1998 CACC Contract
ANNEX A
SCOPE OF SERVICES
JANUARY 1, 1998 TO DECEMBER 31, 2000
The Corporation shall provide the following animal control and related public health services:
A. Animal Control and Seizure Services
The Corporation will provide the following services:
l) Routine Animal Surveillance and Capture - conduct early morning surveillance in response to complaints or other information concerning the presence of unlicensed or unleashed dogs, cats whose owners are not identified, vicious and dangerous animals, animals that have bitten, rabid or suspected rabid animals, prohibited, exotic or wild animals. and venomous reptiles and bats, within the five boroughs of New York City and attempt to remove such animals as may be appropriate. Such response to complaints regarding public health emergencies shall be within 24 hours of receipt of complaint during normal hours of operation or on the next day of normal hours of operation.
2) Animal Seizure - the Corporation shall, when directed by the Department or other agency of the City, assist in seizure, and shall seize and capture when appropriate, unlicensed or unleashed dogs, cats whose owners are not identified, vicious and dangerous animals, animals that have bitten, rabid or suspected rabid animals, prohibited, exotic or wild animals, and venomous reptiles and bats from persons in possession of such animals, and from places within the City both public and private.
3) Lost, Stray, Homeless, Abandoned Animals - The Corporation shall accept at its facilities animals which are lost, stray, homeless, unwanted or abandoned with professional caretakers.
4) The Corporation shall establish and advertise an emergency telephone number for receiving complaints on a 24 hours basis concerning animals described in paragraph ( 1 ) above A recorded message will be placed on the above referenced telephone for the twelve (12) hour period from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Monday through Friday, for the period from 8:00 p.m. Friday through 8:00 a.m. Monday and on all holidays on a 24 hour basis to record complaint messages so that complaint can be responded to. Forms and records must be utilized so that all calls are documented and the disposition of the action to each call is properly entered. The Corporation shall make these forms and records available for review by the Department upon request. Such telephone complaint system shall be subject to approval by the Department.
5) The Corporation shall develop, with the approval of the Department, a customer service quality assurance program which monitors customer satisfaction with services provided by the Center of Animal Care and Control and the quality of these services.
6) Seizure and transportation services shall be provided in accordance with applicable City, State, and Federal laws.
7) When a dog or cat is voluntarily surrendered to the Corporation, the Corporation may provide shelter care to said dog or cat for a period of forty-eight (48) hours after intake unless it is adopted or deemed unfit, by a Corporation veterinarian, for adoption. In case of unlicensed dogs and non-exotic cats seized or surrendered, if they are not claimed or redeemed within forty-eight (48) hours after seizure, they may be adopted or otherwise disposed of in accordance with applicable law.
8) The Corporation shall notify the owners of licensed dogs and cats with identification collars when such cats or dogs are seized. The Corporation shall maintain a procedure such that licensed dogs and owner-identified cats may be expeditiously claimed and returned to their owners.
9) All animal care and control and seizure personnel shall be pre-immunized against rabies according to recommendations appearing in Table 3. Rabies Preexposure Prophylaxis Guidelines. United States. 1991, MMWR 1991,40: 10- 16. The only exception to this shall be for personnel who are unwilling or unable to be pre-immunized against rabies and who sign a waiver so stating and releasing the Corporation and the Department from any and all responsibility for any possible harm.
10) The above specified Animal Care and Control and Seizure Services shall, except as indicated below, be provided Monday through Friday on the following schedule and basis:
a. The Corporation shall have dispatch personnel available to both receive telephone complaints from the public on a telephone number listed as The Center for Animal Care and Control Animal Emergency Service and dispatch such emergency calls on a prioritized basis in accordance with CACC procedures, approved by Department of Health, to the fleet of vehicles, or, when appropriate, to the A.S.P.C.A. or other entity for referral. Dispatch services shall be available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, exclusive of holidays.
b. For the twelve (12) hour period from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Monday through Friday, for the period from 8:00 p.m. Friday through 8:00 a.m. Monday and on holidays on a 24 hour a day basis, the Corporation shall provide personnel and equipment necessary for on-call animal emergency response services to handle special requests from the Department of Health (including the Poison Control Center) and police agencies to capture and seize animals specified in paragraph A(2) above, and have said animals held at an animal shelter for rabies observation or have the animal made ready for testing for rabies, as necessary. Animal seizure services will be provided Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. exclusive of all holidays.
B. Related Services
The Corporation shall provide related services as follows:
1) The City will continue an existing contract between the Department of Sanitation and a private qualified contractor for the removal of all animal carcasses from the shelter facilities. The Corporation shall properly and safely dispose of all regulated hazardous and/or medical waste pursuant to all federal, state and local laws.
2) The Corporation shall operate animal shelter facilities in the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Manhattan shelter will be open to the public on a 7 day a week, 24 hours a day schedule, every day of the year excluding major holidays. The Brooklyn shelter will be open to the public on a 5 day a week, 8 hour a day schedule excluding holidays and will house animals on a 7 day a weeks 24 hour a day schedule. Both shelters will hold animals and care for such animals in conformity with all applicable laws
3) All professional care provided at the animal shelter facilities and at receiving facilities shall be under the direct supervision of a shelter veterinarian, who must be a graduate of an American Veterinary Medical Association accredited veterinary college and have a license to practice veterinary medicine in New York State.
4) Care of animals at the shelters shall include feeding, boarding (including bedding and cleaning of cages), watering, exercising, and provision for immediate first aid as required. including but not limited to isolation of sick animals as necessary.
5) a. The Corporation shall provide adoption services at the shelters and receiving facilities and shall promote adoption as a means of placing animals.
b. The Corporation shall require each person adopting a dog license application and pay all required dog licensing fees, unless the person adopting the dog signs a waiver stating that the dog to be adopted will be harbored outside of the five boroughs. Such applications and fees or waivers shall be completed by the person adopting the dog prior to completing the adoption process and leaving the shelter with the animal. The Corporation shall mail the completed applications and fees to an address specified by the Department on a schedule specified by the Department. The Corporation shall submit waivers to the Department monthly with the monthly report required pursuant to Section IV of Part I. Application materials, postage and waiver forms will be provided by the Department.
6) For all adopted dogs and cats the Corporation shall provide, or cause to be provided, spay/neuter services and administer rabies immunizations pursuant to the New York City Health Code.
7) The Corporation shall have the professional capability to humanely euthanize animals (using sodium pentabarbitol injection). Humane euthanization shall only be administered when necessary and shall be supervised by a New York State licensed veterinarian. The Corporation shall make every reasonable effort to place animals for adoption and shall euthanize animals only when required as a last resort.
8) The Corporation shall have the professional capability to, and shall prepare specimens from all animals suspected of rabies or other zoonotic diseases for submission to either the New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Laboratories in Albany, New York or the New York City Bureau of Laboratories for examination as required by the New York State Sanitary Code, New York City Health Code, and established guidelines and procedures of the State and City Department of Health. Processing and taking of specimens for rabies testing shall include appropriate infection control, sterilization of all instruments and contaminated surfaces as a result of preparing the animal specimen for rabies examination, and proper disposal of hazardous, infectious, and medical waste.
9) The Corporation shall coordinate all intake, management and disposition of animals through an automated system of hardware and software as specified. Notwithstanding the above requirement, the Corporation shall remain responsible for all record keeping functions elsewhere specified.
l0) The Corporation shall develop, implement and maintain an adequate record keeping system to ensure adequate identification of animals, location within shelter system, whether animal is candidate for adoption, and which shall encompass. at a minimum the following reports: recording the receipt and disposition of all animals by type, elapsed time at the shelter for each animal, return to owner or other placement. a clear description of animal's health status, and documentation of nature and level of care provided while at the shelter, number of animals captured or seized and their reasons for such actions the Corporation shall prepare periodic reports on these and other statistics and operating information as shall be specified by the Department.
l l) The Corporation shall provide, or cause to be provided, spay/neutering services to all eligible animals prior to placing animals as resources allow for adoption as a means of controlling the animal over-population problem in New York City.
12) The Corporation shall provide a lost and found program for dogs and cats with an advertised telephone number, which shall be available for leaving messages 24 hours a day, seven days a week so that lost pets can be returned to their owners.
13 ) The Corporation shall hold, by order of the Department or the Police Department of the City, any animal suspected by the Department of being vicious or a threat to the public health until a Departmental decision, pursuant to applicable law, is made regarding the disposition of that animal.
14) The Corporation shall enlist the aid of volunteers and shall conduct education and community outreach concerning animal control and public health issues related thereto.
15) All shelter personnel who will handle or be in contact with animals suspect of rabies must be pre-immunized against rabies according to recommendations appearing in Table 3. Rabies Preexposure Prophylaxis Guide, United States. 1991, MMWR 1991;40:10-16. The only exception to this shall be for personnel who are unwilling or unable to be pre-immunized against rabies and who sign a waiver so stating and releasing the Corporation and the Department from any and all responsibility for any possible harm.
16) Refrigerators and other cabinets containing pharmaceuticals shall be locked. Access shall be limited to designated employees, supervised by the head veterinarian.
The head veterinarian shall maintain a log for which daily pharmaceutical usage is recorded. Records shall indicate the date, name of the employee, name of the pharmaceutical, the amount used, purpose of use, whether employee has taken pharmaceutical home. The Department shall be granted access to the log, upon request.
17) The Corporation shall assist the Police Department in dangerous dog sweeps, the removal of bullets from animals shot by the Police and brought to the shelters and act as the holding agent, pursuant to the New York City Administrative Code Section 14-140, of those animals seized by the Police Department.
C. Animal Receiving Facilities Services
1) The Corporation shall operate and maintain animal receiving facilities to be provided by the Department in the boroughs of the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island, shall establish appropriate fee schedules for accepting other than dangerous, or unlicensed dogs or cats whose owners cannot be identified, lost, stray, or homeless or animals abandoned with professional caretakers, and shall care for such animals in conformity with all applicable laws. All animals accepted at the Bronx and Queens receiving facilities shall be transferred at the end of the work day to the Manhattan and/or Brooklyn full service shelter facility. Animals accepted at the Staten Island Animal Receiving Facility may remain at that facility on a twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week basis provided and for so long as such additional hours are fully funded by the Center. Receiving facilities shall be operated at the following sites, or such other suitable sites as may be designated by the Department:
Queens Animal Receiving Facility, 92-29 Queens Blvd., Rego Park NY 11374
Bronx Animal Receiving Facility, 1 Fordham Plaza, Bronx, NY 10458
Staten Island Animal Receiving Facility, 3139 Veterans Road West, Staten
Island, NY 10309
2) The Animal Receiving Facilities must be open to the public to accept animals on a five (5) day a week, eight (8) hours a day schedule on a year round basis, exclusive of holidays. The Staten Island Animal Receiving Facility may be open to the public on a seven (7) day a week, twelve (12) hour a day schedule from 8 a.m. until 8 p m. provided such additional hours are fully funded by the Corporation.
3) The Corporation shall provide a healthy environment and humane care and treatment of animals kept at the animal receiving facility including adequate feed, water, space, exercise, light and ambient temperature.
4) The Corporation shall publish and maintain a telephone number so citizens can call for a schedule of services.
5) All animal receiving facility personnel who will handle or be in contact with animals suspected of rabies must be pre-immunized against rabies according to recommendations appearing in Table 3. Rabies Preexposure Prophylaxis Guide. 1991, MMWR 1991,40 10-16. The only exception to this shall be for personnel who are unwilling or unable to be pre-immunized against rabies and who sign a waiver so stating and releasing the corporation and the Department from any and all responsibility for any possible harm.