Animal shelter to open in Queens as others in NYC remain overcrowded

The first full-service public animal shelter in Queens will open on Tuesday, as shelters around the city say they’re overwhelmed with dogs who need homes.

The 50,000-square-foot facility is located on Flushing Avenue in Ridgewood and has capacity for 72 dogs and 110 cats, according to the nonprofit Animal Care Centers of NYC.

Among other amenities, it features a retractable glass roof so that dogs can enjoy natural light and fresh air, a roaming room for cats and a rooftop area for dogs. The long-planned shelter also offers a full range of services, including adoption counseling and will eventually provide veterinary care.

The staff is looking forward to becoming part of the community and enjoying the perks of a facility designed to house animals instead of being retrofitted from previous spaces, like most other city animal shelters, said ACC spokesperson Katy Hansen.

“The most exciting thing is, when staff have been taking dogs out for walks and just walking around, that neighborhood is filled with dogs and with animal-loving people,” she said. “We're just psyched to be part of the neighborhood. People might want to just come to the shelter and hang out and read a book — it's so big.”

The planned opening of the shelter comes as the Brooklyn Animal Care Center has closed for renovations and is expected to reopen in 2026.

It also comes as Animal Care Centers of NYC, which runs a network of pet shelters, reports chronic overcrowding at facilities citywide, with the number of returned pets surging after a pandemic-era adoption boom and the adoption rate plummeting. The new Queens location is already over its capacity for dogs, since more than 100 dogs in its care were transferred from Brooklyn, Hansen said.

The shelter is named after late Queens City Councilmember Paul Vallone , who was the main sponsor of a law requiring that every borough have a full-service animal shelter. Vallone died of a heart attack earlier this year at the age of 56.

Those interested in adopting a pet from the new facility can look at the animals online before visiting in person. Volunteers can also sign up for the first volunteer orientation on Aug. 27.