BY LUIS ANGEL PEREZ MARTINEZ
The number of animals entering shelters has been increasing, so Petco has partnered with several animal welfare organizations to host adoption events. On September 6, they brought dogs and cats for adoption to Bensonhurst.
As of June 2025, approximately 2.8 million cats and dogs were entering animal shelters annually in the United States, according to data from the Shelter Animal Count. This influx has led to significant overcrowding, particularly in urban areas like New York City, where some shelters have been forced to stop accepting new animals due to capacity limitations.
The Animal Care Center of NYC (ACC), a non-profit organization, faced a challenge in July 2025, when its animal population exceeded 1,000, leading to what ACC called “a capacity challenge.” ACC reported more than 600 animals surrendered by their owners in June 2025.
Despite this, the group is still accepting new animals into its shelters. Furthermore, ACC is expanding with a new shelter location in the Bronx scheduled to open by late 2025. But the ACC’s primary goal is “to end animal homelessness,” according to an ACC coordinator.
The ACC regularly organizes adoption events across different parts of New York City, collaborating with numerous other animal rescue organizations. Furthermore, ACC has established a partnership with Petco, allowing it to showcase adoptable animals at select Petco stores.
Petco’s Bensonhurst location frequently hosts adoption events, providing a place for different organizations to showcase animals in need of homes. Key organizations that have participated in these events at the Bensonhurst store include Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC), Pup Start Rescue, See Spot Rescued (SSR), and Best Friends Animal Society.
The event is designed to provide prospective adopters with an understanding of the responsibilities and emotional aspects of pet adoption, ensuring that they are prepared to provide a lifelong, caring home for the animal they choose to adopt. The adoption process typically begins with a thorough interview about expectations of adopting a pet. Organizations prioritize understanding an applicant’s history with pets, their current living situation, and their approach to caring for the animal. Once the initial assessment is complete, applicants will then be required to provide identification and pay an adoption fee before they can take their new pet home.
The rate at which pets are surrendered by their owners to shelters remains high. A recent case highlighting this issue involves a dog named Coco. Coco was surrendered by her owner, though the specific reasons behind this decision are unknown.
A volunteer from the ACC, Jake, observed Coco’s gentleness with other humans, noting that she would be an ideal companion for an owner, capable “just to sit on their lap and watch TV. It’s like a companion.” Jake said.
During this event there were lots of cats and dogs waiting to be adopted. There were several types of animals to choose from, both big and small. The volunteers helped out the community by letting people take out the dogs for a walk or petting or playing around with the cats.
Despite many animals creating a busy and sometimes challenging environment, the staff genuinely seemed to enjoy caring for them and strongly encouraged continued adoption.
Tasha, who preferred not to give his last name, is a current mobile adoption coordinator and travels across the city to ensure that every animal’s basic needs are met.
“I think this is what leads to like our capacity challenges is […] if we overpopulate with cats, we can put pop-up crates in a room and double our capacity. For example, in like certain rooms with dogs, it’s not an easy solution because you can’t just throw six dogs in an area or without being very deliberate about who it is.” Tasha explained.