Companion Animal Advocates NJ

08/30/2026

WHEN THE TRENTON MUNICIPAL PRACTICE CONFLICTS WITH NEW JERSEY LAW

Two cats were left in an apartment after a court-ordered eviction. The former tenants reportedly returned for their belongings but left the cats behind and could no longer be reached. The cats were allegedly living amid accumulated urine and f***s, without an apparent litter box or reliable provisions.

Animal control initially declined to impound them. The shelter manager later forcefully defended that decision, arguing that a 24-hour notice should have been posted because the cats appeared fed and hydrated and no sheriff’s officer was present.

👉That position does not appear consistent with the applicable law.

N.J.S.A. 2A:18-75 states that a landlord “shall allow an animal control agency or humane society to remove any abandoned pets or livestock.” It does not require a sheriff to remain present or abandoned animals to remain during the ordinary personal-property notice period.

N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.16(a)(5) requires the appointed ACO to impound an animal that is off its owner’s premises and is reported or observed to threaten public health, safety, or welfare, or interfere with the enjoyment of property.

Trenton Code § 21-44 contains a 24-hour notice provision, but it applies to correcting violations under the city’s local humane-treatment article. It does not expressly apply to:
• Animals abandoned after an eviction;
• Animals whose owners no longer possess the premises;
• Removal under N.J.S.A. 2A:18-75; or
• Impoundment independently required by N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.16.

‼Posting notice at an apartment the former tenants could no longer legally occupy would not protect the cats or correct the conditions. A municipal ordinance cannot narrow or postpone a mandatory state-law duty.

Temporary feeding by the property manager did not transfer ownership or disprove abandonment. N.J.S.A. 4:22-20(b) prohibits abandoning a domesticated animal; it does not require the animal to become sick, dehydrated, or close to death.

The cats were eventually impounded, but only after persistent intervention by animal advocates! The serious concern is the initial refusal and the shelter manager’s continued insistence that leaving them behind was correct.

Animals should not be forced to remain abandoned in urine and f***s because a municipality applies a local notice provision beyond its apparent legal scope. How could anyone know if they needed medication or were silently suffering in pain? If they needed diabetic or seizure medications?

💥If you find this unacceptable and outrageous, respectfully contact:
🐾Dr. Carlos Diego Minacapelli
Director, Trenton Health and Human Services
609-989-3332
[email protected]
🐾Mayor W. Reed Gusciora
609-989-3030 (or call the number using the CALL NOW button)
[email protected]

Ask the City to:
• Ensure abandoned animals are promptly assessed and impounded under New Jersey law;
• Review and correct any policy that improperly delays impoundment; and
• Hold the shelter manager accountable for defending a response that would have left abandoned cats living in urine and f***s, and determine whether her statements and actions reflect the judgment, concern for animal welfare, and knowledge of the law required of a municipal shelter manager.

THE LAW:
Trenton Code § 21-44:
[https://ecode360.com/30502775]
N.J.S.A. 2A:18-75:
[https://pub.njleg.gov/bills/9899/PL99/340_.PDF]
N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.16:
[https://www.nj.gov/health/vph/animal-control/its-the-law/]

08/29/2026

🚨FOLLOW THE POWER, NOT JUST THE PROBLEM. 🚨

Animal advocacy should never be about whom you like or dislike. It should always be about the animals. 🐾

Stop attacking shelter employees because you disagree with them, have a personal history with them, or simply do not like them. Personal conflicts, grudges, rumors, and personality disputes do not improve conditions for animals.

🎯 Focus on the people who can actually fix the problem, not the workers at the shelter!
❓ Who has the authority to take action?
💰 Who controls the budget?
🏥 Who can approve additional staff, improve resources, or create plans to increase the shelter’s capacity for care?
📢 Who gives the marching orders to those who run the shelter?
⚠️ Who can demand corrective action but chooses not to?
🚫 Who knows there is a problem but hides behind excuses, shifts responsibility, or claims nothing can be done?

➡️Those are the people advocates should be questioning.

🐾When a shelter is understaffed, underfunded, overcrowded, poorly equipped, or operating without adequate resources and support systems, frontline employees usually cannot authorize the changes needed to correct those conditions.

⚖️✋ There is an important exception: If the person in charge of the shelter is not following the law, that must be documented and addressed immediately.
🛑💥 Other than that, unless they are setting the protocols that are not working, the complaints should be to the appropriate authority!

👉The administration must require the shelter to correct the violation and operate in compliance with the law. If the administration knows about the violation but fails to intervene, require corrective action, or ensure compliance, the administration must also be held accountable.

👫Shelter employees can identify problems. Managers can recommend solutions. Advisory committees can provide input.

💵But mayors, council members, Directors of Health, municipal administrators, department directors, and governing bodies hold the real power. They control the funding, staffing, contracts, policies, leadership, resources, and overall direction of the shelter. They can issue directives, require corrective action, and provide the resources necessary to improve conditions.

💰 “We do not have the money” cannot be the automatic answer to every problem.

‼Not every meaningful improvement requires a large appropriation. There are many creative, collaborative, no-cost or low-cost ways to improve shelter systems, expand community support, recruit volunteers, strengthen foster and rescue partnerships, improve communication, organize resources, develop procedures, and help animals.

🐾A lack of imagination, planning, collaboration, or leadership should not be disguised as a lack of money.

💥If officials have the authority to fix a problem but repeatedly fail to act, they must be held accountable.

🚫They should not be permitted to hide behind budget excuses, pass responsibility from one department to another, or allow frontline employees to become the targets for failures created or tolerated at the highest levels of government.

📌 Legitimate concerns must be supported by facts, not opinions, personal grudges, or unresearched recommendations. And they should be directed to the person or agency with the authority to investigate, correct the problem, and impose accountability.

Accountability is not personal harassment.

Ask the most important questions:
🔥 WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE THIS BETTER?
🔥 AND WHY HAVE THEY FAILED TO DO IT?

Do not accept endless excuses, finger-pointing, or claims that no one is responsible. Identify who has the power to act, what that person knew, when that person knew it, and what action was, or was not, taken.
📄 Document the conditions with FACTS.
🔎 Request the records.
💵 Examine the budget.
🏛️ Attend public meetings.
📣 Question decisionmakers with evidence-based FACTS.
✅ Demand measurable action.

✊ If politely asking is not working, keep showing up until the system changes.

Keep personalities and personal disputes out of animal advocacy. Focus on the facts, the animals, and the people with the authority and responsibility to act.

🚫 Do not simply point at the problem.
⚡ FOLLOW THE POWER. ⚡
📢 SHOW UP. SPEAK UP. 🐾

08/24/2026

🚦 💥💥ALERT - VIRTUAL COURT INFORMATION 🚦 💥💥

⚖️Topic: Franklin Joint Municipal Court

📆Time: September 11, 2026, 8:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) -⏰ 8:30 AM - NOT 10:00 AM!!!

🐾You may use the link provided below to join the session.
🐾When joining Zoom please use your FIRST and LAST name as your Display Name.
🐾When joining Zoom, please connect Video, otherwise the Judge will not be able to hear you. MUTE YOUR AUDIO, as advocates should be quiet and respectful!
🐾If you are dialing into the session, please use the Dial by Location phone number listed below.
🐾Please be patient while waiting.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/93262394741?pwd=vLMyO989FTDqc0aYbUbZFPTjluXvL0.1

Meeting ID: 932 6239 4741
Passcode: 274358

Dial by your location
• +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

AND....
Let's continue to call or email the prosecutor asking that the charged not be downgraded or dismissed.

📧 Please keep all communications respectful, factual, and focused on the evidence and the importance of a fair prosecution.

Christopher Ross, Esq.
Municipal Prosecutor
📩 Email: [email protected]
☎️ Phone: (856) 223-9990

🐾 Justice depends on the fair application of the law and a full consideration of all of the evidence. Poet deserves nothing less.

08/21/2026

🚨🚨ADOPTERS BEWARE ----- BEFORE ADOPTING FROM THE TRENTON ANIMAL SHELTER 🚨🚨

⚠️ IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT ADOPTING FROM THE TRENTON ANIMAL SHELTER OR TAS, ASK ABOUT THIS BEFORE YOU TAKE A DOG HOME. ⚠️

🐾 TAS previously had a written “NO FAULT RETURN POLICY.”
It specifically said:
👉“We understand that the adoption may not work and that’s fine!”

The OLD policy allowed the animal to be returned and provided that TAS would work to find the adopter a better match within 30 days.

❤️ That policy recognized something every responsible adoption program should understand:
👉SOMETIMES A DOG AND A HOME ARE SIMPLY NOT THE RIGHT MATCH.

🚨🚨 BUT SOMETHING APPEARS TO HAVE CHANGED UNDER THE NEW SHELTER MANAGEMENT. 🚨🚨

Less than THREE WEEKS after an adoption, an adopter sought to return a dog following an extremely serious incident involving another household pet.
The Shelter Manager’s response?
❌ “We are unable to take her back into the shelter.”
The adopter was also told:
⚠️ “Part of bringing home an animal is consideration of the animals already in the home.”
⚠️ “I strongly suggest keeping the cats and dog separated.”
⚠️ “She should reach out to a trainer or if she no longer wants to work with her then they should reach out to the rescue list.”

🚩🚩🚩 READ THAT AGAIN.

The prior written TAS policy said:
✅ “WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE ADOPTION MAY NOT WORK AND THAT’S FINE!”

Now an adopter trying to return a dog LESS THAN THREE WEEKS LATER was told:
❌ “WE ARE UNABLE TO TAKE HER BACK INTO THE SHELTER.”
🚨 WHEN DID IT CHANGE? - The new shelter manager?
🚨 WHO CHANGED IT? - The new shelter manager?
🚨 ARE ADOPTERS BEING TOLD ABOUT THIS BEFORE THEY TAKE A DOG HOME?
🚨 AND IF THE 30-DAY NO FAULT RETURN POLICY HAS NOT CHANGED, WHY WAS THIS ADOPTER REFUSED?
But there is another serious problem here.

🚩 The Shelter Manager’s response appears to shift the blame and responsibility onto the adopter.

WHERE WAS THE SHELTER’S RESPONSIBILITY?
🐕 TAS had custody of the dog.
📋 TAS had the dog’s history.
📑 TAS had behavioral assessments BEFORE the adoption.
🏠 TAS had the opportunity to determine whether this dog was appropriate for this particular household and environment.
✅ TAS APPROVED THE ADOPTION.

A shelter has a HUGE RESPONSIBILITY in matching the RIGHT DOG with the RIGHT HOME. That responsibility does NOT disappear the moment the adoption paperwork is signed. ❌

🚨An adopter has responsibilities.
SO DOES THE SHELTER. 🚨

⚠️⚠️⚠️ BEFORE ADOPTING FROM TAS:
❗ GET THE CURRENT RETURN POLICY IN WRITING.
❗ ASK whether TAS will take the dog back if the adoption fails within 30 days.
❗ ASK to review the available behavioral assessments and history.
❗ ASK specifically about compatibility with cats, dogs and children.
❗ ASK how TAS determined that the dog is appropriate for YOUR home.
❗ DO NOT ASSUME the former 30-day No Fault Return Policy will be honored.

🐾❤️ WANT TO ADOPT A DOG IN MERCER COUNTY?
Consider EASEL Animal Rescue League or the Hamilton Township Animal Shelter & Adoption Center Both are minutes away from the Trenton Animal Shelter.

There are wonderful dogs waiting for homes. ❤️🐕🐾

👉Adoption should NEVER be about simply getting another dog OUT THE DOOR.
It should be about getting the RIGHT DOG into the RIGHT HOME; and standing behind that placement when it doesn't work.

🚨🚨 ADOPTERS HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES.
🚨🚨SHELTERS DO TOO.
⚠️ ASK QUESTIONS.
⚠️ REVIEW THE RECORDS.
⚠️ GET THE RETURN POLICY IN WRITING.

08/20/2026

🚨🐾 NEW JERSEY — WE NEED YOUR HELP 🐾🚨

A sick or injured animal should NEVER be left to suffer because Animal Control refuses to respond. 💔🐕🐈

Yet we continue to hear reports of people calling for help for animals who are injured, seriously ill, or in obvious distress, only to be told Animal Control will not respond, will not pick up the animal, or will come “later.” 🚨

⏰ For a suffering animal, “later” can mean HOURS of unnecessary pain.

💔 It can mean an injured animal left on the street.
💔 It can mean a sick animal deteriorating while someone desperately searches for help.
💔 Sometimes, help comes too late.

🚨 ENOUGH STORIES. WE NEED DOCUMENTATION. 🚨
The Canine Corner and Companion Animal Advocates, NJ are collecting reports from across New Jersey involving sick or injured animals for whom Animal Control allegedly refused, failed, or significantly delayed assistance.

🐾 Did an ACO refuse to respond?
🐾 Were you told they would not pick up the animal?
🐾 Did you repeatedly call for help?
🐾 Was a sick or injured animal left waiting for hours?
🐾 Did a resident, rescue, or advocate ultimately have to step in?

📢 WE NEED TO KNOW.

If this happened to you, please complete our SHORT FORM and tell us what happened.
📝Your Own Experience
📸 Photos
🎥 Videos
📱 Call logs and screenshots
📄 Police/dispatch or Animal Control records
🩺 Veterinary records

DOCUMENTATION MATTERS.
One incident can be dismissed as an exception. Multiple documented incidents can establish a PATTERN. And a documented pattern can demand ACCOUNTABILITY. ⚖️

💥 If there is a systemic problem, we need the evidence to PROVE IT.

📢 PLEASE SHARE THIS THROUGHOUT NEW JERSEY.
Every municipality. Every rescue. Every community group. Every animal advocate.

🐕🐈 Sick and injured animals cannot document what happened to them.

WE CAN. AND WE MUST. 🐾❤️
👉 REPORT YOUR EXPERIENCE HERE:
https://forms.gle/c355a4d4v34VRqdL9

The Canine Corner
Companion Animal Advocates, NJ

08/10/2026

💔 BUDDY NEEDED HELP. WHY DID HE HAVE TO WAIT? 💔🐾
Michu. Pebbles. Cortez. Star.
And now Buddy.

🐱💔 A tiny kitten. Sick. Frightened. In pain.
We are calling him Buddy.

Why?
Because when he was sick, vulnerable and desperately needed someone to care, that is exactly what he found in a Trenton resident, a buddy who refused to leave him behind.
🐾 She spent days trying to catch him.
🌡️ She protected him from the heat.
📞 She kept calling for help.
⏰ She stayed with him.
And when the help Buddy needed still wasn't coming, she didn't give up.

💔 Buddy had finally been caught. He was finally safe.
But he was still waiting for medical help.

For clarity, Buddy's finder publicly documented this incident on social media, including her communications with Animal Control. My communications with Trenton dispatch are based on my direct personal experience.

🐱🚨 BUDDY WAS SICK. ANIMAL CONTROL KNEW IT.
On August 9, after days of trying, a Trenton resident finally trapped Buddy.

He was suffering from a pr*****ed rectum—an extremely painful condition involving exposed re**al tissue vulnerable to swelling, contamination, infection, loss of blood supply and tissue death.

🏥 BUDDY NEEDED MEDICAL CARE.
💥Animal Control was told how serious his condition was.
👉The finder was told:
“they can't do anything right now and they can have someone come pick him up at 9 AM tomorrow morning.”
💥She later posted:
“I emphasized how bad the condition of this kitten is but still got put off till tomorrow morning.”
💥More than two hours later:
“Well waited over two hour for animal control to come help and no one showed up.”
☀️💔 During adverse weather conditions and extreme heat, she reported keeping Buddy in her vehicle with the air conditioning running to protect him while waiting for Animal Control.

‼️She had done her part.
Now the system needed to do its part.

📞🚨 I PERSONALLY CALLED TRENTON DISPATCH.
Officer Phillips eventually responded to the residence, but Buddy's finder was in the rear of the home and did not hear his knock.

📞 She called dispatch again.
She explained that she had been home but had not heard him. She confirmed that she was still there and that Buddy was still there and available for pickup.

🚩 Despite that, Officer Phillips reportedly refused to return.

💔 Buddy remained without Animal Control assistance overnight, seriously ill, in pain and during adverse weather conditions.
🐾His pain didn't know the shelter was closed.
🐾Buddy simply needed help.

⚖️🚨 NEW JERSEY LAW MATTERS.
N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.16(a)(5) requires a certified ACO to “take into custody and impound” an animal off the premises of its owner or caretaker that is reported to, or observed by, the ACO to be ill or injured.
N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.16b requires the municipality's certified ACO to be responsible for animal control and to enforce and abide by those statutory responsibilities.
🐱⚖️ NJDOH's Municipal Animal Control Best Practices explains that this provision includes cats and addresses prompt responses to animal-related emergency calls, including nights, weekends and holidays, and minimizing the pain and suffering of stray, sick and injured animals.
🏥⚖️ N.J.S.A. 4:22-15 recognizes physical pain and illness as “bodily injury” and veterinary care to alleviate suffering and maintain health as “necessary care.”

⏰🌙🚨 SICK AND INJURED ANIMALS DON'T KEEP BUSINESS HOURS.
🐾What I learned from dispatch raises another serious concern.
When I personally spoke with Trenton dispatch, I was advised that they did not have an escalation avenue or contact information for anyone they could reach if an ACO refused to assist a sick or injured animal or failed to carry out the required response.

🚨 If an ACO refuses to act, who does dispatch call?
🏥 Who ensures the animal receives necessary care?
⚖️ Who ensures Animal Control's statutory responsibilities are carried out after hours?
There should be an answer before the next animal needs emergency help.

🚩🐾 THIS IS WHY THE PATTERN MATTERS.
Michu.
Pebbles.
Cortez.
Star.
Now Buddy.
Different animals. Different circumstances.

💔 Same fundamental concern:
⚠️ WERE SICK OR INJURED ANIMALS PROVIDED THE NECESSARY AND TIMELY VETERINARY CARE THEY NEEDED?
When multiple cases raise the same concern, it demands investigation, accountability and correction.

🚨🐱 AND NOW THERE IS AN UPDATE ON BUDDY.
After everything that happened Sunday night, it has now been reported that the ACO did not return Monday morning to pick up Buddy.

But Buddy's story did not end there.
🐾 Trenton residents stepped up.
💚 Reportedly Trenton Cats Rescue stepped up.

Residents made arrangements with TCR to get Buddy the help he needed. Thank goodness they did.

But we cannot allow the compassion of residents and a volunteer rescue to erase what happened.

⚖️🚨 TCR STEPPING UP DOES NOT ERASE THE CITY'S RESPONSIBILITY.
Animal Control was told Buddy was seriously ill.
The ACO reportedly refused to return Sunday night after Buddy's finder called dispatch again and confirmed they were still there.

💥And it has now been reported that the ACO did not return Monday morning either.

💔 TCR ultimately helping Buddy does not erase the hours he spent waiting in pain. It does not erase the failure to complete the pickup. And it does not relieve the City of its statutory animal-control responsibilities.

🐾💚 TCR deserves our gratitude and support.

⚖️🚨 THE CITY STILL OWES THE PUBLIC ANSWERS.

If you would like to help Buddy and the cats TCR cares for:
Donate to Trenton Cats Rescue: https://www.trentoncats.org/about-trenton-cats.../donate/

📣🐾 NOW WE NEED THE PUBLIC TO ACT.
Buddy was fortunate. He found a Trenton resident who wouldn't give up on him.

💚 Support TCR because they stepped up.

⚖️ Hold the City accountable for why they had to.

#⃣ 1️⃣ PERSON TO CONTACT - MAYOR GUSCIORA:
EMAIL: [email protected] AND [email protected]
📞 609-508-2088 OR 609-989-3030

---------------
🐾 TRENTON ANIMAL SHELTER / ANIMAL CONTROL
Darcy Del Castillo, Shelter Manager
EMAIL: [email protected]
📞 609-989-3254

🏥 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Dr. Carlos Diego Minacapelli, Director
📞 609-989-3332
📧 [email protected]

🏛️ TRENTON CITY COUNCIL
📧 Jasi Edwards — [email protected]
📧 Crystal Feliciano — [email protected]
📧 Yazminelly Gonzalez — [email protected]
📧 Jennifer Williams — [email protected]
📧 Jenna Figueroa Kettenburg — [email protected]
📧 Joseph A. Harrison — [email protected]
📧 Teska Frisby — [email protected]

📢 TELL THEM:
“I am requesting an investigation into the August 9 Animal Control response involving Buddy, a seriously ill kitten, and whether repeated incidents involving sick and injured animals and necessary veterinary care demonstrate a broader systemic problem.”
Ask for a written response and corrective action.

🚨🐾 WHY DID BUDDY HAVE TO DEPEND ON RESIDENTS AND A VOLUNTEER RESCUE TO GET THE HELP HE NEEDED?
💔 There should not have to be another Michu. Another Pebbles. Another Cortez. Another Star. And there should never have to be another Buddy.

🐱💚 Buddy found his buddy when he needed one most.
The next sick or injured animal should not have to depend on luck to find theirs.

📞 CALL. 📧 EMAIL. 📝 COMPLAIN. ⚖️ DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY. 📢 LIKE AND SHARE.

08/08/2026

VINELAND ANIMAL CONTROL: WHAT THE RECORDS SHOW — JULY 2026

We reviewed the disposition records provided by the City of Vineland for July.

Here is what those records document:
🐾 16 animals reclaimed
🏠 2 animals adopted
🚐 1 animal transferred to rescue
💔 4 animals euthanized
23 documented dispositions.

But the records raise questions beyond the numbers.
📍 Several animals were reclaimed by individuals identified as agents rather than the listed owners.
📍 One agent provided a ZIP code of 87110 — Albuquerque, New Mexico. (An Agent is someone who claimed the dog, but not the owner)
📍 The only documented rescue transfer went to Bull Terrier Rescue Mission in New York.
📍 Two documented adopters had ZIP codes outside Vineland, including 08332 and 17603.
📍 The four euthanasia records identify reasons including aggressive behavior, health issues, kennel confinement/quality of life, and aggressive behavior with “no improvement/no rescue.”

Public records allow the public to look beyond statistics and examine what actually happened to individual animals.
Transparency matters. Documentation matters. Accountability matters.

08/06/2026

https://youtu.be/CDwOxgXv2jI?si=ji0Wrg7fmgcdcu9C

‘39 new lives depended on us’: Northeast Ohio animal shelter on hug...

08/03/2026

🚨 Poet's case has been rescheduled.

⚖️ The next court hearing regarding the charges arising from Poet's needless suffering and death is scheduled for:
📅 September 11, 2026
🕙 10:00 a.m.
📍 Franklin Joint Municipal Court

💻 The proceeding is expected to be available via Zoom. We will share the access information as soon as it becomes available.

📢 Until then, we respectfully encourage everyone who cares about animal welfare to contact the Municipal Prosecutor and ask that this case be fully and fairly prosecuted based on the evidence, not resolved in a manner that minimizes the seriousness of the charges.

🎥 The evidence should reflect Poet's needless pain and suffering as she lay on the ground gasping for breath while, as shown on the police body-worn camera footage, Ned Shimp stood only a few feet away talking and did not attempt to help her.

🐕 The police body-worn camera also shows Poet running, barking, and exhibiting no visible signs of respiratory distress before the catch pole was placed around her neck. After she was restrained and dragged across the ground by the catch pole around her neck, her condition rapidly deteriorated. We believe the evidence warrants careful consideration of whether the manner in which the catch pole was used caused unnecessary pain and suffering and contributed to Poet's death.

📹 It should also be noted that police reports document Ned Shimp removed Poet's body from the property following her death. Ring camera footage then shows him returning the following day and leaving Poet's body in the backyard while her owner was at work. Rather than being properly preserved, Poet's body remained outdoors in the summer heat. When her owner returned home, Poet's body was covered with maggots. ⚠️ No forensic necropsy was performed, and the municipality never requested one.

📧 Please keep all communications respectful, factual, and focused on the evidence and the importance of a fair prosecution.

Christopher Ross, Esq.
Municipal Prosecutor
📩 Email: [email protected]
☎️ Phone: (856) 223-9990

🐾 Justice depends on the fair application of the law and a full consideration of all of the evidence. Poet deserves nothing less.

🔄 We will continue to provide updates, including the Zoom information, as soon as it becomes available.

08/03/2026

🚨🐾 ANOTHER INJURED ANIMAL. ANOTHER DELAY. ANOTHER LIFE LOST. 🐾🚨

How many times does this have to happen?
📅 On October 23, 2025, a Trenton Animal Control Officer responded to an injured stray cat named Michu.

According to the City's own investigation, the Trenton Animal Control Officer contacted then-Interim Shelter Manager Emmanuel Vah to determine whether Michu should be transported immediately to an emergency veterinary hospital.

🚑 The need for emergency veterinary care was being discussed.
Instead of immediate transport, the Trenton Animal Control Officer was instructed by Officer Vah to place Michu at the shelter and that "in the morning a decision will be made."

⏳ That decision mattered.
Instead of receiving emergency veterinary care, Michu remained impounded overnight without a documented veterinary examination or emergency treatment.

🐈 The following day, Michu was finally transported to a veterinary hospital.

The veterinarian documented:
💔 Large abdominal laceration
⚠️ Body Condition Score: 1/5 (extreme emaciation)
💧 Approximately 10% dehydration
🩺 Multiple large, ulcerated, infected mammary tumors
📉 Severe muscle wasting (cachexia)
🫁 Abnormal lung sounds with suspected metastatic cancer

These were not minor medical findings.

Medical science recognizes that an open abdominal wound and ulcerated, infected tumors are conditions capable of causing significant pain. A Body Condition Score of 1/5 reflects a critically compromised animal requiring immediate veterinary assessment.

⚖️ After examining Michu, the veterinarian determined the condition was so severe that humane euthanasia should occur "as soon as possible."

Think about that.
❓If Michu required humane euthanasia "as soon as possible" on October 24...
❓What did Michu endure while spending the previous night in municipal custody without a veterinary examination?

New Jersey law exists to prevent exactly this situation.
📖 N.J.A.C. 8:23A-1.12(h) requires Animal Control Officers to inspect an animal, determine whether emergency veterinary care is needed, and, if it is, obtain that care immediately from a licensed veterinarian.

🐾 Animal Control Officers are not expected to diagnose cancer.
They are expected to recognize observable signs of medical distress.
✅ Severe emaciation.
✅ Visible wounds.
✅ Ulcerated masses.
✅ Serious injury.
✅ Animals whose condition warrants immediate veterinary care.

That knowledge is fundamental to protecting animals from unnecessary pain and suffering.

📩 Months later, the New Jersey Department of Health asked the same questions the public should be asking:
🔹 Was veterinary care sought on October 23?
🔹 What triage or evaluation was performed?
🔹 How was it determined that Michu did not require immediate emergency veterinary care?

🚨 Unfortunately, Michu is not the only case.

🐕 Cortez entered the shelter with a Trenton Animal Control Officer documenting that "a vet appointment was made for the dog due to its appearance." Despite recognizing the need for veterinary care at intake, Cortez did not receive a veterinary examination for six days. When he was finally examined, the veterinarian documented a Body Condition Score of 2/9. Cortez died during that veterinary visit, and the necropsy documented a foreign body and ruptured intestines.

🐶 Pebbles was examined by a veterinarian who directed emergency hospital care. According to the records, Pebbles was instead returned to the shelter and died the following day.

🐈 Michu remained impounded overnight before finally reaching a veterinarian who concluded humane euthanasia should occur "as soon as possible."

🐈 The kittens in the box - and let's not forget the kittens in the box that the shelter refused to take in last year and the one black kitten died!

⚠️ Different animals.
⚠️ Different medical conditions.
⚠️ The same troubling question.

❓How many animals must wait for veterinary care while suffering in municipal custody?
❓How many documented cases does it take before someone is held accountable?

💔 Every animal matters.

Animals cannot speak for themselves.
It is our responsibility, and the law's purpose, to protect them.

The public deserves answers. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Ask Dr. Diego Minicipelli
Director, Department of Health and Human Services
📞 (609) 989-3332
📧 [email protected]