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Encourages New Yorkers To Adopt A Pet
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani was joined by the City's Center for Animal Care and Control (CACC) Executive Director Marilyn Blohm today to encourage New Yorkers to consider adopting a pet from an animal shelter during National Pet Adoption Month. CACC has approximately 200 animals -- primarily puppies, kittens, dogs and cats -- available for adoption every day in shelters throughout the five boroughs. Many of these adoptable animals are purebred and trained, with the largest selections in the Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island shelters.
"If you own a pet, or have ever owned a pet, you understand how important an animal can be in your life, and how important you can be in the life of an animal," said Mayor Giuliani. "Thanks to the efforts of the City's Center for Animal Care and Control, thousands of animals have been adopted by caring New Yorkers who were willing to take them into their homes and into their hearts. In celebration of National Pet Adoption Month I encourage New Yorkers to consider adopting a pet."
New Yorkers interested in adopting a pet can call 212-722-3620, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to receive information on how to adopt a pet from CACC.
Individuals who want to adopt from CACC must undergo a reference check and
landlord verification. Adoption hours are 10:00 AM through 6:00 PM, seven days
a week, except for the Brooklyn shelter, which is closed on Mondays. Individuals
must be over 18 years old and are required to pay a $55 fee for cats and a $60
fee for dogs, to cover the costs of spaying/neutering procedures, vaccinations,
worming, feline leukemia test, microchip ID implanting, and a veterinary check.
CACC Executive Director Marilyn Blohm said, "On behalf of the staff at
CACC, I am delighted to have this opportunity to join the Mayor in reminding
New Yorkers of the joy and responsibility of adopting a companion animal. CACC
has successfully improved many aspects of the shelter services and, with continued
support from the Mayor and our private donors, it is our intent to transform
CACC into a premier shelter system."
According to CACC, which operates animal shelters under contract with the City's Department of Health, 60,000 unwanted, stray or abandoned dogs and cats entered its facilities in 1999. Despite CACC's tremendous efforts which find homes for more than 14,000 pets each year, approximately 38,000 pets are euthanized each year.
In an effort to lower the number of unwanted animals in New York City, earlier this month Mayor Giuliani signed into law legislation to amend the City's Administrative Code to require a full service animal shelter, licensed by the Department of Health, to be maintained in each borough. In addition, the legislation also mandates, with some exceptions, the sterilization of dogs and cats adopted from animal shelters or purchased from pet shops. These exceptions include threats to a dog or cat's health, if the dog or cat is a show animal, or if the dog is a guide dog, hearing dog, service dog or police dog.
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