Latest news with #AnimalCareCenters
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Animal shelters across US seeing rise in 'owner surrenders'
Another troubling sign of economic strain: more Americans are giving up their pets. Animal shelters across the US are seeing a rise in 'owner surrenders,' as families hand over dogs and cats they can no longer afford to keep. Volunteers say it's often an early warning sign of deeper financial distress. 'There are times when the economy has taken a dip or we've had a lot of job layoffs,' Melissa Knicely, a staffer at North Carolina shelter, told CNN . When that happens, '100 percent' there will be a jump in pets given up. Knicely's shelter has seen a 43 percent spike in surrenders this year — with most families saying they simply couldn't afford to keep their pets. They're not alone. Several rescues across the country have reported similar issues. Risa Weinstock, president of the Animal Care Centers of New York City, said her organization has stopped accepting new animals because they're over capacity. 'We're in the business to care for animals that come to us, and we want to help people with their pets,' she told NBC News . 'But when we have 1,000 animals to care for and a capacity to house them that doesn't meet that need, we're in a bit of a difficult situation.' Dog and cat ownership has become significantly more expensive in recent years, with the price of food and veterinary care climbing steeply. Porter County Animal Shelter, an adoption center in Indiana, estimates that dog owners spend between $20 and $60 a month on food alone. Annual costs — including beds, collars, medical treatments, grooming, and other basics — can total any additional $925 to $2,900, depending on the dog's breed and size, they estimate. The increasing pet prices are also coming while Americans continue to struggle with their own day-to-day bills. Food prices have soared since 2020 as restaurants, grocery stores, and suppliers scrambled to rebuild supply chains after pandemic shutdowns. Now, with tariff campaigns, heightened interest rates , growing geopolitical uncertainty, and new price rises, consumers are starting to feel their wallets getting stretched further. Last month, the Labor Department said that prices rose 2.7 percent — the largest increase since February — breaking a months-long streak of slowing inflation. And Americans are increasingly taking out consumer debt to pay for those higher prices. Still, a majority of economic indicators point to a robust economy. Unemployment claims fell again last week, and the latest jobs report showed that Americans are working and earning more than before. Those figures have helped reassure Wall Street investors, who continue to pour money into the economy on hopes that US consumers will keep spending. But for many households, the gap between those promising macroeconomic signals and the realities of rising costs feels impossible to ignore.
CNN
2 days ago
- General
- CNN
More people are giving up their pets. Here's what's behind it
In recent months, there has been a surge in the number of people looking to give up their pets, and financial hardship has been one of the main determinants for many. Katy Hansen from Animal Care Centers of New York City shares details.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Jam-packed NYC animal shelters get $1 million boost from Mayor Adams
NEW YORK — City animal shelters, bursting at the seams because of an unprecedented influx of animals, have been given an additional $1 million from the city to tackle their critical capacity issues, The New York Daily News has learned. 'My commitment to serving all New Yorkers truly means ALL!' New York City Mayor Eric Adams wrote on his @ericadamsfornyc X account. 'And that includes New York City's pet population. This is why my office has announced a $1 million investment to Animal Care Centers of New York City. Their work ensures no animal is left behind and is essential to protecting animals across New York.' On his official account, Adams said that the money would be used to hire 14 new staffers and 'increase capacity to better care for our pets.' 'In the concrete jungle, we take care of all our animals,' he wrote on his office account, encouraging New Yorkers to adopt an animal. The city agency responsible for homeless pets was happy to receive the additional finances. 'We are grateful to have extra funding to hire more staff to care for more animals,' a spokeswoman for Animal Care Centers of NYC said Saturday. Last week the agency announced it was caring for more than 1,000 shelter animals at one time and wouldn't be able to take in any more pets. Citing a 'critical capacity issue,' the ACC suspended general intake, but said it would remain open for adoptions, plus drop-offs of animals that require emergency medical care, are a public safety risk or are dropped off by government agencies, officials said. 'It's the worst it's ever been,' an ACC source told the Daily News of the capacity crisis. The 1,000th pet taken in was a dog named Rocky, who had lived with his family for the past seven years, but his owners had to give him up. Rocky was among 382 adult dogs in ACC's care, along with 13 puppies, 383 cats, 163 kittens, 47 rabbits, 12 guinea pigs and several birds. ACC also currently has 290 pets in foster care, with 180 available for adoption directly from their foster homes, agency officials said. The cause of one of every three pets being given over to ACC this year is housing insecurity, with their owners having to relocate to a smaller place and unable to take care of their pet or moving out of the city due to the high cost of living and being unable to take their pet with them, according to ACC studies. Mayor Adams, in announcing the move on his office and mayoral campaign X accounts, turned the financial boost into an election issue that Republican Mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa has sunk his teeth into. The Guardian Angels founder, and known cat lover, on Friday scoffed that the investment is 'a drop in the bucket.' 'The city has completely ignored animal welfare,' he wrote. 'ACC has a 34-year contract worth over $1B — and yet our shelters are overcrowded, surrenders are paused, and animals are suffering.' In addition to adopting pets, ACC is urging pet owners to re-home their animals if they can no longer care for them — and also to just 'try to figure out a way to keep your pet.' Amid the ongoing animal shelter crisis, ACC is encouraging New Yorkers to adopt pets, which they can view on
New York Times
22-07-2025
- General
- New York Times
As Cost-Burdened New Yorkers Give Up Pets, Shelters Turn Them Away
The affordability crisis in New York City has expanded its reach to a new and perhaps surprising corner of urban life: city animal shelters that are overwhelmed with pets whose owners could no longer afford to keep them. Now, most people who bring in cats, dogs and other pets will be turned away, though the shelters will continue accepting animals that pose a threat to the public, need emergency medical care or are sent there by government agencies, the shelters said. The tipping point came last week when Rocky, an older dog, was surrendered to Animal Care Centers of New York City, which runs the public animal shelters in Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island, said Katy Hansen, the organization's director of communications. He became the 1,000th animal in the system. 'It's nonstop and no one can keep up,' Ms. Hansen said in an interview on Sunday at the Queens facility, where animals were doubled up in some kennels and crates and the air was thick with the smell of urine and excrement. The sheer number of animals surrendered to the organization had left its employees unsure of what to do. ' We can't adopt our way out,' she said, as the earsplitting sound of barking seemed to echo off the walls. 'I mean, unless we did a thousand adoptions this weekend, but that's pretty unrealistic. So what is it that we can do? I don't know. I think everyone's trying to figure it out.' Overcrowding at New York City's animal shelters has been a long-term problem. Last summer, the city opened the Queens shelter at a cost of $75 million, but it was quickly overburdened with new arrivals that far outpaced its 72-dog-bed capacity. On Sunday, it was housing 169 dogs. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CBS News
19-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
Animal Care Centers of NYC not accepting pet surrenders due to record capacity
A record number of animals in New York City's shelter system has forced the city to stop taking in new dogs and cats. Animal Care Centers of NYC says they have more than 1,000 animals across their city shelters. "We have never had this many animals in our care before. This isn't a drill. This is a crisis," the ACC wrote in a social media post. As a result, they have suspended intake, meaning New Yorkers who want to give up their pets can no longer surrender them at an ACC shelter. "People are surrendering animals to the shelter. One out of every three animals surrendered is because of housing insecurity in New York City. And while our adoptions haven't decreased, they have been pretty flat," said Jessica Vaccaro, ACC Director of Placement. ACC is still taking in animals that require emergency medical care or pose a public safety risk. In a social media post, the ACC urged New Yorkers who are considering surrendering their pets to first ask family or friends for help, try to find a new home for your pet yourself, or try to figure out a way to keep your pet. More resources are available on the ACC's website at The ACC is asking the public for help through adoption, fostering and donations. They held a pop-up adoption event at 232 Varet St. in Bushwick, Brooklyn, on Saturday, and another is scheduled for the same location from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Sunday. Adoption fees for large dogs and adult cats will be waived at that event. To learn more about fostering, visit For more information about adoption and donating, visit
