12.20.06
The pet’s rights
Hoffman, a former Wall Street attorney, gave up a lucrative practice in 2002 to head the Mayor’s Alliance, a coalition of over 100 no-kill shelters and rescue groups, including Forte’s Animal Haven. Hoffman and Sullivan wrote a letter to the newly elected Bloomberg administration in 2001 outlining opportunities to improve New York City’s policies toward animals. That led to the formation of the Mayor’s Alliance and, in December 2002, a landmark agreement to create a no-kill city by 2008. “The idea was to bring together the many rescue groups in the city that were doing good work but were struggling,” says Sullivan, 56, whose girlfriend, Robin Bernstein, rescued their pit bull Rose from almost certain death after the dog was found abandoned and tied to a tree in Washington, D.C.—the District’s humane society classifies pit bulls as “problem” animals and routinely destroys them, according to a 2005 report by the George Washington University Law School.
In the four years since the Mayor’s Alliance was formed, with the help of a $15.5 million grant from the pet rescue foundation Maddie’s Fund, New York City has seen a 25% decrease in euthanasia, a dramatic increase in adoptions, and an increase in funding for its shelters, some of which compete with pet stores by offering trendy services for pampered pets while showcasing hundreds of adoptable animals.
At press time Animal Haven was slated to open New York’s largest retail adoption center on December 12. In addition to grooming, training, and accoutrements for pets, the 7,000-square-foot storefront located in SoHo will also showcase hundreds of adoptable animals. “We get upset that people buy animals from pet stores. So why aren’t we competing with them?” says Forte, who shuttles between homes in Manhattan and upstate New York with his partner, Ben Geboe, and their four rescue animals: three dogs and one cat.
Palenzuela, who is pushing for no-kill shelters in Los Angeles, encourages gays and lesbians to create pet trusts with their partner as a trustee, to ensure their animals don’t wind up being euthanized in a shelter. Laws in 35 states—including New York and California—and the District of Columbia allow owners to establish trusts for their pets, though the degree of enforceability varies from state to state. “Too often, people rely on a verbal promise,” says Rob Blizard, director of donor marketing and outreach for the Humane Society of the United States. In case of death or disability, Blizard says an enforceable trust gives the court the right to monitor the process and ensure that the money is being spent for the animal’s care.
Caring for unwanted animals is a great way to make things better for everyone, Hoffman says. “The better we treat our animals, the more humane and caring society we are.”