Out of the Cage! (September 2006)

Maddie's Fund Projects in NYC Growing Bigger, Stronger

Increased adoptions and spay/neuter surgeries go hand in glove in reducing homeless animal populations. Similarly, Maddie's Pet Rescue Project NYC and Maddie's Spay/Neuter Project in NYC, working in tandem, are crucial to our success in transforming NYC into a no-kill community. As each program extends its reach, we move that much closer to our goal: that no healthy or treatable dog or cat in NYC is killed merely because he or she does not have a home.

The Maddie's Pet Rescue Project NYC, now in its second year, is making impressive strides in reducing the number of healthy and treatable cats and dogs euthanized at NYC shelters. The amount of adoption subsidies paid out to Maddie's Pet Partners — that is, subsidies paid to the groups for adoptions over and above their adoption numbers for 2003 — is increasing, as the groups continue to exceed their adoption numbers for 2003.

Last year, more that $420,000 was paid out to the groups in adoption subsidies, accounting for more than half of the Maddie's Fund grant proceeds in 2005. This year we are on track to achieve even greater adoption targets and increased payouts to the participating groups.

On the spay/neuter front, Maddie's Spay/Neuter Project in NYC (which accounts for $6 million in Maddie's funding over seven years) continues to facilitate spay/neuter surgeries at participating private veterinary practices among its target low-income population — NYC Medicaid recipients. The project provides low-cost ($10 each cat/$20 each dog) spays and neuters to pets of New York City residents who have a valid Medicaid card. Currently leading the pack in numbers of project spay/neuters are the Animal Clinic of Woodhaven in Queens, with 23 project surgeries, and Pet Haven Clinic in Brooklyn, with 14.

Maddie's Spay/Neuter Project in NYC will get a shot-in-the-arm on October 1 this year (approximately one year after the project was launched in NYC) when non profit veterinary clinics begin participating in the project. Joining the project are Animal Care & Control of NYC, ASPCA, Bide-A-Wee, and the The Humane Society of New York. By adding these important veterinary practices to the program, we can expect the numbers of project spay/neuters to increase dramatically.