Newark Animal Shelter Undergoes Inspection, Will 'Retrain' Staff

NEWARK, NJ -- New Jersey and Newark officials recently conducted an inspection of the Associated Humane Societies (AHS) facility in Newark, the shelter announced Tuesday. This is a developing story. Patch will post a follow-up article in the coming days.

On Tuesday, AHS Assistant Director Jill Van Tuyl issued the following statement:

"We are working closely with both agencies to ensure we are operating at the highest level we can so we may provide the best service possible to both the animals and the public. We look at this as an opportunity to review and improve our processes and to retrain established and new staff."

Van Tuyl added:

"There is some misinformation we'd like to clear up. Our medical clinic has NOT been shut down by the city or state for any violations. We have been informed by the state that the clinic must operate completely separately from the shelter if we wish to attend to the public's pets. This means all forms of payment, operating name of the clinic, etc. must be different from anything on the shelter side. After reviewing our ability to take appointments and the amount of service we can provide, we decided at this time that the animals at AHS would be better served if our medical team were able to concentrate solely on them. We will continue to offer services to the public on our mobile unit, for wellness exams, vaccinations and low cost spay/neuter."

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