Out of the Cage! (July 2010)

Animal Care & Control of NYC and the Mayor's Alliance

by Julie Bank, Executive Director, Animal Care & Control of New York City

As the new Executive Director of Animal Care & Control of New York City (AC&C), I needed to learn about AC&C and other community programs. It's taken me a while, as NYC and its animal community are very complex. I have dedicated my life to animal welfare for over 22 years. I have studied communities to learn how they have worked or not worked together for a common cause. Although NYC has had some bumps in the road, I am extremely impressed and somewhat in awe of the work that we have collectively done to save lives!

I am thrilled about the relationship that AC&C has with the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals and our fellow New Hope partners. There are over 100 animal groups that are part of the AC&C New Hope Program. These partners regularly take animals that AC&C rescues and put their own resources and energy into finding them new homes. AC&C is committed to saving lives through this program — so much so that we have more staff members dedicated to its success than any other program at AC&C. We communicate and assist our partners through e-mail, phone calls, transport, and basic medical care.

Due to the volume of animals that enter AC&C facilities (over 43,000 a year) and the limited budget that we face in this economic time, we know that we need to continue to work tirelessly with our partners to save more lives. Combined with the efforts and partial funding of the Mayor's Alliance, over 17,000 animals were transferred from AC&C to partner rescue organizations for adoption in 2009. That's amazing! And everyone involved gets a round of applause from me!

As an animal rescuer, I have personally fostered and re-homed animals. I understand the overwhelming nature of the work that our rescue partners do. I also understand the challenges of limited space, time, and resources. I hope you can take a moment to understand and appreciate the overwhelming nature of the work that the staff at AC&C does every day.

At this time of the year, thousands of animals pass through our facilities. Some are turned in by their owners; some come in as strays; and others are rescued by our field officers. Most of the animals that come into AC&C do not have identification, so we have no way of finding their families. Many have been abused, starved, and neglected. Almost all of them are scared. AC&C's goal is to provide the best possible care we can, and to ensure that each animal has a good future. Realistically, however, we can't do that without the support of our partners, volunteers, and donors.

I believe that we are all working towards the same goal of eliminating euthanasia in our community. We all have a different function or a different piece of the pie, but ultimately, if we can remain positive and look toward the future, we can stop killing animals in our community. We have learned that it is a waste of time, and does not serve the animals, to place blame and point fingers. We need to continue to work toward solutions as a cohesive team. AC&C takes the word "partnership" very seriously. Our connection to the Mayor's Alliance is amazing, and we thank them for their proactive programming and funding opportunities.

To learn more about Animal Care & Control of NYC, visit www.nycacc.org.