New York, NY – Wednesday, August 17, 2011 – The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®), the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals®, and NYCLASS™ (New Yorkers for Clean, Livable & Safe Streets) expressed support today for a legislative package (Intro. 655) that would improve New York City’s animal shelter system by:
- Requiring animal receiving centers in the Bronx and Queens, as well as field services, to operate seven days a week, 12 hours per day. Currently the receiving centers are only open one and two days, respectively, and the field services program has been cut;
- Ensuring the maintenance of full-service animal shelters in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island;
- Requiring owners to spay or neuter any cats they own who are free-roaming outdoors;
- Implementing trap-neuter-return (TNR) rules; and
- Requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide a report 24 months from the day the bill is signed that will provide key data on trends on the progress and quality of care at each full-service animal shelter and animal receiving center.
With this legislation sponsored by Council Member Lappin, the City will commit to increasing its investment in the shelters over the next three years by nearly $10 million. By July 2014, the annual budget for the shelters will exceed $12 million, or 77 percent above current funding, which is expected to add more than 100 staff to the shelters. This legislative proposal recognizes the importance of these services for the entire community — helping our animals provides direct health and safety benefits to the citizens of the city.
“Together with the Mayor’s Alliance, the ASPCA supports these amendments to restore services and funds to NYC’s shelter system,” said Ed Sayres, president and CEO of the ASPCA. “Providing this infusion of critical resources will help save more lives and prevent animal suffering.”
“In these tough fiscal times, access to increased monies for programs and services that have been stretched so thin is a welcome change,” added Jane Hoffman, president of the Mayor’s Alliance. “We applaud Council Member Lappin, Speaker Quinn, and the Mayor’s Office for addressing these issues.”
“Restoring such key services is essential to not only saving more lives of dogs and cats, but also improving public safety for New York City’s residents,” said Steve Nislick, co-president of NYCLASS, a non-profit animal welfare and advocacy organization devoted to improving the quality of life for residents and animals of the City of New York. “The Mayor’s office, Speaker Quinn, Council Member Lappin, and the Health Department should be commended for tackling these critical concerns for New Yorkers.”
“And we look forward to continued dialogue with the Administration, the Council, and Speaker Quinn on this legislation, which will greatly improve the lives of New York City’s two- and four-legged residents,” said Sayres. “A well-funded animal control program decreases potential threats to public health and safety. It’s good for everybody.”
About the ASPCA®
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is the first humane organization established in the Americas and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animal welfare. One million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. The ASPCA, which is headquartered in New York City, offers a wide range of programs, including a mobile clinic outreach initiative, its own humane law enforcement team, and a groundbreaking veterinary forensics team and mobile animal CSI unit. www.aspca.org
About the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals®
The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, Inc., founded in 2002 and powered by Maddie’s Fund, The Pet Rescue Foundation, with support from the ASPCA, is a coalition of more than 150 animal rescue groups and shelters working with Animal Care & Control of New York City (AC&C) to end the killing of healthy and treatable cats and dogs at AC&C shelters. To achieve that goal, the Alliance, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, helps its Alliance Participating Organizations (APOs) work to their highest potential to increase pet adoptions and spay/neuter rates, with the goal of transforming New York City into a no-kill community by 2015. www.AnimalAllianceNYC.org
About NYCLASS™
New Yorkers for Clean, Livable & Safe Streets is a 501(c)(4) non-profit animal welfare and advocacy organization devoted to improving the quality of life for residents and animals of the City of New York. NYCLASS works to end the inhumane practice of the carriage horse industry and promote a clean and safe alternative to this outdated tradition. In addition, NYCLASS actively participates in other animal-related issues of importance in New York City. NYCLASS seeks to improve the city’s civic fabric and raise the level of public discourse on these issues by building public support for our initiatives. www.ny-class.org
Media Contacts
Anita K. Edson, ASPCA
Phone: (646) 522-5056
Steve Gruber, Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals
Phone: (917) 359-6003
Scott Levenson, NYCLASS
Phone: (212) 239-7323