Stray Canine Intake Policy

If you live in York County, please review your 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.

The YCSPCA can accept stray dogs from contracting York County municipalities. Public citizens, animal control officers, York County police officers and PA state dog wardens can bring stray canines to the Brougher Companion Animal Shelter.

Citizens should never chase or attempt to secure dogs that show obvious signs of aggression. Aggressive or unsafe animals must be handled only by the municipality’s designated stray dog transportation provider. Citizens should not attempt to catch or handle aggressive animals. If you find a stray dog in York County, that you can safely apprehend:

1. Leash and/or secure dog in a crate or carrier.
2. Call the YCSPCA and seek guidance for next steps.
3. When the citizens arrive at the YCSPCA, they should leave the dog in their vehicle and check in with a staff member in our shelter lobby.
4. Citizen will be asked to provide their driver’s license, the exact address where the dog was found and the condition and behavior of the dog when found.
5. Citizens will be required to complete a stray intake questionnaire.
6. Once directed, the finder should return to their vehicle, retrieve the dog, and meet a member of our staff at the shelter lobby doors to transfer the animal into our care.

Please note: A citizen choosing to transport a stray dog assumes responsibility for safely securing and transporting the dog to the shelter. The shelter staff reserves the right to use restraint devices to intake animals that present an immediate safety risk. These devices include, but are not limited to, catch poles, chemical restraint/sedation, crates, and cages.

We do not accept stray animals found outside of York County.

Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Call the YCSPCA and bring the stray dog directly to the shelter.

Outside these hours:

If the dog is found outside these hours, they should go directly to Mason Dixon Emergency Animal Hospital at 96 Sofia Dr., Suite 203, Shrewsbury, PA 17361.

Please note, Mason Dixon Animal Emergency Hospital can only provide care on our behalf to stray animals from contracting municipalities. If you find a stray animal in a municipality that does not contract with us, please contact your municipal administration.

• Citizens should never chase or attempt to secure dogs that show obvious signs of aggression. Aggressive or unsafe animals must be handled only by the municipality’s designated stray dog transportation provider. Citizens should not attempt to catch or handle aggressive animals. Please review your community’s stray dog transportation provider.
• Aggressive behavior may include, but is not limited to: Growling, snarling, bearing teeth, or sharp and repeated barking
  • Snapping or biting
  • Stiff, rigid body posture, leaning forward, or lunging/charging
  • Raised hackles
  • Tail held high and rigid
  • Ears forward or pinned back tightly
  • Direct, hard stare
  • If they appear to be guarding something

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.

A humane society police officer (HSPO) enforces Pennsylvania animal cruelty and neglect statutes. The York County SPCA does not currently have a humane society police officer (HSPO) on staff. To report suspected animal cruelty or neglect, contact your local police department or call 911.

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.

Every day, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

If you need to reach the YCSPCA outside of our business hours, please email us. Your email will be returned within 24-48 hours.

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.