Animal Care & Control of New York City (AC&C), formerly known as The Center for Animal Care and Control (CACC), is the operator of New York City's municipal shelter system. It is registered as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization but receives the majority of its income as grants from New York City Department of Health, and less so, other governmental entities of New York City. Its other main source of income is the contract for operating the municipal shelter system on behalf of NYCDOH. It also receives donations from the public.[1] It has a seven-member board of directors, which includes as ex officio members the Commissioner of DOH, the Commissioner of New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the Deputy Commissioner for Community Affairs at the New York City Police Department (NYPD). The four remaining members of the Board are appointed by the Mayor.[2][3] AC&C was created in 1995 by the City of New York to take over the municipal shelter system from the ASPCA.[4] AC&C is a kill shelter, although their euthanasia rates have been slowly decreasing since 2004.[5] AC&C adoption center facilities operate in only three boroughs.
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There are several major issues surrounding the operation of these facilities.
First, the ACC is severely underfunded. The City of New York provides less than $1 per capita as a contribution. Other cities in the country provide far more financial support. The Humane Society recommends at least $3 per capita spending for animal care.
ACC's budget is composed of The Department Of Health, and the Mayor's Alliance (who gets donations from Maddie's Fund and the ASPCA).
There is a conflict of interest between the ACC and the Department of Health. The Department of Health runs the ACC via Thomas Farley, who is the chairman of the ACC board of directors. Yet, the ACC is supposed to be an independent private charity organization contracted by the City of New York. The ACC is unable to plea for additional funds or contradict the city in any way, as city officials sit on the board of the ACC. So, budget cut after budget cut, the ACC stays silent.
There is a lawsuit that was filed that demands the Department of Health and City officials to cease involvement in the management of the ACC.
In addition, there is a substantial budget provided from a private charity organization called Maddie's fund. This organization disperses their money through the Mayor's Animal Alliance. The organization has strict reporting and progress guidelines. They have set forth a No Kill road map for the ACC. In 2010, according to this road map - the ACC can no longer kill for space. In order to comply with these regulations, the ACC notes false reasons for the reason they kill cats and dogs. Some of the reasons provided are "ill", "temper", "too young." The ACC has killed cats and dogs for being 8 weeks old, for having a treatable cold, and for having such things like gingivitis.
In December 2010, ABC News reported that conditions at the ACC are deplorable. They confirmed that healthy adoptable cats and dogs have been killed.
Dogs that are housebroken are not walked, sometimes for over 24 hours. Cats and dogs sit in deplorable conditions. Kittens are deemed to have "temper" and are killed. And not once is "space" mentioned as an issue.