“NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND” are reports by ACC Volunteers, Rescuers, Fosters and Adopters. To find out more about these first-hand accounts, click here.
STATEMENT BY AN ACC ADOPTER
January 10, 2012
Recently my husband and I lost a pet to an illness and were anxious to find a new friend for our cat at home. We searched on petfinder, and found an adorable, all-white part-Persian kitty, Petunia, that we were interested in. She wasn’t at one of the rescues we had heard of, she was at the ACC on 110th St in Manhattan. We had zero experience with this place (never even had heard of it, actually), but thought it would be a well-run facility focused on giving pets a home.
Figuring it would be easier and faster to go there and get her ourselves, I ventured up to 110th Street on my lunch break to meet her and begin the paperwork. It was a Wednesday around 1pm, and I entered the lobby and saw a long line of people and dogs waiting. I signed in, and a person waiting (not an employee or volunteer) told me that I needed to go upstairs to the adoptions area. I was looking for Petunia, but couldn’t find her in the cages. I didn’t see any employees in the cat room, so I ventured into the dog room and the bunny room. It was heartbreaking. The dogs were barking so loudly, and they all ran to the front of the cage when I went in.
I went back to the cat room, and finally saw an employee. I asked about Petunia, and she started looking. I was insistent, saying that I just saw her on the website, and that she was in the ACC for only a few days. We looked in the “sick” room, and then she was going to check on other places. Good thing I had Petunia’s “A” number, or else there is no way they would have even been able to find her.
She came back upstairs and told me that Petunia was very sick and was downstairs, in the back area. I demanded to see her, so she took me down there. The room absolutely broke my heart. There were cats and dogs mixed together, and the dogs were barking loudly. It was a dark, dank room with no windows. The cats were lined up in cages two or three high. Petunia had an upper respiratory infection, and her category had changed to “not ready for adoption” because she was growling and scratching. From discussion with the volunteer, I took this to mean that she was on death row. I said that I really wanted her take her, but my husband would have to see her first and would be coming by later that day.
When he got to the shelter, the staff was disinterested in helping him find Petunia. He arrived to a similar situation as me, no signage and no one to direct where he should go. He knew from talking to me that Petunia was in the back room, but even though he had the right Pet Adoption number, he was told that Petunia could not be found. Again, he was insistent and had to describe the cat and the room I had been to in order for them to acknowledge that Petunia actually existed.
Finally after being at the shelter for an hour he was brought to see Petunia by the only helpful staff member he encountered. He was taken to the unpleasant, windowless room where Petunia had been put and approached her cage. She growled and screamed in her best attempt to look ferocious. When he did not seem affected by her yell, her head sank and she clearly was very sick and very sad. She appealed to us because she had a green (friendly) rating upon intake which had deteriorated to an unfriendly one, I think Purple. That said to us that this is a sweet cat, numb and in shock from a horrible ordeal staying in the shelter, due to the horrid conditions and the fact that she had a URI. My husband confirmed that we wanted to adopt her and went downstairs to wait in the pet pick-up line. The facility was closing; at that point he had been there for three hours and was told he would have to come back the next day to pick her up.The following day he had to wait some two more hours, only to be told Petunia could not be released to us until the vet had examined her and they had all gone home. By the time he was told yet again to come back tomorrow he had been there another 3 hours.
The following day, after a third three hour wait, my husband picked up Petunia. That is a total of 9 hours to adopt this cat. He had scheduled a visit with our regular vet immediately after pick up and a session of grooming to wash the shelter filth off of her. We wanted to make sure her URI was being treated and she had a clean bill of health. There was no way we were relying on the poor treatment she received at the ACC. She didn’t make it to the groomers initially because when my husband got her to the vet and out of her carrying case she collapsed. The vet was baffled, and said that either she was sedated (but he had no clue why she would be) or she had a neurological problem.
Thinking she had something life-threatening and not wanting to expose our cat at home to a deadly illness, we brought her back to the shelter to ask what sort of medical exam was given in which they overlooked the fact that the cat could not stand. We were furious and stormed the front desk. They took Petunia into the back examining room. After about 15 minutes, they came out and took us into the back room to witness Petunia jumping around the exam room and walking normally. They nonchalantly said, “oh yeah, we drugged her in order to find out if she was spayed and to trim her nails.” I truly felt like I was living in an alternate universe. What kind of facility would sedate a cat to the point where they could not walk, and fail to inform the people who were adopting her?!?! We were livid, but very happy and relieved that Petunia was OK.
We then took her out of that terrible place forever. Above is a photo of Petunia a few days after arriving with us. She couldn’t open her eyes full, and would open them only when absolutely necessary due to the discharge which was one of URI symptoms. All it took was a little cleaning to bring her back in appearance but she was sick for at least a week afterwards. Here’s a very recent photo (below)
Today, she is a very happy, spunky, little cat that we could not imagine life without. She is the story of what a bad place, with uninspired staff, can do to a good kitty. We were very persistent, and that’s the only way we were able to save her.
There were a few staff members that were good, especially the employee who helped my husband meet Petunia and who really made our adoption possible. The rest of the staff there could care less. People were sitting for hours in the waiting room and finally left because it took so long to adopt a pet. Nine hours to adopt one pet is insane.
Thank God, you guys got her out of that Hell Hole! She is beautiful
How can someone work around animals and not care about them?
thank goodness, she was saved by wonderful people, what a horror story, they drugged her!
In a world where people fight for injustice, why in the hell is it so hard for us to fight animal cruelty in a government or state setting? Our TAX Dollars pay for Shelters like this one. I do NOT want my money going to help animal abusers continue with their practices. Animal Shelters need to be run by people who CARE about the animals they take in, not by those who abuse them! It would be like giving a child molester free run in a child daycare or a school!!! I, as an American born and raised in this country, want to see MORE done to STOP the abuse in animal shelters. I want to see those who think it’s ok to mistreat these creatures that GOD put into our care, to be fired and brought up on animal cruelty charges and I want my TAX dollars to go to help the animals, not kill and abuse them!!!!!!!
It should not have taken 9 hours to adopt a cat and that cat NEVER should have been put in a situation like she was in. People are wanting to ADOPT at this “Shelter” and are leaving because the staff (and I use the term loosely) do not do the job WE THE PEOPLE ARE PAYING FOR! It’s sad when only a few of the employees who work there are actually doing their job while the others are contributing to the abuse and the neglect.
Healthy animals are being tagged as “Sick” just so they can make room for more coming in. Rescuers are showing up to pick up the ones they’ve tagged for rescue only to find out that there was a “mix-up” and that poor animal was “accidentally” put to sleep.
OWNERS are coming to retrieve their lost pet only to find that this “Shelter” (the ACC of Manhattan, NY) has “mixed-up” the paper work and their beloved pet had been PTS.
Do any of you see what is wrong here???? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING???? And this is NOT the only “Animal Shelter” that is doing this! It’s all about the money for places like this. Run by people who are so fake that you can see the make up artists behind them trying to paint a “Rosy” picture.
THIS MUST STOP! And it will only stop if those of us that CARE about animals stop it! We must take action against the abusers WE pay to “Save and protect” the animals.
Great ending to a sad story. What a VERY lucky cat to have found you!!!
It seems to me that alot of the animals that come here get real sick,why is that?dont they do any cleaning to prevent that?these people need to learn compassion for these poor animals.if the vets and the vet-techs dont give a damm about them and are killing the animals just to get paid for doing it then its time to fire them
I’m so glad you guys adopted her. She’s beautiful. I’m glad she’ll have a great life after her awful ordeal. That shelter needs reform.
Thank you so much for adopting a shelter cat despite your horrible experience with the ACC shelter.
Thank you for understanding that a friendly, sweet animal may act upset in a shelter environment, and particularly the environment at New York’s ACC.
And thank you for SHARING your experience with the world. Imagine how animals are treated at the ACC if adopters are treated so poorly.
She’s gorgeous! Thanks for sticking around and giving this truly beautiful lady a home!
I’ve taken 3 dogs and 7 kittens out of there. Every single one of them has been sick, from protruding eyes to upper respiratory, ringworm, multiple intestinal parasites, extreme flea infestations where the fleas were crawling in and out of eyes/ears/nose to kennel cough. One of the kittens ended up getting pneumonia from not being treated for anything and by the time I got her at 6 weeks old, regardless of the love, kindness and any kind of medical treatment we could think of (she was in an oxygen tank at the end), I had to put her to sleep.
This is really very sad & such an awful reminder of the days when the ASPCA ran animal control in NYC. Trust me, as bad as this story is, things were MUCH worse in the late 70′s, 80′s & 90′s when the ASPCA was killing hundreds of thousands of animals to “control” the animal population in NYC. The ASPCA left a defunct animal control model for the city of NY back in 1995 when they gave up the animal control duties for the city & sadly it has taken decades to try & get the shelters to run properly. For God’s sake, can’t we have a humane shelter system in our great city?????
I had a similar experience when I adopted my dog from that same shelter. There was ONE employee who clearly cared and was trying to be helpful. It took me 4 hours to adopt her, and she was very sick and scared. It took a good month and a lot of money to get her well, and even longer for her to not be so scared all the time. She is now a normal healthy super active puppy. That place is a hell hole!!!!! Thank god for the volunteers who go and help the animals, otherwise I think conditions would be even worse if that is at all possible.
OMG!!! What a freaking shambles. No wonder there are so many dogs and cats that get killed each day. I am sure many, many people can’t be bothered with the run around you got. Thank you for being persistent! The NY ACC is a freaking joke!
Sadly alot of Animal Controls are like this. We adopted a female dog from the Animal Control in Jacksonville, NC. We were first instructed to look on the computer at the desk because that was the only way we could see the dogs, we weren’t allowed to go to the back room. An employee eventually let us go back. When we went we were interested in two dogs, an abused female German Shepherd and a hyper female shepherd/husky mix. We were told because it was after hours (and the women even stated ” I’d love to stay after hours to help you adopt this animal but I’m not going to so you’ll have to come back tomarrow”). I was assured neither dog was on the euth list as to them only being there for a day or so. Due to both me and my husband having work the next few days I told them to hold both dogs we would adopt both if neither had been adopted. I get a call Thursday stating if I wanted to save the dogs I better get there before they closed otherwise BOTH would be killed Friday morning. I left work and rushed to pick them up. We went and at first they couldn’t find either dog in their system nor the back room (I had to give a description etc). First we went to get the abused female G/S and the AC worker clicked her nails along the dogs cage (long fake nails)…she backed into the corner and barked. This women continued to click them on the cage and said “This dog is aggressive I refuse to adopt her to you.” I pitched a fit and got the director’s contact information of which they stated I would have to file a legal form that I wouldn’t sue the ACC if we took her and the director would have to call me the next morning. We were able to take the other dog (whom taking her to the vet the next morning she had a severe case of kennel cough that took almost a month to treat and $500+ vet bills and$120.00 adoption fee). Long story short I know how you feel. These people get these jobs yet have 0 understanding of animal welfare and care little about these animals. It’s disgusting and needs to stop. It’s some of these animals last days and they have to live in horrid conditions, and sadly people don’t adopt them due to how they look/lack of care the ACC’s/shelters give them. So not only are they abusing them they are ruining their chance to be saved. It’s time this ends.
I’m with Lori- every single cat I see that sits on Death Row there is sick with URI. What the hell are the people (staff, volunteers) DOING there to get every single cat sick??? WASH YOUR FREAKING HANDS. KEEP EVERYTHING AND EVERY SURFACE CLEAN AND DISINFECTED. It’s not hard, peeps! I’ve worked at animal shelters (REAL animal shelters, not pounds) and a vet clinic. We NEVER spread infection of ANY kind. These people ought to be effing ASHAMED.
THANK YOU for being persistent and not giving up on your plans to adopt Petunia!
After searching petfinder for weeks or months to add a new friend after the loss of an older cat or one’s very first cat, when you make that connection and saying “this is it” and then leave for the shelter to get your new baby it’s EXCITING!
Then you are met with complete apathy at AC&C.
I can’t tell you the number of times that I have run circles around the shelter looking for a cat for an adopter that is not where it’s supposed to be. Such searches always begin with asking a staff member to check the computer.
If cat is in system but can’t physically be found the staff member will say, ‘WHY DO THEY NEED THAT CAT? WE HAVE LOTS OF OTHER CATS HERE. TELL THEM TO TAKE ONE OF THEM.”
ALWAYS.
I don’t bother explaining why and start on a cage by cage search of the shelter, usually assisted by one of the few hard working and caring staff members. We always find the animal.
The key is as you described, the adopter must be STRONG and persistent, and you must find a willing volunteer and/or staff member to help and it can take a while to track someone down.
Your husband, Petunia and you all have something in common, you are STRONG and fought hard for her life and to bring her home! Thank you!
Thank you also for taking the time to write about the dismal state of affairs at AC&C. An adopter’s perspective is really important.
bravo! This is what is takes! We can’t let the ACC’s unprofessionalism make us give up and go away. They are horrific, but the goal to save the animal should be utmost in the mind of the person who went to AC. DEMAND to find it, DEMAND the rescue!
I also have 5 cats, all living well, the ultimate revenge!
This leaves me furious and weepy all at once. Who the hell has the time to go back 3 times in a row–and then again for the unrevealed sedation issue?! You MADE time, and thankfully so, but many people as you mention would not. Resources are key, but the KIND of resources there to meet and greet clearly needs to improve.
Stop killing animals when it’s your fault they get sick in the first place, ACC!
Thank you so much for not giving up on her and being persistent. You definitely saved this beautiful cat from death. It is inexcusable that any of our shelters do such a poor job of caring for our animals. Shelter workers and volunteers should be ecstatic and helpful when someone is interested in adopting thus saving a life. So many suffer and die needlessly in this country. Our shelter system is so antiquated in most areas. Very sad!
Thank you so much for your story, and letting more people know about the atrocities at the NYC AC&C. I am a cross-poster for the animals there, and I know all-to-well about what goes on inside, from people like you who have adopted, and from people who have managed to get inside and report back. There are some good people who work at the shelter, and the volunteers are an amazing bunch who advocate hard for these poor souls. There are also the lazy do-nothings who are employed there, and make life miserable for the unfortunate animals who end up there. Most at fault are pet owners who don’t spay, neuter, and abandon pets as easily as a piece of trash. Then, there are the backyard breeders who breed females, then dump them on the streets when they have the puppies that they will now sell or use for bait. Yes, the shelter is a dirty, noisy, mismanaged, scary place, but the residents of NY need to take some of the blame. the busiest time is summer, when residents would rather abandon their pets at the shelter to go on vacation, than pay for boarding. YES! It’s true! If you are a NYC tax payer, I recommend that you write to Mayor Bloomberg and ask that more money be used for better care of the shelter animals. If you can, adopt or foster. Never buy from breeders or pet shops. Be part of the solution.
Persistence pays off. If only more good people, such as you & your husband, would stick to wanting an animal, there wouldn’t be as many in these places. Unfortunately, there’s soooo many animals, & miscommunication among the staff, it becomes extremely frustrating for adopters & rescues. Thank you for not just giving up & walking out, to go elsewhere! Petunia is glad you didn
‘t either… : )
I am currently a volunteer at AC&C and I’m so happy for Petunia. It kills me to see any of the wonderful animals on death row. Bless your family for being persitant. In finding her. I can say that the system is for AC&C is trying to improve, not as fast as we animal lovers would expect, but improving. I have had people come to me with the “A” number of an animal they was looking for and could see the excitment in their eyes anticipating the thought of bringing a new friend home. Just to hit this brick wall of not being able to find the pet they was looking for, not being in the right shelter,or waiting in line to meet unfriendly faces who 9/10 time say “that animal has already been adopted” or “that animal is in the sick ward” without any more reason. Now there are a handfull of the AC&C employees that have big hearts and really do care about the animals and finding them homes and I proud. To say that I have worked with them to give much needed TLC to the dogs and cats of the AC&C. The wait time for the updates on a animal or the status of ur adoption. Does new major improvment, cause its ridiculous “9+” hours to adopt. That’s the reason many just walk out and say they will look else where. The AC&C needs a lot of fixing up.
I would like to thank you for sharing your story. I wish others who have had similar stories (which unfortunately seem to happen very often) would do the same. People need to be made aware of what is really going on behind closed doors and change is and has been needed for a long time at that place. I also commend you for being so persistent in saving Petunia’s life, regardless of all the bs you most likely had to endure while at that dreaded place. Which also I would like to recognize all the awesome volunteers who care so much for these dogs and do so much for them on their own time (without them this place would not be running at all). They even do write ups for these pets to help give you a more realistic idea of the pets real demeanor rather than what was jotted down by an uncaring staff member. Without people like you and the caring volunteers these pets would not have a chance. Thank you again for saving Petunia <3 and I wish you all the best and many years of happiness together.
It shouldn’t take multiple visits over 3 days to adopt a pet either. I’m so glad you were persistent.
The day I went to foster a cat from Manhattan ACC, a woman was waiting to claim her cat that had been picked up somewhere. (I didn’t know the full story except she knew her cat was there.)
The Manhattan ACC let someone else ADOPT her cat while the owner was sitting there waiting!!
I felt the worst for the cat…and for the owner, too. The ACC “generously” offered her to pick out another cat, free of charge.
>:(
New York needs to be ashamed !! Cats and dogs are living, creatures, just like humans, they have senses and feelings, they deserve to be treated the same way that every human expects to be treated; With love, respect, and caring !! Julie Banks and the Mayor are are good at talking, but care not a whit for the precious animals.
A copy of this letter/story needs to be sent to Mayor Bloomberg, himself. I’d love to hear his response. Your experience is a disappointing shame. Thank you and your husband for being so diligent in your decision to save Petunia, what an absolutely gorgeous creature she is!!
as i sat here reading this i cried.as a rescue volunteer i know all too well about the conditions at the nycacc.i cry because if this was someone else that wasnt willing to fight for this frightened precious soul..the outcome would have been very different.i want to thank you for your persistence.i too have dogs from this hell on earth that were also poorly evaluated.they were simply terrified.i will fight for change until my dying breath.please know that.i wish you many years of happiness with petunia.god bless you and your wonderful husband.
Thank you for not giving up on her. I am sure other one would have desisted but not you. Thank you, I wish everybody would do the same
This cannot go on another day–strong actions must be taken to save these poor animals from intense suffering and death due to mismanagement and ignorance and neglect and improper policies regarding the running of an animal shelter. Shelter does not mean living in misery, being exposed to incredible strains of illnesses that are causing huge expense to people who are kind enough to foster or adopt.
Shelter should mean a place where care and concern are given to unfortunate dogs and cats that for no apparent reason end up homeless. In light of what they are doing in this “shelter”, it would be kinder to stand at the door with a needle filled with euthanasia solution and never allow them to go alive into that totally inappropriate chaotic situation. Just imagine the suffering that these poor creatures go thru. Yes, thank God that this beautiful cat got out alive and is here to be seen but I would be willing to bet it is one out of 100 thus 99 are in hell on earth before they die alone. This is unacceptable and all the kind interested citizens have to act now–how many more creatures have to suffer under these roofs?
It can be done and must be done now. It is good to document happenings but actions speak louder than words–even tho this is a municipal animal control facility, things can be different and better. Many years ago, this was a problem in my community and a small group of committed people exposed the horrors and the shelter was taken over by volunteers who made policies and oversaw employees and today that shelter is one of the finest on the east coast. It can be done–please start now.
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God Bless You! We know Karma & wonderful things will come your way because of your kindness & patience in saving this sweet soul!!! I CAN GUARANTEE IT!!!
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