Meet Dana, An adorable bull dog mix currently at the Brooklyn NYC AC&C. Poor Dana was returned to the shelter, a stray, on 6/7. A STRAY? Hang on one second here… how does Dana qualify as a “stray?” Let’s back up and take a look at Dana’s original records. We can do that because as we said, Dana was RETURNED as a stray. That means that the ACC knows EXACTLY who Dana’s owner is, and we do too. Dana is NO stray. She is a dog that was RETURNED yet the owner did not want to pay any fees and the ACC was OK with it. You will be shocked to find out why.
Dana’s story started on April 17th, when she arrived at the shelter sick and a bit timid, but eager to find someone that she could trust. She immediately drew the attention of staff and volunteers due to her adorable face and calm demeanor. Many were interested in helping Dana, and they contacted the shelter about her status. Unfortunately, they were told that Dana was “not available.” She was spoken for. Soon after, Dana was moved to the “SAFE” folder and we all wished her a happy life.
Flash forward to June 7th. Dana is back, and listed as a “stray.” Why? Well, it seems that an all too familiar problem has once again been brought to light. It turns out, a SHELTER WORKER decided that they wanted Dana in April. The shelter made Dana unavailable to the public (and rescues) and let this SHELTER WORKER take Dana home. Now, correct me if I am wrong, but if the adopter actually WORKS at the shelter, how is Dana a STRAY? Where is the “Owner Surrender” profile? Where is the history? Why wasn’t this WORKER forced to pay the surrender fees when she DUMPED Dana at the shelter on her way into work? How can she walk past Dana in her cage EVERY DAY, frightened and confused, and not take her home??? The answer is simple… the “owner” does not care and it happens more often than the ACC wants to admit.
Meet Nikki….
Well, you can’t meet Nikki because Nikki is DEAD. Nikki WAS a 2 year old, BEAUTIFUL and UNSPAYED little girl that arrived at the shelter on May 6th. Her owner claimed that he was moving and could not take Nikki with him. Of course, that is not the entire story… what the ACC failed to address was that Nikki’s owner also works at the shelter and has MULTIPLE dogs that were “adopted” from and returned to the ACC. Did the ACC ask this SHELTER WORKER why Nikki was not spayed? According to sources that can not be named for obvious reasons, this SHELTER WORKER is a repeat offender. It was also disclosed that this SHELTER WORKER has a side business with some family members…. hope you are sitting down because rumor has it that if you are in the market for a pittie puppy, this man and his family can hook you right up! What kind of person can watch what goes on at the ACC every day and then add to the problem by participating in a backyard breeding business??
I would love to know if Nikki was ever a mom but she is DEAD so we will never be able to find out now. This SHELTER WORKER walked past poor Nikki sitting in her cage, DAILY, and left her there. I wonder if he took her for her “last walk” too. How long will it be before this SHELTER WORKER adopts another unaltered pittie from the ACC? Wonder if Nikki was replaced already…
Who can forget our Spirit girl??
I know I MELTED the second I saw her picture. She arrived at the shelter VERY PREGNANT and we all rallied to get her and her puppies out alive. She soon hit the list for “temper.” Then, we were told she was safe, and for a brief moment, we all exhaled. Shock took over and our hearts broke when she hit the list AGAIN, but this time, spayed and sick. Turns out, a SHELTER WORKER decided she wanted to adopt Spirit and had her spayed (aborting puppies extremely late in pregnancy.) I guess she went home to sleep on it because when she came in to work the next day, she said “never mind” and Spirit went back on the list. Fortunately, a rescue stepped up for our “broken” Spirit and she did not die at the shelter.
These three examples are just some of the stories that come out of the NYC AC&C. How many more are there? Why does the NYC AC&C employ people that obviously do not know what “CARE” is? How can they let employees surrender animals and then adopt more? How do they keep suspected back yard breeders on staff?? Shouldn’t the employees, after seeing what goes on there EVERY day, be held to a higher standard? We just do not understand how people can watch death on a daily basis and then add to it, and how the NYC AC&C can turn a blind eye to what is happening right under their noses.
I can bet that Risa, Farley and the rest of the NYC AC&C executives and board will not care. They will come up with countless excuses. Maybe they will try to “save face” by making someone a scapegoat. Either way, ask them. Ask the “powers that be” why things are not getting better and ask them if the employee mindset has anything to do with it.
List of contacts: https://urgentpodr.org/who-to-contact-for-shelter-reform/
SPIRIT’S URGENT LINK:
DANA’S URGENT LINK:
NIKKI’ URGENT LINK: