05/01/2026
📍 Vineland residents need to understand what was actually being asked in the contract with the animal shelter. And what they CAN do about it!
The shelter (AHS-South) did not refuse service. It asked the City to sign the same standard contract accepted by every other municipality in Cumberland County.
📄 That contract required three things:
First, a signed agreement.
The shelter could not continue operating without one while still being used.
Second, payment for services.
Services continued without a contract, with late and unpaid invoices, leading to suspension.
Third, agreement to modern animal control practices.
⚖️ Those practices included:
• Do not impound healthy, ear-tipped community cats
• Use Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) and Return-to-Field (RTF) instead of intake
• Only impound cats that are sick, injured, rabies-suspect, or a verified public safety or nuisance risk
• Reduce unnecessary intake to prevent overcrowding and euthanasia
• Prioritize shelter space for animals that require intervention
🐾 Under the contract:
• Stray dogs and cats would still be accepted
• Sick, injured, dangerous, and bite animals would still be impounded
• Only healthy, managed community cats would be returned, not housed
The shelter made these standards non-negotiable and applied them to all municipalities it serves.
🏛️ The contract also required the City to:
• Attempt owner reunification before intake (scan for chip)
• Provide veterinary care for sick or injured animals before transport
• Cover costs for advanced medical treatment
❗ Vineland did not agree to these terms.
Instead, the City filed court action seeking to require AHS, a private nonprofit, to accept the City’s terms despite the lack of a contract.
🚫 When no agreement was reached by April 1, 2026, AHS stopped accepting animals.
During that same period, enforcement actions and operational decisions resulted in the facility being shut down to intake, leaving the City without a clear, established sheltering arrangement.
⚠️ As of now:
* There is still no signed contract.
* There is still no consistent, licensed intake system for the majority of lost or stray pets in Vineland.
💰 This directly impacts residents—the taxpayers and voters—through cost, public safety, and animal welfare.
📌 In plain terms:
🐾Vineland was asked to sign a contract, pay for services, and follow modern, humane animal control practices.
🐾The City refused, pursued litigation, and no agreement was reached.
🐾The result is a gap in services that affects the entire community.
🚨 Take action:
👉 Attend City Council and ask how the City is meeting its legal obligation
👉 Ask if there are arrangements beyond Harde Hound K-9 Academie, LLC
👉 Ask what happens to animals after the 7-day hold period
👉 Request transparency on all agreements
👉 Make your questions part of the public record
🐾 City Council meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesday each month 🚨
Next meetings:
May 12 and May 26
5:30 PM
City Council Chambers, 2nd floor, City Hall.
⚖️ This information was obtained from available public records.
