Paws Down! To New York City’s Office of Animal Welfare, which has made no progress a year later.
December 3, 2020
In October 2019, Mayor de Blasio signed a bill that would require the city to create an Office of Animal Welfare which would oversee and investigate various animal welfare issues throughout the city of New York, according to the New York Daily News this fall. Upon further probing by the bill’s original sponsor, Councilman Justin Brannan, and investigators from the New York Post, it was discovered that nothing had been done for the new department aside from the creation of a basic website. Investigators have even uncovered poor conditions of dog kennels at Brooklyn’s Animal Care Center, according to this recent article by the New York Post.
This unfortunate situation is further evidence that while legislators often have good intentions when it comes to animal welfare issues, it is the still the citizens’ responsibility to hold their government accountable and to demand transparency in their local municipalities, especially when it comes to the care of helpless, abandoned animals.
Take Action: Citizens of New York City, contact Mayor de Blasio’s office and demand accountability and transparency in city agencies. Demand that the Office of Animal Welfare do its job to improve the lives of animals in New York!