Finding a new home can often be a nightmare for New Yorkers, but the process has become a little easier for four-legged residents thanks to Animal Care Centers of NYC.
According to ACC’s first-quarter data that was released Wednesday, the center’s overall placement rate for adoptable cats and dogs was 94.3 percent, the highest among the nation’s open-admissions shelters.
An open-admission shelter is a facility that “accepts any animal that comes through its doors, no matter its medical or behavioral condition” and “decisions about placements are often based on resources and space availability, the health and the temperament of the animals at the given time,” ACC said on its website.
ACC is the only such shelter that serves all five boroughs, and its placement rate is the highest among national facilities that track data and take in more than 25,000 animals each year.
“The NYC shelter system is one of the best in the nation, and treats all animals we service with love and care,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told Metro. “This report demonstrates the city’s ongoing commitment to animal welfare and to finding a home for all pets in need.”
ACC placed 95.5 percent of its cats and 92.6 percent of its dogs via adoptions to the public and through partner adoption programs.
Over the course of the past year, ACC has focused on offering services and resources to alleviate pet surrender and keep animals with their families. Such efforts include fees associated with spaying, neutering and boarding, behavior advice, trainer referrals, military deployment assistance, helping with tenant-landlord disputes and more. Due to this initiative, the center took in 1,345 less animals, or 24 percent, compared to the first quarter of 2016.
“With fewer animals coming into the shelter system, we are able to focus resources on a smaller population,” ACC President and CEO Risa Weinstock said in a statement.
The center also introduced new adoption protocols and, with a grant from Maddie’s Fund, was able to update and enlarge its cat cages, Weinstock added.
ACC also provides pet vaccination and microchip services in underserved city neighborhoods in an effort to prevent overpopulation.
The shelter accepts dogs, cats, rabbits, small mammals, reptiles, birds, farm animals and wildlife. (But if you’re thinking of bringing an exotic animal home, check to make sure your new pet is legal in the city first).
For more information about ACC, visit nycacc.org.
