ASPCA Urges NYC Pet Owners to Reclaim Pets at Emergency Boarding Facility in Brooklyn

NEW YORK—The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is urging pet owners to reclaim their animals at its post-Hurricane Sandy emergency boarding facility this week as it winds down its operation. The ASPCA boarding facility was established in mid-November in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn to provide temporary sheltering for hundreds of animals displaced by Hurricane Sandy. As the operation disbands, the ASPCA will pursue placement options for all animals that remain unclaimed.

To date, the ASPCA has provided sheltering for nearly 280 animals at its emergency boarding facility and has reunited more than 100 pets with their families. Nearly 140 displaced animals still remain at the emergency shelter waiting to be claimed. Since the boarding facility opened, the ASPCA and other local agencies have been working around the clock to track down the owners of lost pets through grassroots outreach, flyers, paid advertising, public service announcements, and the Animal Care & Control of NYC's (AC&C’s) lost pets website. 

"We are still caring for the displaced pets at our emergency boarding facility, but we're also planning the next step, which is to find homes for unclaimed animals as we start to demobilize our operation," said Tim Rickey, senior director of ASPCA Field Investigations and Response. "While many pets have been reunited with their families, we still have animals that are waiting to be claimed, and we want to give residents every opportunity to be reunited with their pets. We urge anyone who is missing their pet to visit our emergency shelter as soon as possible or contact the Hurricane Sandy pet hotline."

Over the past two months, displaced pets at the ASPCA emergency boarding facility received quality veterinary care from NYC Veterinary Emergency Response Team (NYCVERT) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Veterinary Response Team (NVRT). Animal behaviorists with the ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Behavior Team implemented behavior enrichment programs with assistance from other agencies including the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals.

In addition to opening the emergency boarding facility, the ASPCA conducted field rescue operations in the days immediately following Hurricane Sandy. More than 300 pets were rescued from homes in N.Y. and N.J. that had been evacuated by their owners. ASPCA mobile wellness clinics were dispatched to the hardest hit areas, providing free veterinary services such as physical exams, vaccinations, microchips and flea medication. Additionally, ASPCA distribution centers handed out nearly 40 tons of pet supplies to pet owners impacted by Hurricane Sandy. As a result of the ASPCA’s combined response efforts, more than 30,000 pets were assisted in N.Y. and N.J.

Those with missing pets are urged to come to the ASPCA emergency boarding facility as soon as possible, or visit the New York City Animal Care and Control website to view all lost pets residing at the facility. Pet owners who wish to reclaim their pets from the boarding facility should also call the Hurricane Sandy Pet Hotline at 347-573-1561.

More Information on the Emergency Boarding Facility
Location: 1508 Herkimer Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11233
Hours: Seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.