With eight million residents and more than three million companion animals, New York City's five boroughs have long been the ideal backdrop for the ASPCA Partnership campaign.
In 2005, the ASPCA committed over $5 million dollars to the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, its largest single grant to date, and works in close collaboration with the Mayor’s Alliance and NYC Animal Care and Control, committed to reaching the day when no New York City dog or cat of reasonable health and temperament is killed merely because he or she does not have a home.
In addition to the ASPCA, the Mayor’s Alliance is comprised of 100 not-for-profit animal welfare organizations and rescue groups in and around the city, and has a public-private partnership with the City of New York. Since its inception in 2002, the Mayor’s Alliance’s infrastructure of animal welfare groups has been working effectively to find homes for and/or spay and neuter New York City’s orphaned dogs and cats. In partnership with the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals’ multi-year program, the ASPCA will help drive the effort of making the Big Apple a humane community.
In addition to the collaborative partnership, the ASPCA also completed a state-of-the-art renovation of its shelter in Manhattan, setting the standard in urban sheltering. The $5 million remodeling effort, which began in 2005 and was completed in the summer of 2006, covers 12,000 square feet and includes two full floors that can house 86 more animals—a 40 percent increase over previous capacity.
The ASPCA works in communities all over New York City, offering such services as low- and no-cost spay/neuter and vaccination clinics; a Humane Law Enforcement team that fights animal cruelty; a premier hospital that allows the ASPCA to serve both shelter pets, as well as the public’s companion animals, with a level of specialty that surpasses standard veterinary care; and legislative efforts to strengthen laws protecting animals and pass such initiatives as pet-friendly housing in urban areas.
Core initiatives taking place in New York City include:
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Decreasing homelessness of pets by raising the quantity of animals who are spayed and neutered, both in the pet and feral communities;
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Strengthening existing pet homes through information/education and reuniting lost pets with guardians;
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Building on existing efforts and resources through new funding, volunteers and increased efficiency/effectiveness of shelter and rescue group operations;
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Increasing adoptions by raising the number of adoption venues and providing convenient access to homeless animals;
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Raising awareness through education of consumers about the repercussions surrounding homeless animals; and
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Developing an inclusive infrastructure, from legislation to education to cruelty prevention, which gives animals the voice they deserve.
The chart below tracks New York City’s progress in decreasing euthanasia over the years while increasing live exits (adoptions, transfers and returns to owner) for cats and dogs at NYC’s Animal Care and Control:
|
Year
|
Intakes
|
Live Exits
(% increase
from 2002)
|
Euthanized
(% decrease
from 2002)
|
|
2002
|
43,200
|
10,310
|
31,908
|
|
2003
|
46,187
|
11,947 (16%)
|
31,701 (1%)
|
|
2004
|
44,826
|
17,018 (65%)
|
26,456 (17%)
|
|
2005
|
43,618
|
19,017 (84%)
|
22,967 (28%)
|
|
2006*
|
43,400
|
20,900 (103%)
|
19,500 (39%)
|
|
2007*
|
43,000
|
24,200 (135%)
|
16,500 (48%)
|
|
2008*
|
43,000
|
27,300 (167%)
|
13,500 (58%)
|
Euthanasia compared to live release rate progress since 2002
Adopt an animal in NYC and help us make the ASPCA Partnership a success!
- New York City ASPCA Adoption Center
- Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, Inc