Response from ASPCA regarding recent posts on New York City's Animal Care & Control

[ASPCA NYC]

A recent post highlights the unfortunate fact that Animal Care and
Control faces severe budget shortages that are impacting the lives of
New York’s homeless dogs and cats. Unfortunately, the author's
suggestion regarding the ASPCA's involvement in assisting NYC AC&C is
grossly inaccurate and ignores our organization’s continuous
commitment to New York City's animals.

This past year, the ASPCA invested more than $20 million in direct
care programs for New York City's pets. This includes expenses related
to adoptions, medical care, humane law enforcement, and mobile spay/
neuter programs. It’s no secret that AC&C and animal welfare in
general is severely underfunded in New York City, which is a chronic
and long-standing problem that goes back many years. To help address
this funding shortfall, the ASPCA and the Mayor’s Alliance for New
York City’s Animals have consistently stepped up to the plate,
providing millions of dollars to assist AC&C in its efforts to drive
down shelter intake and bolster live outcomes for the city’s homeless
animals.

Since 2005, the ASPCA has granted more than $7 million to New York
City animal welfare causes, and recently pledged an additional $1
million annually through 2014 to the Mayor's Alliance. The Alliance in
turn has provided Animal Care & Control of NYC (AC&C) with an annual
Transfer Initiative Grant and services such as the Wheels of Hope
Transport Program to help support the transfer of animals to its
rescue partners and has been doing so annually since 2005.

In addition, in 2009 alone the Alliance paid out over $2.7 million
dollars in Maddie’s Fund adoption subsidies to 106 rescue groups and
shelters including the AC&C to support the transfer of cats and dogs
from AC&C to its rescue partners.

Other heavy financial lifting by the ASPCA for NYC's homeless pets
includes:
•$100,000 to the Alliance to help subsidize medical director costs for
AC&C;
•Additional grants totaling more than $425,000 to AC&C to assist with
costs related to medical care, development/fundraising tools, and
other miscellaneous needs;
•A minimum of $100,000 to provide extensive medical care for AC&C
animals through the Trooper Fund; and
•Funding for other shelters, animal hospitals and rescue
organizations.

You can imagine the successes we would see if the Department of Health
provided AC&C with an appropriate budget. The good news is that while
we are not at our goal yet, we are on track to get there despite the
fact that AC&C is so underfunded. From 2003 through 2009, euthanasia
at AC&C has been reduced by 57 percent while adoptions and transfers
to rescues from AC&C have more than doubled. In 2009, over 17,600
cats and dogs were transferred from AC&C to its rescue partners, with
financial and human resources assistance by the Mayor’s Alliance and
the ASPCA.

The progress we are making in New York City despite these major
hurdles is substantial, and we will continue to assist AC&C to
continue the lifesaving efforts to reach the goal of a no-kill New
York by 2015.

Sincerely,

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
www.aspca.org