Drug use at ACC?

Check out this post by Urgent Part 2- Apparently ACC Director Julie Bank has been notified of drug use by her employees (employees who have in the past made life-ending mistakes by putting the wrong dogs to sleep!) and has yet to do anything about it!
Here's to hoping this outrage makes it on the news. The staff at ACC is already bad enough as it is, but for no one to care whether these mistakes happen (because they're all pittie strays anyway, right?), and for no one to seek out to correct these problems, is a real shame. I wonder how they would respond if a purbred dog was put to sleep days after arriving before its owners could find it, rather than just another stray? Every dog at ACC deserves a chance, and these low-life staff members are holding them back from that chance to survive.

Incompetence Running Rampant At NYCACC - PART 4 - Is Drug Use In Shelters Being Ignored?!?

by Urgent PART 2 on Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 11:41am

Animal Care & Control of NYC is a place where dedicated volunteers and employees are fired for any attempt at all to blow the whistle on widespread negligence and neglect, or even just those that work too hard to get animals rescued.  In the past year alone, employees like Emily Tanen and unpaid volunteers like Rita Bar-Or and Jeff Latzer have been fired for little or no reason at all, with no thought given to the effect their absence would have on the care of shelter animals.

But what about employees who are part of the problem?  Shelter employees that get high at work, or come to work intoxicated while exhibiting disdain for the animals in their care?  Anyone who spends enough time at the shelter becomes very familiar with these people, but what is more shocking is that these people are in fact embraced by the administration.  Why would that be?  Because Julie Bank prizes a very certain quality in the staff she maintains: cold, heartless contempt for any notion of animal welfare.  As long as these people are not sticking their necks out for better care of the animals, all other issues of professionalism, responsibility and dedication do not matter; they will always have a job at ACC if animals matter as little to them as they do to Park Place management.

Urgent has been contacted by numerous rescue groups, adopters, volunteers and even a few staff about the condoned negligence that perpetuates in the mismanaged ACC shelter system.  We were also recently contacted by a concerned citizen of East Harlem who tried to do something about it.  This person (who for obvious reasons insists on anonymity) had inside knowledge of drug use going on at the Manhattan ACC, and even knew who was supplying it to employees. He spoke up about it to shelter administration, and like every volunteer or staff or rescuer who writes emails to shelter management with concerns about shelter animal treatment, he was ignored.  He even tried again, this time including every elected official whose email he could find.


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: * *
Date: Mon, Jun 27, 2011 at 10:10 PM
Subject: Your last chance before I go on TV about DRUGS AT THE HARLEM SHELTER
To: jbank@nycacc.org, mbloomberg@cityhall.nyc.gov, info@animalalliancenyc.org, info@nycacc.org, rgentles@nycacc.org, sjaneczko@nycacc.org, TFarley@health.nyc.gov, bbdoniger@yahoo.com, KellnerM@assembly.state.ny.us, Patrick.Nolan@us.penguingroup.com, quinn@council.nyc.ny.us, Adrian.Benepe@parks.nyc.gov, commaffairs@nypd.org


Dear Julie Banks,

Why didnt you respond to my email?  It was a very important email about 4 workers at the Harlem shelter who do drugs, and none of you bothered to respond to me.  Do you only respond to white people with lawyers?  You think since I live in the neighborhood where your shelter is that I don't matter as much?

I gave you a list of four people that work in your medical office that use drugs even though theyre supposed to be saving animals. (I copied it at the bottom of this email)  Doesnt that matter to you?  Since I wrote that to you, I read about your shelter on the facebook, and I saw all the shitty things you been doing instead, like killing the wrong dogs and firing your best worker. Why dont you fire the people that are high at work instead?  Two girls on that list I sent you were even talking shit about how proud they was to smoke weed during work!!!  Dont believe me?

If you dont answer this email and drug test these people, i'm gonna get this up on the internet on that Urgent website.  Trust me, you dont want that.  And remember like i said, if you tell them even a half hour before that your gonna test them, theyll pass, and go on being high treating dogs.

This is your last chance julie banks.  Next time you hear from me i'll be on channel 5


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: * *
Date: Sat, May 7, 2011 at 12:31 PM
Subject: HARLEM ANIMAL SHELTER WORKERS USING DRUGS
To: mbloomberg@cityhall.nyc.gov, info@animalalliancenyc.org, info@nycacc.org, jbank@nycacc.org


Dear Animal Care and Control,
I know for a fact that these four people work in the harlem medical department, and all use drugs all the time.  Sometimes they even use at work. You need to drug-test them right now, because theyre supposed to be helping the animals, and they cant do that if theyre high!  How do I know this?  I know the guy who sells to them.  I promise you, if you give them a drug test like all employees should get, and you dont let them know first, theyll fail. If you tell them even a half hour before, theyll pass (I've done it for jobs before, all you need is a drink from gnc).  But doing that when your supposed to save animals is just wrong.
Trust me, i'm not joking with you.  Don't put the animals at risk any longer!  And if this gets out and people know the vet tex are high, it will look very bad for nyc.
There names are:

xxxxxxxx


And still -- nothing.  The people he implicates are still at the shelter putting animals in danger, including one role of particular importance: a New Hope rescue liaison.  The unanswered emails from the whistleblower also names a shelter behaviorist, a lead vet tech assistant, and a vet assistant. 

The biggest mystery here is why the shelter does not follow through on its pre-existing drug policy of random drug tests, and mandatory testing after a bite incident.  A shelter staff source tells us that the New Hope rescue liaison was bitten last year, but bragged about never being tested or she surely would have failed.  A second source from the shelter staff sent us the attached photo of drug paraphernalia found in the shelter backyard, with a note explaining that it was common sight at ACC.



So Julie Bank, maybe you'll answer Urgent instead: how could you ignore these emails and continue to put the animals' lives in the care of openly irresponsible and "distracted" people?  Numerous staff named in these emails work in the medical department, and the Manhattan shelter is notorious for its rampant medical "mistakes" that leave dogs, cats and kittens found stiff in their cages for lack of care.  The homeless animals of NYC deserve better than this, and the citizens of NYC deserve oversight into who their tax dollars employ.

The NYC Govt needs to know that you are outraged. Please go to this link for contact information:
http://www.urgentdeathrowdogs.org/how-you-can-help/how-togroup1/act.html

Also, The New York State Dept of Health (not the NYC DoH) and the DEA would both be appropriate avenues to explore for complaints due to the involvement of controlled (Scheduled) substances. Those performing euthanasia MUST be registered with the New York State Dept. of Health to handle/administer scheduled drugs (see Section 80.134 of Title 10 regulations).

"The Department of State is committed to maintaining the integrity and competence of the licensees within its jurisdiction. Should a member of the public believe that a licensee has acted in an untrustworthy or incompetent manner, he or she may file a complaint with the Department's Division of Licensing Services. The complaint will be reviewed and an investigation will be commenced to determine whether the licensee should be disciplined. Both the licensee and the complainant are kept apprised of the proceedings.

A licensee who is found to be in violation of the law is subject to reprimand, fine, suspension or revocation."

A copy of the complaint form can be found here:
http://www.dos.ny.gov/licensing/complaint.html


Coming Soon - Part 5 - You won't want to miss it...

Moral Inconsistencies about Animals

Moral Inconsistencies...
That is what I want to write about today.

Why is it that we eat cows, poison rats and let dogs sleep in our beds? Why do we care when a dog is humanely euthanized but not when a pig is slaughtered for food or a seal is clubbed for its fur? Why do we hate Michael Vick for abusing dogs when we sit on, carry around, and wear leather goods?

For some of you, it might be easy to answer these questions by simply saying, "Well, pets are different." But why? Why are we plagued with these moral inconsistencies? Why was Hitler a vegetarian, yet order the killing of millions of jews? Why do some Brazilian tribes both kill adult monkeys and personally breast feed their young monkey babies?  This is the subject of Hal Herzog's book "Some we love, Some we hate, Some we eat."

When we first brought Winnie home, it took me all of two months before I stopped eating mammal flesh. I had always had an aversion to handling animal flesh before it was magically converted into "food" via heat, but I wasn't convinced it was morally wrong until a strange thing happened.

http://zivevum.webatu.com/catfish-sahara-wastewater.html

While I was on vacation in the thousand islands a year ago, I witnessed a blue heron fish out a cat-fish from a shallow area and leave it hidden in some dry leaves and grass to suffocate. After it died, it came back and taken it away to eat, presumably to help feed itself and its young as many birds do, I noticed that near the catfish's shallow pool were baby catfish. I had been told that fish of course take very little responsibility for their young, although there is evidence that some fish and amphibians have evolved to do so. For example, the male seahorse holds eggs in his pouch until they hatch and some male frogs actually hold tadpols in their mouths until they are ready to leave. (Listen to this podcast to learn more about how various animals care for their young.)

This did not disturb me much. The young catfish would not be raised by their parents like a fox pup is raised by its mom and dad, but I took particular offense to the way the heron let the catfish die. To be honest, I anthopocentrized the catfish and imagined the agony it felt out of the water- something many children do when they experience fishing with their Dads for the first time- imploring them to throw the fish right back and feeling the guilt associated with yanking these animals in and out of the water for our pleasure.

I was told to forget the fish, that it was part of the nature, and that I truthfully would not want the heron to die of starvation. Of course, I felt that I needed to hold myself to a higher level. My closeness with my dog- the first animal I was ever completely responsible for- led me to feel a closeness intrinsically with other mammals like us.

www.peta.org

How should I proceed with this moral quandary? Well, I stopped eating mammals, and am happy to say that in 1 full year I haven't eaten any mammal flesh. I do, however, still eat fish and poultry. My reasoning for this first began with my both practical concerns and my emotional feelings-- I don't really feel so close to a chicken or a fish and I don't necessary believe that my consumption of them is morally wrong.

At first, free-range poultry and wild-caught fish seemed logical, although there is some evidence that chickens actually prefer to be clusterred together- and given the chance to run free- will huddle under each others wings. (Read about other problems associated with anthropocentrizing animals in A. Horowitz's book, Inside of a Dog.) Recently, after much thought, I found a better justification for my eating habits. If forced to live in the woods for years- or on a deserted island, I would forage and eat fruits, nuts, vegetables and whatever else I could find, but I would also be comfortable collecting insects, spearing fish and catching them with my own hands, or if need be- breaking a bird's neck so that I could eat it.

On the other hand, I would be completely unable to trap and eat any mammal of any kind, not under any circumstances. Whatever genetic code brought me to adore my dogs, whether it be due to my affinity for baby-like creatures to secure the future of my own children- or my ability to sympathize with mammals in order to better hunt them (called theory of mind by philosophers and psychologists), something went wrong somewhere- and I could no longer be able to personally kill a mammal or cut up its flesh. Hence, no mammal meat, and if I can avoid it, no leather.

Nor would I be able to hurt any creature (mammal or not) intentionally and without good reason. In ESPN's recent Michael Vick special issue, author David Fleming raises these exact inconsistencies in the moral behaviors of Vick haters.

Jay Paul/ Getty Images/ESPN.go.com

He writes,  
"From factory farming to horse racing, a multibillion dollar sport where two-thirds of all washed-up thoroughbreds are either abandoned or slaughtered, our perspective regarding animal cruelty is significantly altered depending on the degree of intimacy involved. We don't have to witness the stomach-turning horrors inside a farm factory in order to get chicken nuggets for lunch. They're handed to us through a drive-through window, wrapped inside a clean, colorful package. Theoretically, our hands remain clean, whereas an exhaustive report by the Department of Agriculture revealed that Vick drowned, electrocuted and hung dogs with his bare hands. "The American population may not be guilty of carrying it out with their own hands as Vick did," says Singer. "But it's certainly guilty of supporting animal cruelty through their purchases. It's not any worse to make a dog suffer than to make a pig or a chicken or a cow suffer. If you look at factory farms and if you support them, you can't say 'Vick made animals suffer and I don't.'"

As a dog lover, and a pit bull lover, I found that I was unable to place pits above other dogs, dogs above other mammals, and my own desire for tasty bacon over the pain and suffering of pigs etc. I urge you to think about these issues- about the possible presence of inconsistencies in your own moral code. While euthanasia of dogs in major cities in the U.S. is a huge problem, and a problem that outrages us because of our feelings that dogs are like people- less kind killing of other animals happens every day, on a massive scale, for our indulgences. It is worth ruminating on, isn't it?

Winner and Loser of the Week

Winner: Gap, Inc.


Pit Bulls in Main Stream Advertising


In an effort to "democratize fashion" and boost authenticity of its 1969 brand (launched in 2009) the Gap has gone behind the scenes- showing their offices in recent advertisements and even including their office-dog, Louie, a caramel-colored pit mix! Their new market? "Downtown, semi-hipster, artsy folk" (might I also add, Pit bull owners?)

Louie, now named the "Denim Mascot" has received mostly positive press. While 238 people "like" his commercial on facebook (below), one user wrote "I don't think a Pit Bull in a Gap commercial is a great idea for an international company as it's illegal to have them unmuzzled in public or breed from them in the UK."  (Funny thing- because this article from the dailymail.co.uk doesn't seem to have a problem featuring an adorable shot of Louie in its article.) Luckily, her comments was met with rebuke and the rest of the comments were all positive.

Read more here.



Loser: Pitbull, the Rapper

Mis-using the Mis-understood

This man sadly has chosen the name Pitbull for himself.

Singer/Rapper Pitbull (aka Armando Christian Perez) is said to have chosen the name pitbull because, "they bite to lock. The dog is too stupid to lose. And they're outlawed in Dade County. They're basically everything that I am. It's been a constant fight."(Washington Post, 2004.)

All completely false. First of all, they do not bite to lock- no animal's jaws can actually lock, but they do have a very powerful bite and can hold on longer than most dogs and actually has a lower "pressure per square inch" than German Shepherds and Rottweilers. (Watch the bite force competition here.)

Also, they are not "too stupid to lose"- they are dedicated to their owners and will do what they are told when manipulated with drugs, starvation, and lack of companionship. They are in fact capable of many things other than fighting. TheRealPitBull.com writes, "The truth of the matter is that the Pit Bull is one of the most versatile of canines, capable of excelling at just about any task his owner asks him to complete. This breed is routinely used for: obedience trialing,  conformation showing, weight pull, Schutzhund (a German sport which requires dogs to perform in obedience, tracking and protection phases of a competition), agility, and have even been known to participate in herding trials, search and rescue work, and a variety of other tasks including police and armed services work. But fanciers will argue that the task this breed performs best of all is that of beloved companion."

The long and the short of it? Buy Gap and not Pitbull's music!

Pit Bull Art: Gone to the dogs...

Randy Grim with Stray Rescue of St. Louis has been trying to rescue and revitalize the breed through his art. His message is very clear in the various pieces on display now in the Saint Louis University Museum of Art. Some of the pieces were even created by pit bulls themselves (with paws, tails and teeth.)

This art is very inspiring to pit bull lovers because it shows how many creative ways there are to spread the message about this down-trodden mis-understood breed. Words and pictures, blogs and articles, advertisements and public appearences- all help change minds. The more people hear and see both the sad side of the pit bulls' plight as well as the happy side of family life with a pit bull- the more homes these brave animals can have.

I love seeing new and interesting ways to affect peoples' consciences about these dogs and I love what Mr. Grim was able to do with his art.

Read more here.

Animal Farm Foundation Posters

Thanks to Animal Farm Foundation to reminding us all not to group pit bulls together-- they are all different and unique, all of them when through different experiences and have different reactions to other dogs and people.

One way I'd like to generalize however, is to assume that they all like love- they all are capable of receiving and enjoying human love and companionship- no matter what they have been through.

Enjoy their new poster-campaign:

A Not-So-Public ACC Board Meeting Prompts me to feel Grateful...

As I sit here on my couch with Winnie and Bruno on either side of me, as they try to avoid the heat by laying as still as possible, I am so grateful that neither of them ever have to live at the mercy of cruel and negligent people ever again.

Unfortunately, many animals in New York City are surrendered to Animal Care & Control by their owners who are moving to public housing, who are going away on a military deployment, or who can't pay for their medical costs-- only to find that they have a very slim chance of finding a new home and family. The end comes after what was once a family dog is reduced to a depressed and fearful dog- sick from kennel cough and living in its own feces- is killed by a needle in the arm by a brusque stranger.

This is not unusual-any animal advocate following what is happening in New York City- a city I am furious I pay taxes to- knows that this is not an uncommon story. Dogs have only a few days before they are sick and are placed in the sick-ward, up for "disease-euth." We all know that the images of empty water bowls and filthy blankets are all too common--

(Read more about the filthy conditions in my blog post here.)

We all know that reputable shelters that can attract volunteers do not operate this way. (Animal Haven in Soho for example has more volunteers than it can accommodate and therefore, there are walks almost every hour for the dogs and no outbreaks of kennel cough or any other shelter-borne illnesses.)

Today at 3 pm, Animal Care and Control had a Public Board Meeting at 125 Worth Street. A crowd of about 50 people showed up to protest before the meeting, but were never allowed in. What is worse- a reporter from the press arrived 15 minutes early, only to be told the meeting was full and was denied access. While waiting outside, I heard from one lucky observer that the room was in fact- not full- and that the room chosen was too small to accommodate the amount of public interest.

In fact, some advocates in the crowd had come from as far away as Boston to hear Ms. Bank (executive director of the AC&C) herself explain the recent mistakes, errors, and euth statistics, as well as the recent causeless firing of employee Emily Tanen. ( See the video at the bottom for more info)

In addition, it is clear that the organization is understaffed- No time is given to determine a dog's breed-- all dogs with a square-ish head whether 100 lbs or 15 are labeled pit mixes, shutting out potential breed-specific adopters and rescues who may be looking for a boxer-mix or a lab-mix or a bull-terrier.

For example, Steven is clearly an American Bulldog, but the uneducated staffer quickly labeled him a pit-bull mix:

And it couldn't be more obvious that Sully is a Bull terrier, but again, they labeled him a pit bull mix.

If they can't even identify breeds- how are they going to find them homes??
In addition, they show their lack of care by giving the same names over and over-- Star, Diamond, Bruno, Boy, Nice, and Linda among them. They are too busy and careless to fix typos, like this poor boy- who may die named "Rexz"...

...or this one-- "Rubdy" clearly a quickly-typed Rudy...

Recently, there have been a number of animals simply named "Dog" (One is below.)

(Yes, I am serious... they named this scared little guy "Dog")

Unfortunately, change feels far away--even as so many are demanding more taxes and resources go to the No-Kill cause. I am sympathetic to the idea that AC&C is cash-strapped - but a good charity/ a good city office with the right intentions explains that they need all the help they can get- and in the face of criticism, ask for help. This Board has been heralding its successes while shutting out opposing views. Firing Emily Tanen for being out-spoken, hiding the sick-ward so rescues can only view sick animals while accompanied by a AC&C employee, and continuing to say that no healthy animal is being euthanized- is proof that Ms. Bank and the rest of the board are running from the problem. By turning away from criticism, they alienate their donation & volunteer base even more. Rather than explain that they need more money, more space, more time, more help-- they bury their heads even deeper in the sand.

It is a sad day for the animals that lose their lives every day- adoptable animals that could recover in 10 short days from kennel cough (like Bruno did)- dogs like Charlie, a 6 month old 19 lb Pit mix who will miss out on all the kisses, hugs, games of fetch and snacks under the table that life had in store for her-- just because she had a curable cough....

I am so glad I got Bruno out of there just in the nick of time.

See Minutes and Video from AC&C's last board meeting here.

Filthy Conditions at NYC Animal Care & Control

NYC AC&C has been doing everything it can lately to make it harder and harder to save dogs lives. Rather than utizile social networking and encourage people to meet their dogs, they are firing their best employees, casting doubt on facebook groups, and now have enacted a new policy of not allowing rescuers to view the animals that are not on the adoption floor (sick or injured or euth list animals) without being escorted by an AC&C employee.

Unfortunately, after this picture was taken of a pit-mixed named Ebony laying in her own filth- even though thousands were trying to mobilize and call the shelter to save her, the AC&C still put her to sleep for having a curable case of Kennel Cough-- gee I wonder how she caught Kennel cough is such a clean environment??

This is NOT acceptable. No-kill advocate athan Winograd sumed it up when he wrote on his fb page,

"This is Ebony. She is scheduled to be killed in New York City’s pound, right down the street from the richest SPCA (the ASPCA) in the nation which last year took in over $100,000,000, despite the Mayor’s Alliance receiving over $20,000,000 in Maddie’s Fund grants, despite the largest adopter pool in the U.S. (8,000,000), and despite a per capita intake rate 1/7 that of No Kill Reno, NV. And while she waits for her death, she is kept in the filthiest conditions possible. NYC’s claim to be a ‘national model’ is a cruel hoax.”

In addition to this loss, the AC&C also recently killed a dog named Jan only to find out from vigilent rescue groups that Jan was very much alive and a shelter employee (AGAIN) killed the wrong dog.

This is Jan-- notice she is NOT in a freezer. Jan still needs a home, visit her fb link here.

Tell the NYC AC&C to get their act together: Send this and other letters to the Mayor, the Mayor's Alliance, and the City Government.

PetItForward.org & Affordable Pet-Ownership

Since adopting Winnie and Bruno at the ages of 23, Chip and I realized how expensive dogs can be. Together, we make a decent income - not above average by any means - we are both paralegals at reputable law firms in New York City- but lately it feels like you need to be rich to own a dog here and keep it healthy.

So many of the dogs that come into the shelters in NYC are mal-nourished, injured or geriatric and need vet care their families cannot afford. Here are number of dogs I've seen in the last few months. Each one was either starved, had mange, or had a condition that needed expensive care. The expenses needed to rescue these dogs make it impossible for anyone other than Rescue Groups to adopt them:

(luckily-each of thses dogs was rescued by a rescue group- you can find out more about each in the safe folders at Urgent Part 2, but many are not so lucky.)


The story of Patrick(the pit puppy starved and thrown away as garbage) is of course a horrible one of cruelty and neglect, but it has shed light on the fact that many pet owners cannot afford care- and many cannot even afford adequate food. Please don't get me wrong- I hate people who don't take care of their dogs- I will do anything to make sure my dogs are fed and healthy and happy- and let's face it, people in this city adopt dogs they cannnot afford and that is wrong, but I do feel that something can and should be done it make it more affordable to own a dog.

That is where Pet It Forward comes in. It's CEO, Jenna Dreher, really believes in the mission of lowering the costs of pet-care- so much so that she donated generously to Winnie's ACL-repair surgery.

Jenna writes, "Pet care can be expensive and it doesn't have to be. Pet It Forward is like priceline.com for pet care, freer and more fun. We put the power in the hands of pet owners, giving them the ability to network online with those in their community, such as other pet owners and care professionals, to find more affordable or even free care for their pets."

I am really excited about this site; it connects pet owners with other pet owners in their nieghborhoods, makes booking and paying for pet-care online quick and easy, and can save us up to 50-100% on pet care. When you sign up for an appointment, the providers are sent the scheduling details, you are sent a reminder, and you can even review the provider- this means gaining insight from your neighbors about the vets, groomers or the dog-walkers in your area. It also puts you in touch with other dog owners so you can even set up "dates" for your pet.

The potential for this site is huge- if this site can generate enough users and pet care providers- it could save lives at city shelters by keeping dogs out of shelters in the first place. It would also open up homes for dogs with people who think owning a dog would be prohibitively expensive- like young, busy people who need to use dog walkers and expensive boarding facilities. The cheaper pets cost to own, feed and care-for, the more pets can be rescued and live fufilling lives.

The site is still in development, and accessibility to low cost vet-care is not yet available, but users will be able to save on boarding, walking, feeding, and cleaning service costs.

Please consider signing up-you will get an email when it is fully-functional.

To sign-up for an invitation to join Pet It Forward, click here.



Tribute to Lost Dogs

Everyone of these dogs in this video was killed in just 5 short days (between March 5th and March 9th 2011) by Animal Care and Control of New York City. Something has to be done to improve the conditions, reduce the upper respiratory infections and provide more room for dogs so that it is not in the shelter's best interest for these dogs to get sick and put down for coughing and sneezing.

These colds can be cured in ten days with antibiotics- both our dogs had coughs and in a clean environment, they got better rapidly. With enough space- colds are no reason to euthanize.

Atlanta-Bound!

With the prospect of our whole family moving to Atlanta, GA in the next year, I began searching for Pittie Rescues and Resources in the Atlanta area, and I was so excited with what I found:

The Atlanta Humane Society looks like a great network that puts on exciting fundraisers and events to help the animals. It reminds me a lot of where I volunteer-Animal Haven here in New York, except much bigger and with a lot more resources.

Also, the Atlanta Bully Rescue is an amazing shelter that saves bully breeds specifically - even if they are abused and need intensive mendical care and treatment. ABR is no-kill, with the exception of human-agressive dogs, un-rehabilitatable dogs, and dogs suffering from illness. All the dogs get "house-time" so that they can begin their path to being real house dogs right away. Like me, the fantastic founders of ABR dream of purchasing a farm for their shelter with ample room for the dogs. Because space at ABR opens only when a dog is adopted, they are in need of fosters-If you are in the Atlanta area and can help, please click here: ABR

Here is an important note about Pit Bull Overpopulation from ABR founder, Whitney Horne:

"Atlanta Bully Rescue, like many of the other animal shelters in Georgia, is always full with a waiting list of dogs that need a spot at our rescue. On average we get 20-30 requests a day asking us to take in pets that need a home. We get about 10 applications in a month and about 2 are approved and result in an adoption. For the most part we take in strays found by friends, neighbors, or us. We require that these dogs go to Animal Services first. We try and concentrate on taking in strays found in East and South Atlanta. Many of these dogs come from backyard breeders that had to learn the hard way how hard and expensive it is to breed dogs, especially responsibly.

There are thousands of pit bulls in Georgia in need of a home. It’s an epidemic that many people don’t realize until they find a stray pit and try relentlessly to get it into a no kill shelter.

Sadly, many people want these dogs so they can use them for backyard breeding, as a status symbol, or worse… The key to fighting the overpopulation of pit bulls is having them fixed. Finding them responsible homes is not always easy. I hate to say it, but these dogs are better off being euthanized with their dignity than going to an irresponsible home. Sending them off to a new home unfixed is taking a horrible risk that the dog will end up living a miserable life with a backyard breeder. We will be happy to help you with resources to get a dog fixed for free or under $70. There’s no excuse for rehoming an unfixed pet, you are just adding to the problem, not the solution. Feel free to also use the questions on our application to screen potential adopters and please check vet references.

No one should ever feel bad about taking a stray to animal control. At least you took the time to take a dog off the streets that would have otherwise almost inevitably met a horrible fate. The more dogs we get off the street, the less unwanted litters we will have to worry about finding homes for.

If you have a pit that is human aggressive, please for the sake of the breed, have them euthanized. Human aggression is not a trait of pit bulls. Trying to keep or find a home for a human aggressive pit bull is taking a huge risk that you will add to their bad reputation. It is not safe to rehome ANY breed of dog that shows signs of human aggression. You cannot train out human aggression!

We appreciate anyone’s efforts to help out a homeless dog but we beg you to do it responsibly if you really want your efforts to make a difference in the severe problem of pet overpopulation, especially pit bulls."

(This is Kudzo, one of ABR's available Pit mix puppies! Click here for more info on Kudzo)

Consider Attending:

NYC CACC Flyer Drop in Times Square.
Saturday, February 26
2:00-5:00pm

Bring awareness about the failures of the Shelter System.

Print Flyers to post elsewhere if you cannot attend!

Be Heard:

These two dogs were killed even though they had adopters anxiously waiting to take them home:

 RIP Shadow & Lola

Please call, write, email, fax, the Mayor, the ACC Board members, the City Council members, and the media and also send letters to the editor.  Here's a sample letter; please personalize, if you wish and use your own thoughts and words to convey your anger and dissatisfaction with the status quo:



Dear Mayor Bloomberg, Board members of NYC Animal Care and Control, Speaker Quinn and City Council members:

Thousands of our companion animals are being needlessly killed in the shelters of NYC Animal Care and Control.  Reports are rampant of "mistakes" (e.g., killing animals who had rescues waiting), intentional mislabeling as "ill", or failure to treat easily treatable "illness", in order to justify killing. We demand a thorough investigation into the mismanagement, mistreatment and on-going killing of our homeless companion animals, for which there is no end in sight.

I am writing to express my outrage and concerns about the appalling and unacceptable situation at the NYC Animal Care and Control shelters, resulting from an unconscionable failure in management and leadership at every level and recent severe budget cuts. Service cuts in the shelters have resulted in increased numbers of animals killed and animals forced to live in unhealthy and neglectful conditions. This was reported in the recent ABC Eyewitness News undercover exposes, which have brought shame to our City and its citizens: http://tinyurl.com/29bemct; also http://tinyurl.com/2c3zh2h; and http://tinyurl.com/2ce9wzg. NYC has always ranked among the lowest major cities in the per capita monetary allotment for shelter animals, but now the situation and its dire consequences are even worse.  Hideous numbers of animals continue to be routinely killed.  In addition, the animal shelters for the Bronx and Queens, which were mandated by law and subsequent court ruling, have not been built, after more than 10 years of delay tactics and stalling by the City.

The Nevada Humane Society, among many others, is part of a growing trend sweeping the country that has transformed one of the highest kill rate shelters in the US into one of the lowest. This should be a "how to" example for New York City.  Please see how they did it. http://www.nevadahumanesociety.org/pdf/HowWeDidIt11-08.pdf

It has recently been reported that the City Council will be considering a proposal that will cost $10 million of taxpayer money to install Wi Fi capability in our City parks.  While this may be a progressive endeavor, if funds are available for such a project, where are the funds to improve the conditions and most importantly, save the lives of thousands of NYC companion animals?  Their needs have been put on the back burner, with little or no attention paid to their suffering and deaths.

I consider this situation to be intolerable, unconscionable and unacceptable.  I urge the Mayor, all ACC Board members and all City Council members to address this urgent situation immediately and take all necessary actions to investigate and rectify it.

Sincerely,

Name
Address

CONTACTS:

• General email contact for all City Council members:
• members@council.nyc.ny.us
• If you wish to find the name and contact info for YOUR City Council member go to: http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtm
• You can send a letter by using "Contact Us" form for the following members with no email address at: http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtm : Dromm, Greenfield, Quinn, Vallone  
• No email contact at all (must call, write or fax) :Arroyo, Barron, Dickens, Nelson, Reyna, Rose

Email Contact info for all other Council members not mentioned above (some have both email and Contact us forms on the City Council website http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtm ):
gbrewer@council.nyc.gov ; fcabrera@council.nyc.gov; chin@council.nyc.gov; comrie@council.nyc.ny.us; ecrowley@council.nyc.gov; Edilan@council.nyc.gov;mathieu.eugene@council.nyc.gov;jferreras@council.nyc.gov ; LFidler@council.nyc.gov;foster@council.nyc.gov; garodnick@council.nyc.ny.us; jgennaro@council.nyc.gov; vgentile@council.nyc.gov; Sgonzalez@council.nyc.gov; dhalloran@council.nyc.gov; Ignizio@council.nyc.ny.us;rjackson@council.nyc.gov, ljames@council.nyc.gov;pkoo@council.nyc.gov;okoppell@council.nyc.gov;Koslowitz@council.nyc.gov;lander@council.nyc.gov;
lappin@council.nyc.gov;slevin@council.nyc.gov;mviverito@council.nyc.gov;darlene.mealy@council.nyc.gov;rmendez@council.nyc.gov; lkaplan@council.nyc.gov;joddo@council.nyc.gov;apalma@council.nyc.gov;drecchia@council.nyc.gov;Joel.Rivera@council.nyc.gov; yrodriguez@council.nyc.gov, jsanders@council.nyc.gov; cmseabrook12@yahoo.com; eulrich@council.nyc.gov; jvacca@council.nyc.gov; jvanbramer@council.nyc.gov;avann@council.nyc.gov , MWeprin@Council.NYC.gov;Ruben.Wills@council.nyc.gov

City Hall
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
New York, NY  10007
Tel: 212 788 3000  Mayor’s Action Line 212 788 9600
mbloomberg@cityhall.nyc.gov

Commissioner, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
Chairman Of ACC Board: Thomas Farley, M.D.
125 Worth Street, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10013
Tel: (212) 788-5261  Fax: (212) 964-0472
TFarley@health.nyc.gov

There are 7 directors on the AC&C Board.  Three of them represent these City Departments: Health, Parks, and
Police. They are called “ex officio” directors.  In effect, the Mayor appoints them.

The 3 "ex-officio" board members from the City are:

Commissioner, Department of Health
e-mail: tfarley@health.nyc.gov
Adrian BenepeCommissioner, NYC Department of Parks & Recreation
The Arsenal, Central Park, 830 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10021
Tel:  800 201-Park; Dial 311 for all Parks & Recreation Information
Benepe occasionally attended board meetings, but for the past several years, has sent a designee.
Demonstrates little or no interest in improving the plight of shelter animals. To e-mail Comissioner Benepe, go to http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildpr.html

[You’re limited to 150 words or less, so you may have to divide your message into 2 or 3 messages to him.  Or you can send him a letter.]
Lt. THOMAS J. SWANSON
Representative for NYPD Community Affairs.
The AC&C offers no information regarding Lt. Swanson, nor a direct contact for him.
thomas.swanson@nypd.org    


JAY KUHLMAN, DVMThere are 4 "independent directors," who are all selected by the Mayor’s Office. Gramercy Animal Hospital
37 East 19th Street
New York, NY 10003
Tel. 212-477-4080
sjkuhlman@aol.com

John M.B. O'Connor
joc@jocnewyork.com

BRUCE DONIGER
Appointed in Oct 2004. President and CEO of The J.E. & Z.B Butler Foundation, a non-profit that benefits at-risk youth and individuals with special needs. AC&C's Treasurer. 


PATRICK NOLAN
Appointed in March 2007 to fill a nine-month vacancy and now apparently a
permanent member of the Board. A VP of Marketing at Penguin Group publishing in Manhattan. He remains an
unknown entity.
His office e-mail: Patrick.Nolan@us.penguingroup.com
B. DONIGER
bbdoniger@yahoo.com 
Former partner at JP Morgan Partners and now CEO of J.H. Whitney Investment Management in Manhattan.   Was ACC's treasurer for four years. A blood sport hunter and ACC's most hostile board member to animal welfare issues.  His concern is not to embarrass “his friend,” Mayor Bloomberg.
212-363-0868  

THOMAS FARLEY, M.D
A veterinarian. Genuinely cares about the plight of shelter animals but has never publicly protested the DOH’s stewardship of the ACC or the actions and inaction of his fellow board members.