PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Elizabeth Champ, Licensed Clinical Social Worker from Brooklyn Fat Cats
4:46:00
·
96 sec
Elizabeth Champ, a licensed clinical social worker managing Brooklyn Fat Cats, testifies about the importance of pet ownership and the urgent need for accessible spay/neuter services in New York City. She emphasizes that people will own pets regardless of regulations and that the city should provide free or low-cost spay/neuter services as a basic necessity.
- Champ highlights the emotional benefits of pet ownership, especially during challenging times like the pandemic.
- She stresses that current spay/neuter service providers cannot meet the demand, and her rescue group is constantly asked for assistance.
- Champ argues that companion animals serve as anchors in people's lives, keeping them involved in their neighborhoods and communities.
Elizabeth Champ
4:46:00
Good afternoon.
4:46:01
My name is Elizabeth Champ.
4:46:02
I'm a licensed clinical social worker, and I manage Brooklyn fat cats.
4:46:06
A small rescue group based in Flack Bush, Brooklyn.
4:46:08
That is district 40, and I would like to thank member Rita Joseph for meeting with me earlier last week to discuss these issues.
4:46:17
People are going to own pets, They're going to sneak them into Nisha Houses.
4:46:21
They're going to hide them in notepad apartments.
4:46:24
People get something from animal companionship that they simply can't get from people, and they are not going to go without it.
4:46:30
My group assists people with their animals, whether they are indoors or outdoors.
4:46:35
The ownership of pets is something that we are never going to be able to legislate, and Spay Nuder is never something that we're we're going to be able to find away or create.
4:46:45
I believe strongly that Spay Nuder is something that the city should be providing.
4:46:48
It is the most basic medical services for the pets of our city.
4:46:52
The majority of pet owners would like their pets to be fixed, but the current groups that provide services simply can't provide enough.
4:46:59
Our group is constantly being asked for assistance.
4:47:02
To those that would say, just don't own pets.
4:47:04
If you can't afford them, I'd like to describe my own experience of the pandemic.
4:47:08
For days at a time, my dog was the only one I saw because I live alone.
4:47:14
Walking her, feeding her, and caring for her, was what made the pandemic survivable for me.
4:47:20
The thing is that for some people, life now was not much very different than before the pandemic.
4:47:25
And their companion animals continue to be anchors to their lives that keep them involved in their neighborhood and in their community.
4:47:32
Please help them by providing free or low cost bay in Newnan.
4:47:35
Thank you very much.