Which Kill Shelter?

Kitty waiting for adoption at the Liberty Humane Society.  The LHS was besmirched by Tim Occhipinti.

Normally one wouldn't question a person's claim to have rescued their puppy from a Doggie Death Row, but this is a politician who pulled a stunt coordinated on social media, Hoboken411 and at the City Council.

The stunt: a compassionate, puppy-rescuing political opponent of the mayor claims her administration is contracting animal control services with a veritable Doggie-Auschwitz. (Get your screenshot, James Barracato!)   The politician posts the claim on his Facebook page, hours later it's a vicious screed on Hoboken411, and the stage is set for that evening's City Council Abuse Theater.

And the victim?

The Liberty Human Society (LHS), a saintly animal rescue and adoption center that saves about 2,000 of our furry friends annually.  The folks there work hard to save the lives of mainly cats and dogs, to care for the sick, to find them homes.  And if they don't find them homes- to shelter them until they do.  Many animals, unfortunately, are there for months, sometimes a year- or more.  Any questions about their policy toward euthanizing pets is a phone call away.

Which makes this politician's stunt indefensible and inexcusable.

Because these shelters survive on donations.  And spreading FALSE information that the LHS euthanizes pets after 7 days- which is STILL on the Facebook page and and STILL on Hoboken411- without correction or clarification is DISGUSTING.

Any true animal lover would never want to harm the operations of the LHS, to suppress donations- a major revenue source, by sliming them as a KILL SHELTER.

They are NOT. And the politician-accuser, Tim Occhipinti, knew it.

Occhipinti VOTED on the same contract a year before without question.  In fact, the 2011 LHS animal control contract vote was unanimous.

So it is extra-despicable and gross for Occhipinti to have floated the vicious lie that the LHS was a kill-factory.

Let's go back to the 'stunt'.  Tim's narrative is that his dog, Cooper, was rescued from a kill shelter.

Well, GA checked Tim's Facebook page-  here is the first entry about his dog, on February 20.

Any mention of rescuing the pup from a kill shelter?  I don't see it.  Maybe you do.

And he doesn't mention it on any other of several subsequent doggie-posts until... this Wednesday, the day of the City Council meeting.

Which was followed on Wednesday by this:

Are you getting it?

A political stunt. Compassionate dog-rescuing Tim vs. the Dog-Killers of the Zimmer Administration with LHS' reputation the collateral damage.

Only GA is hearing that Tim acquired his pup at a pet shop in a neighboring state.

Confirmation is underway.  If the rumor is wrong, GA will say so.

Until then, how about asking Tim which kill shelter was it?  And then ask him WHY he thought scoring a cheap political point against the mayor was worth jeopardizing the animal rescue operations of the Liberty Human Society.

GA calls on Timmy to donate $1,000 to the LHS to show his support for their work and to make up for any lost donations his actions have caused.