Adopting New Strategies - by Amy Sacks, New York Daily News - Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, Inc. - Working with the City of New York to promote dog and cat adoption and spay and neuter programs to make New York a no-kill city.

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Adopting New Strategies

Saturday, November 27, 2004

Starsky and Hutch just want a warm, cozy place to call home.

But the delightful 4-month-old mastiff-mix puppies are among the thousands of New York's homeless animals that will spend the holiday season in a shelter.

"A lot of people purchase dogs from pet stores for the holidays, but there are so many wonderful animals available for adoption," said Jennifer Bristol, director of the Animal Haven Animal Shelter in Flushing, Queens.

This year, Animal Haven and the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals will team with shelters across the country to encourage people looking for a pet this holiday season to adopt instead of buy.

Organizers of the "Iams Have a Heart: Home 4 the Holidays" campaign hope to find homes for 300,000 animals.

"I wanted the animals going into new homes around the holidays to be from shelters, rather than from puppy mills and backyard breeders," said Michael Arms, who created the program when he moved from New York to become president of the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

The international adoption drive began in 1999 and has since grown to 1,700 shelters in 20 countries.

One of the available dogs is Edgar, a 30-pound Tibetan terrier mix who recently landed at a New York City Animal Care and Control shelter with wire around his muzzle.

Through Dec. 19, New Yorkers who adopt from a participating rescue group or shelter get a starter kit with food samples, coupons and tips on pet care, behavior, training and nutrition — with a chance to win a lifetime supply of Iams.

To find an animal shelter near you, the animal welfare group Rational Animal (www.rational-animal.org) has designed the Trails to Tails Map, a glossy, foldout guide that lists all New York-area shelters and rescue locations.

To receive a free map, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Rational Animal, 7 Cornelia St., No. 1-E, New York, N.Y. 10014, or pick up a copy of the fall issue of the free New York Tails magazine (www.newyork tails.com), which comes with a map inside.

If adoption is not possible this year, there are plenty of other ways to help out homeless animals.

From Monday until Dec. 5, New York's top pastry chefs will create Gingerbread Homes for the Holidays, an exhibit and fair at Central Park's Dana Discovery Center. The edible sculptures will be sold by raffle during the five-day fair to benefit New York's at-risk animals.

Other gift options for animal lovers: Consider donating to an animal charity or — for the pet lover who has everything — sponsor a shelter animal. Such programs, available at many shelters, help to pay for the upkeep of an animal until a new home is found.

Try buying blankets, food, toys or other items listed on a shelter's wish list, volunteer to walk shelter dogs or help an elderly person take care of a pet.

If you're thinking of surprising someone with a pet — don't. The city's animal experts strongly advise against giving pets as gifts and suggest giving a gift certificate for a future adoption from a shelter.

For more information on Home 4 the Holidays, call the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals at (212) 252-2350 or visit AnimalAllianceNYC.org.