Monmouth County SPCA Director Issues Apology After Secret Recording

EATONTOWN, NJ — Monmouth County SPCA Director Ross Licitra has apologized following a recording that surfaced of him berating a shelter employee who questioned why a dog was put down.

In the recording, the shelter employee appears to be called in for a meeting with Licitra and the SPCA's Associate Executive Director Barbara Lovell. A day prior to the meeting, the employee questioned a decision by shelter managers to euthanize a female dog named "Shy Baby."

In the recording, Licitra is heard telling the employee that he is “stupid,” “a disrespectful a—” and that the employee has “zero right to question anything. Anything. You’re nobody.”

On Monday afternoon, Licitra issued a statement regarding the recording via the Monmouth County SPCA Facebook page. Here’s what he said:

“Regarding the situation of a recording from a month ago that recently surfaced—I want to first and foremost apologize to the individual, and to the public, for the harsh language and adversarial approach. I want every one of our supporters to understand that when we must euthanize an animal, we go through a very rigorous process that relies on medical professionals, veterinarians, and experts who make that decision. When an animal is euthanized, it’s a decision that is never taken lightly. To be clear, I was not disciplining this employee for questioning the dog's euthanasia, but for the manner in which he conducted himself with his managers. This individual consistently spoke down to and made very aggressive, bullying actions toward his two female supervisors, including slamming his fist down on the table to intimidate them.

I understand that the individual’s heart is in the right place, but please understand that when someone aggressively questions, challenges, and tries to overturn the decision of medical experts, it causes turmoil for everyone here at the Monmouth County SPCA. We rely on the professional decisions of medical experts, and we are happy to have a detailed conversation with anyone in the public about the very challenging process of euthanasia.

My passion for animal welfare and the prevention of cruelty to animals is a pillar of my own personal life mission, of which I am proud to have brought to the good work of the Monmouth County SPCA. We will continue to be a voice for animals that can’t speak for themselves.

With this explanation, and how much of an emotionally charged day it was—I apologize again for my disposition with the former employee during our meeting.”

Licitra's posted statement echoed comment he made to Patch on Sunday, saying that the male employee in the recording was “being severely disciplined because of his bullying and complete lack of respect for two female managers.”

Licitra said the employee’s actions were “so disrespectful” and “at times physically threatening” that both female managers came to senior management because they were “taken aback.”

“I will never stand by and allow anyone to treat our female managers with such low regard as this person did,” Licitra told Patch.

Following the meeting, Licitra said the employee "profusely apologized" and stated that he would "never repeat his actions."

With the approval of both female managers, Licitra said the employee was given a second chance, though a few days ago he "failed to follow protocols (again)" and allowed two dogs to fight, severely injuring one dog and resulting in the other being euthanized.

To read more about the recording and Licitra's response to Patch, you can read Patch’s previous coverage.

You can listen to the full recording of the meeting on YouTube.