Updated: 6/18/2024
The York County SPCA plays a vital role, akin to a police or fire department, in ensuring public health and safety. We provide refuge for sick, injured, abandoned, and lost animals, rehabilitating them and finding them loving homes. Last year, we were confronted with a crisis. The number of stray canines we took in skyrocketed by 35%, pushing our kennel to its maximum capacity for almost a year. This strained our team and volunteers and put the animals in our care at risk. It was a stark reminder that our current resources are insufficient to handle such a high intake.
Starting July 1, 2024, the York County SPCA will implement a new stray canine intake process. We will only accept stray dogs from a contracted animal control officer (ACO), a York County police department officer, or a Pennsylvania state dog warden. This change is necessary to create a safer and more reliable animal intake process, aligning us with best practices in shelter animal intake across the United States. We will continue to accept stray canines and other domestic animals from contracted municipalities. The only change is how the animals arrive at our facility. We need a more professional intake process to meet the skyrocketing demand for our services.
For more information about this policy change, to view FAQs, and to see who provides animal field services in your municipality, please review below. If a community does not have the financial resources to contract with an animal control officer, we suggest partnering with neighboring municipalities to share costs and administrative burdens. The YCSPCA is happy to help support these important collaborative partnerships.
It takes a community to care for shelter pets. We thank you for your commitment to helping us serve people and pets in York County.
FAQs for Municipalities
Q: Is the York County SPCA (YCSPCA) a Municipal Shelter?
A: No, the York County SPCA is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We receive no federal, state, or county funding; less than 7% of our operating budget comes from municipal contract fees.
Q: Can stray dogs from other Pennsylvania counties or states be brought to the YCSPCA?
A: The YCSPCA can only accept stray animals from York County, PA.
Q: Are you discontinuing any services?
A: We are not eliminating any services. We are modifying how stray dogs enter our care. This new intake policy aligns us with industry best practices and ensures a safer, more professional, and efficient canine intake process.
Q: Who can bring stray dogs to the YCSPCA?
A: Stray dogs can be brought to our facility by a contracted animal control officer, a York County police officer, or a Pennsylvania state dog warden. Click here to see how stray canine transport is managed in your borough/ township.
Q: Can the Humane Society Police Officer pick up strays?
A: Our Humane Society Police Officer, Otto Cruz, has a specialized role and cannot transport stray animals from York County’s municipalities to our facility. Officer Cruz is responsible for enforcing Pennsylvania animal cruelty and neglect statutes in the York County community. This distinction is crucial to avoid any misunderstandings about his duties.
Q: Can YCSPCA staff/ volunteers pick up strays?
A: Our animal care staff and volunteer teams lack the capacity, equipment, or training to safely retrieve stray animals from the field.
Q: When can stray dogs be brought to the YCSPCA?
A: Stray dogs can be brought to the YCSPCA by contracted animal control officers, York County police officers, or a Pennsylvania state dog warden, Monday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Q: Does the YCSPCA have overnight holding pens where animal field service providers can leave an animal?
A: Our facility does not have overnight access to animal field service providers.
Q: What should we do with healthy stray dogs when the YCSPCA is closed?
A: Healthy stray dogs found outside of our open hours must be housed with the finder, animal control officer, or municipality until our facility opens the following morning at 8 a.m. Housing stray animals before intake into our shelter is the responsibility of the municipality where the animal is found.
Q: What information does the YCSPCA need when dropping off a stray dog?
A: The animal control officer, police officer, or PA state dog warden must ensure the stray dog’s owner cannot be found. Scanning for a microchip is an important first step in attempting to reunite a lost dog with their owner.
Assuming a microchip is not present, next, the animal control officer, police officer, or state dog warden must ensure the stray dog is not owned by the finder.
The following information needs to be collected from the finder of the animal:
- Name (First, Last)
- Address
- Phone number
- Email Address
- The exact address where the dog was found (Providing corner streets is sufficient)
- Municipality the dog was found in
- The date the dog was found/how many days the finder or municipality has had the dog
- Signs of ownership (Collar, microchip, recently groomed, etc.)
- Any additional information that would be helpful in returning the dog to the owner or finding it an adoptive home
Q: Where should ACOs/ police/ dog wardens take sick or injured stray animals?
A: During our open hours, Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., an animal control officer, police officer, or state dog warden should bring these animals directly to the YCSPCA. If a sick or injured stray is found when our facility is closed, they should be taken to Mason Dixon Emergency Animal Hospital.
Q: What supplies does the YCSPCA recommend to municipalities' animal field service providers for transport and overnight care?
A: A location to hold at least 2 collapsible dog crates, a bag of dry dog food, at least 4 bowls, 2 blankets, a microchip scanner (so the dog can be returned to its owner without having to come to the shelter), and at least 2 slip leashes.
FAQs for Citizens
Q: Who can bring stray dogs to the YCSPCA?
A: Stray dogs can only be brought to the YCSPCA by an animal control officer, a York County police officer, or a PA state dog warden.
Q: If a stray dog is found with a life-threatening injury (for example, they were hit by a car, bleeding cannot be stopped, it is alive but unconscious), can a citizen bring the dog to the YCSPCA?
A: Yes, in extreme circumstances, such as a life-threatening injury, public citizens can bring dogs to the shelter Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. If the dog is found outside these hours, they should go directly to Mason Dixon Emergency Animal Hospital, 96 Sofia Dr., Suite 203, Shrewsbury, PA 17361.
Q: Does this policy apply only to dogs?
A: Yes – other stray animals can still be brought to the YCSPCA by public citizens. Please review our Managed Shelter Admission policy for information on when to bring stray cats to the shelter.
Q: I live in York County. What should I do if I find a stray dog in my community?
A: If you live in York County, please review our municipal stray animal transport listing to see if your community contracts with an animal field services provider. Contact the municipal stray animal transport provider in your community. Contact your municipality directly if you cannot reach your designated transport provider or if your municipality does not contract with one. Be prepared to stay with the dog, where it was found until the transport provider arrives
- Finder Name (First, Last)
- Address
- Phone number
- Email Address
- The exact address where the dog was found
- Municipality the dog was found in
- The date the dog was found/how many days you’ve had the dog
- Signs of ownership (Collar, microchip, recently groomed, etc.)
- Any additional information that would be helpful in returning the dog to the owner or finding it an adoptive home
We do not accept stray animals found outside of York County.
Q: What should I do if I find an aggressive stray dog?
A: Contact the animal control officer, dog warden, or police department that provides transportation in the municipality where the dog is located. For your safety, do not try to catch the dog. Click here to see how stray canine transport is managed in your borough/ township.
Q: Can the York County SPCA accept injured wildlife?
A: No. Contact a wildlife rehabilitation center.
- West Shore Wildlife
Emergencies should call: (717) 268-9574
Non-Emergency should email: EmilyGarrigan@westshorewildlife.org
- Raven Ridge
Emergencies should call: (717) 808-2652
Q: What is the role of an animal control officer?
A: An animal control officer provides in-the-field services and transportation for domestic animals in communities. Each of the 72 municipalities in York County individually decides if that community should contract this service.
Animal control and enforcement is an essential service, like a police or fire department, that ensures public health and safety. Services Animal Control Officers typically provide include:
- Transport sick/injured/abandoned/lost animals to the YCSPCA.
- Enforcement of local animal-related ordinances. Examples include loose dogs, checking for tag licenses, confirming tag registration, rabies, and other required vaccinations are current, enforcing barking or noise-related issues, feline feeding and colony violations, and others.
- Address public concerns related to domestic animals via telephone or directly in the field.
- Reunite lost pets with their owners.
Q: What is a humane society police officer?
A: A humane society police officer (HSPO) enforces Pennsylvania animal cruelty and neglect statutes. In York County, we have one such HSPO, Officer Cruz, who the YCSPCA employs to provide this service to the entire county.
Q: What is a state dog warden?
A: A PA state dog warden is a person who enforces Pennsylvania dog and rabies laws in an assigned region for the PA Department of Agriculture. They find shelter for strays and return them to their families, investigate dog bites, work with dog-bite victims, and enforce dog licensing, among other duties.
State dog wardens:
- Enforce licensing and rabies laws
- Seize and detain any dog viewed running at large without its owner
- Investigate dog bites and establish and enforce quarantine of dogs
- Enforce kennel licensing and regulations through at least two inspections each year of every licensed kennel
- Maintain a registry of dogs declared dangerous by a magisterial district judge and perform dangerous dog inspections
- Prosecute dog law violations in court
- Provide educational services about dog ownership
- The Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement does not oversee or have jurisdiction over animal cruelty.
Q: If our municipality does not contract with an animal control officer and our police department will not transport strays, what should we do if the PA state dog warden cannot provide transport or is on vacation?
A: During these times, public citizens may experience a service gap. The YCSPCA recommends contacting your municipality when these issues occur so that the municipality can develop a plan. York County SPCA leadership is willing to help facilitate and support the development of a plan so that communities can overcome their gap in animal services.
Q: Can a public citizen park in the YCSPCA parking lot and wait for an animal control officer, York County police officer, or PA state dog warden to bring the animal in?
A: No - we cannot transfer animals in our parking lot due to safety concerns.
Q: What hours is the YCSPCA staffed to respond to questions from the public?
A: Every day, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Q: Outside of the YCSPCA hours, is there a way to speak with a staff member?
A: No. If you need to reach the YCSPCA outside of our business hours, please email us at info@ycspca.org. Your email will be returned within 24-48 hours.
Q: What happens if I abandon any animal on the YCSPCA Property?
A: Animal abandonment is a crime. In Pennsylvania, it is a summary offense punishable by a fine of up to $750 and/or up to 90 days in jail.
Surrendering an animal to the YCSPCA
Q: Can an animal control officer, participating police department, or the state dog warden bring in my personal pet for surrender?
A: No – they can only transport stray dogs to our facility. If you wish to apply to surrender your pet, please fill out our owner surrender application. Please note there is a waitlist for owner surrenders, and all animals are subject to evaluation before intake into our shelter.
Q: What can I do if I need to surrender my personal pet?
A: Our goal is to keep people and pets together. If you are considering surrendering your pet, please read our Alternatives to Surrender. There may be a solution to keep your pet happy and healthy at home and strengthen your bond with them.
If you have considered alternatives and still need to surrender your pet, please click here.
