The following is the complete text of the 61-page City
Council report on the Center for Animal Care and Control following its eight-month
investigation. For a hard copy of this report, free of charge, call (212)
788-6882.
The Council of the City of New York
Hon. Peter F. Vallone, Speaker
DYING FOR HOMES:
ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL
IN NEW YORK CITY
A Staff Report to
The Committee on Contracts
Hon. Kathryn E. Freed, Chair
Hon. Kenneth Fisher
Hon. A. Gifford Miller
Hon. Antonio Pagan
Hon. Adam C. Powell IV
Hon. Al Stabile
Hon. Lawrence A. Warden
Hon. Juanita E. Watkins
Hon. Thomas White Jr.
June 1997
COUNCIL STAFF
OFFICE OF OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATION
Catherine McAlevey
Director
PREPARED BY:
Simón Salas
Assistant Director
Editor
Peter Mameli
Assistant Director
Consulting Editor
Ashley Hubka
Legislative Investigator
Author
Robert Gormley
Legislative Investigator
Contributing Author
AND:
Le S. Chen
Peter Del Toro
Alexander Dillon
Deirdre Feerick
Stuart Goldstein
Sabrina Jordan
Janine Manzo
Robin McClary
Antoine Montgomery
Richard Toledo
WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF:
Arik Helman
Benjamin Razi
Jana Refowitz
Jon Widrick
AND:
Latifa Mitchell
Counsel, Committee on Contracts
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Executive Summary |
Part 1 |
| Introduction |
Part 1 |
| Methodology |
Part 1 |
| Background |
Part 2 |
| Findings and Recommendations |
Part 2 |
| -- Organizational Culture/Structure |
Part 3 |
| -- Spay/Neuter Policies and Practices |
Part 3 |
| -- Adoption Policies and Practices |
Part 3 |
| -- Facility Locations and Hours of Operation |
Part 4 |
| -- Facility Conditions and Animal Care |
Part 4 |
| -- Public and Community Relations |
Part 4 |
| -- Use of Volunteers |
Part 4 |
| -- Record Keeping Systems |
Part 5 |
| -- Funding for Animal Care and Control |
Part 5 |
| Conclusion |
Part 5 |
| Attachments |
Part 5 |
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
New York City has a population of approximately 7.3 million people and
more than two million pets. Many of us have dogs, cats, and other animals
as pets because they provide much-needed companionship in a hectic city.
Our pets' unquestioning loyalty and affection can lead to lifelong bonds
as strong as those we develop with family and close friends.
Sadly, the loyalty and affection pets give is not always returned. Many
people abandon their pets when ownership becomes inconvenient--when they
move or when the animal outgrows the cute puppy or kitten stage. Some people
abandon their pets when they need costly veterinary care. Others lose their
pets. When pets are abandoned or lost, New York City's Center for Animal
Care and Control (CACC) is responsible for providing shelter. Approximately
63,000 dogs, cats and other animals entered the CACC's shelter system in
1996--an average of more than 170 animals per day. Few ever found a loving
home again.
In fact, more than 45,000 of the animals which entered the CACC's shelters
in 1996 were killed--an average of more than 120 animals per day. After
a mandatory 48 hour holding period in the shelter system, animals who are
not reunited with their owners, for whom there is not sufficient cage space,
or who are labeled "unadoptable" because they are sick, old, or
unattractive, are given a lethal injection of sodium pentobarbital. After
they die, their bodies are stacked in a carcass freezer to be transported
out of the City and cremated.
This massive loss of animal life is especially tragic because it is largely
preventable. Other municipalities have developed comprehensive and innovative
approaches to animal care and control which have reduced the animal overpopulation,
increased adoptions, and rendered euthanasia and option which is used less
and less often.
In 1993, when the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(ASPCA) announced that it would no longer provide animal care and control
services, the City was presented with the opportunity to institute policies
and programs which would increase adoptions and reduce the high rate of
euthanasia which then existed. In August 1994, the City established a new
not-for-profit, the CACC, which assumed responsibility for animal care and
control services pursuant to a contract with the Department of Health (DOH).
Unfortunately, the CACC was, in many respects, dead on arrival. The City
purchased two shelters for its use--one which had been poorly constructed
and the other in need of significant renovation. Neither of the shelters
are located in areas conducive to the promotion of adoptions, and the level
of City funding provided to the CACC is low in comparison to other municipalities
nationwide.
The problems with the CACC shelters' infrastructure, the location of
its facilities and the level of funding were immediately compounded by the
City's decision to hire an individual with no direct experience running
an animal shelter as the CACC's Executive Director. Under the leadership
of this individual, and a Board of Directors controlled by three New York
City Commissioners, the CACC has been unable to articulate or to implement
a comprehensive animal care and control program. Moreover, the Executive
Director's leadership allegedly fostered an organizational culture which
alienated individuals and groups important to the CACC's success and has
been marked by high staff turnover.
In October 1996, Kathryn Freed, Chair of the New York City Council's
Committee on Contracts, requested a comprehensive performance review of
the CACC, pursuant to its contract with the City. The Council's review revealed
serious operational and administrative problems with the CACC. The conclusions
drawn in this report are based on Council staff's assessment of the accessibility
of the CACC's facilities and services, conditions in the shelters, animal
care, adoption and spay/neuter policies and practices, and the CACC's record
keeping system. These areas are crucial to the provision of direct services
by the CACC. Council staff also reviewed the scope of the CACC's public
and community relations efforts and its recruitment and use of volunteers.
Finally, the Council assessed the effectiveness of the CACC's management
and its Board of Directors.
This review reveals that, although the CACC's name implies that it provides
care to animals, it does little more than ensure that the majority of the
animals it receives are euthanized shortly after the mandatory 48 hour holding
period expires. Specific findings concerning the CACC's operations and recommendations
for improvement include the following:
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE/STRUCTURE
Findings
- The CACC has a high staff turnover rate.
- The CACC's management has failed to timely implement employee training
and support programs.
- The CACC is isolated from organizations and individuals with similar
missions.
- The City Commissioners who serve on the Board of Directors have disproportionate
control over the CACC's policies and practices.
Recommendations
- A new Executive Director with extensive shelter experience and a national
reputation should be selected as soon as possible.
- The Board of Directors should review the qualifications and job performance
of all senior managers.
- The CACC should develop and implement employee and volunteer training
and support programs.
- The CACC should develop cooperative relationships with organizations
and individuals with similar missions.
- The CACC's By-Laws should be amended to provide that appointed Directors
serve for fixed terms which are staggered, so as to provide continuity.
These Directors should only be removed for cause, by a two-thirds, plus
one, vote of the Board of Directors.
- The CACC's By-Laws should be amended to provide all Directors on the
Board an equal vote in selecting the CACC's management. Specifically, the
provision that certain actions by the Board require the vote of all three
of the ex officio directors, should be eliminated.
- The City should immediately engage an independent entity to perform
the pre-termination contract review, and all future performance evaluations
required by the PPB.
- The City should create an Advisory Committee composed of local veterinarians,
professionals in animal-related fields, advocates and rescuers, and representatives
of pet-related commercial businesses. The Committee would assist the CACC's
management and its Board of Directors with all aspects of shelter policy
and could also assume a large role in special projects and in establishing
public and community relations and volunteer programs.
SPAY/NEUTER POLICIES AND PRACTICES
Findings
- The CACC continues to release unspayed/unneutered animals to the public
through its adoption program.
- The CACC does not have the capacity to perform a large number of spays/neuters
in-house.
- The CACC only achieved a 52% redemption rate of the certificates it
distributed entitling new owners to free spay/neutering of their pets in
1996.
- The CACC performs minimal follow-up to determine if a new owner has
complied with the provision of the CACC adoption contract which requires
a newly adopted pet to be spayed/neutered.
- The ASPCA Clinic, which provided spay/neuter and other veterinary medical
services, was ordered to vacate the Brooklyn Shelter effective April 1,
1997, to accommodate renovations.
Recommendations
The CACC should:
- Meet its contractual obligation to spay/neuter animals prior to adoption.
- Open its own in-house spay/neuter clinic, or send adopted animals directly
to a contracted vendor or participating veterinarian before releasing them
to the public.
- Arrange for training of local veterinarians in early spay/neuter procedures
and perform this procedure itself if it opens an in-house spay/neuter clinic.
- Reinstate the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(ASPCA) Clinic in the Brooklyn Shelter as soon as the renovations are complete--
unless it plans to open its own in-house spay/neuter clinic.
ADOPTION POLICIES AND PRACTICES
Findings
- Less than one in five animals that the CACC receives finds a new home.
- The CACC's adoption rate of 18% in 1996 was significantly lower than
the national average of 24%. If the CACC had met the national average,
it would have euthanized 4,022 fewer animals in 1996.
- Approximately 38% (4,302) of CACC's "adoptions" in 1996 were
actually transfers to other animal shelters, which in turn offered the
animals for adoption to the public.
- The CACC has failed to implement effective health and grooming protocols.
Recommendations
The CACC should:
- Develop a comprehensive plan to significantly increase its adoption
rate so that it meets , if not exceeds, the national average.
- Establish effective programs to improve the health and grooming of
animals.
FACILITY LOCATIONS AND HOURS OF OPERATION
Findings
- The CACC's East Harlem and East New York Shelters and Staten Island,
Bronx, and Queens Receiving Facilities are located in areas lacking significant
pedestrian traffic, access to public transportation, and in some instances,
adequate parking.
- The CACC's weekday adoption hours are typically restricted to normal
business hours. This schedule makes bringing an animal to or adopting a
pet from the CACC difficult, if not impossible, for most New Yorkers.
Recommendations
The CACC should:
- Consider leasing alternate space for its Bronx and Queens Receiving
Facilities, which should offer significant pedestrian traffic, convenient
access to public transportation, and adequate parking.
- Re-evaluate their hours for adoption in order to maximize their accessibility
to potential adopters.
- Establish more partnerships with pet stores to offer off-site adoptions,
both during the week and on weekends, in each of the City's five boroughs.
FACILITY CONDITIONS AND ANIMAL CARE
Findings
- The Manhattan Shelter, although only four years old, has drains which
clog, floors which are improperly pitched and a heating/ventilation/air
conditioning (HVAC) system in constant need of repair.
- The Brooklyn Shelter is in need of a major renovation. It is a 30 year
old facility which is noisy and has a poorly functioning HVAC system.
- Animals in the CACC's shelters sometimes do not receive sufficient
water and are occasionally kept in cages soiled with urine and feces.
Recommendations
- The City should undertake a critical review of the Manhattan and Brooklyn
Shelters and determine whether new shelter and adoption facilities which
meet appropriate standards for humane animal treatment should be acquired.
If the City decides that new facilities are not needed, then it should
repair and renovate the Manhattan and Brooklyn Shelters so that they meet
appropriate standards for humane animal treatment.
- DOH must actively monitor the CACC's provision of shelter, food, water,
and medical treatment to animals.
PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Findings
- The CACC has conducted limited public and community relations efforts.
In particular, it has failed to adequately inform the public and other
City agencies of its services, locations, hours of operation, and telephone
numbers.
- The CACC does not allocate sufficient resources to public and community
relations, does not avail itself of free advertisements with the local
media and fails to utilize volunteers to assist in community outreach and
education.
Recommendations
The CACC should:
- Mount an extensive public relations campaign, including local television
and radio station public service announcements which inform the public
of the CACC's responsibility for animal care and control in the City.
- Conduct an extensive outreach effort to inform all relevant City agencies
of its services, locations, hours of operation, and telephone numbers.
USE OF VOLUNTEERS
Findings
- The CACC's ratio of volunteers to paid staff is significantly lower
than in other shelters in New York City and around the country.
- The CACC uses most of the volunteers it does have to walk dogs. While
some volunteers also help with adoptions, overall, the CACC's volunteers
have fewer responsibilities than their counterparts in other shelters.
- The CACC does not have a formal internship program for undergraduate
and graduate students pursuing degrees in animal-related fields at local
institutions.
Recommendations
The CACC should:
- Increase the number of volunteers at its various facilities.
- Redesign all aspects of its volunteer program, including, but not limited
to, outreach, eligibility requirements, training, and duties.
- Further develop and implement an internship program in conjunction
with educational institutions which offer undergraduate and graduate programs
in animal related fields, as well as in management, business and public
policy.
RECORD KEEPING SYSTEMS
Findings
- The CACC's paper-based record keeping system has contributed to its
inability to develop and implement sound policies and practices, and to
deliver effective animal care and control services.
- More than two years after the CACC's Board of Directors acknowledged
the need for a computerized record keeping system, the City still has failed
to provide it with a fully-operational system.
Recommendations
- The City should make all necessary modifications to the "Chameleon
CMS" computerized record keeping system, and provide sufficient training
to the CACC's staff and make the system fully operational by July 1, 1997.
- The CACC should utilize the "Chameleon CMS" to analyze the
information it gathers on each animal handled to identify significant issues
and trends--and thereby improve its delivery of animal care and control
services.
FUNDING FOR ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL
Findings
- The City's level of funding for animal care and control is significantly
lower than the national average, lower than that allocated to other large
municipal shelters and lower than the level recommended by the Humane Society
of the United States.
- The CACC has raised little funding from private sources.
Recommendations
- The level of City funding for animal care and control should be reevaluated
once the CACC demonstrates that it can develop and successfully implement
a comprehensive and humane animal care and control program.
- The CACC should design and implement a plan to raise funds from donors
interested in improving the welfare of animals.
- The CACC should consider opening pet supply stores in all of its shelters.