No, the future of the Greene County Animal Alliance is not in jeopardy

CAIRO―The future of the Greene County Animal Alliance is not in peril if the group cannot find a home.

Organization officials spoke this week about their continued commitment to building a companion animal shelter in Greene County and said that, contrary to a recent local media report, they are not at risk of financially going under.

“The Greene County Animal Alliance is not in jeopardy of closing.  We have nothing to close,” said Board Member Mark Gorelick.

“We are an all-volunteer organization.  As such, we receive no salaries.  We have no offices to maintain.  No monthly expenses,” he explained.

But many existing shelters and fosters are at risk of shutting their doors, Gorelick said.

The reason is the Companion Animal Care Standards Act, state legislation unanimously passed in 2022 and that took effect on December 15, 2025.

The law establishes mandatory licensing, care and infrastructure standards, and regular inspections for all municipal and not-for-profit animal shelters and rescues. And while the new regulations are well-intended to enhance the lives of homeless cats and dogs, there are concerns that smaller rescues and fosters may not be able to financially handle the new mandates.

“It is going to impact every shelter,” said Joyce Lissandrello, treasurer of the Greene County Animal Alliance.

“Fosters are going to say, ‘Yeah, sorry, I’m happy to do this but not if I have to jump through hoops.’ It’s insane,” said Lissandrello.

Under New York’s Companion Animal Care Standards Act, even small home-based facilities need to be licensed, Gorelick noted.

“These are very difficult standards,” he said, adding that they are concerned about losing volunteers who foster and rescue dogs and cats.

Overpopulation, particularly of cats, has been a consistent problem in Greene County, Lissandrello said. The number of kittens resulting from one unspayed female can reach an average of 5,000 in seven years, according to the National Feline Research Council and the Humane Society of the United States.

Across the country, shelters are already overwhelmed. More than 5.8 million companion animals enter shelters and rescues annually, with intake consistently exceeding adoptions, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

But it is estimated that the United States has more than 70 million homeless cats and dogs, the majority of which roam the streets.

Since Greene County is one of the few counties in the state that does not have an animal shelter, homeless cats and dogs need to be brought to facilities in neighboring counties. Often, Lissandrello said, they don’t have the room or resources.

“Anyone who thinks we don’t need a shelter is wrong,” she said.

Greene County did have its own animal shelter at one time. The Athens Division of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society, located on State Route 385, closed in 1998 after 31 years due to financial constraints.

Since 2023, the Greene County Animal Alliance has been raising money through donations, fundraising events, private grants, and an estimated 50 cash boxes across the county―bringing in well over $100,000 toward its goal of building a new companion animal shelter within the county.

“The implementation of the Companion Animal Care Standards Act only serves to increase our resolve.  We are not afraid of obstacles and we are not diminished at all in our resolve to see that Greene County gets the companion animal shelter they deserve,” said Gorelick.

“It makes the need for a shelter here in Greene County even more critical,” he added.

Right now, the biggest hurdle for the group is securing a piece of land.

To date, the Greene County Animal Alliance has looked at more than two dozen parcels but nothing has panned out.

They need three to five buildable acres that are zoned for commercial use and ideally located in a centralized part of the county. Many of the parcels they have seen contain wetlands or ground that is too sloped, Lissandrello noted.

The organization has also approached Greene County several times in hopes that lawmakers will part with a piece of land. Last month, they offered $75,000 for five acres that are part of a larger 16.85-acre lot between Main Street and Route 84 in Cairo. Currently, the county is utilizing a portion of that property to construct a new mental health building.

But Greene County paid around $28,000 per acre for the site back in 2024 and Legislative Chairman Patrick Linger has said he is not inclined to part with any of it for less than what taxpayers invested, nor is he ready to call the land surplus.

“This latest rejection by the county is one of at least four over the last three years,” said Gorelick, adding that since then they have looked at several other properties within their price range, including one owned by the Town of Cairo.  

“Although we are disappointed every time the county says no to us, that has never meant an end to our mission.  We continue to raise funds and spread the word about the need for the shelter throughout Greene County,” Gorelick said.

The Greene County Animal Alliance could be eligible for state grant money to build a shelter―but they have to secure the property first.

“There are hundreds of thousands of dollars available,” Gorelick said. “But you have to have the land first.”

Part of the organization’s 2026-2029 strategic plan is to prepare for an estimated $4 million capital campaign. The timeline includes securing land in 2026 with the goal of opening the shelter in 2028.

“From the very start we understood that our goal was a marathon and not a sprint to a finish line,” Gorelick said.

In addition to land, Lissandrello said the Greene County Animal Alliance is looking for more manpower. Anyone who would like to volunteer, or who has a piece of land they are willing to part with, can visit greenecountyanimalalliance.org.