News from the Noteworthy: Susquehanna SPCA

Continuing Ed Yields Measurable Results for Shelter

Employees and officials at the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals believe deeply in education because, the better educated we are, the better we can serve our animals and our community. Promoting the humane treatment of animals through education is, of course, part of our mission. At the same time, our professional staff is dedicated to continued education in order to remain up-to-date on animal welfare industry standards and best practices. One way we do this is by attending conferences.

I write this article today from the airport, as I am on my way to New Orleans with five members of my team for the Humane Society of the United States Animal Care Expo. This is only our second year attending and we are grateful to the C.J. Heilig Foundation for making the trip possible. We returned to Otsego County last year both motivated and inspired as a result of this incredible opportunity. We learned more about how we can help animals—and our community—beyond the walls of the shelter, and how we can work and think differently in order to keep people and their pets together, which many folks do not realize is part of the SQSPCA mission. The Animal Care Expo is also an excellent opportunity to connect with new animal care colleagues, many of whom are experts in the field.

After last year’s conference, we began immediately to develop a plan to increase the number of income based, low-cost services offered by the SQSPCA—predominantly spay/neuter clinics—and to improve the logistics and execution of those events. As a result, we helped 310 animals in 2022 versus 127 animals in 2021, an increase of 144 percent in clinic services.

The trend continued in the first quarter of this year. As of April 3, the SQSPCA has provided clinic services for 73 animals, representing a 78 percent increase over 41 animals helped during the first quarter of 2022. This summer our efforts will be doubled, because we know from national studies that initiatives such as these clinics can help prevent animals from being left in shelters and will enable many of them to remain with their loving families.

In addition to learning more about the benefits of low-cost community clinics, as well as continuing to increase and improve our services, my staff and I also look forward to expanding our skills in combatting and investigating animal cruelty (including puppy mills), improving the mental health and adaptability of animals in our shelter, and supporting the human-animal bond.

Animal Care Expo 2023 features an international trade show promoting the latest animal care products and services from a wide range of exhibitors, 11 workshop tracks, learning labs, networking opportunities and social events. Topics range from recognizing chronic pain in cats to canine assessment for risk behavior, from equine and farm animal investigative techniques and animal husbandry to building a culture of reclaim, and from community engagement in animal control to using data to inform decisions, among many others.

We are fortunate to live and work in a community that supports this important work and—as a 501c3 private, nonprofit organization that does not receive government support—individual contributions and foundation support make all the difference in executing our mission successfully.

Stacie Haynes is executive director of the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.