Of the 50 largest cities in the United States, the City of Philadelphia – which operates the Animal Care and Control Shelter 111 W. Hunting Park Avenue- ranks at or very near the bottom in terms of the money budgeted “per animal” received into its municipal shelter. At the same time, Philadelphia residents surrender more animals per person to their city shelter than practically anywhere else in the United States. The result is an under-funded and overcrowded crisis. These, along with the many other conditions that have historically plagued our city’s efforts to care for its homeless animals – including the fact that most Philadelphians don’t even know that they have a city shelter – have resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of loving animals, and have also left nearly every agency contracted to run the shelter reeling, overwhelmed, and unable to overcome the challenges to turning around the daily holocaust that our animal shelter system has become.
The numbers are staggering. In 2010 alone, our city shelter received a total of 29,492 stray and homeless animals, comprising 8,999 dogs, and 18,489 cats. Of the dogs, 3,552 (approx. 39%) were killed by euthanasia. Of the cats, 7468 (40%) were also euthanized. In our city of nearly 1.5 million residents, the shelter itself only has room for 124 kennels to house the nearly 25 stray and homeless dogs that it receives every single day, and 181 cages for the nearly 60 new cats and kittens it receives each day. That’s one full-sized dog kennel (able to hold one dog) for every 11,685 residents, and one single cat cage for every 8,005 residents. (Statistics courtesy of Pennsylvania SPCA Report on Animal Control for the City of Philadelphia 2009.) Add these numbers to a virtual absence of public awareness of the shelter’s very existence, and the prescription is clear.
Enter Philadoptables, founded in January 2010, the first and only independent organization whose sole purpose is to help to save the lives and support the welfare of our city’s shelter animals, right where they are, through promoting adoptions, through our support of shelter volunteering, fostering and other lifesaving programs and services, through fundraising for services not provided for by the city budget, through public oversight, and through educating people throughout the city and region about our vital cultural institution, and its precious residents! Now, finally there is a way for compassionate individuals and organizations to provide help directly to the animals at the shelter, and to play a direct role in its success.
As residents of the greater Philadelphia area, concerned about the communities we live in, we are not affiliated with any other organization or entity, and that includes both the City, and the organizations contracted by the City to manage the shelter (currently the Pennsylvania SPCA). Our only affiliation is to the thousands of cats, dogs, and other animals who find themselves brought to the shelter, and dependent upon a network of caring and energetic individuals not only for their health and comfort, but for their very lives. It is our goal to ensure that this network of support functions as the animals need it to, and does not let them down when their lives depend upon it. And, because these precious animals have no voice of their own (okay – apart from meow and woof : ), it is our mission to be that voice on their behalf.
We hope you will join us in this important work.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Anthony Boris is a life-long resident of the Philadelphia area and a companion to many dear cats, dogs and other animals for also about as long. With his partner Petra, Tony has fostered nearly 40 dogs and a few cats in recent years, and is a former volunteer at the shelter. Along with Greg and Michelle, Tony is one of the originating members of the ACCT Advisory Council, from which Philadoptables was born to expand upon that original vision. An established composer, amateur photographer and former practicing attorney, now at the U.S. Department of Labor, Tony has served as a member of the PA Bar Association Animal Law Committee, and is dedicated to bettering the lives and welfare of Philadelphia’s animal residents, and the amazing people who care for them.
Michelle Helms has been volunteering at Philadelphia’s animal control facility since 2007. A member of Philadoptables, Michelle wants to see change to the animal welfare system in Philadelphia. Such tasks as increasing adoptions, fundraising, and recruiting volunteers are some of the things Michelle does at the shelter. When not worrying about the animals of Philadelphia, Michelle and her husband Dave care for their four senior rescue dogs Jack, Buster, Yiki, & Bob. Michelle is a director at a real estate firm based in Plymouth Meeting and graduated with honors from Temple University.
