Protecting New York's Animals

[DainBramaged]

A key measure of any city's humanity is how it treats its animals, and unfortunately New York falls short compared to the rest of the country. It is time for this to change, because our city should be a national leader when it comes to the humane treatment of animals. I believe we can achieve this goal with a few sensible reforms.

The root of our problem is the city's division of Animal Care & Control (AC&C), the largest animal shelter system in the Northeast. Even with City Hall's recent and welcome promise of $10 million in additional funds over three years, AC&C remains chronically under-funded, resulting in shameful conditions in many city shelters. With these new funds, ACC plans to spend about $1.47 per resident to protect the health and welfare of city animals -- an amount which is still well below the national average of $3.50 per resident.

But the real problem is structural: AC&C is controlled by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, an agency whose core focus is the welfare of people, not animals. This institutional limitation causes AC&C's budget to shrink every year. AC&C and its small, seven-member board lacks both the independence and fund-raising capabilities that would help it fulfill its important mission.

Scott Stringer.Manhattan Borough President

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-stringer/protecting-new-yorks-anim_b_928513.html