TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -The City of Troy has a problem with stray dogs just like other municipalities. At the start of Mayor Mantello’s first term, a couple of strays were taken in by animal control with nowhere to put them.
Usually, the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society (MHHS) would take these dogs. "The humane society unfortunately was at or near capacity and literally refused to take these two dogs," described the mayor.
This left the mayor’s office scrambling to find a solution. Mantello says the City is under a yearly contract with MHHS of about $100,000. But for 2024, the humane society says there is a different contract in place.
"We had to specifically do a per-pet contract so that our municipalities were only paying us for whatever animals they brought to us," stated Ashley Jeffrey Bouck, President and CEO of MHHS.
The Shelter Standards Act of 2022 requires both shelters and rescues to not be over capacity. Bouck says even though the humane society has three years to comply, MHHS has been at capacity with dogs since the act was signed into law.
In response, Troy created a temporary shelter just for dogs back in March. It is located inside the Department of Public Works but the public is not allowed in the shelter. Instead, local rescues are getting these dogs into foster homes.
"We need to evaluate the dog for temperament. If that passes, then it goes to our intake group. And if they improve, we need to find a foster before we take the dog in," explained Lex Murphy, Vice President of Peppertree Rescue.
Peppertree and Out of the Pits rescues have saved more than 60 dogs from irresponsible owners around Troy. Some of them are found with serious medical problems. "We just took a dog from an animal control officer that has a broken leg and a broken pelvis (from the previous owner) that has been sitting without treatment for an entire month. It’s six months old. So that is what’s going on in our communities that people don’t realize is happening," said Kari Hankle, President of Out of the Pits.
Mayor Mantello hopes to eventually establish a permanent animal shelter for Rensselaer County. The following links will show dogs that are available for adoption, lost, or stray:
