Malik Evans MIA as Rochesterians Testify to RAS Neglect
Evans and his kill pound director were no-shows at a hearing where constituents demanded change.
Headlines from Buffalo to Brooklyn
It’s April 18, 2025. This is The Weekly Poop.
This week, we’re back in Rochester, where locals are not impressed by Mayor Malik Evans’ humanewashing of his kill pound.
“It’s no secret that as a city we have failed to care for animals,” said City Council Member Stanley Martin, at the top of an April 9 public hearing regarding Rochester Animal Services.
Martin was joined by council colleagues Kim Smith and Mary Lupien. Lupien is among the candidates challenging Evans in the June Democratic primary.
The public turned out too — “the most [people] I’ve ever seen” at such a hearing, one source told The Scoop New York.
Not present? Evans himself; his parks and rec commissioner Shirley Green, who oversees RAS on Evans’ behalf; or RAS director Staci Papadoplos.
Rather than listen to Rochesterians about what they expect from their city’s animal control operation, Evans has chosen to bullshit them, talking up basic RAS improvements — many of which are legally mandated — like new paint and cabinetry even as the “shelter” continues to kill adoptable animals for space and convenience.
According to advocates, RAS exterminates dogs in reverse chronological order: whoever is there the longest is first to die. Because applying the needle is easier than finding homes. Just ask New York City.
“It certainly isn't a solution in and of itself,” said Matthew Albert of Against All Oddz Animal Alliance, a Genesee County-based sanctuary and rescue, of the city’s current plans. “In fact, if things don't change systemically, it's just gonna be a nicer place for [animals] to languish in. It doesn't fix the broken shelter system, and if the system is broken, we need a new system.”
Albert, who is an animal rights attorney, said Rochester could “empower people through the gift of animals” via, among other measures, a local ban on backyard breeding (relevant state laws are virtually unenforced, Albert said), spay-neuter clinics and city programs to help disadvantaged residents care for and, most important, keep their cats and dogs.
Not only does Rochester not have a city-sponsored spay-neuter program, according to advocates Rochester Animal Services adopts out cats and dogs who have not been spayed or neutered. RAS has reportedly not had a veterinarian on staff for a year.
It gets better. RAS is supposed to issue vouchers to help defray spay-neuter costs for adoptive households. Yet as of this week the RAS voice menu says spay-neuter vouchers are not available.
Meanwhile, advocates say, the Evans administration terrorizes volunteers and others who voice concerns about the animals in its care, in some cases banishing them from RAS altogether.
In sum, Rochester City Council members and their constituents are trying to put out a fire while Mayor Evans pours gasoline on it. But hey, new cabinets!
Rochester City Council members and their constituents are trying to put out a fire while Mayor Evans pours gasoline on it.
“We need to remember that the enemy is not within the walls of RAS,” said Lisa Tydings, who worked as an RAS vet tech for six years before quitting in 2024. “My experience as an employee under the Evans administration … was filled with lies, gaslighting, a complete lack of transparency, and an absence of genuine support through leadership.”
Tydings took a video last year that revealed dogs in feces-covered kennels at RAS.
“It's important to remember,” she said, “that RAS has been historically neglected.”
Tydings said chronic underfunding — the RAS budget has barely budged in 20 years, she said — leaves a skeleton staff to take on roles they weren’t necessarily hired for. Vet techs cleaning kennels, for example. Yet when RAS asked Evans to fund additional staff, Tydings said, he refused.
Though she left RAS last September, Tydings’ position remains open.
Multiple messages from The Scoop New York to Malik Evans, Shirley Green and Staci Papadoplos concerning the hearing and Rochester Animal Services in general went unreturned.
The Scoop New York will have more from Rochester in the coming weeks and months.
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Here’s the latest New York companion animal news:
The state Assembly passed a bill to include animal cruelty as a factor in considering red flag law protections in domestic violence cases, as a handful of other states have done.
Niagara Falls is scrambling to find a company to take over caring for homeless dogs after the current vendor gave the city a 60-day shutdown notice, all of which is a good indication that homeless dogs are not a priority in Niagara Falls.
Advocates say a Brooklyn pet store is illegally abducting pigeons off city streets and selling them to be shot to death by “hunters” in Pennsylvania, and the city is doing nothing to stop it.
24/7 animal hospital service has been restored in Rochester.
A website set up to facilitate adoptions for cats who survived the Happy Cat Sanctuary fire in Medford is now live.
Must’ve been a slow news day in Schenectady for the Daily Gazette to publish PETA pro-kill propaganda attacking rescues and no kill generally.
It took years to save four French bulldogs from the Chinese meat trade and get them to Animal Rescue Fund for the Hamptons, where they will be cared for until they can be placed in homes.
An unleashed “pit bull” attacked a 9-year-old girl in Bay Shore on Long Island, causing serious injuries, according to police in Suffolk County.
A litter of four 2-day-old puppies was found by a dumpster in Rochester and taken to Lollypop Farm, where they are all recovering.
“I can’t sleep knowing the cat is still up there. I’m going now.”
This Bryce Dallas Howard documentary about kids and companion animals seems like a solid watch.
NYC dog café Boris & Horton, reportedly the first in the city when it debuted in 2018, is reopening in the East Village under new ownership.
And finally: Keep the cat. Rehome the boyfriend.
Adoptables
NYC ACC will host just one mobile adoption event this weekend, in Queens.
Elton, pictured above, is 5 years old and available now at Rochester Animal Services. Take him home while he still exists.
As of this writing RAS is listing just four cats for adoption. One of them is Provolone, a 2-month-old kitten. Claim her before the needle does.
Find New York adoptables near you on Dogs in Danger and Adopt a Pet.
The Scoop New York attempts to confirm that animals are still available before we feature them in The Weekly Poop. If an animal you see here has already found a home, consider asking about other available adoptables.
Food recalls
The FDA announced no new pet food recalls this week,
Check here for info on earlier recalls.