The ongoing inaction by the City with regard to providing funding for free and low cost spay/neuter and other veterinary care for NYC’s struggling pet owners, rescuers and TNR caretakers is a sad sign of its unwillingness to begin to solve the solvable problems associated with pet overpopulation in our community. We must continue to press our City Council and other leaders to do the right thing and do it NOW! Precious lives depend on speedy action!
Thanks, Steve. I don't get it. I've been doing this for decades yet I naively expected that the weight of all the testimony that lasted hours and hours - as you know - would prompt the Health Committee to take action - to address our concerns - and it was not all about the lack of spay/neuter. I have to assume it all goes into the circular file.
The New York City government appears to advocate for our urban animals, but this is false. NYC's struggling TNR (trap, neuter, return) caretakers have been and continue to be left out: We spend hours in inclement weather to save stray domestic cats and pay for their veterinarian care, medicine, food, and finding safe homes. Part of NYC support for ACC (Animal Care Centers) must include free neutering/spaying for TNR rescuers. Once in place, we need NYC oversight of feral cat communities.
Such a continuation of an overwhelming problem that could be easily fixed with caring Council Members. This is part of their job and if not done they need to be ousted and the proper people voted in. Easier said than done I know! Praying this new committee gets established to get the ball rolling so something can be done ASAP. Too much time has been wasted already and these poor animals just keep on suffering. AWFUL SITUATION!!!!
Thank you for your tireless work in documenting the lack of concern for animal overpopulation in New York city. You have come up with creative ways to address the issue that the city council is clearly ignoring. This is so commendable given how long you have been tirelessly fighting this issue. Thank you for all your work, Elizabeth.
Are the council members elected positions? The shelter is (I’m assumung) funded by tax dollars. Maybe you could try going at it from those angles. People may not care about animals but council members likely care about keeping their positions, and voters have the right to demand that their tax dollars be spent better.
It's easier said than done. These issues have been in the open for years --and little has changed. There have been animal-friendly Council Members who produced reports and had hearings; audits by the Comptroller's office; reports. And yet - here we still are.
The most I can do is to get the media involved, which comes with its own challenges. I think anyone who watches television regardless of where in the US has seen the ASPCA commercials asking for $19 a month - featuring a woman with a very mournful and melancholic voice. She talks about feeding starving animals and shows them shivering outside. I ask myself - "where?" I don't see it in NYC. Yet some unsuspecting person believes it and signs up. Sickening.
All one has to do is read the testimony provided by the public at the 9/13 hearing to know that NYC is in big trouble when it comes to its overpopulation crisis.
I totally hear you and get it. The only thing you can do is to keep speaking up and keep inviting others into the conversation. You just never know what (who) the tipping point will be. Thank you for continuing to work to raise awareness. I would invite every one of those council members out for coffee and have a one on one conversation. And encourage others to also. It’s easy to ignore social media pleas and (sadly) people don’t seem to really read (especially stuff that is hard to hear), but a human to human respectful conversation can have real impact.
Sorry to expose the truth about NYC - but it is just about impossible to get any of the council members to meet with a lowly constituent - or god forbid - someone who was not. They walk on water. Most people can't even get their own council office to respond. I've left 3 messages with Claire Schulman's chief of staff + one with the deputy and none were returned. But wait until election time when they will be glad-handing at every subway stop.
They don't seem to realize that this kind of behavior leads to negative reactions.
I was involved with the carriage horse issue for many years and when something happened in another city - whether in North Carolina or Ohio, I'd reach out to their City Council and get responses. Wow.
Most NYC council members only respond to the possibility of donations or powerful endorsements.
Look at our mayor - impossible to get through to him (never) or anyone on his staff. Before he was in office, he said he would revisit the carriage horse issue. Never happened.
The ongoing inaction by the City with regard to providing funding for free and low cost spay/neuter and other veterinary care for NYC’s struggling pet owners, rescuers and TNR caretakers is a sad sign of its unwillingness to begin to solve the solvable problems associated with pet overpopulation in our community. We must continue to press our City Council and other leaders to do the right thing and do it NOW! Precious lives depend on speedy action!
Thanks, Steve. I don't get it. I've been doing this for decades yet I naively expected that the weight of all the testimony that lasted hours and hours - as you know - would prompt the Health Committee to take action - to address our concerns - and it was not all about the lack of spay/neuter. I have to assume it all goes into the circular file.
The New York City government appears to advocate for our urban animals, but this is false. NYC's struggling TNR (trap, neuter, return) caretakers have been and continue to be left out: We spend hours in inclement weather to save stray domestic cats and pay for their veterinarian care, medicine, food, and finding safe homes. Part of NYC support for ACC (Animal Care Centers) must include free neutering/spaying for TNR rescuers. Once in place, we need NYC oversight of feral cat communities.
Such a continuation of an overwhelming problem that could be easily fixed with caring Council Members. This is part of their job and if not done they need to be ousted and the proper people voted in. Easier said than done I know! Praying this new committee gets established to get the ball rolling so something can be done ASAP. Too much time has been wasted already and these poor animals just keep on suffering. AWFUL SITUATION!!!!
Thank you for your tireless work in documenting the lack of concern for animal overpopulation in New York city. You have come up with creative ways to address the issue that the city council is clearly ignoring. This is so commendable given how long you have been tirelessly fighting this issue. Thank you for all your work, Elizabeth.
Thanks, Eva. I appreciate your comment.
Are the council members elected positions? The shelter is (I’m assumung) funded by tax dollars. Maybe you could try going at it from those angles. People may not care about animals but council members likely care about keeping their positions, and voters have the right to demand that their tax dollars be spent better.
It's easier said than done. These issues have been in the open for years --and little has changed. There have been animal-friendly Council Members who produced reports and had hearings; audits by the Comptroller's office; reports. And yet - here we still are.
The most I can do is to get the media involved, which comes with its own challenges. I think anyone who watches television regardless of where in the US has seen the ASPCA commercials asking for $19 a month - featuring a woman with a very mournful and melancholic voice. She talks about feeding starving animals and shows them shivering outside. I ask myself - "where?" I don't see it in NYC. Yet some unsuspecting person believes it and signs up. Sickening.
All one has to do is read the testimony provided by the public at the 9/13 hearing to know that NYC is in big trouble when it comes to its overpopulation crisis.
I totally hear you and get it. The only thing you can do is to keep speaking up and keep inviting others into the conversation. You just never know what (who) the tipping point will be. Thank you for continuing to work to raise awareness. I would invite every one of those council members out for coffee and have a one on one conversation. And encourage others to also. It’s easy to ignore social media pleas and (sadly) people don’t seem to really read (especially stuff that is hard to hear), but a human to human respectful conversation can have real impact.
Sorry to expose the truth about NYC - but it is just about impossible to get any of the council members to meet with a lowly constituent - or god forbid - someone who was not. They walk on water. Most people can't even get their own council office to respond. I've left 3 messages with Claire Schulman's chief of staff + one with the deputy and none were returned. But wait until election time when they will be glad-handing at every subway stop.
They don't seem to realize that this kind of behavior leads to negative reactions.
I was involved with the carriage horse issue for many years and when something happened in another city - whether in North Carolina or Ohio, I'd reach out to their City Council and get responses. Wow.
Most NYC council members only respond to the possibility of donations or powerful endorsements.
Look at our mayor - impossible to get through to him (never) or anyone on his staff. Before he was in office, he said he would revisit the carriage horse issue. Never happened.