Latest news with #KatyHansen
CNN
12 hours 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.
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.
