Troubled Shelter Closes, Mount Vernon Partners With Humane Society

MOUNT VERNON, NY — The troubled Mount Vernon animal shelter, which often didn't have a working phone and sometimes had to rely on the kindness of its social media network when there was no heat, will be shutting its doors, but the animals in crisis it helped will still have a safe harbor.

The City of Mount Vernon announced over the weekend that it entered into an agreement with the Humane Society of Westchester at New Rochelle to take over shelter services from the Mount Vernon animal shelter and provide care for the animals housed there.

The agreement will lead to the closure of the shelter on Garden Ave., which had been open since 1974, and shift services to the Humane Society.

As a municipality that issues dog licenses, Mount Vernon is required by law to either maintain a shelter for dogs or contract for shelter services. The city decided to contract its animal shelter services to the Humane Society of Westchester at New Rochelle rather than continue to keep operating it own struggling animal shelter. Several other municipalities in the region have similar agreements in place, but this partnership differs from others, in that the Humane Society will take over for an existing shelter and re-home the animals already living there.

"The shelter has experienced some very public challenges over decades in the form of finances, deteriorating physical conditions, and personnel challenges. Some of these have been largely mitigated by the Friends of Mt. Vernon Shelter Animals Inc., who have provided both volunteer and financial support for years, and we are grateful to have their support throughout this transition," Mayor Patterson-Howard said. "We are excited about this new partnership with the Humane Society of Westchester which has the resources and expertise necessary to improve the quality of life and adoptability of the current animals and any animals moving forward. I encourage rescues, families, and anyone that has space in their hearts and homes to contact us at 914-665-2521 to leave a message so they can be matched with a forever friend this holiday season."

Friends of the Mount Vernon Shelter Animals Inc. representatives said that while the decision represents challenges of its own, in the long run, the move is the right one for the city and the animals they have been caring for.

"We will support the animals in this transition in every way we can," the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Mt. Vernon Shelter Animals Inc. said in a statement. "Right now our main priority is to assist the Mount Vernon Animal Shelter in finding placement for its current animals. Although the shelter is closing, the Friends mission will go on. We will continue our mission of assisting the animals in the community and homeless animals in some way."

The city expects the phased transition to take place over the next few weeks.

At a media briefing Monday, Patterson-Howard said that the move has, unfortunately, been a long time coming.

"Having heat there, having proper doors there, having proper ventilation there, crumbling of concrete and the foundation of the building," Patterson-Howard said. "None of this is new. None of this happened overnight. All of it has been building for years and has not been addressed."

See Also:

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The mayor said closing the shelter was the latest in a series of difficult decisions, caused in part by a long-running infrastructure crisis in the city.

"We have a lot of buildings in Mount Vernon that have not been cared for for over a decade," Patterson-Howard said. "Horrendous deterioration. The deterioration of the animal shelter is nothing new. It’s happened for at least the last 10 to 15 years. It is not a new issue, but it is an issue that has been ignored probably in the face of all of the other high-level issues that we have. During this administration, yes, I was forced to close a fire station. And yes, I was forced to close the Armory. Places where we provide public safety services and places that we provide services to youth and seniors. We’ve been dealing with our sewer issues. Those are things right now that have taken priority."