Animal orgs large and small work together

Manhattan: Edwin Sayres’ Sept. 30 op-ed ” ‘Pet charity paradox’ hurts stray cats & dogs” misleads readers by suggesting that supporting national animal welfare organizations like the ASPCA comes at the expense of local shelters. That claim fundamentally mischaracterizes how animal welfare works today. The ASPCA works alongside local shelters, rescues and communities across the country to help animals — not in competition with them.

In 2025 alone, the ASPCA provided more than $29 million in grants and supported more than 1,400 organizations nationwide. We helped find or support safe, loving homes for more than 70,000 animals while providing veterinary care, relocation services, disaster and cruelty response, behavioral expertise, professional training and other critical resources to local animal welfare organizations. The suggestion that this lifesaving work somehow doesn’t count because it doesn’t arrive in the form of a check written directly to a shelter is inaccurate.

Equally misleading is Sayres’ suggestion that shelter euthanasia is merely a math problem solved by purchasing more kennel space. Animals enter shelters for complex reasons, and shelters face challenges involving veterinary access, staffing, behavioral needs, housing barriers and capacity. Preventing animals from entering is a clear protective measure every bit as important as caring for them once they arrive. We’re proud to work alongside local shelters and rescues, and we won’t be distracted from that mission by arguments designed to divide us.

Matt Bershadker, president and CEO, ASPCA

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