On December 23, Animal Care Centers of New York City (NYCACC) sent out an urgent plea for help. A pipe had burst in its Manhattan location—the city’s largest animal shelter—flooding the lobby and an area where several dogs were housed in pop-up crates. Water poured into crates and the fire alarm was activated, its loud ringing further distressing the dogs. 

Animal Farm Foundation’s executive director Bernice Clifford and Nikki Juchem, Director of Operations and Public Policy, didn’t hesitate. They drove the two hours to the city to pick up three dogs who needed emergency shelter: Red Hook, Mariah, and Aria. The dogs were scared—especially Aria, who’s crate was directly under the burst pipe—but fortunately, uninjured, and were soon bundled up and heading to the farm. 

A deeply stressful situation that could have been a tragedy was now an opportunity for the dogs to decompress in a new setting, one with places to run, space to stretch out, and a new routine of enrichment and training indoors and out. 

“We were glad to be able to join other organizations in helping get the dogs to safety as the shelter focused on repairs to the pipe and its heating,” says Clifford. “Our job is to support our partner shelters and ensure all animals are safe and comfortable – this was just a bit more extreme given the conditions and the holiday, but our team is ready to help.”

All three dogs are doing well, and looking forward to finding homes. You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for updates on Aria, Red Hook, and Mariah and their journeys from here.

Melissa Fogarty, Senior Manager of New Hope Programs at NYCACC, says the quick actions of the Animal Farm Foundation team made a difference. “Multiple dogs were directly impacted by the flooding and had no kennel to return to. Animal Farm Foundation immediately replied to our plea for help and got right on the road driving to our Manhattan Care Center. We’re grateful for their continued partnership, and we know we can always count on them especially during times of crisis,” Fogarty says. 

At Animal Farm Foundation, our mission is to meet the evolving needs of dogs and their communities.

These are not just words. This is what we do.

We support animal shelters in a range of ways: consulting and training on keeping dogs out of shelters, minimizing stress and providing creative enrichment for dogs while in shelters, and how to remove arbitrary breed labels and ensure fairer treatment. We also transfer dogs that have been at shelters for long lengths of time into our care to make room to save more lives and reduce overcrowding. And, when necessary, we jump in to help in an emergency. 

Please consider getting involved. You can donate, volunteer, shop our merch, foster a dog, and/or subscribe to our email newsletter (see the bottom of this page) for ways to support us in our mission. Every bit helps us help animals live out their lives in comfort and safety.