ACC hosts College Point pet adoption
Queens residents take home dozens of furry friends at the July 31 event
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
Five dogs and 14 cats — 12
kittens and two adult cats —
found their “furever” home
at the Animal Care Center’s
(ACC) mobile pet adoption
drive in College Point on Saturday,
July 31.
ACC has been back on the
road since the end of May after
the COVID-19 pandemic halted
all mobile pet adoption drives
for more than 14 months.
The events require all participants
to wear masks and
follow social distancing guidelines.
Only one family with a
maximum of two people per
family are allowed on the their
truck, and the browsing time
is limited to five minutes.
Prospective pet parents
lined the sidewalk outside the
College Point Petco, hoping to
bring home a four-legged friend.
Irina and her son Simon
waited in line with the hopes
of adopting one of the kittens.
“We adopted our cat two
years ago, and we are looking
for a friend,” Irina said.
Stephanie Feliciano, the
adoption manager at ACC, explained
that animal shelters
are “flooded with felines”
since summer is kitten season.
“During the summer
months, it always picks up
with the kittens,” Feliciano
said. “Usually, it dies down
around, maybe September
or October, then we don’t see
them come in as much.”
Future pet parents have to
bring in a photo ID with their
address and the adoption fee,
which varies depending on the
animal and its age.
The fee for kittens under six
months is $125, young adults
cats $75 and $25 for cats older
than 5 years old. For puppies
under six months, the rate is
$250. For dogs older than seven
Brothers Tendin and Karma from Jackson Heights with their yet-to-be-named new four-legged buddy. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
months, the rate is $75, and
for small dogs seven months
and over, the cost is $150.
All animals are spayed and
neutered, are pre-registered
with a microchip, and have
received their initial wellness
vaccinations. The adoption fee
also includes a certificate for
a free exam at a participating
veterinarian.
Jessica Gallo from Astoria
adopted 1-year-old Paolo, a
stray who came into the ACC
shelter only a week ago.
Gallo explained that her
family recently lost their dog
and were looking for a new
furry friend. She immediately
fell in love with the adorable
and easygoing pup when she
saw him on the ACC website.
“He had this one ear up, one
ear down thing, and I was like
‘Oh, my heart,'” Gallo said.
When she found out that
the organization was hosting
the pet drive, she had to come
and “scoop” him up.
“He came right over and
leaned into me, and honestly, I
feel so comfortable with him,”
Jessica shared.
Brothers Tendin and Karma
from Jackson Heights adopted
a kitten because their
landlord doesn’t allow dogs,
but mostly because “cats are
very cute.”
Tendin said they have yet
to decide on a name.
“I want to get to know him
and then pick out the name, so
it matches him,” Tendin said.
Feliciano said that some
of their adoption events have
been “bananas,” noting that
300 people lined up at last
week’s event in Astoria to find
a new best buddy.
“People are just eager to
have that pet interaction,” Feliciano
said.
Anyone interested in adopting
a “boroughbred” cat, dog,
rabbit or guinea pig can visit
nycacc.org for more information
about their mobile pet
adoption drives or the adoption
process.
Reach QNS Editorial by
e-mail at editorial@qns.com
10 TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | AUG. 6-12, 2021 BT
One-year-old Paolo found a new home thanks to the ACC pet adoption
drive. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
One of the adult cats waiting to be adopted. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
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