TOMS RIVER, N.J. — When Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick suspended adoption fees and stopped accepting animals at the Toms River Animal Shelter in mid-January, he said the shelter was full and people had been waiting for adoptions for a year. He said he did this because there were animals in the area. Adopted.
More than two weeks after the introduction of the ordinance officially abolishing adoption fees, Rodrick has repeatedly denied rumors that the shelter would be shut down.
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In support of that, the shelter recently posted that it is hiring part-time kennel workers and volunteers to help socialize the animals to help them find homes.
In an interview with News 12 published online Friday after the 5 p.m. broadcast, Rodrick said the shelter is not accepting any pets yet.
That won't change until shelter operations change, he told News 12. Rodrick has repeatedly criticized the shelter's open hours, which are from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Those interested in adopting previously had to make an appointment, but the shelter will now welcome walk-ins Tuesday, he announced.
Roderick said in an interview that the shelter will not close, but could if additional changes are not made to operations.
“We hope that the people at the shelter will work with the administration to help adopt the pets,” he said. “If that works out, great, but if it doesn’t, there’s always the option of turning that shelter over to the county.”
