Printer Friendly Format
View Press Conference
56k or 300k

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2002
PR-162-02
www.nyc.gov


MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES DOGNY SCULPTURE PROJECT TO BENEFIT CANINE SEARCH AND RESCUE HEROES

Life-Sized Search and Rescue Dog Sculptures to Appear
throughout New York City


Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the beginning of the American Kennel Club's DOGNY sculpture project, which will place up to 300 life-size dog statues in public spaces throughout New York City this summer, primarily in front of police stations and fire houses and in parks. The dog sculptures will be on display from August through November, marking the one-year commemoration of September 11th, before being sold at an auction. The statues will be auctioned at a later date and all proceeds will support America's search and rescue dog organizations, including the NYPD Canine Unit. The Mayor was joined at the announcement by the creator of DOGNY, American Kennel Club Vice President Dennis B. Sprung, Chairman of the American Kennel Club Ron Menaker, Lt. Dan Donadio and two members of the NYPD Emergency Service Canine Unit, Appollo and Kiefer, with their handlers Police Officers Peter Davis and Christopher Hanley.

"New York City is grateful for the canine teams from across the country who responded to the search and rescue efforts of September 11th," said Mayor Bloomberg. "We are delighted to pay tribute to their contributions and display these sculptures in a public forum."

"The events of September 11th brought to the public's attention the valuable work that Search and Rescue teams perform on a regular basis," said Dennis Sprung. "It is our hope that the DOGNY project will serve as a tribute to the tireless efforts of these canine teams and raise funds needed to help them continue their efforts."

Honorary Chairs for the program include Mayor Bloomberg, Governor George E. Pataki, former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, New York Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta and New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. All net proceeds will go to volunteer and professional search and rescue organizations throughout the United States through the American Kennel Club (AKC) Companion Animal Recovery Corporation Canine Support and Relief Fund.

Three hundred dog and handler teams from as far away as Washington, California, Texas, Utah and Puerto Rico participated in the search and rescue missions associated with the events of September 11th. A majority of these organizations are volunteer-based and rely on donations to fund their training, equipment and deployment needs. The AKC provided assistance to many of these organizations and established DOGNY to honor volunteer and professional search and rescue dog teams throughout the United States. "Our work in canine search and rescue is more important than ever, " said Lt. Dan Donadio of the NYPD Canine Unit. "That is why we appreciate all the help and support we receive from great organizations like the American Kennel Club."

Professional and amateur artists have submitted more than 200 designs, which will be presented to sponsors for possible production. Some sponsors are directly commissioning designs from the artists of their choice. The Iams Company is sponsoring twenty sculptures as part of the tribute to search and rescue dogs.

Through a collaborative effort with the Hartz Mountain Corporation, a specially licensed "Help a Hero" DOGNY dog toy was created. Starting this August, the toy will be sold at pet supplies stores throughout the United States. Hartz will donate a portion of the proceeds to the AKC Companion Canine Support and Relief Fund. As a result of this collaboration, the New York Yankees have designated August 24, 2002, "DOGNY Day" at their home game.

The AKC, founded in 1884, maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world, is responsible for overseeing the governance of the sport of purebred dogs, and keeps records of competitive results. For DOGNY sponsorship opportunities, contact the American Kennel Club at 1-866-DOGNY-911 or visit www.DOGNY.org.

www.nyc.gov

Contact: Ed Skyler / Megan Sheekey
(212) 788-2958
  Carla Cicalese (DOGNY)
(212) 843-8293