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Hours
Mon: Closed
Tue-Sun: 11:30 to 3:30pm  |
Hurricane Irene: Shelter Evacuated
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Humane Law Update
The Patura Road house was recently foreclosed upon and sold at county auction in April. New owners who arrived months later to inspect the house discovered the cats. Town officials quickly condemned the property. Continuing investigations seek to determine who is responsible for the neglect.
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UCSPCA Fundraising ideas!
Please contact Brian Shapiro if you would like to help raise funds for the animals: bshapiro@ucspca.org or 845-331-5377 x211.
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Shelter Shout Out: How can you say thank you a million times? We wish we could, but there’s only so much space in the newsletter! Donna Spada of Kingston went above and beyond during Hurricane Irene to provide all of our animals with a safe place to stay during the evacuation. Donna - THANK YOU! You really saved the day!
Hats off to Bev Sharrett and Arlene Ruff for managing the Happy Paws Thrift Store, which has been so successful at raising funds for the UCSPCA!
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Spay/ neuter — the most important thing you can do!As a guardian to a cat or dog, following through with spaying or neutering is probably the most important step one can take to reduce the burgeoning number of unwanted animals in our community. In the United States, 6-8 million animals find themselves in shelters every year but only half of them make it to new loving homes. The UCSPCA is a no-kill facility, but many are not. Allowing pets to have “one litter” unfortunately always introduces more puppies and kittens into a society where a staggering number of animals are already facing euthanasia every day. Even if a “good home” can be found for puppies or kittens, there are already puppies and kittens in shelters that need homes! The only effective way to address this problem is to actively promote spay / neuter. It’s an easy and affordable procedure! The UCSPCA’s Low Cost Spay /Neuter Clinic has fixed tens of thousands of animals since 1998. We have three highly experienced veterinarians working hard to keep the local pet population under control. The clinic is open four days a week. Please call for more information about our reduced fees and special programs to fix pitbulls, pitbull mixes and feral cats. The clinic may be reached by calling 845-331-5377 x216 or clinic@ucspca.org. ____________________________________________________
Best Friends and Pup My Ride: Stop the Puppy Mills!
Each year, millions of dogs face an unknown end when they become useless to commercial breeders (puppy mills). These operations are nothing but profit-motivated production lines for puppies.These breeding dogs live their entire lives in filthy, wire cages without love or proper veterinary care. Stop and think about it — most pure bred dogs and dogs sold in pet stores come from puppy mills! Pup My Ride is a Best Friends program designed to get dogs out of puppy mills and into their forever homes. Best Friends works with partners like the UCSPCA to make life better for these animals. We are pleased to be working with Best Friends and look forward to finding new homes for these rescued puppy mill dogs!
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Volunteer at the shelterTake some time to make life better for dogs, cats, bunnies and other animals! Find out more at an upcoming volunteer meeting. Potential volunteers must complete an application and may bring it to the orientation. Applications are available at the shelter or online (ucspca.org). Orientations are from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Kingston shelter, and dates are as follows:
Download our volunteer application and agreement:
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On August 28th, the UCSPCA received calls from Ulster County Emergency Management and Ulster Hose Company #5, both warning our staff of rising flood waters in the immediate areas around the shelter. As the Esopus Creek began its slow and steady rise to record levels, UCSPCA staff and volunteers acted quickly to safely evacuate 250 shelter animals. This was no easy task and came at great expense. However, within hours, all animals were removed from the flood zone and placed in a safe building in Kingston, which was donated by our dear friend and supporter Donna Spada. For days, floodwaters remained high, power to the building was cut, and the only means of accessing the shelter property was by boat! Days later, with the arrival of more rain, waters rose for a second time and the area surrounding our shelter went under water again! After the Esopus creek crested and waters began to recede, a steady march of volunteers and donors provided an impressive amount of supplies. 
Because people from near and far showed so much kindness and generosity, our animals were all returned safely to the shelter with plenty of food, bedding and cleaning supplies. Several fallen trees as well as damage to our dog run areas, fencing, and bungalows have since been addressed. We are forever grateful to all those who came to the rescue! We will never forget your help!
In September, the UCSPCA rescued 37 cats from a Plattekill home strewn with garbage, flea-infested debris, and feces. “The second floor seemed to be collapsing from the weight of garbage and animal waste,” said investigator Adam Saunders. “This was the unhealthiest environment we’ve seen in years. Two cats were found deceased at the scene. Surviving animals were brought to the shelter and treated for emaciation, open sores, ear mites, and infections.
The UCSPCA proudly participated in this year’s Pup My Ride event sponsored by Best Friends Animal Society, taking in seven lucky small dogs including Shih Tzu’s and Dachshunds. These animals arrived in Armonk, NY along with150 discarded puppy mill dogs from the Midwest following a 24-hour drive in a large rescue vehicle.