The Staten Island Advance,Thursday, August 22, 2002
No shelter open to take dogs at night
Cops are forced to deal with aggressive animals themselves
By ROBERT GAVIN
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER
Unwitting victims of the city's budgetary woes, stray dogs captured on Staten Island "after hours" are being held in unfavorable conditions until police are able to get them to an open animal shelter.
Until recently, canines rounded up on the Island were brought to a shelter in Charleston. Run by the city Center for Animal Care and Control (CACC), the facility was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
But as a result of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's recent budget cuts, there are no longer any shelters open 24 hours in the city. Police can only bring the dogs in between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. during the week. Only one shelter, located in Manhattan, stays open until 10 p.m. from Sunday to Tuesday.
With no safe haven available to place these strays, police -- who are not trained in veterinary medicine -- have begun to sedate the dogs continually until they can transport them to a shelter. At least one officer reported the practice had occurred at the North Shore's 120th Precinct.
"There should be something offered -- that's horrible," said Dr. Charles Rosaly, who works at the Veterinary Emergency Hospital in Sunnyside. "There should be one place, at least, within the five boroughs where animals can be brought within a 24-hour period." Dr. Rosaly said it is considered dangerous to continually sedate an animal.
"It's very unfortunate that it's come to this," said Ruth First, a spokeswoman for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in Manhattan. "The animals will suffer due to these budget cuts." Animals, she said, should be put in a pen, dog crate or fenced-in area where there is proper food, water and shelter.
"We hope the people will be compassionate," Ms. First said. "We hope the police, or anybody who finds an animal will be able to take care of the animal until the shelter opens in the morning."
Stray dogs have generated wide attention on the Island in the last year. A loose pack of canines has roamed the North Shore since December, when 10 animals were killed at the Staten Island Zoo. Stray dogs have since reportedly killed several house cats and, in June, a 49-year-old woman told police she was attacked by a dog as she took an early-morning walk in West Brighton.
"It's an ongoing complaint that the animal shelter hours aren't 24-7," said CACC spokeswoman Carolyn Daly. "Most animals get caught at night. In the past, animals could be taken to the shelter at any time."
A mayoral spokesman disagreed with Ms. Daly's account of when most strays are picked up and used his version to justify the new policy. "The vast majority of strays that were left were dropped off during normal business hours," said Bloomberg spokesman Jordan Barowitz. "Every agency of the city is contributing to closing our budget gaps. The city is in the midst of a fiscal crisis."
Barowitz said the decision to curtail shelter hours "was not done in a vacuum" and referred the matter to police. A Police Department spokesman had no immediate comment on the policy last night.
One high-ranking Mid-Island officer disputed the report that budget cuts were causing major problems with stray animals. "If that was the case, you'd go to precincts and see dogs in the backyard," he said.
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No shelter open to take dogs at night
Cops are forced to deal with aggressive animals themselves
By ROBERT GAVIN
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER
Unwitting victims of the city's budgetary woes, stray dogs captured on Staten Island "after hours" are being held in unfavorable conditions until police are able to get them to an open animal shelter.
Until recently, canines rounded up on the Island were brought to a shelter in Charleston. Run by the city Center for Animal Care and Control (CACC), the facility was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
But as a result of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's recent budget cuts, there are no longer any shelters open 24 hours in the city. Police can only bring the dogs in between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. during the week. Only one shelter, located in Manhattan, stays open until 10 p.m. from Sunday to Tuesday.
With no safe haven available to place these strays, police -- who are not trained in veterinary medicine -- have begun to sedate the dogs continually until they can transport them to a shelter. At least one officer reported the practice had occurred at the North Shore's 120th Precinct.
"There should be something offered -- that's horrible," said Dr. Charles Rosaly, who works at the Veterinary Emergency Hospital in Sunnyside. "There should be one place, at least, within the five boroughs where animals can be brought within a 24-hour period." Dr. Rosaly said it is considered dangerous to continually sedate an animal.
"It's very unfortunate that it's come to this," said Ruth First, a spokeswoman for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in Manhattan. "The animals will suffer due to these budget cuts." Animals, she said, should be put in a pen, dog crate or fenced-in area where there is proper food, water and shelter.
"We hope the people will be compassionate," Ms. First said. "We hope the police, or anybody who finds an animal will be able to take care of the animal until the shelter opens in the morning."
Stray dogs have generated wide attention on the Island in the last year. A loose pack of canines has roamed the North Shore since December, when 10 animals were killed at the Staten Island Zoo. Stray dogs have since reportedly killed several house cats and, in June, a 49-year-old woman told police she was attacked by a dog as she took an early-morning walk in West Brighton.
"It's an ongoing complaint that the animal shelter hours aren't 24-7," said CACC spokeswoman Carolyn Daly. "Most animals get caught at night. In the past, animals could be taken to the shelter at any time."
A mayoral spokesman disagreed with Ms. Daly's account of when most strays are picked up and used his version to justify the new policy. "The vast majority of strays that were left were dropped off during normal business hours," said Bloomberg spokesman Jordan Barowitz. "Every agency of the city is contributing to closing our budget gaps. The city is in the midst of a fiscal crisis."
Barowitz said the decision to curtail shelter hours "was not done in a vacuum" and referred the matter to police. A Police Department spokesman had no immediate comment on the policy last night.
One high-ranking Mid-Island officer disputed the report that budget cuts were causing major problems with stray animals. "If that was the case, you'd go to precincts and see dogs in the backyard," he said.
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