Local Heroes: Brandywine Valley SPCA

Last winter, Ava, a mixed-breed dog, was suffering terrible abuse at a home in Chester County. When Brandywine Valley SPCA (BVSPCA) humane officers found Ava, she was in dire condition. She was emaciated, with multiple injuries all over her body in various stages of healing, likely from sustained abuse over time. Her back leg was severed, requiring amputation, and one eye was severely injured and needed to be removed. Ava was rushed to VRC Specialty Hospital in Malvern and later transferred to BVSPCA’s West Chester campus.

“Ava was down an eye and a leg, but she became the sweetest dog ever,” said Sara Smith, Senior Director of Marketing & Communications at BVSPCA. One of BVSPCA’s longtime foster families welcomed Ava into their home for the holidays and soon found that they couldn’t imagine bringing her back to the shelter. Today, Ava’s days are filled with love, tail-wagging and lots of toys. Her abuser, thanks to the tireless work of BVSPCA’s Animal Protective Services department, is behind bars.

Ava is just one of the 17,082 animals saved by the Brandywine Valley SPCA last year — more than 47 animals a day. For nearly a century, BVSPCA has been helping animals in need, striving to end animal suffering and empowering communities to treat life with respect and dignity.

Serving Animals and the Community

The Brandywine Valley SPCA was founded in West Chester in 1929 as the Chester County SPCA. Over the years, it evolved from a county animal control shelter to Pennsylvania’s first open-admission (accepting all animals, regardless of health, breed or behavior), no-kill shelter.

In 2016, they expanded to Delaware, opening the New Castle campus, and rebranded as the Brandywine Valley SPCA. Today, they have locations in West Chester and all three Delaware counties, plus an adoption center in Plymouth Meeting.

With the help of BVSPCA, Delaware became the first no-kill state in the country in 2019. This means the live-release rate is at least 90%, which includes adoptions, returns to owner, transfers to other shelters and, for feral and community cats that have been spayed or neutered, releases back to the wild. A high benchmark for animal welfare, only around half of shelters in the U.S. are considered no-kill. BVSPCA is no-kill across the entire organization, with a live release rate of 93% in 2023.

Animals come to BVSPCA from Chester and Delaware Counties, the entire state of Delaware and across the country. Through their second chance program, BVSPCA relocates 7,000 homeless pets at risk of euthanasia in overcrowded shelters each year. They also assist before and after natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes and extreme cold. “We take in animals that were in shelters ahead of the storm, clearing the space for local shelters to focus on recovery and response,” Smith explained.

Aside from running shelters for cats, dogs and small animals, BVSPCA offers a host of programs for pets and pet owners in the community, both BVSPCA adopters and others. “It’s all about keeping animals out of the shelter and in their homes,” said Smith.

BVSPCA operates animal health centers at all their shelters, offering low-cost veterinary care including well visits, spay and neuter services, surgeries and dental work. For owners struggling to afford care for their pets, BVSPCA offers grant funding for veterinary services, free vaccine clinics and a pet food pantry. For potential adopters who need assistance, many of BVSPCA’s pets have sponsored adoption fees, plus special programs for seniors and military veterans.

Expanding Their Reach

In addition to the life-saving work they’re doing in our area, BVSPCA is expanding their operations to help animals beyond the Brandywine Valley. Earlier this year, they entered an affiliation agreement with the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area (HSHA), a shelter serving Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry Counties for over 100 years.

“It was a struggling shelter with good people who wanted to do good work,” said Smith. HSHA has 2,000 animals in their care, with an 80% live-release rate before the affiliation. With guidance from the BVSPCA leadership team, the Harrisburg shelter hopes to reach no-kill status by the end of 2024.

In addition, BVSPCA recently announced another new partnership, this time with the Animal Adoption Center (AAC) in Lindenwold, New Jersey. Founded in 1985, AAC was a pioneer in the no-kill movement, designating their facility as no-kill three years before the modern movement started in San Francisco — a rarity in the animal welfare field at the time.

With these new partnerships, BVSPCA is now the nation’s largest multi-state animal welfare organization and the only one to operate in three states.

Get Involved

To continue helping animals in the tri-state area and beyond, BVSPCA needs support from the community. Luckily, there are many ways to get involved.

“People think that volunteering at a shelter is all about walking dogs or playing with cats,” Smith said. “There are so many ways to get involved — working with the animals, taking photos, helping with events, being sponsors for adoption.”

BVSPCA also offers Shelter Skip Days, letting adoptable dogs play hooky for a day. You can take out a pup for an hour, an afternoon or the whole day, giving them a much-needed respite from the shelter. This is a great option for college students who miss their pets back home — or potential date idea for dog lovers.

“The rewards that come from volunteering are too many to count,” said Smith. “You’re helping to save the lives of nearly 50 animals per day that come through our doors and need another chance.”

For nearly 100 years, the Brandywine Valley SPCA has been rescuing, caring for and finding loving homes for pets. With the addition of two newly affiliated shelters, they’ll help an estimated 20,000 animals this year.

“It’s a hard time in animal welfare across the board,” Smith said. “We’re dedicated to continue this work, because we believe every single animal is worth it.”

The devoted staff and volunteers of the BVSPCA do life-saving work. For that reason, we honor them as this year’s Local Heroes.

The Brandywine Valley SPCA can’t do this work alone. To learn more, including volunteer and donation information, visit BVSPCA.org.

Making a Difference

In addition to the Brandywine Valley SCPA, there are other animal rescues serving our community who need your help. Become a Local Hero by contributing time or money to these worthy organizations.

All 4 Paws Rescue. P.O. Box 122, Chester Springs. All4PawsRescue.com

LaMancha Animal Rescue. 855 Doe Run Rd., Coatesville. LaManchaAnimalRescue.org

Lucky Dawg Animal Rescue. 489 Church Rd., Avondale. LuckyDawgAnimalRescue.com

Main Line Animal Rescue. 1149 Pike Springs Rd., Phoenixville. MLAR.org

Phoenix Animal Rescue. P.O. Box 272, Uwchland. PhoenixAnimalRescue.com

Providence Animal Center. 555 Sandy Bank Rd., Media. ProvidenceAC.org

To Love a Canine Rescue, Inc. P.O. Box 422, Kimberton. TLCRescuePA.com