Resolution submitted to purchase new facility for Buffalo Animal Shelter

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A resolution has been submitted to the Buffalo Common Council to find a new facility for the Buffalo Animal Shelter, and to address the problems at the current one.

Fillmore District Councilman Mitch Nowakowski, who submitted the resolution, says he was unaware of the situation until he started receiving complaints over the living conditions that the animals have to endure.

"Over the course of a few weeks, my constituents, who happen to be volunteers of the shelter, did inform me that they were very troubled with the conditions of the shelter. So last week, I went in for a tour with the commissioner and the director, and the conditions there are decrepit and they're substandard," said Nowakowski in an interview with WBEN. "I witnessed overcrowding of dogs, feces in cages, poor ventilation and really a very decrepit facility."

Nowakowski believes the situation was allowed to fester because of mismanagement, and a lack of funding from the city.

"The City of Buffalo has always been in a poverty mindset, where we've always been hand-to-mouth. We keep budgets very low, we don't raise revenue, and we never have surplus of funds to actually address matters in the city of Buffalo," Nowakowski stated.

As part of the resolution, Nowakoski proposes the city to use the capitol from the old facility and use it to fund one that actually has the required space needed for the animals.

"It lacks humanity, and it also just lacks common sense that we can have an animal shelter where it's overcrowded and there's not enough staff to keep the cleanliness. There's not even outdoor space for the animal," Nowakowski stated. "Then you're what, rehabilitating these animals in substandard conditions and then giving them back to the public? It's a big issue, and we have to tackle it."

A report on the resolution is expected to be submitted by Oct. 24.