New York City Animal Care and Control - Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of adopting from a Shelter?
Pets are available from a variety of sources, however we feel strongly that shelters are the best source for acquiring a pet. AC&C evaluates all animals entering the system for both health and temperament. We have established an objective system for statusing shelter animals that allows our adoption staff to make informed decisions about the appropriateness of an animal for specific circumstances. These may include homes with young children or other pets, or families who are away from the home for long hours each day. The AC&C adoption staff cares deeply about the success of the placement, not the monetary value of a sale. Therefore, adopters can rely on the AC&C staff to listen to their expectations of pet ownership and advise them on which animals are best suited for their family.

Once an animal is selected, AC&C will ensure that it has all necessary vaccinations, is spayed or neutered and that appropriate pet care literature is made available before you go home with your new pet. AC&C provides these services for a low adoption fee, which is significantly less than the purchase price of a puppy or the costs that would be incurred by adopting a pet from a friend. Moreover, AC&C stands behind each adoption by taking the phone calls of adopters who need additional information on proper pet care or behavioral management.

Shelter pets seem to have an innate ability to know that they have been given a second chance and repay the kindness with a greater sense of loyalty and devotion. While we cannot prove this statement, our many satisfied adopters tell us its true. The greatest reward one can receive for saving a life is the unending companionship of your adopted companion.

What does the adoption fee cover?
1. Health exam
2. Vaccinations (ex: rabies, 5-in-1, parvo/distemper, bordatella (kennel cough), deworming)
3. Spaying or neutering
4. Free vet exam with a participating vet within 10 days of adoption

How can I donate money?
The AC&C is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization that solicits tax-deductible contributions from New Yorkers and animal lovers everywhere.
Your contributions help us to:
• Care for and find loving homes for homeless pets
• Offer low-cost spay/neutering services for all adopted pets
• Rescue injured or abused animals
• Advocate on behalf of animal welfare

Please mail your tax-deductible gift to:
Development Department
New York City Animal Care & Control
11 Park Place, Suite 805
New York, NY 10007

AC&C is a nonprofit organization (501(c)(3)), and all donations are tax deductible in accordance with IRS guidelines. A copy of the latest annual financial report and registration filed by this organization may be obtained from AC&C or from the office of the Attorney General by writing: The Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
Please ask your Human Resources department if your gift to the AC&C can be increased by a matching gift from your employer.

What do I do if I lost my pet?
The first thing to do is call the shelter in the borough where you live or where your pet was lost. An AC&C staff person will access our Chameleon computer database to determine if any animals fitting the description have entered the shelter. If your animal does not turn up immediately, file a 'lost animal' report.

The next thing to do is visit the shelter to check for your animal. This is imperative because an animal's description is subjective, and one person's description of an animal may not necessarily match yours. We recommend that you check with the shelter in person every 48 hours or preferably more often. Meanwhile, the shelter staff will check the network and the 'found animal' reports as they come in.

Even though you are visiting the shelter, you should also:
Post flyers (see link at bottom of Lost and Found page) within a 1-mile radius of where the pet was last seen and around your neighborhood in as many of the following locations as possible:

• Pet shops
• Veterinarian offices
• Shelters and Humane Societies
• Supermarkets
• Police precincts
• Newspapers
• Bulletin boards
• Distribute flyers to delivery people in your area.

If someone responds to your flyer, having possibly found your animal, check it out even if it seems too far away to possibly be your animal. Animals have been found miles from where they were originally lost.

Contact as many vets and shelters as possible.

Most important, even before your pet is lost, consider the benefit of microchips, and have one implanted immediately.

Even with a microchip , every companion animal should wear a collar with ID tags at all times.

Please remember to remove all flyers once your pet has been found.

What do I do if I found an animal?
The first thing to do is contact the shelter in your borough. An immediate review of 'lost animal' reports will take place. If a match to the found animal is not immediately made, a shelter staff person will take a report. If the finder is willing, we will ask him/her to care for the animal temporarily while we seek its owner(s). Otherwise, the shelter will hold the animal for 48 hours; if it has not been claimed in that time, it will be evaluated for placement. Advantages of having the finder care for the animal are allowing more time to reunite the lost pet with its owner and, failing that outcome, simplifying the adoption by the finder, if the finder so desires and the animal is suitable for adoption.

How do I get my pet licensed?
Because pet licensing is a legal requirement in NYC, we incorporate the licensing process into our adoption procedure. If you adopt a pet from the AC&C, we will provide the licensing application and collect the fee at the time of adoption. Your application will be forwarded to the NYC Department of Health, which is responsible for dog licensing.

If you have an unlicensed dog, the AC&C can provide you with an application. Alternatively, you can call the Department of Health at 311 for an application or download one from their website. The application and fee must be submitted directly to the Department of Health; we are only permitted to process the licensing of dogs adopted or redeemed from the AC&C.
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What makes AC&C unique as a shelter in NYC?
The AC&C is an open admissions shelter. This means that we accept every animal brought through our doors. No animal is turned away. This is very different from limited admission shelters, which accept a limited number, selecting only specific animals.

Also, when an animal is adopted from the AC&C, the adoptions contract stipulates that adopters may return the animal to us at any time. This increases the likelihood that NYC pets will remain in our shelters instead of burdening another shelter system. Other local shelters, however, have a very limited adoption return policy, often resulting in pets being relinquished to the NYC shelter system.

Our obligation to accept all animals, respond to calls to pick up stray animals throughout the city, and to be responsible for holding animals for the New York City Police and Health Departments can result in too many animals entering our facilities. In these situations, we are sometimes forced to euthanize animals, which, in a less crowded facility, might be held for extended periods of time and ultimately adopted.

Can I bring my new pet home the same day I adopt?
If the animal you are adopting has already been spayed or neutered , he or she can go home with you the same day. NYC law now requires that every dog and cat be spayed or neutered before its adoption is complete. Therefore, if the animal you wish to adopt has not yet been sterilized, 1 to 3 days must be allowed for the AC&C to have the surgery performed. If the animal is too young to have the surgery, we will issue a temporary waiver until that time when the animal has grown enough to allow the spaying/neutering to be done safely. Under such a waiver, the animal can go home the same day it is adopted.

Do I have to spay or neuter my pet?
Yes. On November 8, 2000 an amendment to the New York City administrative code went into effect requiring the spaying or neutering of specified classes of dogs and cats in NYC. This new law requires that all dogs and cats be spayed or neutered before being adopted (or redeemed by an owner) from a shelter. Click here to see why spaying and neutering are important to the health and welfare of your pet.

Is the AC&C a 'no-kill' shelter?
Because of its contractual obligations and its open admissions policy, the AC&C humanely euthanizes terminally ill, suffering and severely injured animals. In addition, animals, which have bitten, trained to attack others, or have been identical to be inappropriate for placement are likewise humanely euthanized. Finally, as NYC's only open admissions shelter, at times an overpopulation of adoptable animals requires us to humanely euthanize animals after all adoption resources including foster care, other shelters and breed and other rescue groups have been exhausted.

How can I get involved with the AC&C?

You can adopt an animal.
You can provide temporary foster care to a very young, sick or injured animal, who, with your help, can become adoptable.
You can donate to the AC&C. As a not-for-profit corporation, contributions are tax-deductible in accordance with IRS guidelines. Contributions to the AC&C are used for animal care, adoption efforts,and spaying/neutering .
You can volunteer your time at the AC&C. We are often looking for individuals to help out with special events, but you can inquire about other volunteer opportunities at the AC&C.
We often have staff positions available. You can work for the AC&C and help our animal community by devoting yourself to finding homes for our homeless pets and making their lives more comfortable while they are waiting for their new caretakers.
You can speak out and help us educate the community at large about the pet overpopulation in NYC, the importance of spaying and neutering , the value of microchipping your companion animal, or simply just promoting the AC&C as a wonderful choice when it comes to adopting a healthy, happy, loving companion for someone's home.

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