Ring in the New Year With an NYC ACC Killing Spree

New York City's companion animal death chambers don't take holidays.

Jan 10, 2025

The Scoop New York is a newsletter dedicated to companion animals and the New Yorkers who care for them, from Buffalo to Brooklyn. NYC ACC KILLS, published by TSNY, enumerates and memorializes adoptable cats and dogs who were nonetheless exterminated by Animal Care Centers of New York City.

Saint, 5, thought his people were taking him for a car ride. Instead they dumped him at NYC ACC, which killed him yesterday.

Headlines from Buffalo to Brooklyn

It’s January 10, 2025. This is The Weekly Poop, Extended Post-Holiday Edition.

This week, we are taking stock of the pain, suffering and death dealt over the past few weeks by the contractor currently known as Animal Care Centers of New York City, whose name itself is trolling you.

Since we were here on December 20, NYC ACC again shut its doors to the public, in violation of its contract with the city. Again.

Yet the killings continued apace, as fossilized CEO Risa Weinstock and her boss, acting city health department chair Michelle Morse, supervised the slaughter of Ashland, Baby, Chilton, Corvin, Echo, Prince, Remy, Robert, Saint, Tapco, and Zoey, to name just 11 adoptable companion animals recently put to death for the offense of landing at the New York City kill pound.

There are more. Certainly many more, since Weinstock and company kill thousands upon thousands of cats and dogs who are never offered for adoption, a longstanding practice ACC watchers have dubbed “silent kills.”

The horrors don’t stop there. To the contrary, Warden Weinstock et al. are barely getting started.

Cats and dogs and rabbits and guinea pigs aren’t ACC’s only victims. The army of private citizens who bust their asses daily doing Weinstock’s job for her — connecting death row animals with the overworked and exploited rescues also taking up Risa’s slack — are tormented 24/7/365 as they watch cat after dog cycle through their social media feeds, ultimate fates unknown.

As indicated by ACC kill numbers uncooked by The Scoop New York, the agency’s claimed release rates (the percentage of animals who make it out alive) are a lie. Last July, for example, ACC exterminated more than four of every 10 dogs, and nearly two of every 10 cats, who entered the system, while claiming higher release rates for both.

From January 7, two days before ACC killed Saint.

For people who actually care about companion animals, this is a waking nightmare. It is psychological torture. It is literally this. And it never, ever, ever, ever, ever stops. In fact, ACC death chambers have not paused operations in the agency’s sordid 30-year history.

But Risa Weinstock does not care how ACC’s malevolent malfeasance torments New Yorkers each and every day. Michelle Morse does not care. Eric Adams does not care. Justin Brannan does not care. Mark Levine does not care. Brad Lander does not care. Lynn Schulman does not care. David Weprin does not care. Joe Addabbo does not care. Michelle Hinchey does not care. Donna Lupardo does not care. Carl Heastie does not care. Andrea Stewart-Cousins does not care. Kathy Hochul does not care.

A number of electeds listed above are up for election this year, for their current office or whichever one they think gives them the best shot at remaining on your payroll.

What say you, boss?

Here’s the latest (and not quite as late) New York companion animal news:

As state legislators kick off Albany ‘25, investigators say New York’s animal cruelty laws are weak and full of loopholes, making it difficult for them to make cases against offenders.
Related: Reforming state cruelty laws would likely require buy-in from Assembly Member Donna Lupardo and state Senator Michelle Hinchey, who were just reappointed to chair their respective chambers’ agriculture committees and as indicated above have shown themselves to be disinterested in adopting legislation to protect companion animals.
Related: Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney announced his office will “reinforce the application” of cruelty laws, which makes one wonder what’s he been doing up to now.
Corruption and graft at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene? Be still my heart.
NYC council rep, comptroller candidate and “animal welfare advocate” in absentia Justin Brannan wants to hear from New Yorkers about how their tax dollars should be spent, since he clearly needs guidance.
Related: “Simply put, we cannot adopt our way out of this crisis. It requires the facilitation of affordable, accessible veterinary care, and it demands that New York City officials assume their share of responsibility for overpopulation control as mandated by city code.”
Residents of NYC public housing, and their pets, are more likely to be evicted when private companies manage their buildings.
Volunteers who look after cat colonies on Rikers Island want to build a sanctuary there and need help from the city to do it.
A rabid cat was found in Westchester County last month.
Long Island is seeing an outbreak of canine distemper in raccoons, endangering dogs who aren’t vaccinated.
No, The Scoop New York, Rochester Mayor Malik Evans — also up for reelection this year — is definitely not listening.
Wayne County is planning a new animal control facility, as the current one does not meet new state standards set to take effect in December.
The NTSB released some info on the December Catskills crash that killed hero pilot Seuk Kim and a dog, known as Lisa. Spectrum News also has updates on Pluto and Whiskey, the two dogs who survived the crash.
WPIX did a nice piece on the Sato Project, a Brooklyn rescue that saves homeless dogs from and in Puerto Rico and is holding a live comedy fundraiser on Monday.
A teacher in Rochester had her kids write up super-cute bios for area animals in need of permanent homes. (Might Mayor Evans listen to them?)
A cat survived a jump from a third story window to escape a fire in Midtown Manhattan. Warning: potentially distressing video.
A pet cat lost on Governors Island last October was found alive and well in December, and was returned to his people.
You don’t say.
Want to help animals in 2025? Give money to a New York rescue rather than the resource-grubbing Oreo killers at ASPCA.
Godspeed, Walter and Phoebe and Bella.
Finally, there is grace in this world.

Adoptables

It’s another weekend with just one NYC ACC mobile adoption event, this time in Brooklyn.
Senior dog Auggie has spent nearly a third of his life in a kennel and is waiting for you now at Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter.
Four-year-old Clint had his adoption fee paid and is available at Lollypop Farm in Rochester. Seriously, just look at this guy!
Robot, also pictured above, is one of many cats you’ll find at SPCA of Tompkins County.
Find a New York adoptable near you on Petfinder.

Food recalls

The FDA has issued one recent pet food recall:

Blue Ridge Beef Kitten Mix (salmonella)

Though not cited by the FDA, Northwest Naturals is recalling its cat food after a pet house cat in Oregon caught bird flu and died from eating it.

Check here for info on earlier FDA recalls.