{"id":3425,"date":"2025-04-17T18:17:49","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T18:17:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.humanepa.org\/?p=3425"},"modified":"2025-04-17T18:17:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T18:17:49","slug":"dog-adoptions-return-to-lancaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.humanepa.org\/?p=3425","title":{"rendered":"Dog Adoptions Return to Lancaster!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by Karel Minor, Humane Pennsylvania President & CEO<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"Despite news stories and animal shelter full-tilt freakout press releases to the contrary, the war on pet overpopulation and needless shelter euthanasia has been a wild success. In 1970, up to 26 million cats and dogs entered animal shelters, and up to 20 million of those were euthanized. To put that in context, in 1970 there were only 65 million cats and dogs in the U.S. So, in 1970, as much as 40% of the cats and dogs alive in the U.S. passed through shelters, and as many as 1 in 3.25 pets alive at the time were killed in <\/em>animal shelters every year.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to 2025. The U.S. is estimated to have 199 million cats and dogs. Estimates for the number of cats and dogs entering America\u2019s shelters range between six million and four million (depending on who you ask and how you count). The number of cats and dogs euthanized in shelters is between a high estimate of 3 million and a low of under 800,000. That\u2019s a numeric intake reduction of between 77% and 84%. The reduction in euthanasia since 1970 is between 85% to 96%.<\/em><\/p>\n

As a percentage of the U.S. cat and dog population, the number of animals killed in shelters compared to the total number of animals has dropped from up to 40% in 1970 to a high of 1.5%, or a low estimate of one-half of one percent<\/em> of animals alive in 2024. If that\u2019s not good news\u2014if that\u2019s not an outright victory<\/em>\u2014I don\u2019t know what is.\"\"<\/p>\n

Now, I know some of you reading may be yelling, \u201cYou lie! Those numbers are false!\u201d That\u2019s fine\u2014you can Google the scientific papers and multiple national shelter population surveys that back this information up. If you need something to support the narrative that shelters are still drowning in pets, just jump in your car and drive until you go over the edge of the flat Earth. You might find the facts you want to find there.<\/p>\n

While this is great news in the aggregate, one animal that dies needlessly is a tragedy\u2014and animals still die needlessly sometimes. Also, some parts of the U.S. have greater challenges than others. But by and large, a shelter focus on adoption over death, access to sterilization, vet care, proper nutrition, changes in the perception of acceptable pet care responsibilities, social media, microchip ID, and radically changed animal control models have improved the world for pets and their families for the better.<\/p>\n

\"\"What the heck does this have to do with dog adoptions in Lancaster? Everything. The animal shelter infrastructure in Lancaster and Berks County, where Humane PA has adoption centers, was created in the 1970s to handle 1970s realities. As recently as 20 years ago, the combined shelter intake for the Humane League of Lancaster County and the Humane Society of Berks County was 21,000 cats and dogs a year. Over 14,000 of those animals were euthanized.<\/p>\n

Ten years ago, these two forward-thinking and innovative organizations merged to become Humane Pennsylvania. Thanks to our industry-leading and groundbreaking work\u2014combined with an already-happening sea change in the status of pet animals in the U.S.\u2014in the past year, our shelters only took in 1,970 animals, and only 135 were euthanized. That\u2019s just about 6% of total intake, and solely for true medical necessity and to relieve genuine suffering\u2014just like many of us have had to do for our own elderly, sick, or severely injured pets. That\u2019s also less than one-tenth of one percent<\/em> of the number euthanized in our shelters twenty years ago.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s one of the reasons Humane PA decided to move the increasingly small number of dogs we have for adoption in Lancaster to just one of our adoption centers: the newly renovated adoption center in Reading. We also renovated the Lancaster kennels to open Spike & Tilly\u2019s Pet Resort, which offers increasingly hard-to-find affordable pet boarding services. This new service is in line with our pioneering creation of affordable vet care programs over the past 18 years.<\/p>\n

It left a lot of kennels empty\u2014kennels that were built to deal with the 1970 tsunami of pets, but were no longer being filled by homeless pets for adoption in our community. But we hate<\/em> resources going to waste.\"\"<\/p>\n

Sometimes, opportunity connects resources and need and opens the door for something wonderful and unexpected. That\u2019s what happened in Lancaster! While we\u2019ve been breaking new ground creating affordable, accessible services for pets in the home, our great friends at Brandywine Valley SPCA have been doing incredible, pioneering work that has been transforming animal control services to help animals out on the streets. Most recently, they were asked to take over animal control services for all of Washington, D.C., and while they renovate animal care facilities down there, they needed a place for animals to be safely housed and adopted.<\/p>\n

Guess who had the space available? We did! We couldn\u2019t be more excited to be sharing our available resources with our friends at BVSPCA while they bring improved services to a major city in need. We\u2019re also thrilled to be able to help them bring a welcome supply of dogs in need of homes to our community!<\/p>\n

BVSPCA\u2019s dog adoption center is located in HPA\u2019s kennel facility at our Lancaster Campus. The adoption center is run entirely by their staff and has its own entrance and hours (visit BVSPCA.org<\/a> for details). If you are in Lancaster County and looking for a dog to adopt, check it out!<\/p>\n

Of course, while you\u2019re at it, check out Humane PA\u2019s Lancaster Cat & Critter Adoption Center<\/a>, The Thrifty Kitty Thrift Boutique<\/a>, and Spike and Tilly\u2019s Pet Resort<\/a> for affordable pet boarding!\u00a0 If it\u2019s for animals, HPA\u2019s Lancaster campus has it all!<\/p>\n

While we\u2019ve got your eyeballs, consider helping as a volunteer<\/a>! HPA has opportunities from working in the new thrift shop to animal care, events, admin support, gardening, and so much more! Volunteers make our work possible\u2014and we make it easy, fun, and meaningful.<\/p>\n

To recap:<\/strong> The well-being of animals is incontrovertibly better compared to 50 years ago\u2014and getting better all the time. But it\u2019s not perfect. Through hard work, creative programs that focus on the needs of today and tomorrow (instead of yesterday\u2019s), highly effective partnerships like the one with BVSPCA, and the volunteer and financial support of people like you, we are<\/em> creating the best communities anywhere to be an animal or an animal caretaker. Thank you!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Karel Minor, Humane Pennsylvania President & CEO Despite news stories and animal shelter full-tilt freakout press releases to the contrary, the war on pet overpopulation and needless shelter euthanasia has been a wild success. In 1970, up to 26 million cats and dogs entered animal shelters, and up to 20 million of those …
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