A new $1.1 million expansion has helped double its size so it can accept more animals and keep them longer
HAMILTON -- With a capacity of about 50 animals, the Hamilton Animal Shelter often became overcrowded, but a new $1.1 million expansion has helped double its size so it can accept more animals and keep them longer.
"We can more humanely care for and safely treat the animals that unfortunately find their way to our shelters," Mayor Kelly Yaede said at the grand opening Wednesday.
The mayor, who held a shelter dog dressed in a pumpkin costume while she spoke, said the 4,796-square-foot addition increased the number of kennels from 20 to 36, doubled its room for stray cats from 25 to 50, created a larger medical area, added private quarantine areas, built two adoption rooms and added a grooming area.
The project has been in the works for five years, she said.
The Sylvan Avenue shelter was constructed in 1971 and an addition was built in 1989, but in recent years, additional space became necessary.
"When it became time that we could no longer do with the shelter that we had, we looked at many ways: Do we construct a brand-new shelter, do we partner?" Yaede said.
The expansion proved to be the most cost-effective option, saving the township about $500,000.
Yaede added that the shelter continues to partner with rescue groups and restructured the animal control officers' schedule so there is more coverage during the evenings and weekends. Police can also drop off stray animals at off-hours, thanks to a new lock box at the entrance.
Ahead of the opening, two groups -- Stray Catz of Mercer County and Hamilton TNR -- raised concerns about the shelter, urging the administration to take steps to reduce the death rate and increase the adoption rate.
Their recommendations ranged from supporting and practicing the efforts of several trap-neuter-release groups to requiring that no adopted animal be allowed to go home before being spayed or neutered.
The groups cited shelter records, saying that Hamilton leads in the number of deaths and trails in adoption successes compared to other nearby towns.
Officials said that Hamilton is at the top of the list of euthanasia rates because it is the largest town in the county and takes in far more animals than other towns. In 2014, the shelter took in 1,089 animals and euthanized 354. Meanwhile, the Ewing Animal Shelter, which follows a "no-kill" model, took in 252 animals and euthanized 6.
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State law mandates that stray dogs be held for seven days before they are either put up for adoption or killed.
"After seven days, I decide what we want to do," animal control supervisor Todd Bencivengo said. "We evaluate the animals and if they're evaluated for adoptions, we go on with the shots, spaying, neutering and so on."
He said adoptions have skyrocketed in recent weeks.
"It's never been like this," he said.
He said that euthanasia remains a last resort for animals that are too ill or are overly aggressive and remain a threat even after months of working with them.
In other cases, some residents who have to put their pets down bring them to the shelter because it's cheaper than going to a veterinarian, he said.
Bencivengo said that he also opposes TNR -- something that the two groups have been pushing.
"I don't feel like an animal should be given a rabies shot and thrown out to the wild and be fed," he said. "I can understand if it's two or three cats, but we have issues with fixing 30 to 40 cats at a time and I'm getting nothing but complaints."
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.