Overwhelmed NYC Animal Shelters Housing Dogs In Hallways

NEW YORK — New York City's overwhelmed animal shelters are howling for help. The Animal Care Centers of NYC is asking New Yorkers to adopt animals as some of its overcrowded shelters house dogs in hallways.

The organization put out an open letter Friday asking supporters to adopt or foster a pet as it grapples with an influx of dogs, cats and rabbits that has overrun its shelters since the start of this month.

"We’ve never really done anything like this before," ACC spokesperson Katy Hansen said. "... This was just basically like, 'We’re drowning and we need help.'"

ACC's three shelters are taking in as many as 100 critters a day and currently have more than 600 in their care, Hansen said. The cause of the spike is uncertain, but it's forced ACC's Manhattan and Brooklyn shelters to keep pups in "pop-up" crates set up in halls and offices, which hasn't happened in at least four years, according to Hansen.

`The overcrowding is tough on the animals because ACC's staffers cannot spend as much time visiting or examining each one, Hansen said. The shelters are also forced to keep two animals in a kennel instead of just one, she said.

"When they don’t have a lot of space, they can deteriorate behaviorally because the anxiety builds up," Hansen said. "... As stress goes up, immunity levels go down so they’re not able to fight off infections as they would be if they were in a home setting."

Some 134 animals were adopted over the weekend after ACC put out its call for help, while another 100 were sent to foster homes or the organization's rescue partners, Hansen said. But the organization's shelters also took in 119 critters at the same time, she said.

ACC says its goal is to get as many animals out of shelters as possible for as long as possible until the influx settles down. In addition to adopting a pet, New Yorkers could keep an eye out for neighbors who are considering giving up their animals, Hansen said.

"Maybe New Yorkers can help other New Yorkers and say, 'You know what, I can walk your dog while you’re at work,'" she said. "It’s just little things like that. It’s just the community coming together."