Mayor Bloomberg announced a plan to give the city's animal shelters an additional $10 million over the next three years, which is good news for animal lovers, though the funding does come at a price. more ›

Residents in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx are angry after officials unilaterally converted a shelter for homeless families into a facility housing only men. Similar to concerns from UWS residents yesterday, Highbridge locals say that the new influx of homeless people are making their neighborhood much more dangerous. "They're out here at all hours of the night, creeping around and you don't know what they're going to do. They're always either smoking, drinking or looking in someone's window," said Rhodesia Jones. But what if there's a Ted Williams lurking amongst that crowd? more ›

Just in time for Christmas—the holiday that puts plenty of pups in present boxes—City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley is trying to cut down on puppy mills by pushing for "puppy birth certificates." The certificate would include breed, birthplace, and fur color, and the proposed bill would mandate that each dog have one (kind of like Pound Puppies!). Crowley explained at a press conference yesterday, "If you're going to bring a dog into your family, you should know where this dog is coming from." more ›

Remember when Daily Candy suggested you buy an adorable little potbelly piglet as a stocking stuffer over the holidays? Well, now those and other animals given away as gifts this past Christmas are filtering into the shelter system. more ›

Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that New York has so many cute Chihuahuas on their way from California! The bad news is that they're coming from overcrowded shelters after being abandoned by fairweather owners. more ›

According to City Room, the city’s gift program that has been distributing small, personal items, including scarves, backpacks and watches, to the needy since 2002 is feeling the recession pressure. The program has been known to spend about thousands on gifts for single men and women in shelters, including $25,000 buying more than 6,500 watches. more ›

Animals sure are having a big news day; the latest word is that the city is getting some pressure put on it to construct full-service animal shelters that reach all five boroughs. more ›

The number of families sleeping in shelters is near an all-time high; according to the Department of Homeless Services, there were 34,774 people in shelters last week, including 9,361 families. The Bloomberg administration is now seeking state approval for a new set of policies intended to move families out of shelters more quickly and, according to the Times, apply the "market-driven, incentive-based philosophy to homeless shelters that it has used in schools." Under the new rules, the city would pay shelters more than the usual rate, which is roughly $100 a day, for the first six months that it houses a family. But after six months, if the family has not found permanent housing, the shelter would be paid 20 percent less than the standard rate. Homeless advocates deem the new policies "mean-spirited" and worry that families would be forced out after six months. But Linda Gibbs, deputy mayor for health and human services, insists families would only be ejected for "refusing to look for housing, refusing to seek employment, anything that is an unreasonable refusal to participate in the steps they need to take to overcome their homelessness." In April, homeless advocates blamed Bloomberg for the rise in homeless families. more ›

The Port Authority has decided that the thousands of feral cats that roam JFK Airport's property are best dealt with by way of extermination. more ›

For those who want more time with a furry friend than a visit to a dog park can provide, and less of a commitment than a full-time pet would bring, enter: FlexPetz. The company rents out real dogs and opened in New York last October...and yesterday's NY Times article has proof that people are actually using it.

Ms. Stevenson explained why she was a customer: “I’m single and moved here from Scotland two years ago, and it’s been difficult to meet people because everyone in New York just kind of goes about their business. But when I’m walking around with Oliver, I seem to get into so many conversations about him. It becomes a nice way to meet people.”