Animal Shelters
Animal Haven
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Animal Haven is an animal shelter that was started in 1967 in New York. This no kill center at 200 Centre Street has capacity for 182 cats and dogs. Animal Haven is a nonprofit organization that finds homes for abandoned cats and dogs throughout the Tri-State area. This shelter tries their hardest to take care of their animals through actions like behavior intervention and enrichment outings for pets, and ongoing support after adoption for owners to make sure the pets are settling in.
For those interested in adopting, an adoption application is provided for those 21 years of age and older who can prove that dogs are allowed in their home. They also must provide a personal reference that says you are capable of taking care of a dog or a cat. I deeply encourage you to volunteer at Animal Haven, where you will be cleaning animal areas, speaking about Animal Haven, dog walking and cat socialization, and feeding and handling the animals. This is a 6 month commitment and each shift is 2 hours.
https://animalhaven.org/about/about-animal-haven
200 Centre Street
Email: theanimalhavenstaff@gmail.com
**If your pet is lost or you find a lost pet visit ACC's Lost and Found and file a missing pet report
Best Friends Animal Society
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Best Friends Animal Society is an animal shelter that was started in 1984 in Utah, with a New York location opened in 2017. This no kill animal shelter at 307 W Broadway has capacity for 1,600 animals (not just cats and dogs). They emphasize that every single adoption, dollar, etc. matters, which shows that your adoption could really make a difference. Best Friends Animal Society expresses that people and animals are connected and wants to give people opportunities so that they can give animals opportunities.
At Best Friends Animal Society you can only donate, not volunteer. This shelter works with other shelters around the country to help people adopt. It allows you to “sponsor” specific pets and give them treats as well as selling merch. It also supports people after they have adopted an animal.
https://bestfriends.org/new-york-city
307 W Broadway, New York, NY 10013
Email: info@bestfriends.org
Muddy Paws Rescue
Muddy Paws Rescue is an animal shelter that was started in 2016 in New York. This no kill shelter at 821 9th Ave FRNT 1 relies on foster homes and typically has capacity for 60-90 pets. It provides spay/neuter services, microchips, and vaccines, and implements training to help dogs better adjust to foster and forever homes. These foster homes try to match dogs to families and continue to help those families in the long run.
Not only can you volunteer with pets – you can support their marketing, graphic design, and fundraising efforts. There are many volunteer options which include drivers to transport dogs and supplies, graphic designers, a marketing team, people who help to improve the website, adoption event volunteers, and fundraisers. They also allow for donations to specific dogs for medical care. As well as volunteering, fostering is a great option that you should consider. Foster parents are given training, basic supplies to take care of their dog, and are partnered with an experienced foster parent.
https://www.muddypawsrescue.org/
821 9th Ave FRNT 1
Email: Email available on website
PAWS New York
PAWS New York is an organization that was started in 2008 in New York. This care center at 134 W 29th St relies on volunteers and was able to support 128 cats and dogs in 2023. This organization that values integrity, accountability, and community supports and provides meaningful assistance for vulnerable populations of people with animals in New York City. The purpose of this program is to keep animals from ending up in shelters. They achieve this by delivering critical assistance that keeps people and their pets together.
Even though this is not a shelter, I really encourage you to volunteer with this program. This includes dog walking, cleaning litter boxes, medication administration, vet transport, and foster care. It is so important for you to volunteer so you can support those in need of help when it comes to their pet.
134 W 29th St
Email: info@pawsny.org
ASPCA​
The ASPCA is an animal shelter that was started in 1866 in New York. This animal center at 424 E 92nd St has capacity for 40 dogs and 150 cats. This animal shelter faces numerous challenges in its mission to prevent cruelty and improve the lives of animals, including limited resources, animal homelessness, and a large number of animals that need help. Besides this animal shelter that takes in and holds pets, the ASPCA has a program called Problem Solvers. This program includes community veterinary centers, a recovery and rehabilitation center, and aims to renovate the ASPCA animal hospital. It is important that the ASPCA has other resources besides the shelter because there are many different problems that animals face, so they need special places to address them.
I encourage you to get involved with ASPCA’s pet adoptions, animal fostering, animal rescue and rehabilitation, and government relations programs. Also, volunteering is a big part of the shelter that you can partake in including doing the laundry, stocking supplies, washing dishes, sorting donation goods, and cleaning empty animal enclosures. Overall, the shelter is unique because it provides so many different resources for these animals.
https://www.aspca.org/nyc/aspca-adoption-center-nyc
424 E 92nd St
*Staffing shortages – need for specialized care
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​Animal Care Center
Animal Care Center (ACC) is an animal shelter that was started in 1995 in New York. This animal shelter at 326 East 110th Street has capacity for 500 animals (not just cats and dogs). ACC serves homeless, lost, and neglected animals across all 5 boroughs and each year they care for over 15,000 animals. Not only does ACC help animals, they also educate people about responsible pet ownership, keeping pets from being adopted into irresponsible homes.
For ACC, volunteering is engaging as you are tasked with walking dogs, spending time with rabbits and guinea pigs, and building enrichment toys for animals. Due to overcrowding at the shelter, I hope that you take a look at the ACC adoption and foster processes because they could use your help.
https://www.nycacc.org/about-us
326 East 110th Street
Email: foster@nycacc.org
**ACC is out of space - emergency foster homes needed!
