The shelter was established in 1911 originally for the purpose of providing watering troughs for work horses throughout the county. But as the needs of the county grew for housing and caring for homeless animals, the Delaware County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) evolved to serve the ever changing needs of the growing community. Today the Delaware County SPCA is an “Open Admission” shelter, which means we take in all animals, and are not breed specific. We serve all 49 municipalities in the county. Over 8,000 animals pass through each year. The dedicated staff, volunteers, and board members are committed to the health and welfare of these animals.

The Delaware County SPCA is a 501c3 non-profit, charitable organization registered with the Pennsylvania Department of State. We are not affiliated with any local, state or federal agency or any other SPCA or humane group. Our work is supported almost entirely by private donations.

We work hard to place all adoptable animals. In many cases this means providing extra medical care, grooming, rehabilitation and socialization to give the dogs and cats every chance of being adopted.

In addition to caring for animals at the shelter, we provide other services in our community such as animal rescue service, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. We also work constantly to promote responsible pet ownership and combat animal overpopulation through low cost spay/neuter programs, community programs, disseminating printed information, publicity and special events like Spay Day USA.