The following are the complete texts of letters to two members of the public by the ASPCA. In the same year, ASPCA's president, Roger Caras sharply criticizes the City and the CACC, while the A's public relations officer seems to contradict such criticism and excuses the poor performance by the City-formed/controlled CACC.

While it had the contract, the A insisted it was doing a good, if not great, job. Now that it no longer has the contract, Roger Caras admits that its performance running the shelters for the City was "embarrassingly bad.... At the very least, to do a rotten job, it took us $6 million a year. The most we could get from the city was $4.5 million" (NY Post 6/15/97).

ASPCA
America's First Humane Society
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE
PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
424 East 92nd Street, New York, NY 10128
(212) 876-7700 Ext. 4601, FAX (212) 410-7658

Roger A. Caras
President

June 30, 1997

Basha Oka
106 Eastern Parkway, Suite 3E
Brooklyn, New York 11213

Dear M. Oka,

Thank you for your letter of June 20. We share your concern for the animals of New York City - that need hardly be stressed. We have again and again and again advised CACC through any one of a score of channels that we are willing to work with them and consult and assist, and they have flatly refused to ask for our participation or to share information with us. We would be more than happy to bring our 100 years of experience in dealing with this precise problem to the table and to serve on any boards or to help in any way. CACC and the New York City Department of Health have known this since 1992, and we have stressed it through that year, through 1993 and through 1994 when they took over at the end of the year. We have told them so repeatedly since then.

As long as CACC acts like a petulant, spoiled child, they won't take responsibility for their own errors and for the gross error of installing Marty Kurtz to begin with. There is nothing we can do. We can't yank it away from them. They are going to have to want to sit down in the sense of cooperation and the desire to help the animals. That is where we plug in. We are here and waiting for them to accept what is now a five year old invitation.

Again, thank you for your letter and for your very good intent.

Respectfully,
/s/ Roger A. Caras/jah
(dictated but not read)

RAC/wc

cc: Randy Maestro [sic], Office of the Mayor

ASPCA
America's First Humane Society
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE
PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
424 East 92nd Street, New York, NY 10128
(212) 876-7700, FAX (212) 348-3031

November 3, 1997

Ms. Tina Jaeger
34-29 80th Street
Jackson Heights, NY 11372

Dear Tina:

Thank you so much for forwarding the correspondence that you received from the CACC. It proved to be very informative, and I have passed it along internally to the people who need to see it.

It would appear that many exciting changes are on the horizon for the CACC, and they do the best they can under the current budgets. It is the public, in addition to Humane Organizations and the City of New York, that can really make a difference. Progressive action entails volunteering to walk them [sic], providing foster care, attending outreach events, promoting spaying and neutering, and adopting from shelters and rescue groups only. In addition, one may be very active in letter writing campaigns or legislation, as you are currently doing.

Thank you again, and enclosed please find some information about the ASPCA that I thought you should have, as you are such a friend of animals. Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions. My extension is 4657, and the main number is (212) 876-7700.

Best regards,
/s/ Jennifer Lea Cohan
Office of Public Information

Enclosure