Our mission is to protect and improve the health and welfare of companion animals and to support the people who care for them. As we enter our one hundredth year of service, we are re-dedicating ourselves to that mission with three significant policy changes.
1. We will become a "no-kill" organization by July of 2012.
2. We will devote our resources to prevention, education and outreach programs that:
- Prevent animal cruelty and overpopulation
- Place animals in caring homes
- Promote responsible pet ownership through education and affordable animal care services
3. We will stop offering animal control services to municipalities in July of 2011. Animal control is incompatible with our mission in the following ways:
- It requires us to accept more animals than we can care for given our facility and resources
- That means we must euthanize adoptable animals when we run out of space and foster homes
- It diverts rescoures we should use to solve problems that cause the proliferation of strays
We hope the following will answer any questions you may have regarding this change.
What do you mean by no-kill?
Why become a no-kill organization?
What's going to happen to the stray animals?
Why wait until 2012 to become a no-kill organization?
Why stop animal control?
What will you do with the space and time now that you won't have to take in the stray animals and animals that come in through animal control?
Why stop in July of 2011?
I have visted the SPCA twice, hosted several (of the) SPCA's leaders at my animal center, and provided ongoing consultation, so I am aware of the improvement and changes taking place. I have met many of the current staff and volunteers at this facility and I have the highest respect for them because of their love and dedication to animals. I have seen first-hand how hard they work and have interviewed many of them and am aware of the emotional strain. Now the Delaware County SPCA has decided to become a no-kill shelter, end animal control services and expand its programming to include a greater focus on education, adoption and prevention,
including more spay/neuter services. With its new focus, the SPCA will be able to place more animals in new homes and do more to reduce the population of unwanted and neglected animals.
These are the right decisions for the animals, staff and volunteers.
These are the right decisions to save more lives than ever before."
-Mike Arms
President, Helen Woodward Animal Center and internationally recognized animal-welfare advocate