Director's Message
Wishing you a belated wonderful Labor Day, and a belated happy International Dog Day! If you didn’t celebrate August 26th with a canine companion but wish you did, remember there are hundreds of adorable dogs available for adoption or fostering in NYC. Our city’s shelters, like those across the country, have been facing overcrowding, and you can read more on our efforts to address this below.
ICYMI, in other dog-related news, the first NYCHA dog park opened at Castle Hill Houses in the Bronx earlier this year! The Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare was happy to stop by and see this great new community space.
 We also enjoyed catching up with the NYC Plover Project (pictured here) and NYC Urban Park Rangers at the Jamaica Bay Shorebird Festival this August. Shorebirds in New York City include piping plovers, which are endangered in New York State and listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). Earlier this year, referencing piping plovers and other shorebirds, the City submitted comments opposing a proposed federal rule that would reduce protections for animals covered by the ESA.
We hope you and your animals have been staying cool this summer and are excited for the fall ahead. And we’d love to see you at the Pets and Service Animals Preparedness Fair on September 13 – details below!
Alexandra Silver
Director, NYC Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare
Addressing Overcrowding in Animal Shelters
Like animal shelters across the country, Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC), the nonprofit contracted by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to operate the city’s open-admissions animal shelters, has been facing overcrowding. Everyone can help by adopting, fostering, volunteering, or spreading the word, and the City is pursuing both immediate and longer-term initiatives to address the shelters’ high populations.
 In July, the City announced a new $1 million investment in ACC to increase capacity to better care for the shelter populations in Manhattan and Queens and improve shelter conditions by supporting the hiring and training of 14 additional staff for those locations. The Administration is also working to speed up the construction of the new Bronx Animal Care Center – the first full-service animal shelter for the borough. (And there’s a new team member at City Hall: adorable pup Kato, adopted from ACC by First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro and pictured here, has been keeping our mayor and our city’s leaders company).
Addressing overcrowding also requires addressing the root causes of animal homelessness, including challenges facing animal guardians such as limited access to care and restricted housing options.
The Bronx ACC will include a low-cost clinic for pet owners facing financial hardship for treatable conditions and who, without this care, might have to surrender their pets to ACC. Meanwhile, the Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare (MOAW) is working to help animals stay in the homes they have and increase pet-inclusive housing. MOAW is part of the interagency Tenant Protection Cabinet, and one of their projects is a Keeping Animals in NYC Housing flyer that highlights information for tenants with pets and assistance animals. In August, the Administration sent a letter to the governor urging her to sign New York State Senate Bill S. 364, which would prevent renters’ insurance providers from discriminating against policyholders based on the breed of dog they own. Along with other initiatives, MOAW is exploring additional ways with housing agencies to increase pet-inclusive housing opportunities.
Carriage Horses in NYC
This summer, we were deeply saddened by the heartbreaking collapse and death of Lady, who was working as a carriage horse when she died. The Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare continues to liaise with New Yorkers concerned about the welfare of horses as well as with the agencies involved in regulating horse-drawn carriages. Our Administration remains committed to strengthening protections for horses in our city and is actively exploring ways to enhance their protection.
The Health Effects of Smoking and Vaping on Pets
 Did you know that dogs who live with people who smoke are at higher risk of nasal and lung cancer? And that cats who live with people who smoke are at higher risk of lymphoma? That pets may be at risk of deadly nicotine toxicity within 15 to 30 minutes of swallowing vape cartridge contents?
Quitting, cutting back, or avoiding smoking and vaping at home can protect you and your family, including your pets. See the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s new flyer and poster on the health effects of smoking and vaping on pets to learn more, and nyc.gov/nycquits for additional resources.
Pets and Service Animals Preparedness Fair Sept. 13
 Join New York City Emergency Management and other agencies and organizations at Madison Square Park on Saturday, September 13 for expert tips and essential resources to help you prepare your service animal or pet for emergencies. Learn how to build a Go Bag for you and your furry companion and how to create an emergency plan for the whole family. Stop by for dog licensing, portable water bowls, information on adoptions, and more! Details on the Pets and Service Animals Fair and other National Preparedness Month events are available here, and you can spread the word by sharing this Instagram post.
Submit Your Event to the NYC Animal Events Calendar
 Earlier this year, the Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare launched an Events Calendar to raise awareness about opportunities to meet pets available for adoption, learn about other species that call the Big Apple home, help our furry and feathered friends, and more.
Organizations are invited to submit animal-related events online and contribute to making this a robust resource. For more information, and to submit an event, please visit the Events landing page.
Animal Spotlight: Meet Zion
 Zion, “a big-hearted, 8-year-old mixed breed who loves adventure and human companionship,” is available for adoption at Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC)’s Queens location! This cutie has been in ACC’s care since October 2024, and is a “Shelter Scholar” there, learning a lot “through positive reinforcement training, structured enrichment, and confidence-building activities.”
“After spending his life with two adults,” ACC writes, “he's looking for a forever home where he can thrive with structure, patience, and love.”
View Zion (animal ID: 213312) and other "boroughbreds" available for adoption from ACC (which recently extended their Queens and Manhattan weekday adoption hours!) at nycacc.app.
Not in a position to adopt? Consider fostering!
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