$15.5M Grant to Aid Animals

Typography
Thousands of unwanted dogs and cats will get another chance at life thanks to a $15.5 million grant awarded to the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals.

NEW YORK — Thousands of unwanted dogs and cats will get another chance at life thanks to a $15.5 million grant awarded to the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals.


The money, provided by the Maddie's Fund foundation, named for a philanthropist's dog, will be used to boost adoption programs and provide spaying and neutering services to reduce the number of unwanted pets in the city.


"We have a serious animal control problem in this city, with far more cats and dogs being abandoned or placed in shelters than can ever find a home," Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday as he cuddled a mixed-breed pup named Columbus. "The city just can't do this alone. We just don't have enough money."


The Mayor's Alliance, which includes more than 60 animal rescue groups, will share the money with its members. That includes Animal Care and Control, which is under contract with the Health Department to handle all stray and homeless animals in the city.


City funding to Animal Care and Control has dropped in recent years. But the agency has still been able to boost adoptions and cut down on the number of animals it puts to sleep by working with the Mayor's Alliance and its rescue groups. More than 23,000 unwanted dogs and cats are still euthanized every year, but the city hopes to have a no-kill policy within five years.


!ADVERTISEMENT!

Jane Hoffman, who is president of the Mayor's Alliance, said the group is planning to give a sizable grant to Animal Care and Control.


Source: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News