TOMS RIVER, NJ – The Toms River Animal Shelter is under fire and the Toms River Council has announced it will launch an investigation into animal welfare and adoption complaints.
Residents at Tuesday’s council meeting alleged animals in the shelter are being kept in cages for long periods at a time, sometimes over 12 hours, causing dogs to appear to become aggressive. Advocates at the meeting said that treatment is causing the dogs to develop kennel anxiety.
Toms River Mayor Maurice Hill hired former Toms River Councilwoman Maria Maruca to a patronage job after she lost her job at the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and her 2021 bid for re-election as a councilwoman to Lavallette Police Officer and Lawyer, Justin Lamb. Maruca was hired to manage the township’s human services department. The shelter falls under the jurisdiction of that department.
Maruca came under fire after the shelter refused to allow the adoption for two dogs, one that went viral in a GoFundMe campaign to save him from being euthanized. The Save Snoop campaign raised almost $3,000 and led shelter officials to stay his execution.
Maruca says Snoop is available for adoption, but the shelter is taking caution when it comes to who can actually adopt him. She said the other has a chronic medical condition.
Maruca declined to speak about the township council investigation into her department, saying it’s a personnel issue.
Toms River residents also complained that under Maruca, calls for stray cats and other animals have gone unanswered and unresponded to, leading to higher call volume for the Associated Humane Society’s Popcorn Park to rescue those animals.
The Toms River Animal Shelter is allegedly turning residents away.