In March, Staten Islanders Adopted 17 Senior Pets for Free

        STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Borough President James P. Molinaro today announced that 17 senior pets were adopted free of charge by Staten Islanders from Animal Care and Control (AC&C) of New York City during his Senior Pet Adoption Month campaign.

        Last month, seven cats and 10 dogs, aged five years old or older, were adopted from AC&C’s Charleston shelter at no cost through Molinaro’s initiative that encourages the adoption of older animals that are frequently overlooked in favor of puppies or kittens.  

        “I’m very pleased that our campaign gets more successful each year. We’ve adopted out six more pets this time,” said Molinaro, who defrayed the adoption fee for senior pets. “People are starting to realize the benefits of adopting an older pet, those more likely to be ‘fixed,’ housebroken, up-to-date on shots, and past the teething and hyperactive stage. The older pet gets a ‘new leash on life,’ and the owner gets unconditional love and companionship. It’s a win-win.”

        In February, Molinaro announced capital funding of $716,000 for the construction of a new surgical suite for the Charleston shelter to be named after Tommy Monahan, the 9-year-old boy who perished while trying to rescue his dog from their burning Prince’s Bay home.

        Richard Gentles, Director of Operations for AC&C, said, “On average, AC&C adopts out approximately five senior pets per month. However, last month 17 senior pets were adopted. We attribute this tremendous increase directly to the Borough President’s Senior Pet Adoption initiative. Clearly, his generosity and compassion helped us save the lives of those animals that are the most difficult for us to adopt. We are very grateful for his continued support of AC&C and the homeless pets on Staten Island.”  

      Although Senior Pet Adoption Month has ended, seniors (55 and older) still get a 20% discount on pet adoptions at AC&C. For more information, call (212)788-4000, or visit www.nycacc.org.  The Charleston shelter is located at 3139 Veterans Rd. West. It is open for adoptions every day from 12 Noon to 7:00 p.m., seven days a week.