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

Clear filters
Page 1 of 2 (27 total records)

Brix

Brix is at risk due to behavioral concerns. Brix has become difficult to walk safely due to his fixation on inanimate objects on walks. He has bitten and latched onto a traffic cone for several minutes and has fixated on trees/sticks attempting to bite at them in passing. Handlers could initially manage this behavior by walking him with a toy that he would carry but there was an incident with a staff member where he dropped the toy and lunged several times during a walk towards handler. Due to safety concerns Brix needs placement in a reduced stress environment where these behaviors can be focused on. Medically, Brix is apparently healthy.
View more..

Midnight

Midnight is at risk due to behavior concerns. Midnight has been observed to be highly aroused in the Care Centers, grabbing random objects and being difficult to refocus. During one handling assessment, he vocalized and tensed up when a toy was removed from his possession and lip curled at a handler when they gave him a toy while in the pens. However, during walks, he accepts treats well and walks calmly with staff, allowing them to pet him. Medically, Midnight is overweight. Medically, Midnight is overweight.
View more..

Boss

Boss is at risk due to behavior reasons. He was surrendered by his owner for being aggressive but did not provide further details. He was baring his teeth and growling at the police during transport to ACC. At the care center, Boss has been manageable, taking treats and allowing some pets. He was recently returned because he lunged at the cats in his adopter's home. Medically, Boss has otitis externa.
View more..

Simba

Simba 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 her plenty of time and space to adjust, and who have experience with helping a fearful cat adjust to strangers.
View more..

Snow

Snow 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. Medically, Snow has stage 2 dental disease.
View more..

Coco Moco

Coco Moco is at-risk due to behavioral reasons. Coco Moco has been observed to kennel fight. Coco Moco lunges, cries, barks, and pushes off of the wall with her front feet in an attempt to get to the other dogs. Coco Moco will display social behavior and allow pets from handlers. Medically, Coco Moco is overweight.
View more..

Scrappy

Scrappy is at-risk due to behavioral reasons. Scrappy was brought to the Care Centers by the police after growling and snapping at his owner, who was trying to stop him from eating feces. At the Care Centers, it was noted that Scrappy tensed up when he had a toy and was uncomfortable when his lower leg was touched. During Playgroup, Scrappy quickly became over-aroused, tensing his body and positioning himself on another dog's back, becoming hyper-focus. He also lunged at a dog during a walk. Despite these behaviors, Scrappy is treat-motivated and displays a soft body when interacting with staff. Medically he is apparently healthy.
View more..

June

June 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 her plenty of time and space to adjust, and who have experience with helping a fearful cat adjust to strangers. Medically, June is apparently healthy.
View more..

Cedar

Cedar is at risk due to behavioral reasons. Initially, Cedar showed signs of fear, including hard barking and growling at handlers when they approached his kennel, as well as growling at them in the yard. Over time, he became more social and comfortable with the staff. Currently, Cedar exhibits social arousal behaviors such as leash biting, mouthing staff, and, on one occasion, trying to grab a staff member's shirt. He responds well to pattern game training and is motivated by food. Medically, Cedar has dental disease and dermatitis.
View more..

Argentina

Argentina has a severe URI and is not eating. We are unable to provide treatments due to her behavior in the stressful shelter environment. Argentina needs a quiet environment to help reduce her fear, anxiety, and stress.
View more..

Layla

Layla is at risk for behavior reasons. Layla has some handling sensitivities towards her owner and would not allow for some handling when she needed medical treatment. She is reactive on leash towards unfamiliar people and other animals. Medically, she was treated for otitis externa but is otherwise healthy.
View more..

Charmin

Charmin is at risk due to behavioral concerns. While in his previous home, Charmin was reported to have several biting incidents with people and prey drive towards a squirrel. Charmin is also reported to snap and bite when held or restrained and he would snap when his prior owner attempted to remove him from furniture. On walks, he is reported to lunge at other animals. Recently, Charmin was observed to spin in his kennel. Prior to this, he lived in the adoption office where he was social and displayed typical herding behaviors. Medically, Charmin is apparently healthy.
View more..

Roebling

Roebling is on the at-risk list for medical reasons. He presented to ACC having litter box accidents. He has feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) and as a consequence had a perineal urethrostomy performed. He has had a history of persistent hematuria and straining to urinate and is prone to urinary tract infections. He will require follow up care to ensure the urinary infections resolve. Roebling allows some handling but has limited patience for medical handling and has required sedation.
View more..

George

George is at risk due to behavior concerns. Geroge initially was highly fearful and easily startled by loud noises during walks and displaying thrashing, pancaking, and reluctance to leave his kennel or continue walking which he is often picked up and taken back to his kennel. On one occasion he nipped a handler during a walk due to his thrashing on the lead, although it did not break the skin. George has also shown touch sensitivity, particularly when his collar or neck is touched or when pressure is applied. However, he has been social with familiar handlers displaying social behavior but quickly becomes aroused and starts becoming mouthy. Medically, Geroge has a respiratory infection which should be treatable with a course of antibotics.
View more..

Tiger

Tiger 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 stranger. Medically, Tiger is apparently healthy.
View more..

Hazel

Hazel 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. Her previous owner reports that she was very active, playful, and preferred contact on her own terms. 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 plenty of time and space to adjust, and who have experience with helping a fearful cat adjust to stranger. Medically Hazel is apparently healthy.
View more..

Rosa

Rosa is at risk due to behavior concerns. Rosa was surrendered due to concerning behaviors observed in her previous home including defensive escalations towards strangers and resource guarding. Additionally, Rosa was reported to hard bark, pull hard on the leash, and attempt to snap at other dogs/animals, along with displaying hard barking toward strangers while in the home. In the Care Centers, Rosa is aloof and neutral bodied during interactions with handlers. Medically, Rosa is apparently healthy.
View more..

Superhero

Superhero is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. In Superhero's previous home, he has shown a significant amount of fearfulness and has escalated to lunging, snapping and growling at strangers, dogs and cats as well as children. During his intake, Superhero was persistently lunging at staff members. Lately, he has allowed staff to walk him but is anxious. Medically, Superhero is apparently healthy.
View more..

Tina

Tina is at risk due to behavioral concerns. While Tina has been social and attention-seeking with staff and caretakers, she is deteriorating despite best efforts to keep her comfortable. She is licking and biting at the walls and glass of her kennel, hyper-salivating, jumping on the walls of the kennel, and at times has difficulty settling when out of her kennel. Medically, Tina has an ear infection and lameness of the left hind.
View more..

Merle

Merle 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.
View more..

Lisa

Lisa is at risk due to behavioral reasons. Lisa has shown signs of kennel stress and deterioration such as leash biting, mouthing handlers, and not being easily redirected. She has been observed to continuously and intensely jump up at handlers and mouth their arms and hands. Lisa is very food motivated and enjoys engaging in training. Medically, Lisa is apparently healthy.
View more..

Windex

Windex is at risk due to behavior concerns. Windex exhibits extreme fearfulness in the Care Centers. When staff try to interact with him, he responds with low growls, urinates on himself, and displays snapping and snarling behavior. Despite being offered high-value treats, he refuses to take them. He only briefly took one treat. Medically, he is apparently healthy.
View more..

Natsu

Natsu is on the at-risk list due to behavioral concerns. While Natsu has been social with staff and caretakers, soliciting attention and treats, and engaging in enrichment games, he quickly and easily becomes aroused in the presence of people and has difficulty settling. Once aroused, Natsu throws himself into handlers, jumps up, and grabs at their hands (with moderate to hard pressure, leaving red marks and welts) and clothing. Medically, Natsu has dermatitis and allergies. Natsu will need additional follow uo to determine if his allergies are food and/or environmental based.
View more..

Patches

Patches is at risk due to behavioral concerns. Patches has been uncomfortable with handling and/or interactions at times during his stay in care. He tenses during interactions, before stiffening and head whipping when touched. On one occasion while out on a walk, Patches escalated to snapping at a handler's hand that readjusted their grip on the leash. He has also become difficult to return to his kennel safely due to biting at the leash, snapping, and jumping up on the kennel door once back into his kennel and the leash is removed. is finding it difficult for staff to return to his kennel due to snapping at staff and leash biting. Medically, Patches has cherry eye.
View more..

Blitz

Blitz is in need of emergency placement due to behavior concerns. Blitz was admitted to the Care Centers because of reports of reactivity and a history of a bite, though no specific details were provided about his behaviors or the severity of the possible bite. During his assessment at the Care Centers, Blitz showed signs of resource guarding over toys, while also vocalizing and whining. Despite this, he interacts well with staff, accepting treats and actively participating in training sessions. Medically, Blitz is currently healthy.
View more..