Contact:
| Sunny Mindel/Brenda Pérez | 212-788-2958 |
| Kyle Burkhart | 212-442-2076 (Center for Animal Care and Control) |
| Sandra Mullin | 212-788-5290 (Department of Health) |
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today proclaimed May 2nd through May 8th as Be Kind to Animals Week. For the past 84 years, Be Kind to Animals Week has been observed by thousands of animal care and control agencies across the country to focus on the benefits of adopting a shelter animal and to spread the message about responsible pet ownership, which includes early spay/neuter, licensing, tag identification and preventive medical care. To illustrate these points, adoptable puppies and kittens were on hand for the announcement.
The Mayor was joined by: Neal L. Cohen, M.D., Commissioner of the Department of Health (DOH); Marilyn Blohm, Executive Director of the City's Center for Animal Care and Control (CACC); Bob Mc Grath and (Walkaround) Elmo of "Sesame Street," and students from PS 186, who initiated a "Pennies for Puppies" program through which they donate the funds raised each time they reach $20.00. The students have donated $48.00 to CACC since December 1998.
"Having a pet is a great joy, but also a great responsibility," the Mayor said. "Be Kind to Animals Week reminds us all that the best way to reciprocate our pets' love and devotion is to make sure that they are properly trained, spayed/neutered, vaccinated and checked by a vet every year to prevent disease, and licensed.
"I take this opportunity to congratulate CACC for a great job finding good homes for loving pets. In 1995, the number of adoptions directly from CACC shelters was 4,703. That number increased to 6,904 in 1996, to 7,357 in 1997, and to 11,844 in 1998. Furthermore, the 1998 euthanasia rate at CACC shelters was reduced by 46 percent for adoptable animals," the Mayor concluded.
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 owning 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."
Health Commissioner Neal Cohen, M.D. said, "Be Kind to Animals Week is a good time to remind New Yorkers about the requirement to license their dogs. This summer, a licensing poster campaign will remind New Yorkers that for a reasonable cost of between $8.50 - $11.50 they can become legal and responsible dog owners."
To commemorate Be Kind to Animals Week, CACC, the nation's largest animal sheltering organization, is holding a shelter animal toy drive at Tompkins Square Park in conjunction with the Tompkins Square Park Dog Run Association through May 8th. In addition, CACC held an adoptathon on May 1st and 2nd at its Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island shelters and supplied information to "Sesame Street" for an Elmo's World episode on responsible dog ownership.
Every day CACC has approximately 200 animals -- puppies, kittens, dogs and cats -- available for adoption 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.
An information pet adoption hotline (212-722-3620) is available 24 hours, seven days a week for people seeking information on how to adopt a pet from the CACC.