ASPCA Adoption Center

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — the ASPCA — was founded in 1866 by Henry Bergh, a New York philanthropist who had served briefly as a U.S. diplomat to Russia and had been struck by the work of the British Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals during a stay in London. He returned to New York and, within a year of arriving, organized the first humane society in the United States.

The organization has grown over its 159 years into a national policy and operational organization with adoption centers, animal hospitals, law enforcement arms, and research programs across the country. The flagship Manhattan adoption center on East 92nd Street is one of the most operationally active adoption facilities in New York City and one of the recognizable ASPCA brand locations.

How they work

The ASPCA Adoption Center adoptions begin online or in person. The application is short, the interview is conversational, and meet-and-greets happen for animals that look like a fit. The center is open-hearted in adoption philosophy and operationally focused on placing animals into homes quickly without sacrificing fit.

Adoption fees vary by animal and time of year and are listed on the ASPCA website. Fees include spay or neuter, age-appropriate vaccinations, microchipping, and a starter pack.

The Adoption Center operates as no-kill. Animals are not euthanized for space, time, or for treatable conditions.

Beyond the Adoption Center itself, the broader ASPCA New York operations include:

• The ASPCA Animal Hospital in Manhattan — a comprehensive veterinary hospital serving the ASPCA's New York operations and providing community veterinary care.
• Humane Law Enforcement — though New York City handed primary animal cruelty investigation back to the NYPD in 2014, the ASPCA continues to provide forensic, behavioral, and resource support to active cases.
• Mobile Spay/Neuter Services operating across New York's underserved neighborhoods.
• Foster networks spanning all five boroughs and parts of the surrounding metro.
• Behavior assessment and rehabilitation at the Adoption Center and a dedicated behavioral rehabilitation site upstate.
• National programs including disaster response, anti-cruelty research, and policy advocacy at the federal and state level.

The institutional history

The ASPCA's role in American animal welfare is hard to summarize briefly. Henry Bergh's founding work in 1866 led, within two decades, to the formation of humane societies in nearly every major American city. The legislative framework for animal cruelty enforcement that exists at the state and federal level today was substantially shaped by ASPCA advocacy across the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The Upper East Side adoption center has been the New York face of that broader work for decades. The building, while not as architecturally significant as some newer purpose-built shelter facilities, has been at the same location for many years and is a recognizable piece of the Yorkville neighborhood. The volunteer dog-walker rotation passes through Carl Schurz Park and the East River esplanade daily.

The organization is also one of the better-funded animal welfare nonprofits in the United States, with a national donor base and substantial operational budget. This shows up in operational capacity that smaller shelters can't match — the animal hospital, the rehabilitation programs, the research capacity.

You can support the ASPCA in the standard ways:

• Adopt from the East 92nd Street Adoption Center.
• Foster — the New York foster network is large and constantly recruiting.
• Volunteer — dog walking, cat socializing, animal hospital support, event work.
• Donate — the ASPCA publishes detailed financials annually.

Field & Era at the ASPCA

The East 92nd Street coordinates appear regularly in Companion Edition orders shipped throughout Manhattan and the broader New York metro. If you adopted from the ASPCA Adoption Center and want the address set on archival paper, see the Companion Edition. 10% of every Companion order supports a rescue partner.

Last verified May 29, 2026. Facts about hours, intake policies, and adoption fees can change. Confirm with ASPCA Adoption Center directly before visiting.