Staten Island Sunday Advance, June 22, 1997
Critics attack an overburdend city agency where . . .
Animals doomed to die
3,600 were taken in at the Island Center for Animal Care and Control last year
by Kerry Murtha
Advance Staff Writer
Will the Charleston [Staten Island] Center for Animal Care and Control soon become an animal death camp?
The Veterans Road West center was built to serve strictly as a holding facility for animals that are later shipped daily to CACC's Brooklyn shelter.
But for the next 16 months-while the Brooklyn center is being renovated -the Charleston site will serve as a full-fledged shelter. Not only will Island animals stay overnight, but those not adopted or claimed within the required 48 hour period will be injected with lethal doses of sodium pentobarbital and put to sleep.
Dr. Susan Kopp, the CACC's head veterinarian, said that in order to make room at the small Island facility for more overnight animal stays, an additional 90 cages have been purchased. The center has 65 permanent ones.
The extra cages, she said, will help "minimize the number of animals that will need to be put down" because there will be more overnight cage space.
Workers say the summer season can bring in as many as 500 to 600 animals a month.
Given the facility's current adoption rate of about 30 adoptions a week, chances are that hundreds of those animals will be doomed to death.
Last year, the not-for-profit CACC, which contracted with the city to handle animal rescue services throughout the five boroughs, killed approximately 45,000 of the 63,000 animals it took in.
In 1996, the Charleston facility received approximately 3,600 animals, according to Chris Hamm, the facility's director. Of those animals, he said, a little more than 1,000 were adopted.
The remainder were trucked to Brooklyn and either adopted, picked up by another rescue agency, like North Shore Animal League, or killed.
Hamm said he doesn't track those figures but "as a rule of thumb" it's safe to assume that at least 40 percent of those 2,600 dogs and cats were deemed either too sick, aggressive or old to be adopted.
"The truth is that the majority of animals the CACC is killing are young and healthy," charges one former Manhattan shelter worker.
Once permits to euthanize animals on the premises are in place and arrangements to pick up carcasses headed toward mass cremations are made, the Charleston facility will face the unpleasant task of putting down unwanted animals for which there is no cage space.
Advocates say they're mad as hell that tens of thousands of animals are needlessly euthanized every year and they're not going to take it anymore.
Recent shake-ups at the CACC has [sic] sparked a flurry of legislative efforts by politicians and humane groups who say the system is nothing more than a death warrant for the overwhelming majority of animals that pass through its doors.
"We have one of the worst systems in the country," argues Patty Pavis, a Dongan Hills [Staten Island] animal rights advocate who is taking part in a citywide effort to dramatically change the system. "We need to have people heading shelters who are devoted to animal issues."
Ms. Pavis and fellow animal lovers on Staten Island have already collected hundreds of signatures in an effort to get a referendum on the November election ballot that would take animal care and control out of the hands of the Department of Health, which currently holds the CACC contract.
Citywide supporters have thus far colleced 7,000 of the necessary 50,000 petitions.
If enacted, advocates say, all aspects of animal care will come under the jurisdiction of a more humane and better managed Department of Animal Affairs.
The initiative calls for creating full-service shelters, with spaying and neutering services, in each borough; expanded adoption services with counseling and community outreach and a mandate that shelters keep accurate computerized records.
Critics say that the CACC has failed miserably in meeting such responsibilities in the two and a half years since it began operations and has been quick to fire anyone-from volunteers to board members-who are critical of its practices.
John Doherty, who serves as the Sanitation Commissioner and chairman of the CACC board, contends that the organization has made great accomplishments given it inherited a poorly run system and was faced with the challenge of quickly organizing itself while having to deal with an increasing intake of animals.
The organization was created by the city to take on the responsibility of handling the city's unwanted animals after the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) bowed out in 1994.
Delegating all animal-related issues to one department is an age-old problem that supporters say the new proposal will solve.
As it stands, residents would now call the CACC to take care of an injured animal, the Department of Environmental Protection to take care of problems with barking dogs and the Department of Health to get an animal license.
"Yeah it would make sense to have a centralized agency to deal with all these issues," admits Hamm. "But that means these agencies will need to cede some power-and funding-and that's not going to be easy."
The CACC was created with the intent of bettering the much criticized job performance of the ASPCA.
Animal advocates say that all in all the CACC simply hasn't met its goals.
The results of an eight-month investigation released by the City Council last week confirmed animal rights advocates' complaints: that the organization does little more than ensure that the majority of its animals are euthanized shortly after the state-mandated 48-hour holding period.
Up until now animal experts have touted the Staten Island center as one of the better CACC facilities in the five boroughs.
Locally, though, it has its critics.
When Borough President Guy V. Molinari donated $40,000 to the center earlier this year, a number of Islanders were outraged.
"What are they doing with this money?" asked Adelaide Laurie, a member of the Staten Island Council for Animal Welfare, a 25-year-old animal volunteer rescue group.
"They certainly aren't spending it on rescues."
Laurie tells of countless instances where she has received calls from frantic residents, who could not get in touch with the CACC, about animals that were injured or needed homes.
Donna Ranello, a Graniteville [Staten Island] resident, adopted a kitten from the CACC a couple of months ago through the facility's arrangement with the Petco pet store on Forest Avenue.
"I didn't realize until afterwards that the animal was sick and infested with fleas," said Ranello.
Ranello said she spent more than $200 on the kitten's veterinary bills.
"When I called the facility to tell them, they didn't seem to care," she said.
Molinari defends the center and said his contribution was meant to extend the hours of the facility, which would require additional monies for salaries.
"We've saved a lot of animals," said Molinari. "But people always have to look at the limitations. The reality is that there just aren't enough homes for these animals."
Indeed there are an estimated 5,000 strays on Staten Island alone and all factions agree that controlling the city's animal population is a key element to successful animal care.
However, the CACC has been releasing unaltered animals from its facilities, despite the fact that its contract with the city calls for neutering and spaying animals before they are put up for adoption.
Instead, the CACC's system gives new pet owners a certificate entitling them to have their animals spayed or neutered for free at participating veterinarians.
Nearly 80 percent of those who adopted from the Charleston facility complied, according to Hamm. Citywide, however, only 52 percent redeemed the certificates.
Councilwoman Kathryn Freed (D-Manhattan), who ordered the Council investigation into the CACC, said she plans to introduce a spay/neuter bill this month that would fine owners with unaltered animals $50 per year.
The animal control shelters in San Francisco, for example, require that animals be fixed before they are adopted.
New York's killing rate, on the other hand, is over 70 percent, a figure for which CACC spokeswoman Faith Elliott makes no apologies.
"You want to compare us to San Francisco but in San Francisco people paint their houses pink and take pride in their window boxes," she said. 'This is New York, where people are dragging vicious pit bulls in by spiked collars and dumping boxes of kittens on our front counter."
Advocates contend, however, that New York's harsh conditions should warrant more attention and funding to the city's animal crisis.
Per capita spending on animal control in New York City amounts to 66 cents, one of the lowest expenditures when compared to those of major cities in the country.
The national average is $1.18.
"We want to make people aware that this city is spending only $4.5 million a year on a city shelter that is inadequate," said Gary Kaskel, who is spearheading the citywide ballot initiative. "People need to keep in mind that this city spent $3 million on the Yankee ticker tape parade alone."
Critics attack an overburdend city agency where . . .
Animals doomed to die
3,600 were taken in at the Island Center for Animal Care and Control last year
by Kerry Murtha
Advance Staff Writer
Will the Charleston [Staten Island] Center for Animal Care and Control soon become an animal death camp?
The Veterans Road West center was built to serve strictly as a holding facility for animals that are later shipped daily to CACC's Brooklyn shelter.
But for the next 16 months-while the Brooklyn center is being renovated -the Charleston site will serve as a full-fledged shelter. Not only will Island animals stay overnight, but those not adopted or claimed within the required 48 hour period will be injected with lethal doses of sodium pentobarbital and put to sleep.
Dr. Susan Kopp, the CACC's head veterinarian, said that in order to make room at the small Island facility for more overnight animal stays, an additional 90 cages have been purchased. The center has 65 permanent ones.
The extra cages, she said, will help "minimize the number of animals that will need to be put down" because there will be more overnight cage space.
Workers say the summer season can bring in as many as 500 to 600 animals a month.
Given the facility's current adoption rate of about 30 adoptions a week, chances are that hundreds of those animals will be doomed to death.
Last year, the not-for-profit CACC, which contracted with the city to handle animal rescue services throughout the five boroughs, killed approximately 45,000 of the 63,000 animals it took in.
In 1996, the Charleston facility received approximately 3,600 animals, according to Chris Hamm, the facility's director. Of those animals, he said, a little more than 1,000 were adopted.
The remainder were trucked to Brooklyn and either adopted, picked up by another rescue agency, like North Shore Animal League, or killed.
Hamm said he doesn't track those figures but "as a rule of thumb" it's safe to assume that at least 40 percent of those 2,600 dogs and cats were deemed either too sick, aggressive or old to be adopted.
"The truth is that the majority of animals the CACC is killing are young and healthy," charges one former Manhattan shelter worker.
Once permits to euthanize animals on the premises are in place and arrangements to pick up carcasses headed toward mass cremations are made, the Charleston facility will face the unpleasant task of putting down unwanted animals for which there is no cage space.
Advocates say they're mad as hell that tens of thousands of animals are needlessly euthanized every year and they're not going to take it anymore.
Recent shake-ups at the CACC has [sic] sparked a flurry of legislative efforts by politicians and humane groups who say the system is nothing more than a death warrant for the overwhelming majority of animals that pass through its doors.
"We have one of the worst systems in the country," argues Patty Pavis, a Dongan Hills [Staten Island] animal rights advocate who is taking part in a citywide effort to dramatically change the system. "We need to have people heading shelters who are devoted to animal issues."
Ms. Pavis and fellow animal lovers on Staten Island have already collected hundreds of signatures in an effort to get a referendum on the November election ballot that would take animal care and control out of the hands of the Department of Health, which currently holds the CACC contract.
Citywide supporters have thus far colleced 7,000 of the necessary 50,000 petitions.
If enacted, advocates say, all aspects of animal care will come under the jurisdiction of a more humane and better managed Department of Animal Affairs.
The initiative calls for creating full-service shelters, with spaying and neutering services, in each borough; expanded adoption services with counseling and community outreach and a mandate that shelters keep accurate computerized records.
Critics say that the CACC has failed miserably in meeting such responsibilities in the two and a half years since it began operations and has been quick to fire anyone-from volunteers to board members-who are critical of its practices.
John Doherty, who serves as the Sanitation Commissioner and chairman of the CACC board, contends that the organization has made great accomplishments given it inherited a poorly run system and was faced with the challenge of quickly organizing itself while having to deal with an increasing intake of animals.
The organization was created by the city to take on the responsibility of handling the city's unwanted animals after the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) bowed out in 1994.
Delegating all animal-related issues to one department is an age-old problem that supporters say the new proposal will solve.
As it stands, residents would now call the CACC to take care of an injured animal, the Department of Environmental Protection to take care of problems with barking dogs and the Department of Health to get an animal license.
"Yeah it would make sense to have a centralized agency to deal with all these issues," admits Hamm. "But that means these agencies will need to cede some power-and funding-and that's not going to be easy."
The CACC was created with the intent of bettering the much criticized job performance of the ASPCA.
Animal advocates say that all in all the CACC simply hasn't met its goals.
The results of an eight-month investigation released by the City Council last week confirmed animal rights advocates' complaints: that the organization does little more than ensure that the majority of its animals are euthanized shortly after the state-mandated 48-hour holding period.
Up until now animal experts have touted the Staten Island center as one of the better CACC facilities in the five boroughs.
Locally, though, it has its critics.
When Borough President Guy V. Molinari donated $40,000 to the center earlier this year, a number of Islanders were outraged.
"What are they doing with this money?" asked Adelaide Laurie, a member of the Staten Island Council for Animal Welfare, a 25-year-old animal volunteer rescue group.
"They certainly aren't spending it on rescues."
Laurie tells of countless instances where she has received calls from frantic residents, who could not get in touch with the CACC, about animals that were injured or needed homes.
Donna Ranello, a Graniteville [Staten Island] resident, adopted a kitten from the CACC a couple of months ago through the facility's arrangement with the Petco pet store on Forest Avenue.
"I didn't realize until afterwards that the animal was sick and infested with fleas," said Ranello.
Ranello said she spent more than $200 on the kitten's veterinary bills.
"When I called the facility to tell them, they didn't seem to care," she said.
Molinari defends the center and said his contribution was meant to extend the hours of the facility, which would require additional monies for salaries.
"We've saved a lot of animals," said Molinari. "But people always have to look at the limitations. The reality is that there just aren't enough homes for these animals."
Indeed there are an estimated 5,000 strays on Staten Island alone and all factions agree that controlling the city's animal population is a key element to successful animal care.
However, the CACC has been releasing unaltered animals from its facilities, despite the fact that its contract with the city calls for neutering and spaying animals before they are put up for adoption.
Instead, the CACC's system gives new pet owners a certificate entitling them to have their animals spayed or neutered for free at participating veterinarians.
Nearly 80 percent of those who adopted from the Charleston facility complied, according to Hamm. Citywide, however, only 52 percent redeemed the certificates.
Councilwoman Kathryn Freed (D-Manhattan), who ordered the Council investigation into the CACC, said she plans to introduce a spay/neuter bill this month that would fine owners with unaltered animals $50 per year.
The animal control shelters in San Francisco, for example, require that animals be fixed before they are adopted.
New York's killing rate, on the other hand, is over 70 percent, a figure for which CACC spokeswoman Faith Elliott makes no apologies.
"You want to compare us to San Francisco but in San Francisco people paint their houses pink and take pride in their window boxes," she said. 'This is New York, where people are dragging vicious pit bulls in by spiked collars and dumping boxes of kittens on our front counter."
Advocates contend, however, that New York's harsh conditions should warrant more attention and funding to the city's animal crisis.
Per capita spending on animal control in New York City amounts to 66 cents, one of the lowest expenditures when compared to those of major cities in the country.
The national average is $1.18.
"We want to make people aware that this city is spending only $4.5 million a year on a city shelter that is inadequate," said Gary Kaskel, who is spearheading the citywide ballot initiative. "People need to keep in mind that this city spent $3 million on the Yankee ticker tape parade alone."