Update: Saved by rescue. Lucy goes to a foster home. While the ASPCA argues that rescue groups are “dog fighters” and “hoarders” in disguise in their perverse effort to derail Oreo’s Law, time and time again, rescue groups are the ones who do the lifesaving while the millionaire organizations turn their backs.
As I blogged earlier today, Jane Hoffman and Ed Sayres, who collectively have tens upon tens of millions of dollars pass through their hands every year, claim they are national No Kill leaders and that New York City is a national model. But in reality, while they sit in their offices collecting their paychecks, New York City animal control kills healthy animals every day, threatens to kill healthy animals every day, and doesn’t even have enough food to feed the animals.
Let me repeat that, the shelter down the street from the nation’s wealthiest humane society and one of the top 200 richest overall charities in the U.S., can’t even feed the animals. Despite the fantastical sums of money at Jane and Ed’s disposal–and no sooner had I posted that, that an e-mail came across my desk showing what really happens at this “model” city.
Meet Lucy.
Lucy is sitting on death row at New York City’s animal control shelter. Why? She’s hungry. She came in to the shelter severely underweight. And they “tested” her right away and found that she doesn’t like people giving her food and then trying to take it away. That is one of the bogus tests shelters use to claim skinny, hungry dogs are “food aggressive.”
Here are the results of her “temperament test”:
- Stare=1 soft eyes, ears back, mouth close, scared, no aggression show
- Sensitivity=1 soft body, ears back, accepts the touch
- Tag=2 does not engage in play, nervous, no aggression show
- Pinch=1 no response
- Pinch II=1 no response
- Food Aggression=5 curls lip, shows teeth, keeps head in dish (very under weight)
- Toy Aggression=1 no interest
- Rawhide Aggression=1 no interest
- Dog to Dog=1 approaches to investigates turns away
None of the results show any kind of aggression: “no aggression,” “accepts the touch,” “no response,” “approaches.” Except when they try to take her food away, she keeps her head in the dish and shows her teeth which they note is because she is “very underweight.” But because of that, Lucy is scheduled to be killed.
Once again I make the plea: Jane and Ed, come down from your penthouses and FEED THE ANIMALS. Don’t allow them to be killed for being hungry.
♦
The earlier post about NYC is here:
Back to Basics: #1. Food
The New York City-based ASPCA’s Sarah McLachlan “Angel” commercial alone expanded the ASPCA’s already swelled coffers by $30,000,000 in one year. Add to that the tens of millions given to the Mayor’s Alliance of NYC Animals by other funders to save and care for New York City’s animals, and “lack of resources” for the animals of NYC does not seem to be a problem. So, how is it that despite a relatively low per capita intake rate, the wealthiest humane society in the country and one of the 200 richest charities overall down the street, and a coalition with over $20 million in revenue dedicated to helping NYC animals, that NYC kills healthy animals and threatens to kill them every single day if rescue groups do not take them?
And, even more insane than that, how is it that NYC shelters are running out of food?
NYC shelters have started putting out frantic appeals saying they do not have enough food to feed the animals in their care. According to one such appeal put out:
Dramatic budget cuts have forced Animal Care & Control of NYC to look to the public for food donations.
AC&C’s primary source of funding is the City of New York. Due to the current fiscal environment, that support has been drastically cut. Your food donations are now desperately needed for the hundreds of animals in their three care centers. And they could be needed for months.
NYC a national model? Perhaps of greed and self-serving leadership. Hey Jane and Ed, come down from your NYC penthouses and feed the animals.