Home > Out of the Cage! > September 2005 > Featured Alliance Participating Organization: The Humane Society of New York: A Century of Caring for NYC's Animals

Featured Alliance Participating Organization

The Humane Society of New York: A Century of Caring for NYC's Animals

Since 1904, when David Belais, a concerned New Yorker, saw that the city's working horses were routinely subjected to harsh and often abusive conditions, the Humane Society of New York (HSNY) has been working to improve the quality of life for NYC's animals. Belais founded the Society to protect the horses and to fight for more humane treatment.

Today, the HSNY is a leader in the care of sick, injured, and homeless animals. Each year the Society's hospital — the cornerstone of its community focus, provides care for about 31,000 animals — more than 2,500 animals every month. It primarily serves the city's five boroughs, but also responds to calls from neighboring areas, including Long Island and North Jersey.

"If you have a sick cat or dog and can't afford veterinary care for your animal, that's a very frightening place to be," explains Susan Richmond, HSNY's Co-Executive Director. "People with critically ill pets who have limited money may think their only options are to give up on the animal, euthanize it, or worse, watch it suffer. The Humane Society of New York's clinic gives community members another option. We provide top-quality veterinary care at low cost, seven days a week. Each year the Society helps animals who otherwise wouldn't survive by underwriting hundreds of thousands of dollars in critical care."

But providing medical care for people's pets isn't the Society's only mission. It is perhaps best known for its role in the rescue and care of dogs and cats. "Every animal that enters our adoption program receives comprehensive veterinary treatment throughout its stay here," explains Susan. "For some, who arrive in very poor condition, that means extensive rehabilitative care. Of course, all dogs and cats are inoculated, microchipped, and neutered before release. The number taken in and adopted out each month varies, but space is never wasted! As soon as we adopt someone out, we bring someone in."

Occasionally, animals other than cats and dogs land on its doorstep — from guinea pigs to guinea fowl. "We spay/neuter lots of bunnies, and occasionally serve as a way station for injured and orphaned squirrels, kestrels, and other wildlife," says Susan.

Adopters come to HSNY in many ways — by coming to the shelter, meeting them at adoption events, or visiting the HSNY web site, or other adoption sites like Petfinder.com and BigApplePets.com. "Creating public awareness is a never-ending process," says Susan.

She says that Internet resources like Petfinder have been invaluable. And events like the Mayor's Alliance/Maddie's Pet Adoption Festivals and BROADWAY BARKS! are so effective because they provide the opportunity for a first, one-on-one contact with potential adopters in such a positive setting. "Every time you make someone new aware of your services you benefit from word-of-mouth," she says. "That's pretty powerful."

Susan says that the Society is proud to be a founding member of the Mayor's Alliance. "The Mayor's Alliance seeks to foster cooperation and to make the best possible use of the resources that we, as a community, have. Right from the start that was a very appealing concept," she explains. "We're all trying to help the animals. At the end of the day I go home, you go home…it's the animals who ultimately won't go home, won't get medical care if we behave in ways that are covetous or counterproductive."

And she's delighted to see that other cities around the country are using NYC as a model to set up Alliances of their own. "Locally and nationally, there's a great deal to do, but we've also come a long way."

As part of its efforts to save the lives of homeless NYC animals, the Society regularly takes in animals from AC&C. Often the cases they take are extremely labor-intensive, Susan says. "Earlier this year we picked up a kitten who'd been hit by a car and had multiple fractures. 'Sabeena' needed reconstructive surgery of the pelvis and months of cage rest. In the end, when Sabeena literally walked away from that trauma and into her new home, well, we all felt pretty good. Of course, like everyone else, we have our limits. But to the fullest extent of our resources the Society is a place where animals that can be saved are saved.

Every day critically ill and abandoned animals are cared for at the Society, and lives are saved. Susan tells the story of Spencer, a Collie mix who HSNY took in.

"One day a man called us about a dog who'd started following him when he was out walking his own dog. The stray was skinny, dirty, and soaked in urine. He had horribly overgrown nails and raw marks around his neck from something tying him too tightly.

"When we met him, he was desperate for attention but his behavior was oddly muted; he seemed to want to sit in one place. He didn't know how to play or even drink from a bowl. He kept tipping his water bowl over to drink from the floor. Bill Berloni, our Director of Dog Behavior, figured out that the dog, really a big puppy, about 10 months old, had been used for guarding, maybe in a junkyard or warehouse. He'd been put out because he was too friendly and wasn't useful for guarding. When we met him he tried to creep into our laps, even though, underweight, he was more than 60 pounds.

"We named him Spencer and once he was well, spent a lot of time socializing him, teaching him all the things he didn't learn in those first months of isolation. He turned out to be a grand dog, just the sweetest soul. Spencer lives in the country now, and we've been getting pictures of him running in the grass and swimming in the pond. It's amazing, he's decided he's the lifeguard, and he stands at the edge of the pond and pulls his family in with a rope. He barks 'til they grab on and let him start pulling. So, in a good way, he turned out to be a guard dog after all."

To continue its broad-reaching programs to help NYC's animals and the people who love them, the Society acquires funding through multiple avenues, including direct mail, on-line appeals, benefits, grants, bequests, and special events. And it depends greatly upon its dedicated and caring volunteers. "At the Society, we love our volunteers!" Susan exclaims. "They help so much with hands-on animal care, special events, and other projects." (Anyone interested in volunteering at the Humane Society of New York can call Anne-Marie Karash at (212) 752-4842 x236.)

As for the Society's talented staff, Susan offers only praise. "Our doctors — some of the best in the city — are with us because they care; they genuinely want to practice medicine that helps animals in need. Everyone else, from the President and Board to medical support staff and kennel workers — shares that sense of compassion."

Obviously, HSNY is a very special place for NYC's animals. You can tell by the way the animals act there, according to Susan. "When dogs have been adopted, then come back to visit or even see the vet, they come in heads up, tails wagging; they're not afraid, they want to come in. They remember that this is a place where they were happy."

To learn more about what makes HSNY a special place for NYC's animals, or to become a part of its success, visit the HSNY web site at www.humanesocietyny.org.