NYC No Kill Shelters?
September 25, 2007 12:15 PM Subscribe
Can anybody help me find good, available, no kill shelters for a dog in the New York Area?
I live in a house with 5 humans, 2 cats, and 2 dogs. A couple months ago my housemate saw a starving dog out in the street running in front of cars. It broke her heart and I couldn't say no when she asked for help in rescuing it. Well I did (carried him home 6 blocks and whew did he smell.) We nursed him back to health, got him all of his shots, got him fixed, and here we are two months later with a completely healthy 11 month old puppy.
Unfortunately there is no way our house can keep him. We've been keeping him in the back yard (just too chaotic in the house with 5 animals unless somebody is there to referee) but with winter coming that option is not going to work.
He's a great dog as you can see in these pictures, its just he really needs somebody to be his best friend. No matter how much I love him, my life (and my cats) just won't allow it.
So we are doing a big push to find him a home, but its really time we start considering a no kill shelter, especially since i assume a lot of them have waiting lists. So I'm really looking for suggestions on anything within the New York Metropolitan area, or even a little bit beyond. He's definitely some kind of hound, but unfortunately I don't think we could get him into any Pure Breed rescue type shop.
Any suggestions for a home or a way to find him a home would be greatly appreciated
I live in a house with 5 humans, 2 cats, and 2 dogs. A couple months ago my housemate saw a starving dog out in the street running in front of cars. It broke her heart and I couldn't say no when she asked for help in rescuing it. Well I did (carried him home 6 blocks and whew did he smell.) We nursed him back to health, got him all of his shots, got him fixed, and here we are two months later with a completely healthy 11 month old puppy.
Unfortunately there is no way our house can keep him. We've been keeping him in the back yard (just too chaotic in the house with 5 animals unless somebody is there to referee) but with winter coming that option is not going to work.
He's a great dog as you can see in these pictures, its just he really needs somebody to be his best friend. No matter how much I love him, my life (and my cats) just won't allow it.
So we are doing a big push to find him a home, but its really time we start considering a no kill shelter, especially since i assume a lot of them have waiting lists. So I'm really looking for suggestions on anything within the New York Metropolitan area, or even a little bit beyond. He's definitely some kind of hound, but unfortunately I don't think we could get him into any Pure Breed rescue type shop.
Any suggestions for a home or a way to find him a home would be greatly appreciated
I ask because I may know someone who's looking to adopt a dog if it has a proven track record with not terrorizing cats.
posted by tastybrains at 12:22 PM on September 25, 2007
posted by tastybrains at 12:22 PM on September 25, 2007
North Shore Animal League, in Port Washington on Long Island.
posted by poppo at 12:42 PM on September 25, 2007
posted by poppo at 12:42 PM on September 25, 2007
Response by poster: He definitely loves cats, a little too much for their liking but he definitely just wants to play, i.e. there is no attack instinct, just a desire to sniff and chase (when they run away.)
If I'm next to him I can get him to stay, even with cats moving around his general area. He responds really well to positive feedback (and the occasional nose swat) so I really don't think it would be a problem for somebody willing to help him understand the rules.
posted by lips at 12:50 PM on September 25, 2007
If I'm next to him I can get him to stay, even with cats moving around his general area. He responds really well to positive feedback (and the occasional nose swat) so I really don't think it would be a problem for somebody willing to help him understand the rules.
posted by lips at 12:50 PM on September 25, 2007
As I recall Bide-a-wee is a no-kill shelter in Manhattan (or at least was, when I was a child and we got all my pets there).
posted by zia at 12:50 PM on September 25, 2007
posted by zia at 12:50 PM on September 25, 2007
Best answer: Hopefully, tastybrains' friend will adopt him and you won't have to worry about this stuff at all! Just in case, though, here are a few pointers if you put him on waiting lists:
- Call back every week or so and make sure he's still on the list, and basically just to refresh their memory.
- Ask if they have a binder they display at their shelter of available animals they aren't actually fostering. The sanctuary I volunteer for calls this a public animals binder, and asks for a $5 donation to list a pet & his picture.
- Offer to donate, or better yet, volunteer. These places need help badly, and someone willing to help out will receive a better response, generally.
Good luck!
posted by minda25 at 1:23 PM on September 25, 2007
- Call back every week or so and make sure he's still on the list, and basically just to refresh their memory.
- Ask if they have a binder they display at their shelter of available animals they aren't actually fostering. The sanctuary I volunteer for calls this a public animals binder, and asks for a $5 donation to list a pet & his picture.
- Offer to donate, or better yet, volunteer. These places need help badly, and someone willing to help out will receive a better response, generally.
Good luck!
posted by minda25 at 1:23 PM on September 25, 2007
Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far, I've sent emails to Barc, Bide-a_wee, Strays From the Heights, and North Shore Animal League to inquire about their application process and wait lists. I really hope it doesn't come to that but these organizations seem to do good work.
posted by lips at 1:23 PM on September 25, 2007
posted by lips at 1:23 PM on September 25, 2007
If I was able to I would adopt Winston in a heart beat! He is a very good looking dog. I think BARC might be your best bet.
posted by remthewanderer at 1:29 PM on September 25, 2007
posted by remthewanderer at 1:29 PM on September 25, 2007
Please keep us updated on finding Winston a new home.
posted by remthewanderer at 1:34 PM on September 25, 2007
posted by remthewanderer at 1:34 PM on September 25, 2007
Response by poster: Errr, Bide-a-wee isn't taking any more animals, and they looked like a really good organization. They did recommend Animal Alliance for a list of other no kill shelters.
Oh, and if anybody wants more info on Winston, my email is in my profile.
Thanks again.
posted by lips at 1:42 PM on September 25, 2007
Oh, and if anybody wants more info on Winston, my email is in my profile.
Thanks again.
posted by lips at 1:42 PM on September 25, 2007
First, not all no-kill shelters really are. If a "no-kill" shelter kicks out dogs it can't adopt out, it's essentially hiring other shelters to do the killing for it. So asking about their policies for dogs that are hard to adopt should be on your list of questions.
Second, being euthanized is not the worst thing that can happen to a dog. Spending lots of time alone in cages with no socialization and no play and no love is worse than a quick, nonviolent death that it doesn't know is coming.
If the dog is easy to adopt out, it won't make much difference whether you put him in a kill or for-real-no-kill shelter. If the dog is hard to adopt out, putting him in a no-kill shelter is not necessarily doing him any favors.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 2:34 PM on September 25, 2007
Second, being euthanized is not the worst thing that can happen to a dog. Spending lots of time alone in cages with no socialization and no play and no love is worse than a quick, nonviolent death that it doesn't know is coming.
If the dog is easy to adopt out, it won't make much difference whether you put him in a kill or for-real-no-kill shelter. If the dog is hard to adopt out, putting him in a no-kill shelter is not necessarily doing him any favors.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 2:34 PM on September 25, 2007
Does the vet think he's a particular breed? There are breed rescue groups that are really good at placing dogs. You can find them on petfinder.com. He's young, adorable, and has been in a nice home, so he's eminently adoptable. You might find a home for him on craigslist. Is he at all housetrained? That would help a lot, too. You've done all the expensive parts of dog ownership - thanks for being so good to him.
posted by theora55 at 3:20 PM on September 25, 2007
posted by theora55 at 3:20 PM on September 25, 2007
ROU_Xenophobe's point is a good one. This is a situation where the animal supply is more or less fungible.
There is a certain demand for new pets. A certain percentage of those people will go to shelters to get pets. There is a certain number of animals being given to shelters for placement -- and it's a larger number.
Thus a certain number of animals will have to be euthanized every year.
You can try to make sure that the particular dog you have gets a home, no matter how, but if you do it just means some other dog didn't get that home. The total number of excess animals who will have to be euthanized doesn't change because of your action. All you've done is change which animals are killed, not how many.
Which therefore suggests that looking for a "no-kill" shelter is pretty much pointless. It may salve your conscience, but it doesn't really make any difference in the long run.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 3:34 PM on September 25, 2007
There is a certain demand for new pets. A certain percentage of those people will go to shelters to get pets. There is a certain number of animals being given to shelters for placement -- and it's a larger number.
Thus a certain number of animals will have to be euthanized every year.
You can try to make sure that the particular dog you have gets a home, no matter how, but if you do it just means some other dog didn't get that home. The total number of excess animals who will have to be euthanized doesn't change because of your action. All you've done is change which animals are killed, not how many.
Which therefore suggests that looking for a "no-kill" shelter is pretty much pointless. It may salve your conscience, but it doesn't really make any difference in the long run.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 3:34 PM on September 25, 2007
Which therefore suggests that looking for a "no-kill" shelter is pretty much pointless. It may salve your conscience, but it doesn't really make any difference in the long run.
Not so at all. It makes the world of difference to the particular dog who's getting a place in a safe environment. It also puts an adorable, adoptable dog out there, generating interest from the public in this particular shelter just for having him ("Meet my new dog! Isn't he great?! I got him at ____"). Also also, if lips decides to volunteer or donate, it gives the specific rescue group more revenue/help that will go beyond helping this particular dog to helping the sanctuary in the long run.
It doesn't necessarily prevent another dog from getting a space at the group, either. It takes time to get an animal into a no-kill sanctuary, and most people who take their dogs to the pound can't or won't wait it out, no matter if there is space soon or not.
There are many very good reasons for lips to go this direction, and while caution is recommended, isn't that true for all of life's tough decisions?
posted by minda25 at 3:59 PM on September 25, 2007
Not so at all. It makes the world of difference to the particular dog who's getting a place in a safe environment. It also puts an adorable, adoptable dog out there, generating interest from the public in this particular shelter just for having him ("Meet my new dog! Isn't he great?! I got him at ____"). Also also, if lips decides to volunteer or donate, it gives the specific rescue group more revenue/help that will go beyond helping this particular dog to helping the sanctuary in the long run.
It doesn't necessarily prevent another dog from getting a space at the group, either. It takes time to get an animal into a no-kill sanctuary, and most people who take their dogs to the pound can't or won't wait it out, no matter if there is space soon or not.
There are many very good reasons for lips to go this direction, and while caution is recommended, isn't that true for all of life's tough decisions?
posted by minda25 at 3:59 PM on September 25, 2007
In the case of this animal, winston, there is every reason to find him a home. If the OP is telling the truth about winston's good behavior and personality, then this is a dog that would make a GREAT edition to any family (without cats of course). The adoption system needs more dogs like Winston and less pit bulls with questionable backgrounds.
Just looking at the Flickr pictures warms my heart. If I had the means right now Winston would have a forever home with me!
I am in the North NJ NYC area and I am definitely spreading the word about Winston.
posted by remthewanderer at 5:26 PM on September 25, 2007
Just looking at the Flickr pictures warms my heart. If I had the means right now Winston would have a forever home with me!
I am in the North NJ NYC area and I am definitely spreading the word about Winston.
posted by remthewanderer at 5:26 PM on September 25, 2007
Is Mighty Mutts still around at Union Square on weekends? They might be able to help.
posted by greatgefilte at 9:12 PM on September 25, 2007
posted by greatgefilte at 9:12 PM on September 25, 2007
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posted by tastybrains at 12:19 PM on September 25, 2007