Photo provided by Dawn J. Sagert/The York Dispatch
The York County SPCA has announced its reopening plan to begin in November. Starting Tuesday, November 9th, the York County SPCA will open with limited hours for the public to browse adoptable animals.
Hours include:
Tuesday: 10am-2pm
Wednesday: 10am-2pm
Thursday: 10am-2pm
The YCSPCA will continue to operate by appointment only for adoptions, surrenders, and lifetime licensing. Adoption applications will continue to be processed online. The best way for the public to adopt is to check out available animals either online or during visiting hours (Tuesday - Thursday 10am-2pm), and then submit an adoption application online. Once an adoption application is approved, a YCSPCA staff member will schedule a meet between that pet and the potential adopter. Application approval takes approximately 3-4 business days.
Please note that this means that there will be no visitation with animals during public hours. Masks will still be required. The YCSPCA aims to expand open hours by later this year or early 2022. Thank you for our support and understanding!
Read the full press release below download it here.
After 20 Months of Closure, the York County SPCA Reopens
Beginning Tuesday, November 9th, the York County SPCA will open with limited hours for the public to browse adoptable animals. Hours include Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10am to 2pm. The YCSPCA will continue to operate by appointment only for adoptions, surrenders, and lifetime licensing.
In March of 2020, the York County SPCA had to close to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, in 2021, the national labor shortage weighed on the animal welfare organization that has been serving York County since 1926. Staffing levels hit a critical low while animal intake numbers hit a critical high. Over the last few months, the YCSPCA has worked to hire and train new staff while taking in record-breaking numbers of animals. In the first four months of 2021, the York County SPCA took in an average of 141 animals per month. Then, as sudden as if someone had flipped a switch, animal intake spiked radically. From May to September, the shelter took in an average of 226 animals per month.
That rapid 60% increase in animal intake amplified the burden caused by the labor shortage as staff worked overtime to keep up with processing, caring for, and adopting out animals. So, the YCSPCA remained closed to provide proper animal care while recovering from critical staffing shortages. The animal resource center continued providing services to the community every day including adoptions, surrenders, stray intake, lifetime licensing, human service programs, animal welfare checks, and reuniting lost pets with their owners. Some of these services, such as adoptions and surrenders, were scheduled by appointment, and that appointment model has helped the YCSPCA operate more efficiently.
“In the last 20 months, we’ve learned a lot about efficiency in our procedures. By scheduling appointments, we’ve created a more organized operational structure that allows us to serve the people and pets in our community more efficiently,” said Steven Martinez, Executive Director of the York County SPCA.
Additionally, adoption applications will continue to be processed online. The best way for the public to adopt is to check out available animals either online (www.ycspca.org) or during visiting hours (Tuesday - Wednesday 10am-2pm), and then submit an adoption application online. Once an adoption application is approved, a YCSPCA staff member will schedule a meet between that pet and potential adopter.
“We understand that limited hours may hinder our community’s ability to come in and browse animals. But it’s necessary for two reasons. One – we have a lot of new staff members who are amazing but are still getting up to speed. And two – our animals need a gradual transition to the return of public visitors. Seeing crowds of strangers each day will be very overstimulating. It is best for our animal’s wellbeing to ease into this change,” said Martinez, “We are reopening to be more accessible for our community, but we are easing into our reopening plan for the sake of our animals and new staff members.”
The York County SPCA aims to expand open hours later this year or in early 2022.
Martinez shared one final thought on reopening. “We are a little nervous, but very excited, to welcome the community back to the York County SPCA. We’ve missed connecting with the public and giving a larger number of people an opportunity to see all the amazing pets that are available for adoption.”
Again, thank you for your support and understanding!
