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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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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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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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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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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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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Dolce
Dolce is currently at risk due to behavioral concerns. His previous adopters returned him to the care center because of his arousal behaviors, such as lunging, hard barking, and cornering them. He also exhibited destructive tendencies and resource guarding. At the care center, Dolce has shown similar arousal behaviors, including jumping, attempting to mouth toward handlers' faces when treats are tossed, and biting a handler's upper arm without breaking the skin. Despite occasional moments of social behavior, Dolce struggles with self-regulation. Medically, Dolce is apparently healthy.
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Roxanne
Roxanne is at risk due to behavior concerns. Roxanne has displayed a concerning level of kennel and on-leash reactivity during her stay in care and a high level of kennel stress. In the kennel, she smears feces along the glass while barking at other dogs in the room or hard barking at her surroundings. Once out, she begins kennel fighting—lunging at the other kennels. Once out in the hallway, Roxanne screeches and barks as she passes other dogs/kennel rooms toward the other dogs. Medically, Roxanne is apparently healthy.
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Moose
Moose is on the at-risk list for behavior concerns. Moose arrived to the care center as a stray and we have been unable to gather any previous information on Moose. In care, Moose has been tense and anxious. He bares teeth and hard barks in his kennel. While out of kennel he is seen hard barking towards other staff and volunteers, as well as neighboring dogs when being returned to his kennel. Moose will benefit from an experienced handler to give him the time to decompress and use force-free methods to build his trust. Medically, Moose is healthy.
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Mini Borough

Mini Borough is on the at-risk list for medical concerns. Mini is a young dog that came to the care center after having a rectal prolapse repaired at an outside vet. He has had persistent diarrhea since arriving and was diagnosed with a suspected rectal stricture. He will need to see a specialist (internal medicine) to evaluate and address this problem. In case like these further surgery intervention is required. Mini Borough is also receiving treatment for CIRDC. Behaviorally, Mini Borough has shown some light sensitivity when handling his rear/hips but with a slow approach Mini warms up. He enojoys pets and is a goofy boy all around.
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Magnus
Magnus is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. Magnus in the care center has been deteriorating despite best efforts to keep him comfortable. Magnus has began to leash bite intensely while on walks whilst being unable to be refocused at times, and has began to become reactive to new staff member approaching him, starting to hard bark at them making it difficult to walk him safely. Magnus is social with staff members he is familiar with, but is struggling in the kennel environment. Medically, Magnus is receiving treatment for persistent CIRDC.
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Shadow
Shadow is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. Shadow in the care center has displayed a significant amount of fearfulness, hard barking and lunging at unfamiliar staff members that approach him in kennel or on leash, and is selective to who he will tolerate handling him. Shadow is becoming more social in the care center with familiar staff members, but still remains fearful during most interactions. Medically, Shadow is apparently healthy.
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Iren
Iren is on the at-risk list due to medical concerns. Iren is an adult diabetic cat that has allowed very limited handling while in our care. Iren would benefit from a quiet low stress environment so their medical concerns can be addressed appropriately. 
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Sunshine
Sunshine 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.
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Dodge
Dodge 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.
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