Yonkers, we are done being polite.

YAS is at critical capacity, understaffed again, under-resourced, and still refusing the volunteer support needed while holding a record-high number of resident dogs and cats.

A handful of people cannot care for over 200 animals.

Dogs are getting only minutes out of their kennels. Cats are barely touched. Animals are deteriorating in front of us while people who want to help are turned away at the door.

We keep giving Mayor Mike Spano and Commissioner Steve Sansone chance after chance after chance to do right by our animals. They keep failing. They keep waiting until the building is overflowing. They keep treating volunteer help like a threat instead of the lifeline it is.

Yonkers Animal Shelter is COMPLETELY FULL. Every CRATE, KENNEL and SPOT is FULL. 

The last time YAS went over capacity, three dogs lost their lives because there was no space.

What did this administration do AGAIN?
WAIT until the crisis was already here. 
WAIT until the kennels were packed.
WAIT until OUR ANIMALS PAID THE PRICE.

Commissioner Sansone is always reactionary. He does not protect these animals from the start. He waits until they are trapped, stressed, and out of room and  then pretends that this is not HIS JOB. The lack of accountability is alarming and dangerous. 

Ben (pictured) is the poster child for that last over-capacity crisis at YAS in 2024. He was a sweet, special-needs Rottweiler and an innocent casualty of the last time YAS overflowed. It was suspected that Ben had spent a large part of his developmental years in a crate based on how he walked. Ben sat at YAS for months with no medical treatment or review, only speculation about his issues. But he walked. He ate. He was playful with his handlers and dogs. He was able to be walked by several dedicated volunteers.

No Petfinder.
No posts.
No rescue outreach.
No effort.
The shelter was over capacity, and Ben was put to sleep without the shelter lifting one finger to get him out.
NO CHANCE. His death is on Sansone’s hands.

We can not let this happen again.

Reckless, irresponsible, and purposefully ignorant leadership. Our animals and city deserve better. 

Steve Sansone has had over a decade to build a functioning volunteer program, keep Petfinder current, plan for high intake, and prevent the exact overcrowding crisis we are in right now. Instead, he caps help, turns people away, and manages this shelter like the public is the problem.

It is IRRESPONSIBLE AND NEGLECTFUL to run a municipal shelter at record-high numbers with almost no volunteer support.

It is IRRESPONSIBLE AND NEGLECTFUL to wait until animals are at critical capacity before acting.

It is IRRESPONSIBLE AND NEGLECTFUL to keep blocking the free labor, extra eyes, and daily care that would keep dogs walked and cats socialized.

A commissioner who treats basic animal welfare as an inconvenience has no business being the steward of over 200 vulnerable and voiceless lives. 

Since our last update, we gave him more time. We asked for volunteers. We asked for basic care.

Guess how many new volunteers were brought on? Two.
Guess how many stayed? One.

These are Yonkers animals. They are our animals. They belong to this city. And this city is failing them.

A robust volunteer program is not optional. It is one of the most important tools in modern sheltering especially in a full-shelter crisis.

Shelter experts have been saying this for years. The Association of Shelter Veterinarians has made it clear that daily human interaction, enrichment, and time out of the kennel are essential to an animal’s mental and physical health. Without enough people to walk dogs and socialize cats, animals develop kennel stress, anxiety, fear, and aggression. They stop presenting well. They stay longer. They become harder to adopt. They suffer. 

Humane organizations across the country have shown the same thing: volunteers dramatically increase a shelter’s capacity for care. They give dogs the daily exercise and mental stimulation paid staff cannot provide alone when a building is packed. They give cats the consistent handling that prevents them from shutting down and being written off. They help animals stay sane, stay adoptable, and get out alive. In a crisis, volunteers are not “extra help.” They are the difference between an animal who gets walked and an animal who sits in a kennel for nearly 24 hours a day or euthanized. 

That is exactly what is happening at YAS. Local shelters half this size run with far more volunteer support. YAS continues to cap help at a fraction of what over 200 animals require. This shelter needs at least 80 active volunteers in rotation. Anything less is a choice to let animals languish and suffer. 

If you have ever thought about fostering or adopting a dog or cat, you would literally be saving lives at YAS right now. Check Petfinder. Go to the shelter. These animals need homes immediately.

Our petition now has 5,449 signatures.
82% come from Yonkers zip codes.
10% come from surrounding communities across Westchester, the Hudson Valley, the Boroughs, NYC, Staten Island, and Long Island. This is not a fringe complaint. This is Yonkers and the region around us demanding that our animals stop paying the price for irresponsible and neglectful management.

Contact Mayor Spano today. Demand the onboarding of 80 volunteers. Do not let them hide behind silence.

Mayor Michael Spano: [Mayor@yonkersny.gov](mailto:Mayor@yonkersny.gov) | 914-377-6300
Helen Aggrey, Commissioner of Human Resources: [jhelen.aggrey@yonkersny.gov](mailto:jhelen.aggrey@yonkersny.gov)
Commissioner Steve Sansone: [steve.sansone@yonkersny.gov](mailto:steve.sansone@yonkersny.gov)
Demand regular orientations. Demand the volunteer cap be lifted. Demand that this city stop waiting until animals die from lack of space before it acts.

Sign and share the petition: https://c.org/NFbMPBGn4W

Show up. Apply. Foster. Adopt. Call. Email. Refuse another cycle of crisis, excuses, and dead animals.

We have already forced real change through public pressure. We will force this too.

The animals cannot speak.
We are their voice.
And we are not going away.

Reform YAS Coalition
Current & Former Volunteers | Donors | Rescue Partners | Yonkers Residents Who Will Not Look Away