CPHS staffers plead for help

Jun 3, 2023

Dogs greet visitors to the Central PA Humane Society's kennels for large breeds. The no kill shelter is near to capacity with dogs and cats of all ages.Mirror photos by Rachel Foor

Stray animals, "COVID pets" and owner surrenders are overwhelming area humane societies, with the Central Pennsylvania Humane Society taking to Facebook on Thursday to say it is "overly full" and asking when enough will be enough.

"You see our posts," the post read. "We do not hide what we are going through. What is even more sad, is that we rely on our community for help yet our community is who is putting us in this position."

Shelter Manager Dylan Kotrick said that while having a lot of animals is "not necessarily unusual," the number of people not reclaiming their dogs or "just dumping them" in the shelter's yard is unusual.

"A lot of these are COVID animals," Kotrick said. "We are now seeing the repercussions of seeing people going back to work and not wanting that responsibility of taking care of a pet."

He also said adoptions are down, further exacerbating the problem.

The Central PA Hu­­­­­­mane Society, a no kill shelter, is "overly full" with cats and dogs of all ages.Mirror photo by Rachel Foor

The Central PA Humane Society can fit 24 dogs comfortably or 44 dogs maximum in its kennels, Kotrick said, but are currently in the position of having to house

62 dogs on-site. They can also hold about 70 cats but are now housing 72. As of Thursday, the shelter had a total of 218 animals in its care, including those in foster homes.

"If you don't know where you’re going to be in the next four, 10, 12 years, depending on the age of the animal you’re going to get, then don't get an animal if you’re not willing to take it with you or make it work," Kotrick said. "If you’re not in it for the long haul, don't get an animal."

The shelter employs about 20 people with seven working a day, Kotrick said, meaning that every person has a minimum of 15 animals to clean. Caring for that number of animals also makes their morning cleanings longer, which shortens the amount of one-on-one time the animals get with staff or volunteers.

"The dogs are constantly barking," Kotrich said. "It's hard for them to relax, they’re stressed and not doing so well."

Veterinary technician Ericka Selfridge checks on one of the Central PA Humane Society's many cats. Carseat French Fry is one of 72 cats the shelter is caring for, while its capacity is 70.Mirror photo by Rachel Foor

One of the biggest things that the shelter is fighting and that overpopulation can make worse is the spread of disease such as canine parvovirus, said Kayla Whitfield, a Lakemont Veterinary Clinic veterinarian who helps oversee the CPHS.

The shelter announced via Facebook on Friday that it had "three positive parvo cases due to dogs that were likely never vaccinated by their previous owners" and that it had no other choice but to shut down its "dog side for two weeks and quarantine."

"What is even more upsetting is we have an overabundance of dogs who will have to wait another two weeks to potentially find homes — all because of animals that were likely not cared for properly," the announcement read.

The shelter's dog side will be closed until June 17.

"They are a no kill shelter so even though they are full, they will not euthanize for space or illness," Whitfield said.

The Central PA Humane Society's 20 staffers regularly must clean and care for a minimum of 15 animals per shift each day.Mirror photo by Rachel Foor

Kathy Ramsey, shelter manager at the Bedford County Humane Society, said that they are also being "overrun with dogs and cats," with a lot of them being owner surrenders.

"I have never, ever seen it like this with owner surrenders," Ramsey said. "We just don't have any room for them."

Ramsey said that some owners have been evicted, some are moving, some say they can't afford to take care of them, while others "just don't want them anymore."

"Adopting a pet is a lifetime commitment," Ramsey said. "Make sure you’re ready for that because it's just like having a child. Taking an animal out of here and then deciding in six months or a year that you don't want it and bringing it back is so hard on the animal."

She said the Bedford County Humane Society has 44 kennels and 51 dogs on-site, but some are puppies with their mothers.

"You have three dogs out and six come in," Ramsey said. "You can't win."

They also have about 85 cats, with both the cat and kitten room being full, Ramsey said.

"We have people calling from Altoona, Johnstown, Somerset, Chambersburg," Ramsey said. "But right now it's kitten season — we’re exploding with kittens and we can't take any more in."

Between volunteers and employees, Ramsey usually has three people working in the dog area, one in the cat area and one in the office.

The Humane Society of Cambria County Kennel Lead Carrie Wozniak said that it is at about 85-90% capacity and that certain areas are completely full.

"I would say for the most part, all humane societies are in the same boat with being almost full, a lot of owner surrenders and strays," Wozniak said. "COVID happened and everyone was staying home, but now they’re going back and can't take care of them anymore."

The shelter managers agreed that people can prevent even more animals ending up in shelters by having their pets microchipped, wear updated identification, be spayed or neutered, be kept inside or not be left outside unsupervised. If spay, neutering or medical costs seem too expensive, Whitfield said local humane societies can provide pet owners with helpful resources.

The humane societies expressed a need for Purina One dog food, cat food, kitten food, treats, toys and cleaning supplies.

With the outbreak of canine parvovirus at the Central PA Humane Society, it needs bedding and monetary donations for treatment.

"Care for something like parvo costs a lot in time and resources, especially with the meds needed to treat it," Whitfield said.

Kotrick said that the shelter's medical bills usually top $400,000 annually.

However, he said the number one thing they need are volunteers.

"We need more people to get these dogs out, to socialize them better," Kotrick said.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.

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