At-Risk Animals


Thank you for your interest in adopting from Animal Care Centers of NYC. Our At-Risk List is posted three times a week, on the evenings of Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 6:00PM and remains viewable for 42 hours.

Schedule overview:
Animals posted at 6:00PM on Sunday evening will be viewable until Tuesday at 12:00PM noon.
Animals posted at 6:00PM on Tuesday evening will be viewable until Thursday at 12:00PM noon.
Animals posted at 6:00PM on Thursday evening will be viewable until Saturday at 12:00PM noon.

To find out the status of at-risk animals, please visit the At-Risk Outcomes page.

If this is your first time visiting this site, please read the below information carefully.

For anyone who wishes to adopt, there is a mandatory deposit fee of $200 plus a transaction fee per animal to place an adoption reservation. The $200 covers $50 toward the adoption fee and $150 for the spay/neuter deposit. If the animal has already been spayed or neutered or is permanently waived by one of our veterinarians, the $150 deposit will be refunded at the time of the adoption. If the animal does need to leave without being spayed or neutered due to his/her medical condition, the $150 deposit will be refunded at the time they are brought back for the spay/neuter surgery or when proof of sterilization being done elsewhere is provided to ACC. If you do not follow through with the adoption, the entire $200 deposit will be considered a charitable donation to ACC's Special Treatment and Recovery Fund (STAR). Also, if the adoption fee for an animal is less than $50, the difference will be considered a charitable donation to the STAR Fund. Similarly, in-shelter pricing promotions do not apply to at-risk animals.

To complete an adoption, please click reserve on the animal of your choice. That animal will be loaded in your cart and you will have 15 minutes to complete the adoption process. In order to complete your reservation, you need to check out (top right corner). At this point, you will enter in your credit card information and a receipt will be emailed to you as confirmation of your reservation. If you have any issues, please email adopt@nycacc.org for help navigating the website.

If you are interested in fostering/adopting through one of our New Hope partners, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/ozHex3uqvNkQt2dq9

At-Risk Animals

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Page 1 of 2 (29 total records)

Bubbles

Bubbles is on the at-risk list due to behavior. He is not thriving in the care center and continues to display distance-increasing behavior when approached for interactions. He has not warmed up despite staff using treats to build a positive association. Due to his stress levels, it is in his best interest to move out of the kennel environment and into a stable home as quickly as possible. He would do best in a home with adopters who are willing to give him plenty of time and space to adjust, and who have experience with helping a fearful cat adjust to strangers.
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Druski

Druski is on the At Risk list due to behavior and inconsistent appetite due to FAS. She is not thriving in the care center and continues to display distance-increasing behavior when approached for interactions. She has not warmed up despite staff using treats to build a positive association. Due to her stress levels, it is in her best interest to move out of the kennel environment and into a stable home as quickly as possible. She would do best in a home with adopters who are willing to give her plenty of time and space to adjust, and who have experience with helping a fearful cat adjust to strangers.
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Scott

Scott is at risk due to behavior concerns. Scott arrived at MACC as a owner surrender, his previous owner describes him as a social and affectionate dog. During his stay in the care he has been observed to be highly fearful. Noted to have a tense, trembling body and growling towards handlers. Scott has slowly warmed up with select handlers and has allowed limited handling. Recently, he has started to display signs of deterioration. Scott is now cage fighting, occasionally baulking returning to kennel, and has been observed to be licking, chewing, and biting the kennel bars. Medically, he is apparently, healthy.
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Bear

Bear is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. Bear in the care center is observed to leash bite and kennel fighting, lunging and hard barking at other dogs when exiting the room. Bear is also struggling to acclimate in his kennel, panting heavily, smearing feces on his kennel wall and rebounding in his kennel. Medically, Bear is clinically healthy.
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Mochi

Mochi is on the at-risk list due to behavior. He is not thriving in the care center and continues to display challenging behavior during interactions. He is extremely intelligent and high energy, and needs to expend energy constructively with interactive play sessions 3-4X/day. In addition to playtime, this cat would also benefit from mental exercise from activities such as puzzle toys/games, lick mats, or clicker training. Without providing activity for his mind and body, the cat may react with rough play, potentially resulting in bite/scratch incidents. It is in his best interest to move out of the kennel environment and into a stable home as quickly as possible. He would do best in a home with adopters who are willing to give him plenty of time and space to adjust, and who have experience with feline body language, overstimulation, rough play, and who have the time to invest in managing these behaviors on a consistent basis to avoid (further) bite/scratch incidents.
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Clementine

Clementine is at risk due to behavioral concerns. Clementine has begun to deteriorate despite best efforts to keep her comfortable while in care. Clementine has been highly social with staff and handlers, engaging in enrichment games, seeking attention or treats, and engaging with toys. She is consistently jumping up, jumping to the top of her kennel, and ping-ponging off her kennel walls when the room is active. Clementine has also been reported to nip a handler's hand and arm when coming out of the kennel. Medically, Clementine is apparently healthy.
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Chachi

Chachi is at risk due to behavioral concerns in care. He has shown strong leash pulling, lunging at other dogs, and kennel fighting. His responses to potential adopters have been inconsistent—while he has warmed up to some with time and treats, he has also exhibited hard barking and snapping when approached too quickly. Once comfortable, he is social with handlers, enjoys enrichment activities. Medically, Chachi is currently healthy.
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Sparkle

Sparkle is currently at risk due to behavior reasons. Sparkle has been tense with handlers since she arrived at the care center as a stray. She will stare at people on the street with a tense body as they pass and stare at staff when a handling assessment is attempted. Sparkle will randomly jump on handlers and mouth them out of kennel, as well as snap towards handlers hands when leashing is attempted in kennel. Recently she fixated on handlers feet and legs turning towards them as handler walked alongside her. Medically, Sparkle has CIRDC.
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Ribbit

Ribbit is at risk due to behavioral concerns, including leash sensitivity, anxiety, and handling discomfort. In the care center, he is social with handlers but highly anxious, frequently jumping, pacing, and panting heavily. He has shown sensitivity to being collared or leashed, often tensing, head-whipping, or snapping during handling. While Ribbit is highly treat-motivated and responsive to training, he struggles with impulse control, especially when overstimulated. Medically, Ribbit recently recovered from CIRDC.
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Belly

Belly is at risk due to behavior concerns. Belly's previous owner reported him to be friendly and outgoing with strangers and children. During intake he displayed social behavior with staff with a soft body and a relaxed wagging tail. Throughout his stay he has remained social with handlers, soliciting both pets and attention by leaning into their legs. Belly has shown signs of rapid deterioration, such as: breaking out of his pop-up crate on three separate occasions, pawing at the transfer door, jumping up high on the kennel door then spinning in a persistent circle, and most recently, retreating in kennel to rip up linens when the leash is presented. He has not been very receptive to treats or toys. Medically, he is apparently healthy.
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Buddy

Buddy is at risk due to behavior reasons. Buddy's previous owner reports that he will growl over resources like food and toys. This type of behavior has presented itself in the care center as well. Buddy has been reactive to dogs as well, and will begin to leash bite when handlers move him away from the other dog. This behavior has escalated and Buddy has grabbed handlers sleeve and their fingers accidently. Neither have broke skin but the behavior does cause concern for handler safety. Buddy previously lived with young children and was friendly and outgoing with them. Medically, Buddy is overweight and is missing two toes (digits 2 & 3) on his right front paw.
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Uni

Uni is on the at-risk list due to behavior. She is not thriving in the care center and continues to display distance-increasing behavior when approached for interactions. She has not warmed up despite staff using treats to build a positive association. Due to her stress levels, it is in her best interest to move out of the kennel environment and into a stable home as quickly as possible. She would do best in a home with adopters who are willing to give him/her plenty of time and space to adjust, and who have experience with helping a fearful cat adjust to strangers.
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Thio

Thio is at risk due to behavioral concerns. Thio has been displaying high levels of kennel stress during his stay. In the kennel, he has been seen alternating between panting with a flushed face/red eyes, growling, baring teeth, lunging, and hard barking when approached in the kennel or if a person lingers in front of his kennel. He has also been observed to stare at his saddle doors. Out of the kennel, Thio does solicit attention, engages with his enrichment, and readily accepts treats. Medically, Thio is apparently healthy.
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Faith

Faith At risk due to behavioral concerns in care. Faith has shown fearfulnes and handling sensitivity, and previously shown defensive behaviors, including retreating, baring her teeth, lunging, and snapping when leashing was attempted. Faith has moments of sociability, leaning in for petting, soliciting belly rubs, and willingly engaging with familiar handlers. However, she startles easily and may retreat when overwhelmed. Faith has also displayed signs of kennel stress, such as excessive vocalization. Medically, Faith is apparently healthy.
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Bart

Bart is at risk due to behavioral reasons. Bart has been observed to quickly become over aroused during his stay in the care center. Noted to fixate on the hose, biting, holding, and tugging on it. This behavior is not able to be redirected, using treats, toys, squeakies sounds, or novel sounds. Bart has also been observed to jump up and mouth the handler, mouthing their clothes and treat bag. This behavior is able to be redirected using treats. During his stay in the care center Bart has been observed to be treat motivated and enjoys playing two toy fetch. Medically Bart has an aural hematoma, gets chronic ear infections, but is overall healthy.
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Smoke

Smoke is on the at-risk list for behavior concerns. Smoke arrived as a stray with a limited history. During his stay in the care center Smoke has been observed to react to the other dogs in the kennel room. Smoke is noted to pull towards the other dogs in the kennel room, this behavior is not able to be easily redirected using treats. On one occasion after reacting to those dogs Smoke was observed to spin towards the handler jump up and bite their sweatshirt. He has remained social with handlers and is engaged during training sessions. Medically, he is apparently healthy.
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Beauty

Beauty is on the at-risk list for behavior concerns. Beauty arrived as an owner surrender, her previous owner describes her as a social and playful dog. During her stay in the care center Beauty has been observed to be highly fearful. Noted to growl towards handlers and snap at the leash when they are attempting to leash her. While out with handlers Beauty has been observed to remain tense and fearful, but will slowly warm up with select handlers. Medically, she is apparently healthy.
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Big Ted

Big Ted is on the at-risk list for medical concerns. Big Ted is a geriatric cat with a URI and poor appetite. He is emaciated and has severe dental disease. He will need continued supportive care with placement and if his appetite does not improve, he will need to be hospitalized. Behaviorally, he allows medical handling and purrs when petted.
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Ralph

Ralph is on the at-risk list for medical reasons. He has diabetes mellitus. He needs care and quiet environment in order to stabilize his diabetes mellitus. Behaviorally, Ralph has blossomed into a sweet, affectionate guy - he greets staff with vocals, head bunting, and leans in for cheek rubs. Ralph is easy to handle and will continue to flourish by continuing his care for diabetes mellitus outside of the shelter environment.
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Jodi

Jodi is at risk for behavior reasons. Jodi quickly escalated to snapping at multiple staff during her intake exam. She has been warming up with a slow considerate approach. In the yard she is showing signs of arousal, becoming jumpy and mouthy. We have limited owner information on her behavior in a home. Medically, she is being treated for an ear infection.
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Baxter

Baxter is currently at risk due to behavior reasons. Baxter has been social with handlers during his stay at the care center. Engaging in leash biting at times but easily redirected with treats. However, he has begun to deteriorate, spinning and jumping high in his kennel and kennel fighting. Medically, Baxter has an aural hematoma and chronic otitis.
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Gazpacho

Gazpacho is at risk due to Behavior concerns. Gazpacho is highly fearful in the Care Centers. Since his intake, Gazpacho has exhibited thrashing, flailing, and head whipping. In his kennel, staff reported that he attempts to scale the walls when they try to remove him. Even when successfully secured and guided out, he immediately retreats, thrashing along the way. However, Gazpacho has shown interest in treats and will eat them when they are tossed to him. Medically, Gazpacho has a fracture tooth, Brachycephalic Syndrome and luxating patellas.
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Polo Polo

Polo Polo is at risk due to Behavior concerns. In the Care Centers, Polo has a low threshold for arousal and is becoming increasingly difficult to walk due to his leash biting. He frequently jumps on staff and can only be redirected with a constant supply of treats. However, with select handlers, he is able to engage and focus on training games. Medically, Polo Polo is apparently healthy.
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Ginger Bread

Ginger Bread is on the at-risk list due to medical concerns. Ginger Bread is an adult dog who has developed pneumonia. Ginger Bread would benefit from being taken to a full service veterinary hospital to receive further medical care for her illness and allow her to recovery appropriately.
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Ophelia

Ophelia is at risk due to behavioral concerns. Ophelia has not acclimated well to the shelter environment and is not allowing for minimal handling due to intense levels of fear and stress. She has escalated to thrashing, gator rolling, and leash biting while urinating and defecating on herself when attempting to remove her from her kennel, causing her to crash/slam to the ground due to her flailing. Medically, Ophelia is apparently healthy.
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