Toms River Animal Shelter Still Not Accepting New Pets: Report

TOMS RIVER, NJ — When Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick suspended adoption fees at the Toms River Animal Shelter in mid-January and halted animal intake, he said it was done because the shelter was full and had animals that had been waiting for a year to be adopted.

In the two-plus weeks since the introduction of an ordinance to formally remove the adoption fees, Rodrick has repeatedly rejected rumors that the shelter is set to be closed.

To reinforce that, the shelter recently posted that it was hiring part-time kennel worker and was looking for volunteers to help socialize the animals to help them find homes.

On Friday, in an interview with News 12, published online after the 5 p.m. broadcast, Rodrick said the shelter still is not accepting pets.

That won't change until there are changes in the operations at the shelter, he told News 12. Rodrick has repeatedly criticized the shelter's public hours, which are 1 p.m.-4 p.m. daily. People interested in adopting previously had to make an appointment but the shelter announced Tuesday that walk-ins are welcomed.

Rodrick in the interview said the shelter is not closing, but could if additional changes in the operations are not made.

"Hopefully the folks at the shelter will work with the administration to make sure it's conducive to getting pets adopted," he said. "If that works out that's great, if not there's always the option of giving that shelter over to the county."