| Dear Councilman Leeds, I am writing to you in regard to an animal shelter that is located in your township. The shelter is Loving Ferrets Shelter, located at 416 West Herschel Street, Galloway Township, NJ, and is run by Linda Rodriguez. I am concerned because on 10/99 the Atlantic County SPCA raided this shelter and seized 113 animals. The conditions at this shelter were horrific. A court case was brought against Mrs. Rodriguez by the SPCA and at the latest trial on 2/8/01 the charges were dropped completely due to a problem with the paperwork. This woman has gotten away with this free and clear due to a technicality. Is this the image that you want to present to the community -- that animal abuse is acceptable and tolerated? As a council member of this town you should not allow this matter to tarnish the image of your community. This issue has been made public and very visible from coast to coast and overseas, as animal lovers unite in outrage. If, in the course of a routine investigation, an animal welfare organization such as the SPCA finds a desperate case of animal abuse, it should not be barred from following corrective action by a technicality. If the law as it now stands allows this to happen, then I respectfully suggest that the law be reconsidered. This woman needs to be highly monitored at the very least, even if not shut down completely. I urge you to please look into this matter. Thank you, For more information on this please visit: http://www.geocities.com/ferretabuser |