NYC DOH ACC Propaganda vs. the Killing of Cornflakes
An adopter stepped up to save "gentle giant" Cornflakes from death row. Instead ACC killed him and banned the applicant for life.
The Scoop New York is a website and newsletter covering the movement for a true no-kill New York State, from BUF to BK. NYC ACC KILLS, published by TSNY, enumerates and memorializes adoptable cats and dogs who were exterminated by Animal Care Centers of New York City.
Headlines from Buffalo to Brooklyn
It’s August 16, 2025. This is The Weekly Poop, Dead Elvis Day Edition.
This week, the non-profit contractor currently known as Animal Care Centers of New York City marked the fourth Friday since the system closed to public intakes, in violation of ACC’s 34-year, $1.4B contract with New Yorkers as an open admission shelter.
ACC extermination chambers, of course, continue to tick like a TAG Heuer. Just ask Jillian Harbison.
The present ACC shutdown, at least the second one this year, began July 18. It was and remains sanctioned by Eric Adams, who responded to his animal control agency’s latest debacle by flinging pocket change at it between crypto-smoothie conventions. We don’t know if Adams is aware the system is still closed weeks after he pantomimed concern over it. What’s clear is it doesn’t matter to Mayor Vegan either way.
Last Saturday, from her home in Philadelphia, Jillian Harbison signaled interest in adopting Cornflakes, a 4-year-old 111-lbs Russett mix, from the ACC Manhattan kill pound.
Volunteers say Cornflakes was apprehensive but trusting and playful when brought to ACC as a stray in June. Like hundreds of thousands of dogs admitted to ACC, however, his mental health deteriorated as dead-eyed ACC incompetents failed to find him a home or even care for him properly, leaving him confined in the harsh, cold, loud, unsanitary environment of the “shelter.” And DOH wants no truck with dogs driven mad by DOH’s ACC.
Here is Cornflakes, handled by a man dressed in ACC garb who looks like he’d rather be passing a kidney stone, on a joyless and no-doubt truncated outing on lush ACC cancerturf.
Later on Saturday, Harbison was contacted by ACC dog placement coordinator Isabella Lara. Harbison confirmed with Lara her interest in adopting Cornflakes, initiating unbeknownst to Harbison a Pollock-spatter ACC adoption process that prioritizes arbitrary and unforgiving rules and requirements above rehoming companion animals, and which ensured Cornflakes’ extermination a few dozen hours later.
According to the No Kill Advocacy Center, a well-run shelter sends around 20 percent of intakes to rescues to facilitate adoptions. As it is controlled by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, absentee caretakers who by every indication resent the responsibility, ACC is not one of those shelters. To the contrary, as charted above, ACC leans on rescues to handle more adoptions than ACC completes itself.
ACC farmed out Cornflakes to True Loving Companion Rescue, managed by Racquel Orrego, in Prospect, Connecticut. After some missed connections — of which Harbison apprised Lara, who replied over text that it wasn’t an issue — on Monday morning Harbison confirmed with Orrego that she was still interested in adopting Cornflakes.
As it happened, Harbison, who teaches autistic children, was occupied in traffic court for much of the day Monday. Expecting a follow-up call from Orrego, at 2:05 p.m. Harbison texted to say she was waylaid by the parking matter and couldn’t use her phone in the meantime.
One minute later, Orrego texted back: “Okay thanks.”
Cue the imperfect-by-design storm of random ACC extermination “deadlines” and the agency’s over-reliance upon and abuse of rescues.
Harbison says it wasn’t until Orrego’s Monday morning call she learned adopting Cornflakes would involve a serious logistical hurdle: she would first have to drive from Philadelphia to meet him in person — and she had to get there that day.
On a phone call Friday, Orrego told me it’s her rescue’s policy to require a meet-and-greet before placing a dog of Cornflakes’ size, for liability reasons and to better ensure an appropriate match. She also zestily stanned for ACC and played up Cornflakes’ heft and alleged “behavior” issues, which in virtually 100 percent of cases at ACC equates to dogs reacting naturally to ACC abuse and neglect. Inasmuch as supposed behavior problems aren’t fabricated from whole cloth to CYA a killing.
ACC does not require members of its rescue network, which it calls New Hope Partners, to conduct meet-and-greets. Many do not, particularly if the applicant is not local. Though Harbison and Lara had been in contact since Saturday, according to Harbison Lara didn’t mention that adopting Cornflakes hinged on making a hastily-arranged 200-mile round trip.
But Cornflakes already had Harbison’s heart. In fact, she was at first interested in a different dog but pivoted when she learned ACC had targeted Cornflakes for extermination. The same ACC that as of a few weeks ago was stumping The Big Lie that DOH and ACC don’t exterminate healthy dogs.
Following traffic court, Harbison was next able to contact Orrego Monday at 9:19 p.m., seven hours after Orrego’s “Okay thanks” text.
That’s when she learned that ACC — under direction from Acting DOH Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse, lest we overlook — had already slammed the door on Cornflakes to prevent his escape.
The above exchange was the last Harbison heard from Lara or Orrego, who did not respond to Harbison’s plea for an explanation.
That’s not entirely accurate: Harbison did receive a notice barring her from adopting from New Hope Partners for life. Because when your animal “shelter” is so badly run that you dump most of your inventory on rescues and still have dogs living in stacked cages the first rule is to alienate as many potential adoptive households as you can.
According to the public kill sheet, ACC exterminated Cornflakes on Tuesday. Tuesday follows Monday, when Harbison learned Cornflakes’ stay of execution had been revoked. Which means ACC killed a dog who the dog adoption coordinator knew had a home waiting because the person who volunteered to care for the dog for the rest of his natural life had a busy day.
This is obviously batshit from soup to nuts. From ABBA to Zevon. But we know ACC’s primary mission isn’t saving homeless cats and dogs. It never was. Job 1 at ACC has always been firewalling the politicians who created it from New Yorkers justifiably furious that their prosperous city, with more potential adoptive homes than any other metro in the nation, does such a low-rent job caring for homeless cats and dogs.
Being the dog placement coordinator and all, Lara could have checked in with Harbison herself. Instead ACC killed the dog.
Lara could have raised a different rescue to complete the adoption. Instead ACC killed the dog.
DOH could have ACC do its job by implementing the no-kill equation — an actual citywide TNR program, convenient adoption hours, engaging New Yorkers rather than hiding from them, and other measures that other cities manage to pull off with minimal drama. Instead ACC killed the dog.
I texted Lara Thursday afternoon to let her know this piece was coming and that she would be part of it whether or not she chose to answer TSNY’s questions. Would you believe there was no reply.
“The only thing that works smoothly and efficiently at NYC ACC is the systematic extermination of innocent animals, even when they know they have loving homes to go to,” longtime rescuer and no-kill advocate Andrew Weprin told TSNY in a statement. “Cornflakes was an easy dog. They’re failing and no one ever has to answer for it.“
“They killed an innocent dog for no reason,” says Harbison. “From the moment I spoke to Racquel, Racquel was completely against me adopting that dog. She did every type of scenario to put fear in me. ‘What if he lunges at people? What if he turns on you?’
“This is all stuff that Isabella and I spoke about for like a good two hours. We went over every scenario that could happen, and what I would do. So there was really no reason for Racquel to re-ask all those questions and then make her own decision on what should be done.”
What say you, Racquel Orrego?
“You want to go after someone, go after Jillian for not being responsive in a timely manner,” Orrego told me. “She was given a number of deadlines and did not meet them.”
“She is a really actually bad human being,” Orrego said, “because if you know that a dog has a deadline you call and you commit and you don't play games.”
As Orrego ranted that ACC didn’t want to exterminate Cornflakes [Confused. Wasn’t he already on death row? - Ed.] but the bad lady forced them, I managed to slip a word in edgewise.
Did Jillian give Cornflakes the needle? I asked.
“Not alone, of course,” Orrego replied, “but she was the needle.”
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Here’s the latest New York companion animal news:
You can love companion animals or you can love watching their adoptive households terrorized by the government. But not both.
The Central Park Conservancy has finally taken a position against horse carriages in the park, citing the danger to park-goers and wear and tear on park infrastructure.
A NYC-based org that calls itself “Voters For Animal Rights” yet has a kill pound lobbyist on its board is kissing Lynn Schulman’s ass. Make of that what you will.
Brian Lehrer interviewed Will Zweigart of Flatbush Cats.
Prediction: Long after the press has moved on tough-talking Queens DA and perpetual politician Melinda Katz will negotiate a plea involving no jail time for this oxygen-waster.
Related, kinda: Saratoga County will soon adopt an animal abuse registry (because weak state laws provide little deterrence).
The owners of Peanut the squirrel are suing the state.
Albany indifference toward New Yorkers and the animals they care for extends to wildlife rehabbers, many of whom are volunteers.
A developer withdrew an application to build a pet crematorium in Highland, after it was opposed by locals for being too close to a school.
Dumbshit criminal narcissist and her even stupider hangers-on impose selves upon Brooklyn, dump pet rabbits later rescued by normal people.
Give a hoot: collect your dog’s droppings.
Acting NYC DOH Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse did the part of her job that isn’t the other part of her job that she prefers to not do.
And finally: Wanna see how Emmie the tiny subway kitten is faring in her new home? Thought so.
Food recalls
The FDA announced no new pet food recalls this week.
Check here for info on earlier recalls.