NYC

Photos: [top] Jack and [bottom] Jill, before and after receiving treatment at the ASPCA's Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital.

Can you imagine leaving your pets behind in your former home, even in the worst possible circumstances? We can’t either. And yet, after Jerome Smith, 23, was evicted from his Harlem apartment, he chose to do just that to his six-month-old puppies.

When New York City Animal Care & Control officers opened the door to Smith’s former home in September, they found Terrier mix puppies Jack and Jill, all alone and in bad shape.

The officers called ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement, and our agents brought the pups to ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital right away.

ASPCA veterinarians found Jack and Jill to be dehydrated, malnourished and severely underweight. Jack weighed 12.7 pounds and Jill weighed 8.5 pounds. By contrast, after being fed a balanced diet and receiving treatment by ASPCA staff, Jack now weighs 36.5 pounds and Jill weighs 30.3 pounds—a 187 and 256 percent increase, respectively.

The ASPCA arrested Smith in December. He was charged with two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. If convicted, he faces up to two years in jail and/or a $2,000 fine.

Jack and Jill's story ends happily. On January 13, Jill was adopted! Jack is waiting for a forever family at the ASPCA Adoption Center, located in Manhattan. To learn more about how you can adopt Jack, please visit the ASPCA Adoption Center online.

Update 1/18/13: We are thrilled to report that Jack was adopted!

If you suspect you’ve witnessed animal cruelty, please report it.

We were thrilled to take part in 129 happy reunions last Saturday as families displaced by Hurricane Sandy came to pick up their pets from our Emergency Boarding Facility (EBF) in Brooklyn. The boarding facility has been open since November, and the effort is now coming to a close. We put out calls for pet parents to come and take their pets home. 

The Goldstein family of South Freeport, Long Island, traveled to Brooklyn on Saturday to pick up their 3-year-old beagle, Captain Morgan, who had been under our care at the Emergency Boarding Facility for seven weeks. Captain Morgan’s furry friend, Skylar, the Goldstein’s cat, waited for Captain Morgan in the car so they could all go home together.

Jordyn Clarke of Rockaway Beach was reunited with her cat, Kary, a tortoiseshell mix, and Midnight, a pit bull mix, on Saturday. Jordyn’s bungalow on the beach was destroyed, and she has found new housing in Brooklyn. Midnight is being fostered for a few days by a friend until Jordyn is settled in. Midnight’s third birthday is next week, and it will be especially nice for her to be at home.

Thomas Young of Far Rockaway and his son picked up their remaining two dogs at the EBF on Saturday.  They had already brought home their Shih Tzu, Prince, who, upon returning home, “went right into his kennel!” Brindle, a pit bull mix, and Venom, a mastiff, were thrilled to see each other and tumbled into the car with Young’s son. “These are our kids,” says Young, whose family is staying in a hotel and working to rebuild their home.  

Cuddles, a young female tabby, was reunited with Shondelle Dodson, who was displaced from her home in Canarsie after Hurricane Sandy. She adopted Cuddles from the ASPCA Adoption Center in Manhattan in 2012.

Check out our Facebook photo album for more adorable reunion pics!

If you or someone you know is missing a pet post-Sandy, please urge them to visit the ASPCA emergency boarding facility at 1508 Herkimer St. in Brooklyn as soon as possible. Pet parents who wish to reclaim their pets from the boarding facility should call the Hurricane Sandy Pet Hotline at (347) 573-1561.

Photos: [top] Midnight and Jordyn Clarke reunited at the EBF on January 5. [bottom] Shondelle Dodson and Cuddles together again in Brooklyn, NY.

This week, we’re beginning to wind down the Brooklyn emergency boarding facility we opened in November for Sandy victims’ pets and pets found in the aftermath. We’re trying as hard as ever to reunite the remaining animals with their families—and we need your help!

Since the boarding facility opened, the ASPCA and other local agencies have been working around the clock to track down the families of lost pets through grassroots outreach, flyers, advertising, public service announcements and the Animal Care & Control of NYC’s lost pets website.

To date, we’ve reunited more than 100 pets with their families, but nearly 140 displaced animals still remain at the emergency shelter. Of course, any unclaimed pets will receive the best possible placement when the facility closes, but we’d love for them to go home with their original families.

That’s why we need you to share the information below!

If you or someone you know is missing a pet post-Sandy, please tell them to come to the ASPCA emergency boarding facility (at 1508 Herkimer St. in Brooklyn) as soon as possible, or visit the lost Sandy pets site to view all lost pets residing at the facility. Pet parents who wish to reclaim their pets from the boarding facility should also call the Hurricane Sandy Pet Hotline at 347-573-1561..

Thank you! 

Planning to observe Black Friday with a shop-a-thon in NYC? Don’t forget to stop by the ASPCA, where we’re celebrating in our own way: with Cat Friday. You could just meet the cat or kitten of your dreams…and we think that’s a much sweeter deal than anything you’ll find on retail.

On Friday, November 25, the ASPCA Adoption Center is opening its doors for the extended hours of 10:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. and offering very special discounts on cat adoption fees that you won’t want to miss.

For Cat Friday only, felines one year and older have waived fees, and kittens four months to one year have an adoption fee of only $50! (It's normally $125.)

With each of these special adoptions, adopters will receive additional goodies including a free cat collar and ID tag and a cardboard carrier.

All ASPCA pets are spayed or neutered, up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped! Plus, adopters will receive a certificate for a free vet visit within two weeks of adoption at ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital.

For those intent on holiday shopping, Gift-A-Pet certificates, good for one future cat or kitten adoption, will also be available for purchase.

See you Friday!