Summer / Fall 2004

UPDATE!

Compassion for Camden, Inc. - A Humane Society - Est. 1992

President's Notes:

NJ SPCA files new cruelty charges

Suit covers abhorrent cruelty involving the

Camden County Animal Shelter and the

Camden County College

On July 29, 2004 the NJ SPCA filed a suit in Camden County Superior Court charging the management of the Camden County Animal Shelter, the Humane Society of Southern New Jersey, the Camden County College, shelter director Glenn McCleery, college staffer Maragaret Dorsey and various others with animal cruelty - the use of shelter animals for experimentation - a crime of the fouth degree.

The county shelter, located in Blackwood, NJ, has been operated by the Humane Society of Southern New Jersey since 1997 and is headed by Richard Perr, Esq. of Fineman, Krekstein & Harris, Philadelphia, PA

The brutalities were uncovered by us some months ago. The involvement of the Camden County College was no surprise. We reported our findings to the NJ SPCA for its investigation. The SPCA findings concluded that Camden County College veterinary students performed various invasive procedures on live shelter animals, including but not limited to urinary catheterizations of male dogs.

During 2002, groups of students would come to the Camden County Animal Shelter and have animals provided to practice on. The shelter’s management, the Humane Society of Southern New Jersey, would order two to three dogs weighing 40 lbs. or more to be selected for euthanasia.

Before being administered the euthanasia solution these animals were made available to college students in order to practice certain medical procedures. At each visit the students would be accompanied and instructed by a college technician, who was not a veterinarian.                                                                         cont. page 4

My heartfelt thanks go to everyone who wrote or called on behalf of Camden's shelter animals.

Board member Newt Kirkland and I wish to especially thank and congratulate our fellow board member, Scott Stanfield. Scott spent untold hours researching county and state records, compiling statistics, obtaining court documents, open record's request and freeholder meeting minutes. All of which was carefully documented on our web sites, especially on Protecting Animals Within Shelters New Jersey - www.pawsnj.org.

Much of it, including my constant press releases, was immediately snapped up by any number of search engines for all to see.

Unbelievably, Scott somehow found time to create a hard hitting, political satire. The site is chockfull of political poppycock regarding any number of Camden County issues. Aside from his quaint "commentary", the information was simply taken from newspaper accounts. Lively encouragement is provided for the reader to dig further or click on a link for the "Full Story".

continued on page 2

The Animal Welfare Society of Camden County will take over September 1. The joyful announcement came at the July 15 freeholder meeting.

The county's long-time management is a group called the Humane Society of Southern New Jersey. The group is headed by Richard Perr, Esq. of the law firm Fineman, Krekstein & Harris, Philadelphia, PA. The county has contracted Perr and his group to run the shelter since its opening in September 1997. Ever since, and almost consistently, the county freeholders have been made aware of the shelter's mismanagement and shortcomings.

According to guidestar.org, in addition to Richard Perr, Chairman, the rest of the group consists of: Kristin Walker, Burlington County resident. Edward Sheehan, DVM, Camden.. Peggy Dorsey, Camden County College Veterinary Program. James Clarke. Susan VanAckooy. Nicholas Troiano. Jay Feinman. Robert Wright and Shawn Huber.

The composed new group, made up of caring

professionals with business savvy, the Animal Welfare Society of Camden County, will take over the operations of the shelter starting September 1. The animals won!

Sadly, until that time the "shelter" will continue to be run by Perr's group, notoriously known for its history of extremely high kill rates.

But even more disturbing is the group's former involvement in the illegal practice of pound seizure (the use of shelter animals for experimentation).

A practice we uncovered and reported and a fact that Perr and his group did not deny, they called it: "Advancing [our] humane purpose by promoting animals education."

But witnesses saw no "humane" purpose. Under oath they told the NJ SPCA that the dogs and cats involved suffered and died. This information was know to the freeholders and should have been enough to make immediate changes at the shelter. Sadly, we had to wait two years.

Brief background: Pound seizure charges against Perr and his group were brought by the NJ SPCA in October 2002. 

Cont. page 3

cont. page 2

Continued from page 1: President's Notes

In addition, Scott sat through many a freeholder meeting to seize the opportunity to speak publicly. At the meetings, his truthful and carefully formulated questions were often dodged completely or answered with what can aptly be described as mumbo-jumbo. He confidently endured the freeholders' mockery and jeers like the true warrior for the animals that he is. Thank you, Scott. Thanks also to Newt Kirkland, our secretary treasurer and literary giant, for proofreading, often having to endure poor English, poor grammar, whatever.

On the practical side, and long overdue, I wish to thank our supporters who allowed us to pay our bills. Over the last twelve years, without hosting a single fundraiser other than our newsletter, we simply relied on checks that arrived by mail. (Not recommended!) On that note I thank folks who hail from places such as Baden-Baden, Germany, (thanks Dad! - my father, a distinguished gentleman & attorney with a heart for animals, hates this sort of attention. I'm writing it without his permission and I'm sure he somehow already knows it...) Also, and in no particular order, our loyal supporters from: Union, NJ, Short Hills, NJ, Los Angeles, CA, Haddonfield, NJ, Yardley, PA, Morristown, NJ, Stratford, NJ, Philadelphia, PA, Hackettstown, NJ, Villenova, PA, Mt. Laurel, NJ, West Chester, PA, New York, NY, Moorestown, NJ, Chico, CA, Cherry Hill, NJ, Scarsdale, NY, Lincoln University, PA and last but certainly not least our many friends of Camden, NJ. (time did not permit us to get permission to print individual names)

On a final note, I would also like to thank all of you who took the time to email congratulatory notes. After our press release hit the Internet, and in just one day, our email boxes were filled to capacity. More room was quickly provided to allow us to bask in the glory of your words for years to come. We've received thumbs-up from people from all walks of life and practically from everywhere. They ranged from school kids who will use our victory as a classroom project entitled, "You too can beat City Hall" to animal rights organizations.

In November 2002, we received a death threat via email. Cherry Hill PD labeled it a terroristic threat and traced the email to the home of Perr's employee McCleery.

In March 2003 New Jersey Superior Court Judge Ronald J. Freeman ordered Perr & company to cease and desist from allowing shelter animals to be used for experimentation. The case was settled in the form of a $5,000 payment by the testing company to the NJ SPCA. End background.

For detailed information regarding the tragic history of the Camden County Animal Shelter, please see: www.compassionforcamden.org and www.pawsnj.org.

The July 15 freeholder meeting was in Chesilhurst. Interestingly enough, freeholders chose the least populated and most remote corner of the county. At the meeting, Laurelle Cummings, the politician who "oversees" shelter operations, just didn't seem to be able to contain herself spurting niceties regarding her darling group. The resolution to change management was indeed the highlight of the evening and was read separately.

Although somewhat interrupted by boos and hisses from the public, Cummings offered this: ".there were some issues that arose some general feelings in the community, but the actions of the radical animal activists [that would be us] have been discounted in making our decision.[Perr's group] was caring,

interested and loving with the animals." On a deadly note, Cummings added this: "...the shelter will remain a kill-shelter."

On July 16 in a laughable statement to the local newspaper and carefully embracing the sacred tradition of political balderdash, Richard Perr had this to say: "We look forward to working with the new organization. We believe the new organization will do well by the animals that are in the shelter."

Mr. Perr shall have his right to say whatever he wishes, but the enormous volume of congratulatory phone calls and emails we've received so far make it crystal clear that positively no one believed his jabber.

Since our discovery in April and August 2002 of the group's practice of pound seizure we had our work cut out for us and we literally put our personal lives on hold. Our desks are piled high with open record's requests, court documents, and the like. We took every advantage of our web sites and signed up for list after list of Internet postings. The information we provided was read by hundreds of concerned people.

Our thanks to all of you who took the time to call or write on behalf of the animals at the Camden County Animal Shelter.

There are absolutely no words to describe our relief in having achieved this victory.

For the animals,

Marion Churchill, Newt Kirkland, Scott Stanfield

Never doubt that a small committed group of people can change the world. 

Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

-Margaret Mead