Are New York City's overcrowded animal shelters breeding abuse?

EAST HARLEM (WABC) -- Animal Care and Control is one of the largest animal welfare organizations in the country. Some 30,000 animals are brought there every year for help. Now, AC&C is under attack by City Comptroller Scott Stringer.

Milo is one of the lucky ones. He has found a loving foster home with Rhoda Glass.

"Every dog comes out of shelter hacking with a kennel cough. They never treat them, because they're going to kill them if you don't take them," says Glass.

Animal lovers and Scott Stringer came out Sunday highly critical of Animal Care and Control in New York City.

"Animal Care and Control is putting city stray and homeless animals at such risk through shoddy and dangerous practices that would make your skin crawl," said Stringer.

After a four month study, auditors now accuse the non-profit agency of poor record keeping, fiscal mismanagement and overcrowding. The study says workers, on 500 occasions gave animals drugs that had already expired. Worse yet, Eyewitness News is told that auditors found animal remains in the freezer right next to the vaccines.

Animal Care and Control has a $52 million, 5-year contract with the city to provide shelter, medical care, homes or euthanasia for all the animals that are brought to the facility - that is about 30,000 each year.

In response, AC&C told Eyewitness News that they cooperated with the audit, and are "committed to continual improvement". Last year, they report 80% of the animals that were brought to them were either adopted, placed into another organization, or returned to their owner. They do not turn away any animal in need.