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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Hockey
Hockey is at risk due to behavioral reasons. In his previous home, Hockey bit a family member during an attempt to place a leash on him. His teeth made contact with the person’s hand, resulting in broken skin. While in care, Hockey has been observed displaying reactivity toward other dogs and has occasionally kennel fights. He has also been reported to exhibit resource-guarding behaviors around food and toys. Hockey actively engages in training and is highly motivated by treats, which can be a valuable tool in supporting his continued learning and behavior development. Medically, Hockey is healthy.
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Yuro
Yuro is at-risk list due to behavioral concerns. In the Care Centers, Yuro has displayed concerning resource-guarding behaviors. During his first stay, he grabbed the Assess-a-Hand multiple times, and during his current stay he has been observed gripping, tensing, and grumbling. Yuro was also observed biting his leash in the kennel and only responding to high-value treats. More recently, he was noted to engage in kennel fighting while exiting the room. Outside of the kennel environment, Yuro is social with staff. Medically, Yuro is apparently healthy.
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Slips
Slips 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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Squirrel
Squirrel 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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Dior
Dior is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. In the care center, Dior displays fearful and conflicted behavior, including growling when approached, wariness of handling, trembling, and tensing during physical contact. She may become fixated on dogs in the environment and has been observed pulling toward and vocalizing at other dogs during walks. Dior is social with staff when they go slow with her, seeks out proximity to some handlers, and will lean into petting when comfortable but is struggling to acclimate in the care center. Medically, Dior is slightly underweight and has a mass on her tail.
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Ella
Ella 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 his 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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Shadowpaw
Shadowpaw is at risk due to ongoing, distance increasing behaviors displayed in care. He is an under socialized cat who may not have had many interactions with humans from an early age. He is currently quick to lunge, hiss, and swat with nails extended during interactions. These behaviors have made cleaning tasks more difficult for staff to complete as he is much quicker to escalate. Due to these behaviors, Shadowpaw had to be moved into a lower traffic room. Staff have reported that in this room, he still continues to escalate. He would benefit from being placed into a stable home where he can be given the appropriate space to decompress. Medically, he has stage III dental disease.
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Snow White
Snow White is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. She is not thriving in the care center and continues to display challenging, distance increasing behaviors. During cleaning hours, she is quick to lunge, hiss, and swat out at staff. These behaviors make successful interactions difficult. Upon arriving at the care center, she tolerated minimal pets and currently does not tolerate any form of handling. It is in her best interest to move out of the kennel environment and into a stable home as quickly as possible. Snow White would benefit from a low traffic home with an experienced adopter. Medically, she is overweight and has mild dental disease.
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Riccola
Riccola is on the At Risk list due to behavior. She is not thriving in the care center and continues to display challenging behavior during interactions. She 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 her mind and body, the cat may react with rough play, potentially resulting in bite/scratch incidents. 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 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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Finn
Finn is on the at-risk list for medical concerns. Finn has been diagnosed with diabetes and will need follow up veterinary care and insulin administration twice daily. When Finn came into our care he had a wound of his leg we treated. Due to unknown origins Finn is currently on a six month observation hold. Behaviorally, he has allowed medical handling but is not thriving in the care center and has started to deteriorate in the adoptions room. He is now displaying signs of boredom and frustration, such as repetitive scratching at the corner of his kennel and pacing. 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.
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Eloise
Eloise is on the at-risk list for medical concerns. He has very painful gum disease, and he gets agitated if you go near his mouth. He is eating some canned food, but he is underweight and unthrifty. He may need full-mouth, teeth extractions and anti-inflammatory medications. He needs care and attention that we cannot provide.
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Nala
Nala is on the at-risk list due to medical concerns. Nala is a sweet old cat with a chronic wound (owner's report they've been struggling with it for 4 years). She also has severe dental disease. Nala will need veterinary follow up to ensure her wound is healing appropriately as well as a dental procedure. Behaviorally, she has been soliciting attention and allows handling. However, depending on her healing process and how the stress-induced likely compulsive behavior (that resulted in her wound) does or does not continue to manifest - Nala will require continued behavioral and veterinary intervention to manage her condition to maintain a suitable quality of life.
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Big Bubba
Big Bubba is at risk due to behavioral concerns. Big Bubba has been social with handlers in care after warming up, enjoys splashing in the pool, and playing with toys. Despite this, he has been displaying high levels of kennel stress, despite best efforts to keep him comfortable. He screeches and barks at other dogs when they pass his kennel, persistently jumping to the top of his kennel, causing him to hit his head, and crashing into his water bowl. Attempts to reduce visual stressors by covering his kennel have been attempted, but he tears them down. Medically, Big Bubba has alopecia.
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Foxy
Foxy is at risk due to behavioral reasons. While in foster Foxy was observed to bark and lunge towards other dogs. Recently her previous adopter stated that Foxy would growl, hard bark, and lunge towards strangers as well as other stimuli, such as strollers. It was stated that Foxy will bark, growl, whine, and pull hard towards them. While in care, Foxy has shown dog reactivity with difficulty being redirected. In other instances, Foxy remains engaged with the handler while on walks. When interacting with handlers, Foxy is exuberant and will lean into contact. Medically, Foxy is apparently healthy.
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Chickpea
Chickpea is on the At Risk list due to behavior. She is not thriving in the care center and continues to display challenging behavior during interactions. She 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 her mind and body, the cat may react with rough play, potentially resulting in bite/scratch incidents. 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 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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Blaze
Blaze is at risk for behavior reasons. Blaze is a young dog with high energy. He is deteriorating in care, becoming increasingly mouthy with pressure during socialization. Blaze has resource guarding with food and toys. He is food motivated and responds well with treats, loves to play. Medically, he is apparently healthy.
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MacHo
Macho is at-risk due to behavioral concerns. Macho's owner reports that he has had altercations with the other dogs in the home over treats and was recently bitten during a resource-guarding incident. He is reactive toward dogs, cats, and unfamiliar people approaching the home, responding with growling and snapping. While in the Care Centers, Macho has displayed a stiff body posture with select staff members but remains receptive to treats. Medically, Macho has recently recovered from CIRDC and is healthy at this time.
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Lion
Lion is at risk due to behavioral concerns. Lion has been reluctant to go for walks or leave the building. He has been seen pancaking in the middle of hallways, refusing to leave the building for a walk. On another occasion, he pancaked in the hallway immediately after leaving his room. Lion has been easy to remove from the kennel and will take high-value treats with a soft mouth when trying to coax him to walk, before he pancakes again. Medically, Lion is overweight.
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Bobby
Bobby is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns in the previous home. In the prior home, Bobby was reported to display fearful and defensive behavior toward unfamiliar people, including hard barking, growling, lunging, snapping, and attempting to bite. He is also reported to react defensively when startled. During intake, Bobby barked at an unfamiliar staff member but settled when ignored and offered treats. He also growled when his owner attempted to remove his harness. Additionally, Bobby has a reported bite history involving his owner during harnessing, resulting in a skin-breaking scrape after Bobby growled and briefly held on. Bobby is reported to love his head scratched Medically, Bobby has a cherry eye.
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Sirios
Sirios is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. In the care center, Sirios displays signs of kennel-related stress, including prolonged digging under his kennel door to the point of causing abrasions to his front legs. He has also shown reluctance to return to his kennel, including planting himself, refusing to walk, and attempting to push back out after entering. Sirios is social with handlers, and loves to be around staff, but is struggling to acclimate. Medically, Sirios is apparently healthy.
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Baxter
Baxter is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. In the care center, Baxter displays fearful behavior during handling, including startling easily, seeking distance from people, backing away during leash handling, head whipping when approached to unclip the leash, and being reported to snap during leashing attempts. Despite his fearfulness, Baxter is able to be leashed with patient, low-stress handling and has shown increasing comfort approaching handlers and participating in training games but is still struggling. Medically, Baxter is apparently healthy.
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Seal
Seal is at risk due to behavioral concerns. In the Care Centers, Seal has displayed high reactivity toward other dogs and has been reported to nip at staff members’ hands and ankles while redirecting his frustration onto staff. During walks, he pulls toward other dogs and can at times be difficult to redirect and refocus. Seal has responded well to treats and is social with staff when not in the presence of other dogs. Medically, Seal is apparently healthy.
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Nala
Nala is at risk due to behavioral reasons. Nala arrived at MACC following an incident in the home. It was reported that Nala jumped up and scratched a member of the household once and drew blood. While in care, Nala has been observed to balk on leash and requires verbal coaxing to continue walking. Recently, Nala was reported to jump up and mouth the handler's clothing. This behavior was not able to be redirected, and additional help was required. While out with handlers, Nala is observed to accept contact. Medically, Nala is currently healthy.
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Kowalski The Smartest

Kowalski is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. In the care center, Kowalski displays fearful and defensive behavior during leash handling, including growling, baring teeth, snapping at the leash, and avoiding leash placement. He is also struggling in kennel, including persistent screaming and jumping against the kennel door during cleaning, and pulls hard on leash at times. Kowalski is able to be leashed with patient handling, and is slowly warming up, but is struggling in the care center. Medically, Kowalski has a corneal ulceration with possible uveitis.
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Merlot
Merlot is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns in the care center and in his previous home. In the prior home, Merlot was reported to display resource guarding and attempted to bite by lunging and snapping during one incident, though no contact with skin was made. In the care center, Merlot displays high arousal, including hard pulling, frantic movement in new environments, and significant reluctance to return to his kennel, often pancaking and requiring multiple handlers, treat trails, or coaxing to complete kennel re-entry. Merlot is social with handlers, enjoys training, learns new cues readily, and engages well with toys and food reinforcement. Medically, Merlot is apparently healthy.
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