Salem County leaders and mayors seek short- and long-term animal shelter options; committee to meet April 16

Salem County commissioners, municipal mayors and residents on Monday discussed a countywide shortage of animal-control shelter capacity and agreed to form a volunteer committee to seek short- and long-term solutions, with an update requested at the commissioners' April 16 meeting.

The discussion brought mayors and municipal officials together to outline immediate steps — including using vacant municipal buildings and volunteer-run temporary kennels — and longer-term options such as shared-service grants, partnerships with Rowan University's veterinary program and a possible county-run shelter.

Mayor Ladana Landau of Pinsgrove said she had begun looking for grant and fundraising opportunities and offered to help with donor outreach. “Maybe we can do some type of fundraisers, and all these folks that are that have an interest in it, they can come together and work with us,” Landau said.

Madison Township Mayor Don East and other small-town officials described low but steady local intake that nonetheless strains municipal budgets. East said his township averages about six dogs a year and noted that the county’s many rural areas make drop-offs and transient animals harder to track. “We’re averaging about 6 dogs…