By Dr. Alicia Simoneau, Humane Pennsylvania Chief Veterinary Officer April is National Heartworm Awareness Month! To make sure all dogs are protected from this serious disease, Dr. Simoneau has provided some valuable information for you and your pets. A pervasive, serious medical condition, heartworm disease affects more than 1 million dogs in the U.S. every year. The disease can cause irreparable organ damage, but it can be both treated and prevented. Cats and ferrets may also be affected by heartworms, but usually not to the same extent as dogs. What Causes Heartworms? Heartworm di ..read more

Spay/Neuter Awareness Month: The Benefits of Spaying and Neutering Your Pets Written by Humane Pennsylvania Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr. Alicia Simoneau  Thursday, February 23, 2024, is World Spay Day, and Humane Pennsylvania is observing the holiday by speaking on the benefits of spaying and neutering your pets. Companion animals not only help us stay happy and healthy, but they are like members of our families. They must receive necessary medical care so that we can enjoy as much time with them as possible. Maintaining your pet’s well-being can be achieved through preventative mea ..read more

Written By: Humane Pennsylvania Animal Care Technician, Linne Ortiz Working at HPA for the past 6 years, I have come across many cats – young, old, sick, or disabled. I’ve always had this thing for senior cats or “crunchy cats” as I like to call them. Having two of my crunchy cats pass away this year at 19 and 20 years old, I decided to adopt a few new additions to join my fur family – all being disabled, needing hospice, or having specific medical needs. Back in February, I came across a kitten with severe CH or the wobbly cat syndrome. She was brought in due to her health. She came in spicy ..read more

Written By: Humane Pennsylvania Media Coordinator, Maggie McDevitt Every year on January 24th, animal lovers and advocates everywhere celebrate Change A Pet’s Life Day, which is a special day for encouraging people to adopt shelter pets and raise awareness in the community about vulnerable animals in need. In fact, Humane PA is hosting a four-day fee-waived adoption event in celebration of Change A Pet’s Life Day, generously sponsored by Silverbox Creative Studio. There are many ways to celebrate and change a shelter pet’s life for the better. Although adoptions are encouraged, and many s ..read more

Written by: Humane Pennsylvania CEO & President, Karel Minor I  joined Humane Pennsylvania (then Humane Society of Berks County) as executive director nearly twenty years ago. I had previously worked at a larger and better-funded animal shelter. But when I compared the output of the two organizations, I was surprised to find our little animal shelter did more and provided more of some services than the other, bigger shelter, despite having fewer resources. I started comparing our numbers to other organizations. We did more adoptions annually than some big-name, nationally known shelte ..read more

Written by Karel Minor, Humane Pennsylvania President & CEO Humane PA is very excited to share details about our next steps to deliver the most impactful services to animals and people in our community! The needs of animals and the community have rapidly changed a great deal in recent years. In the last 20 years, the number of animals entering Humane PA shelters has declined by over 85%. Shelter euthanasia has declined by 99%. These numbers reflect national statistics. What worked in the past for animals and people is no longer needed at the same scale. It also mea ..read more

Written by Alexandra Young, Humane Pennsylvania Community Outreach Programs Manager National Feed a Rescue Pet Week was created by Greater Good Charities and The Animal Rescue Site in 2017 to raise awareness that food is one of the most critical supplies of animal shelters and to urge people to donate pet food to their local animal welfare organizations.  At Humane Pennsylvania (HPA), as an active partner with The Greater Good Charities GOODS Program and donors like you, we are able to provide comprehensive pet feeding programs:  We feed the shelter animals an adequate and consisten ..read more

Written by Maggie McDevitt, Humane Pennsylvania Media Specialist It’s National Pet Appreciation Week! Pet Appreciation Week was started by the American Veterinary Medical Association in 1981 to raise awareness of the benefits of pets in our daily lives. To celebrate, we’d like to highlight a few simple ways you can show your pet how much you appreciate them this week and support Humane Pennsylvania. Plan a Day at the Dog Park There’s nothing more exciting to a pup than heading to the wide-open spaces of Humane Pennsylvania’s Danielle Ruiz-Murphy Dog Park, located at 503 S. Center Road (Rte ..read more

Written by Katie Litz, Humane Pennsylvania Animal Care Coordinator In celebration of National Rescue Dog Day on May 20, we are highlighting one of the many rescue dogs that have come into our shelter with a rough start, but a very happy ending. Bubba Lou, a 6-year-old neutered male American Pit Bull Terrier, was surrendered to the Lancaster Center for Animal Life-Saving on February 1, 2023, as his previous caretaker could no longer continue to care for him. Bubba’s previous caretaker informed our Animal Care Technicians that Bubba Lou was used as a bait dog when he was younger, so in turn, he ..read more

Written by Alexandria Young, Humane Pennsylvania Community Outreach Programs Manager Many refer to me as a “crazy cat lady,” but I don’t mind. I have spent more than 20 years advocating for the rights of and implementing humane management of free-roaming/community/feral cats in Berks County. I took care of 29 inside cats for four years and have volunteered in animal rescue for my entire life. Today, as an animal welfare professional, I learned that there is an official “Respect Your Cat Day” every March 28th[1] and according to my brief research on the holiday, it may have stemmed from an edic ..read more