Animal Control Controversy In NJ Town Has Advocates Howling For Answers

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — What happens when a stray dog or cat is taken into custody in Irvington, New Jersey? That’s the thousand-dollar question – and the welfare of hundreds of animals hangs in the balance, advocates say.

An online petition is accusing the township of “neglecting” stray dogs and cats found in its borders, alleging that Irvington has been without a licensed impoundment facility since its contract with Aranwood Kennel in Mahwah ended in February 2024.

“This raises serious concerns not only for the welfare of stray dogs and cats in the community, but it is also a public health issue,” alleges the Change.org petition, which has gained more than 600 signatures.

Now, advocates are demanding more answers about who is in charge of animal control in Irvington – and what happens to the dogs and cats after they’re taken into custody.

Township administrators have since challenged several claims made in the petition (see their arguments below).

ANIMAL NEGLECT ALLEGATIONS

Last year, an animal control officer with Aranwood Kennel was arrested and charged with animal neglect after a dog was found near death at the facility. A customer who boarded their pet at the kennel heard whimpering coming from a dumpster and found a malnourished dog in a plastic bag – barely clinging to life.

Police eventually removed dozens of dogs from the property. Read More: NJ Kennel Went From Doggie 'Country Club' To Site Of Alleged Abuse

The business contracted with two towns to provide animal control services: Irvington and Plainfield. Each cut ties with Aranwood Kennel after the allegations were made public.

Musa Malik, the business administrator for Irvington, told Patch that township administrators investigated the situation at Aranwood Kennel, later determining that “they were not treating stray animals in accordance with the law.”

“That’s why we terminated the contract – we recognize that they weren't doing what they were supposed to do, and we didn't want any stray dogs or cats being subject to any inhumane conditions,” Malik said.

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

Taking care of stray and lost animals in Irvington is no small task.

Citing records obtained via an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request, advocates say that the township got 207 calls about stray dogs and cats in 2024 – a number that’s on pace again this year.

It’s a need that doesn’t come cheap.

“We know it's going to be well over $100,000, we just don't know what that top number is going to be,” Malik said when asked about the township’s estimated contract amount for animal control.

Advocates say they want more funding committed to the job, however.

“Irvington’s annual budget of $102,000 does not even begin to allow for contracting with a licensed impoundment facility,” their petition claims. “In 2020, the population of Irvington was 61,167. On average, a contract with a licensed impoundment facility costs approximately $4 per resident, which means that Irvington should be budgeting at least $250,000 per year for animal control rather than $102,000.”

FOSTERING A CONTROVERSY

So who is currently taking care of stray dogs and cats found in Irvington?

According to Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss, rescue teams and foster families are assisting the township with its animal holding needs for now.

Advocates have expressed concerns about the town’s claims, however, citing additional documents obtained via OPRA.

“Irvington claims to have ‘fosters’ who hold strays, but of the three dog fosters on the list, one has not taken dogs from Irvington in years nor do they have an active contract,” the petition charges. “The second ‘foster’ is located at an address that does not exist. The third ‘foster’ is a small veterinarian office that does not answer their phone.”

The petition continues:

“So where do all the lost dogs go? Many residents who have called the police about a stray have been told by police that the town does not have animal control, leaving the residents with no choice but to leave the animal where it is or if contained, release it back onto the street. If an owner is looking for their lost dog, who do they contact? The police call logs regarding stray animals do not indicate whether an animal was picked up or where they were taken. As a result, it is reasonable to assume that these animals are not being placed on the required seven-day stray hold (N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.16(a) and if they are, a stray hold is useless if residents do not know where to find their lost dog. This also indicates that sick and injured strays are not receiving medical care nor are any strays receiving the rabies vaccine, as required by law (N.J.S.A. 4:19‑15.2a).”

“Without a licensed impoundment facility to take stray dogs and cats, they roam the streets,” the petition says. “This puts residents in danger of being bitten, including bites from dogs and cats with rabies and other diseases. In addition, it leaves injured and sick dogs and cats out on the street. Without proper TNVR practices in place, the feral cat population only continues to grow, including feral sick and injured cats. This places stress on the local rescue community of volunteers, who, when possible, should only be stepping in as a supplement for a town with proper animal control practices, rather than doing all the work for the town.”

“This is unacceptable,” the petition argues. “How can an animal control officer do their job with no formal support system in place?”

GIMMIE SHELTER

Irvington wasn’t the only municipality left scrambling after the Aranwood Kennel allegations emerged.

Plainfield reassigned their animal control contract to Aranwood after the Plainfield Humane Society raised their rate to more than 500 percent the previous amount. After learning about the allegations against Aranwood Kennel, the city approved a temporary contract with Title Shot Kennels, a boarding and training facility in Rockaway.

Irvington has likewise been left in the lurch, officials have reported – but advocates say that the unexpected bump in the road is no substitute for action.

“The Township of Irvington should have immediately reached out to licensed impoundment facilities after their contract with Aranwood Kennels ended,” the Change.org petition argues.

The reply from town administrators? They did, spokespeople told Patch:

“Upon termination of the Aranwood Kennels contract, the township contacted various animal control service providers in 2024 – including the Plainfield Area Humane Society, the Bloomfield Animal Shelter, the East Orange Animal Shelter and the Associated Humane Societies – to provide emergency shelter services. We were advised at that time that these locations were at capacity and we could not be accommodated on an emergency basis. In addition, there were emails sent to Animal Control Solutions in 2024 and we were advised that emergency services were unavailable and we should inquire again in 2025, which we did. Thus, the township had no recourse but to take mitigation measures by implementing the foster process, and since the township was able to mitigate the loss of its animal shelter contract through this process, we were no longer able to use the emergency procurement process to secure a vendor. So, as required by law, the township advertised this contract and received no responses; none of the above-mentioned organizations submitted a response when we advertised this contract.”

After an anonymous complaint was lodged with the New Jersey Department of Health in February, the township replied with a letter to state officials with a similar statement.

“After terminating our contract with our previous shelter in March 2024, we sought assistance from the New Jersey Department of Health to secure a replacement facility,” the letter states. “Unfortunately, neighboring shelters and municipalities have been unable to accommodate our needs due to their own capacity constraints. Despite these challenges, we have continued working with licensed foster care providers and 501(c)(3) rescue organizations to ensure that all animals are handled in compliance with state and municipal regulations.”

The township’s letter acknowledges that under state law, municipalities must provide for the “impoundment, care and ultimate disposition” of stray animals.

“While we currently lack a dedicated shelter, our partnerships with rescue organizations and foster networks fulfill this legal obligation,” the letter said. “Furthermore, the township is actively exploring long-term solutions, including securing a permanent shelter or entering into agreements with neighboring municipalities to improve local animal control infrastructure.”

TOWN DISPUTES PETITION

Irvington town administrators have disputed several other allegations in the petition, including advocates’ claim about foster homes.

“According to the petition this claim is based solely on the absence of payments or a contract,” town administrators told Patch. “Please be aware that foster homes for strays do not require formal agreements nor compensation. This service is provided by dedicated residents whose priority is the care of the stray cat/dog, not compensation for this activity.”

The township also disputed the petition’s allegations about animals not being placed on the mandatory seven-day stray hold, saying that their OPRA requests don’t tell the whole story.

“The requester concludes that because the police call logs regarding stray animals do not indicate where the animal was picked up or where they were taken that this information does not exist,” spokespeople said. “However, the requester did not make requests of any other records, nor make a request to any other department. If the record request is for a call for service, then the records produced will only demonstrate the call for service – not additional information the requester claims was missing from the police records.”

“The requester also concludes residents do not know where to find their lost dog based simply on information she claims is not contained in police logs, without considering action taken by other departments in coordination with police activities to hold animals in accordance with the law – which Irvington has remained in compliance with through our department of health,” spokespeople added.

The claim that stray dogs and cats are “roaming the streets of Irvington” without medical care or rabies vaccinations is also false, township administrators told Patch.

Irvington has hosted two free rabies clinics for the public each year dating back to 2017, administrators said.

“There is no reason for us to provide free rabies vaccinations to the public, yet fail to vaccinate animals we capture and hold in accordance with the law,” they added.

Township administrators disputed another aspect of the petition: the claim that there are missing records of calls to police about stray dogs who have been contained by residents and required pick up by animal control.

“All 911 calls are recorded and logged electronically,” administrators said. “The police cannot delete or modify call logs to omit information from records produced via OPRA. If there is no log of a call for service regarding an animal, it is because there was no call for police assistance to address that matter.”

“Further, the function of animal control is to respond to animal related calls for service,” they added. “There is nothing unusual about an animal control officer picking up a stray animal which was contained by a resident. This happens every day in municipalities across New Jersey.”

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