Second Chance Pet Adoption League, Oak Ridge
• St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, Madison
• The Last Resort Animal Rescue, West Milford
• Traveling Paws Animal Rescue, Cranford

“The shelters have all been tremendous and the local police departments have been great,” Colacitti said.

Many of the cases, the unit encounters are due to a lack of education. To try and help reduce the number of these cases in the future Cronin said they are working to develop an education plan with local shelters.

“In a lot of these situations maybe people don’t know or understand,” Cronin said. “They come from different places where people treat animals differently.”

Overall if a resident suspects animal cruelty they should contact their local police department and ask for the humane law enforcement officer.

(Image via Union County Prosecutor's Office)

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