The Scoop New York is an indie non-profit web site and newsletter covering the movement for a true no-kill New York, from BUF to BK.
We take names. We step on toes. We bring receipts.
NYC ACC KILLS, published by TSNY, enumerates and memorializes adoptable cats and dogs who were nonetheless exterminated by Animal Care Centers of New York City.
Every week, NYC ACC KILLS subscribers receive The Weekly Carnage: bios, photos and videos of adoptable cats and dogs known to be recent ACC victims. Subscribers also get monthly memoriam posts that include ACC data summaries along with an updated compendium of animals whose lives were ended by ACC that month. Videos from current and prior months may also be found on The Scoop New York’s YouTube channel.
For more New York companion animal news, follow NYC ACC KILLS and The Scoop New York on social media.
About NYC ACC KILLS memoriam posts
Like virtually all New York City officials, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin, NYC ACC staff as a rule do not respond to uncomfortable questions concerning the kill pound they’re responsible for. Information in NYC ACC KILLS memoriam posts, therefore, is drawn from reader tips, records ACC has chosen or is required to make public, and the ACC “at-risk outcomes” list.
As evidenced by its monthly and annual outcome data reports, ACC kills far more cats and dogs than appear on the at-risk list. ACC exterminates many healthy and adoptable cats and dogs without first offering them for adoption. Victims of this practice are known among advocates as “silent kills.”
Under direction from higher-ups including chief DVM Robin Brennen, ACC will often spay or neuter a cat or dog only to exterminate her or him during recovery, or soon after. This practice is known as “spay-neuter-kill.”
Known silent kills and spay-neuter-kill victims are identified as such by NYC ACC KILLS.
Since cats are underrepresented on ACC’s “at-risk outcomes” list, they are also underrepresented here.
Due to ACC obfuscation and gaps in record-keeping, memoriam posts are, sadly, bound to be incomplete. The Scoop New York continually adds names and images of ACC victims to NYC ACC KILLS as we find them. Follow NYC ACC KILLS and The Scoop New York on social media for updates.
If you’re an NYC ACC networker or volunteer and would like to contribute information on exterminated cats and dogs, or share your experience working with ACC, we want to hear from you. Discretion guaranteed.
A note about names: Many animals come to NYC ACC with unknown histories, including their names. In addition, ACC does not always use the name a cat or dog is accustomed to, even if the agency knows what it is. As a result, many animals exterminated by ACC are never properly identified. Unfortunately, for the most part NYC ACC KILLS has only the names provided by ACC, even if those names are incorrect or nonsensical. ACC-assigned names are presented here without quotation marks unless TSNY can confirm an animal was known by a different name when admitted to ACC.
ACC operates under putative supervision by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, which endorses the publicly-funded killing of healthy and adoptable cats and dogs at will and with impunity.
CHIEF NYC ACC VETERINARIAN
Robin Brennen, Sr VP Animal Health & Welfare: Email
OFFICIALS RESPONSIBLE FOR NYC ACC OVERSIGHT
NYS Ag Commissioner Richard Ball: 518-457-2771; Email
Mayor Zohran Mamdani: Contact form
City Council Speaker Julie Menin: 212-788-7210; Email
Council health chair Lynn Schulman: 212-788-6981; Email
Comptroller Mark Levine: 212-669-3916; Contact forms
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams: 212-669-7250; Email
City Council members: Lookup
Borough presidents: BX; BK; MN; SI; QS
NYC DOH Commissioner Alister Martin: 311; Contact form
NYC DOH ACC minder Corinne Schiff: 646-632-6496; Email
In memoriam
Oreo Firecracker [259810]: 3 years old; killed August 9. During Oreo Firecracker’s medical exam, the team noted he was “generally friendly, loose, wiggly … Hyper. Curious. Jumping on people out of curiosity and poor manners.”
Even though they gave him the second best behavior rating, they immediately put Oreo on their “happy cocktail” of drugs Trazodone, Gabapentin, and Clonidine that substitutes for care. Oreo seemed to be doing well enough in the first week, was easily leashed and leaned in for pets. They increased the Trazodone, which didn’t help, possibly hurt. Trazodone, meant to calm a dog, is also known to have a paradoxical effect, increasing agitation.
Oreo Firecracker, ACC said had “warmed up to some handlers, engaging in play, soliciting attention and becoming loose-bodied once comfortable.” Still, they killed him on day 26.
Mosholu [261494]: 4 years old; killed August 10. Mosholu was left tied to a pole in the park for three days. He was emaciated, weighing just 40 pounds and flagged for cruelty.
He was very scared and immediately put on all three ACC go-to drugs: Trazodone, Gabapentin, and Clonidine.
Two days after he came to ACC, they wrote this note: “Mosholu is lying down at the front of his kennel with a loose body and forward ears. The handler offers him a treat and he gets up and takes it and begins wagging his tail high and slow. He keeps taking treats. The interaction is ended.”
That’s the only note in his record that shows them providing care. There are no notes that show him being taken out for walks or to the play yard.
ACC killed Mosholu on day nine.
Casper [261829]: 5 months old; killed August 10. Casper was surrendered to ACC and was killed four days later, a silent kill.
His owners said he had seizures, although ACC reported no signs of them, or neurological deficits. He was on a seizure medication that ACC continued.
Casper’s family also said he was an affectionate, very playful puppy. ACC noted that he was very friendly, loose, wiggly, and social with staff on intake.
Because Casper was a silent kill, there are no public records that state why they killed him.
Braxton [261074]: 4 years old; killed August 11. With his bloodshot eyes and subdued demeanor, Braxton seemed like a dog that knew he was doomed from the start.
Brought in by the police and removed from their car using a control pole, Braxton was terrified. Shut down from fear, he didn’t want to leave his kennel.
On intake, he had superficial abrasions on his paws and appeared to have been sprayed with a sticky substance, possibly white paint, on his face and head.
ACC says he was a stray but also that he was an owner surrender, with a description of him as an affectionate family dog who knew many commands including “cuddle.” It’s unclear whether they mistakenly merged two records or possibly tracked down his family.
ACC killed Braxton on day 14.
Andy [256654]: 7 years old; found dead August 12. On intake, Andy’s medical exam in June ACC found no health issues other than obesity. There were no further exams.
Andy, ACC wrote, was shy but accepted all petting and exchanged slow blinks with handlers.
Andy reportedly “died in care” about eight weeks after he was admitted. ACC watchers said “shelter” staff falsely claimed Andy had an adopter lined up — making him unavailable to adopters, fosters and rescues — and allowed him to “languish” until he died. Which if true would not be the worst thing ACC has done to a vulnerable cat or dog.
Chester [261919]: 13 years old; killed August 13. Chester was found on August 8 and killed five days later by ACC without being listed for foster or adoption, a silent kill.
Layluh Rayne [190264]: 4 years old; killed August 13. Layluh Rayne was at ACC twice, the first time in January 2024 when she was also given a kill command but was reclaimed by her family.
She returned in late July 2026, an owner surrender. She was very scared, trembling, her tail tucked even when more relaxed in the play yard. Layluh Rayne cooperated with leashing, and walked well, ignoring passersby and other dogs.
ACC killed Layluh Rayne on day 20.
Wemmy [262000]: 9 years old; killed August 13. Wemmy was found on August 9 and killed by ACC four days later without being listed for foster or adoption, a silent kill.
Jada, a.k.a. Glitter [244637]: 2 years old; killed August 14. Jada, a.k.a. Glitter, was at ACC three times in seven months. On her final visit, she was found stray. On her third stay, ACC spayed Jada a week after intake. We don’t know why she wasn’t spayed when reclaimed after her first two stays. The vet that spayed her found an enlarged left ovary. In the next days, she vomited and had diarrhea, and within a week was urinating clots of blood.
A volunteer wrote, “Poor Jada can not catch a break! She has been brought in multiple times over the last year by police, each time being reclaimed. However, this time, no one has come for her and now she is in immediate need of medical care due to a possible mass near her bladder’s neck and an enlarged heart. She only has a few more hours to be placed or she will be euthanized.
“We have been lucky enough to meet Jada all three times she’s been at QACC and each time she has charmed us to no end. There’s been a running theme of dressing her up, first in pjs, then in a cute summer dress and most recently, in a bikini that she looked absolutely ridiculous in, though adorable nonetheless. Throughout her various stays, her behavior has been consistent: sweet, social, loving and playful. Right now, Jada needs continued monitoring and additional diagnostics outside of the shelter so that she can recover. A $1000 stipend has been offered to a rescue that can pull her and provide the follow up vet care.”
ACC wrote, “given the findings and the possibility of an underlying bladder or reproductive tract neoplasia, we feel she should be moved out of the shelter as soon as possible for continued monitoring, additional diagnostics, and appropriate medical care.”
The 24-hour deadline for rescue passed and ACC killed Jada for undiagnosed medical issues. That’s not euthanasia.
Grey [262090]: 3 months old; found dead August 14. Grey was on ACC’s “at-risk” list due to medical concerns. They wrote, “Grey is a young kitten who was in a hoarding situation and found to have a rectal prolapse. It is a possibility that she will have prolapses in the future and will need ongoing medical care. Grey allowed all handling and was sweet during her exam.”
Grey’s medical exam took place on August 11 with no follow up notes. She was reportedly found dead in her cage three days later.
Kiara [260296]: 5 years old; killed August 16. Kiara briefly lived with the person who found her; they said she was timid but a friendly and affectionate couch potato. She was anxious at ACC, often whimpering but also seeking reassurance and pets.
ACC wrote on her “at-risk” memo (their excuse for killing a dog), “she continues to present as fearful and highly anxious during walks, she even attempted to run away from a handler.” A person scared her, so they killed her?
Robin Brennen’s vet team gave Kiara all the drugs in their arsenal, then killed her on day 22.
Papa [259551]: 3 years old; killed August 16. Papa was much loved by his family, who became homeless. They said he loved car rides and long days in the park.
A volunteer said, “When dogs like Papa come to the shelter, I pray they have owner notes from their surrender. It helps us see past the scared dog in a scary place, maybe acting out of sorts. It helps us see the dog they were just the day before they arrived, and the dog they may, hopefully, get to be again.
“At the shelter Papa is scared. He seems uncertain at times when we pet him, and most of all he’s reactive to dogs. From his notes I learn so much from his now homeless guardian that described their dog as intelligent and affectionate. First I learn that Papa came in with a sister, a German shepherd named Sasha who is now in an ACC foster home. I also learn that he was attacked by a dog in the past, which is why he reacts to new dogs, but his guardian found him easy to redirect … But right now Papa is struggling, surrounded by his trigger, without his guardian to reassure and redirect him.”
On walks, Papa, who was always easy to leash, ignored other dogs. It was inside the shelter, surrounded by dogs, where he became reactive. ACC noted that Papa was social and engaging with handlers. They killed Papa on day 34.
Senorita Roja [261747]: 3 years old; killed August 16. An emaciated and dehydrated 24-pound pup, Senorita Roja was killed 11 days after she was found abandoned at a train station.
She was scared and uncomfortable confined to her kennel. On one occasion when being leashed, she nipped at the handler’s thumb, which did not break skin. She was a sweet starved dog; they gave her extra feedings but not the time necessary to decompress.
Baloo [258714]: 2 years old; killed August 16. ACC wrote that Baloo, found stray, loved to snuggle and would stay close to her handler.
A volunteer said, “Her brown eyes are bright, and when her face relaxes and her ears come forward to listen to us telling her how adorable she is, I can’t suppress my smile. Like so many dogs Baloo was found stray after being tied up somewhere. That means we don’t have information about how she was in her previous home, but from our interactions and her notes the word wiggly appears often. At some point someone spent the time to teach her lots of cues, like sit and paw and down. And she’s been social meeting other dogs in playgroup.”
ACC killed Baloo on day 48.
Major [224778]: 5 years old; killed August 16. The first time Major came to ACC it was because his family lost their home to eviction. He was adopted April 2025 and returned to ACC in August of 2026 because his family couldn’t afford the treatments he needed to address a lame hind limb.
At 110 pounds, he was known as a silly gentle giant, a lover of toys.
Major was killed six days after he entered ACC without being offered for foster or adoption. Because it was a silent kill, we don’t know why Brennen and company took Major’s life.
Teaspoon [262265]: 10 years old; killed August 17. “Teaspoon is a lovely senior found under a Good Samaritan’s car,” a volunteer wrote. “She is a quiet soul in her kennel, laying peacefully in her main area and getting up and ready right away when someone is at her door. Such a gentle lady who enjoys petting, soft words and even lays nonchalantly at the entrance of her kennel, looking at all the volunteers and staff admiring her and likely hoping to make it on my lap.”
Another volunteer wrote, “Teaspoon is absolutely adorable. We became friends right away and it was not hard to do. She is a big girl with a whole lot of love to give.”
Teaspoon was found to be diabetic, a treatable disease, and was killed on day five, another silent kill.
Ragnar [258701]: 4 years old; killed August 17. A family dog, kicked out by the landlord, Ragnar lived with five adults, two kids, three dogs and a cat.
His family said he was very active and an affectionate cuddler, anxious when left alone. At ACC he was stressed at first, but soon grew more social, was leashed with ease, and leaned in for pets.
ACC killed Ragnar on day 33.
Double Dutch [261619]: 5 years old; killed August 17. Double Dutch, a stray, was killed for leash biting on day 10.
ACC admits he was social and loved engaging in pattern games, but we know very little about him as their notes focused almost exclusively on the fact that he was biting the leash.
Pantherella [261965]: 5 months old; killed August 19. Pantheralla, found stray, was a silent kill. We don’t know why ACC killed her or precisely how long she was there, although we believe she was at ACC for a few weeks.
Grapefruit [258537]: 3 years old; killed August 19. Grapefruit, a stray, arrived fearful but soon became a social pup who did well on walks, was responsive to handlers, and sought affection. She leaned in for more pets and rolled over for belly rubs.
Unnerved by all the dogs in pop-up crates lining the hallways, Grapefruit became dog-reactive. But when outside and on walks, she paid little mind to dogs. She was always easy to leash and eager to get outside, even when feeling poorly.
Grapefruit had CIRDC twice while there, due to ever-present unsanitary conditions. ACC killed her on day 51.
Queen Bee [260174]: 4 years old; killed August 20. Queen Bee was found stray and stayed with her finder for a month before being kicked out by the landlord with a no-pets policy. Her finder said she was a social, sweet, and affectionate couch potato who loved to cuddle. At ACC she was nervous at first, but soon settled in. On walks, she would frequently check in with her handler and followed verbal cues.
She caught CIRDC, which progressed to pneumonia, during her first week at ACC. In treatment they switched from injectable medications to pills more than once, despite noting that she was not eating the medication. They put her on the “at-risk” list for medical reasons, stating she needed placement in a quiet home to recover.
A few days before they killed her they released a new video (above); she was clearly slowing down due to illness, but still walking and enjoying being close to handlers.
ACC killed Queen Bee on day 41.
Everett [262149]: 5 years old; killed Aug 19 or 20. Everett, a stray, came to ACC on August 10. He got scared being leashed but did well on walks, was very social and playful with handlers. He loved to play fetch!
ACC killed Everett for “quality of life in care due to his inability to completely unhinge/open his jaw for normal mastication/eating.”
Killing Everett for quality of life “in care” is an indictment of the quality of ACC’s care. As his video above shows, he could open his mouth enough to carry a ball so surely he could eat puréed foods. Further diagnostics might offer other options, including surgery.
But that would have required common sense and compassion, both of which are vanishingly scarce at Zohran Mamdani’s kill pound. Instead, ACC put Everett to death — after reportedly turning away at least one rescue that wanted him.
