Clear the Shelter: York County SPCA Faces Summer Surge in Stray Pets

As the summer months heat up, so does the intake of stray and displaced animals at the York County SPCA, putting serious pressure on space, staff, and resources.

Steven Martinez, Executive Director of the York County SPCA, joined The Spark to shed light on how the shelter is navigating one of its busiest seasons of the year. "It's usually about this time of the year, towards the end of summer, that we start to get full," said Martinez. “You hit May, June, July — things start creeping up. And then by the time you get to August, suddenly we have 70, 80 dogs in the kennel at any given time.”

This influx of animals, particularly large dogs, is taking a toll on both the animals and the staff. “When our shelter starts to get too full, the animals get real stressed. They can get sick because there’s too many in too close of an environment. That extends their length of stay,” Martinez explained.

As the only animal shelter serving all 72 municipalities in York County, the organization is legally required to accept all stray and displaced animals. That volume alone creates consistent strain, but summer presents unique challenges.

“For cats, summer is their breeding season,” Martinez said. “By the time you get to the end of summer going into the fall, they’re in the third litter — and now we’re starting to get full.”

Inside the shelter, the noise and constant activity can cause stress for animals, especially dogs. That stress often leads to poor health, which then delays adoption. “Stress equals bad health. Our job is to manage their health through enrichment,” Martinez said. “We try to get dogs out two to three times a day for a walk, put them in play groups, and teach them manners so that they’re better candidates for adoption.”

Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.