OUR TOWN, May 13, 1999


EAST SIDE EXPRESS

by Matthew Blanchard

Be Kind to Animals

Domestic companions got a little extra attention from City Hall last week as a puppy-toting Mayor Giuliani announced "Be Kind to Animals Week." The festivities began on May 2, and offered an opportunity for the Mayor to join with Elmo of "Sesame Street" and urge pet owners young and old to be mindful of their smallest friends.

"Having a pet is a great joy, but also a great responsibility," the Mayor said in a press release.

The Mayor also congratulated the city's Center for Animal Care and Control (CACC) for reducing the number of animals it euthanizes by 46 percent*. Last year the CACC put over 40,000 animals to sleep.

[*SRAC NOTE - this statistic published in a Mayor's press release is patently false. Even DOH Commissioner Neal Cohen stated at City Council Budget hearings that CACC's euthanasia rate decreased by 8.5%]


Our Town, May 20-26, 1999


NYConfidential

by Michael Schenkler 
with: Tom Allen, Steve Azzara, Melanie Carroll, 
Peter Catapano, Mike Nussbaum. Jeremy Olshan, Dee Richard.

Animal House

The Mayor declared May 2 through May 8 "Be Kind to Animals Week." But critics say that Rudy has been nothing but cruel.

Animal rights activists have criticized the Mayor' s policies to wards animals for years -- especially his recent rejection of a bill that would have cncouraged owners to spay/neuter their pets.

The Mayor joined Marilyn Blohm, Director of the Center for Animal Care and Control (CACC), to pet puppies and kittens along with elementary school children.

This caused one Councilmember to comment that the Mayor's actions "add insult to injury."

"From all standards, thc CACC is inhumane. It's outrageous. It's insulting. Last year, the CACC killed tens of thousands of animals."