NEW YORK—New York City’s goal of becoming a “no kill” community is on track. This means that animals of reasonable temperament and health will be kept alive until they are adopted rather than being euthanized.
Five years after it started, the ten-year plan of the Mayor’s Alliance for New York City’s Animals is right where it should be. “We have a long way to go but we’re definitely making progress toward our goal,” said Jane Hoffman, president of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals in a press release. “The current economic downturn puts additional pressure on our facilities, but we’re determined to become a no-kill community and the Alliance has realized some impressive achievements along the way.”
Current municipal shelter’s euthanasia rates, at 43 percent, are the lowest in New York City’s history.
The statistics for 2008 will be released next month and the euthanasia rate is expected to have fallen even more to 38 percent (74 percent lower than in 2002 when the Mayor’s Alliance was formed).
The Mayor’s Alliance is comprised of approximately 140 animal shelters and rescue groups that work with the city of New York to find homes for cats an dogs that don’t have one.
Ways to combat needless animal euthanization are varied and would not be possible without volunteer work.
There are several ways to get an animal sterilized (spayed or neutered) for cheaper than most veterinarians will quote you. The Maddie’s Spay/Neuter Project in NYC will provide low cost sterilizations for pets of New Yorkers who have a Medicaid card. In 2007, more than 6,500 surgeries were performed thanks to that project.
The Mayor’s Alliance also is providing free spay/neuter clinics each month for owned cats, which are held at AC&C facilities that can accommodate 30–50 cats at each clinic.
Microchipping can be as cheap as $25, is painless, and installs all the personal information about the animal in a small chip under their skin. This can speed the return of any lost pets to their owners.
Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) programs give equipment and training to volunteers who want to help. Feral cats are humanely trapped and brought by the volunteer to participating clinics where they are neutered for free and then released where they were caught.
According to the press release, capacity building grants provide funds to facilities for expansion and improvement. More space means fewer euthanizations. KittyKind, for example, received a capacity-building grant to update and expand its cat adoption center in Petco Union Square—one of the city’s busiest pet supply stores. Another grant was awarded to Herding Dog Rescue to improve and expand the Long Island shelter where the group cares for Collies, German Shepherds, and other herding dog breeds.
“These are just some of the successes that the Mayor’s Alliance has achieved, thanks to very hard work on the part of all of our members and our partners in city government. To be successful as we move ahead, we’ll continue to rely upon the integrated efforts of our participating groups and the generosity of Maddie’s Fund and the ASPCA.” said Hoffman. “With persistence and incremental progress, year after year, we will arrive at our goal—the day when no “Little New Yorkers” are killed simply because they don’t have homes.”
Maddie’s Fund is a family foundation funded by Dave Duffield and his wife Cheryl, that is named after the family’s beloved Miniature Schnauzer who passed away in 1997. Maddie’s Fund is helping to create a no-kill nation where all healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats are guaranteed a loving home. Maddie’s Fund is investing resources in building community collaborations where animal welfare organizations come together to develop successful models of lifesaving.
