Humane Society reinstates volunteer program
New policies and procedures put in place
The day before a planned protest against the elimination of its volunteer program, the Associated Humane Society [AHS] reversed course on Friday and reinstated the volunteers.
The organization had previously stated that volunteers not following procedures and mishandling and injuring animals justified its actions. In response, a group of long-time volunteers, including several from Asbury Park, such as Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, publicly criticized AHS over the allegations and program suspension. The volunteers called for the protest at the Tinton Falls site of AHS.
In a statement on the AHS Facebook page, the group stated it had made “some necessary” changes to the volunteer policies and rules.
“Going forward, we feel that the tools are in place to have a strong, dedicated group of volunteers that will add joy to the lives of our animals awaiting adoption, while following guidelines that will ensure the safety of all animals and humans involved,” the statement stated.
Some volunteers attended an orientation on Friday to go through the new policies and were back at work walking dogs and socializing with the cats, according to the AHS statement. More orientations are planned.
“I’m glad the public pressure has worked and they are bringing back the volunteer program,” said Quinn. “I don’t believe three volunteers can make up for what was a robust program just over a week ago. I can only hope this public pressure stays with Humane and it improves the conditions for the animals in their care in the long run.”
Terminated AHS volunteer Jeffrey Seeds, Asbury Park, who publicly criticized the organization for ending volunteer program said that to his knowledge no volunteers who spoke out have been invited back.
The following is the full statement from the AHS Facebook page:
We are pleased to announce that our volunteer program at our Tinton Falls facility is up and running once again. We have revisited the volunteer policies, rules and procedures, and made some necessary changes. Going forward, we feel that the tools are in place to have a strong, dedicated group of volunteers that will add joy to the lives of our animals awaiting adoption, while following guidelines that will ensure the safety of all animals and humans involved.
Tinton Falls volunteers attended an orientation today and were back to walking dogs and socializing with cats by this afternoon. They are looking forward to working hand in hand with AHS staff to make our program successful. We will be holding more volunteer orientations in the coming weeks. During the brief pause in volunteer activity over these last few days, our AHS staff were more than happy to give extra attention to the animals in their care, which included walking dogs throughout the day. Pictured here are several of our Tinton Falls dogs enjoying some exercise today with staff and volunteers. More news on our volunteer program in AHS Tinton Falls will be coming soon. Thank you all for your patience and support.
