It is called the internet! All that is required is a photo and location found. It would cost almost nothing and the owner can find the animal in seconds. So if the animal is found, the owner can pick up their pet ASAP. I don’t understand how a digital camera, Internet and dog food could cost 1.5 million in two years. In fact, it could be cheaper to have foster dog watchers. The city could give people money to watch dogs. Then you could regulate the shelters and cut cost.

The ACC ( management & directors) IS a heartless, & worthless shelter. The only thing THIS SHELTER DOES BEST more or less, is KILLING as many pets as possible!!

What, don’t socialism leave enough loot to pay for this properly?

of course they cant make any cuts in the city art commission, department of cool roofs, office for film/theatre, language/gateway programs, latin media and entertainment commission, commission on womens issues, etc
these entities are critical to the well being of every new yorker, right?

Microchip your pet for $25, it’s really that simple. Even if the dog and the collar disappear, the chip is still there

Where I live, the workers/volunteers are instructed to tell owners to come in and look for their pets and to bring a photo to leave in the lost/found binder. I had a woman once insist that she lost her “pit bull with a smushed in face” and was irritated that I told her to come in to look for it. Turns out her “pit bull with a smushed in face” was a fawn/white Boxer! Another time a matted poodle mix was brought in – they cleaned it up and the owner walked through THREE TIMES and didn’t even recognize his own dog. So how is someone talking to him on the phone supposed to know HIS dog?

So if you love your pet and you haven’t bothered with microchipping, collars with phone numbers, tags with ID info, etc… .then hustle your butt to the shelters and look.

Why the heck would this be the responsibility of the city anyway? There’s a damn reason why NYC has a leash law.

FOLLOW IT.

Ya know, if they don’t have enough money to pay for the manpower to keep up with your pets, then why not pony up the money. There’s nothing saying you guys can’t start a fund or even a business searching for lost pets. OR, don’t lose your pets and expect everyone else to foot the bill to find them. Just sayin.

This is so stupid, if there was a missing child the police would be right on it, there is no difference if a animal goes missing or a kid, a life is a life and people need to stop ignoreing the lives that are not like them.

Hey all, the ACC isn’t cutting their own budget, but rather the DOH. The DOH runs this “non profilt” and animal care and control need to be disbanded from them and be run as a stand alone agency. So as much as i rant and rave and hate the ACC, it’s really coming from the Dept of Health. There is a conflict of interest in this dept running an organization about the well being of animals.

I can’t believe they rather let somebody’s beloved pet die, than help it find it’s family. That’s pretty pathetic. I am sure that with a little effort on their side, they could find tons of volunteers that would love to do that for them. In an area, where the kill-rate in animal control shelters must be sky-high, they want to take a chance away from these pets to survive!? How pathetic!
So what are we paying them for? Just to euthanize them!?

I hope one day soon Julie Bank, Richard Gentles and the other monsters who are responsible for the absurd budget cuts at the ACC are treated as poorly as the precious animals. If karma exists then they should be scared.
Cutting the information phone lines off makes NO sense when you have thousands of animals that need to be placed. It is without a doubt a devastating blow to the innocent animals that suffer at the AC&C everyday. This phone lines helped thousands of animals get adopted. Richard told me that I should go through 311. Well what about the people from out of state? What about when 311 tells you they don’t know how to connect you? They do not have the best interest of the animals at heart and they bully anyone who stands up to them.

I am shocked local media isn’t all over this story and isn’t sending in investigative reporters. Our “shelter” system is a disgrace and while we all keep raising our voices, no one is listening. Nothing is being done. Management continues to mis-manage. Money goes down the drain. And animals suffer and die. NYC ACC is NOT the ASPCA. New Yorkers need to know that their pets won’t receive medical treatment owners cannot afford. Injured, sick animals are NOT triaged and given immediate attention. This is NOT the place to bring your pets when you can’t afford medical care. This is NOT the place to bring your unwanted pet thinking he will be safe and get a nice new home. This is a POUND, not a shelter.

NYC has now joined the ranks of third world cities. Good job Ms. Bank! .
This incompetent sloth should be fired immediately! Along with the entire Board of Directors. The gag orders and firing of “volunteers’” the whole thing is a sham and should be investigated immedately. There is something seriously wrong going on in there. ACC has always SUCKED but this unbeliavable and tops the charts of incompetence. I’m ashamed to be a New Yorker.

Dear CBS,
Why wasn’t the Management of ACC interviewed for this piece? Why didn’t you ask Julie Bank for a comment? The concerned public wants to help ACC out of this crazy decision. Volunteers are FREE. Hopefully, the local news will do a follow-up on this story very soon.

Yes,VOLUNTEERS. Volunteers are a perfect way in which to bridge the gap. They cost nothing, have great skills and a real passion for the animals. Let’s discuss mobilizing a volunteer swat team to help cut thru the bureaucracy. Let’s make this a win-win situation. Julie Bank had stated that she wanted more involvement from the community when she got her post at ACC. Well, now is the time to stand behind your words, Ms. Bank. Allow the public to help.

Let’s see…thousands of people dump their animals at shelters every year. So someone who is frantically trying to find their pet and get it OUT of the shelter won’t get any assistance in doing so?! Something is wrong with this picture.

@Susan Richard – the problem is that instead of encouraging volunteerism, ACC under the inept management of it’s newest director Julie Bank, is not only discouraging volunteers but throwing up roadblocks to make it as difficult as possible for anyone to help.

Anyone that looks at the situation at ACC can readily see that something is rotten on 110th Street. Where other communities are moving toward not having to kill stray and homeless animals, New York City is going in the opposite direction. NYC is fast going from a world class city to a NO CLASS CITY. Shame on all of us New Yorkers for tolerating such a cruel and slipshod operation. In the end, our beloved companion animals pay the ultimate price when they are dragged to the killing room where they experience the terror of being killed by fatal injection ending their precious lives.

THE CACC SUCKS….Has NOTHING to do with lack of money….THEY ALWAYS SUCKED. KILL KILL KILL. That’s their mantra. And FYI, they have been KNOW to kill animals as they are dragged in the door. 48 hrs my a$$. They also do NOT give medical treatment even to animals in severe pain. THEY SUCK. GET RID OF THE MISSERABLE “MANAGMENT” and BOARD OF NON DIRECTORS. Now they even make volunteers PAY money to volunteer and they make them sign a “keep your mouth shut” waiver. THEY SUCK. The REAL problem is that they have cruel and VERY inept people running the show. I HATE THEM.

The failrue in leadership, the inertia, the lack of will is so widespread that animals don’t stand a chance these days!!! The cards are stacked against them and the house of cards is about to collapse. No Kill is no longer on the table; volunteers, care of animals, food, medicine lacking, no services for lost animals, switchboard not answering…what next? And you thought that things were bad for animals in 3rd world countries???

The killing continues in full vigor, I presume?

The harder independent, private and non-profit rescues step up to fill the gap, the wider NYCACC makes the gap. They are supposed to be working WITH us towards a more humane shelter system. But from no longer looking for lost pets within their own system, to charging rescuers exorbitant prices for cardboard boxes to carry the animals they just saved the ACC from killing, to suspending the volunteer program at a time when it was needed MOST, it seems as though ACC is simply relying on rescuers to be the only lifeblood that the animals in their care even have.

Its wrong. And its shameful.

Have you not heard? The new executive director has suspended the volunteer program and fired good volunteers who were there for years. Her paranoia running San Diego was legendary. It was against the rules for volunteers to socialize outside of the shelter. Doing so would result in immediate firing of volunteers.. All for speaking up. There is a terrible storm brewing in ACC and her name is Julie Bank.

@Aunt Chrisitne: Yes, that’s a great idea. I would encourage ACC to recruit a special team of volunteers specifically for this purpose.

It seems to me that there are tons of talented, caring, able New Yorkers who would surely sign up to volunteer in all the boroughs to fill in this gap. People who can take phone calls, fill out paper work, get updated photographs posted on the website, and check the facilities for pets that might be lost. Isn’t there a volunteer program in place at the facilities?