A Six-Month Progress Report on Changes at the Montgomery County SPCA

Art Howe is president of the board of directors of the Montgomery County SPCA. He is a biotech entrepreneur and former Inquirer journalist. 

Samantha Holbrook, vice president of the board of directors, is a partner and co-founder at Shub Johns & Holbrook LLP. She is a co-founder of City of Elderly Love and also serves as the board president for Citizens for a No-Kill Philadelphia. 

Six months ago, the Inquirer published a story on serious shortcomings at the Montgomery County SPCA. The changes that followed show the resilience of a historic nonprofit with a vital mission. 

As members of the community and new leaders of the Montgomery County SPCA, we want to share a progress report on where we stand today and what is still to come. 

It was previously reported that our board of directors reorganized after nearly all prior members stepped down. Our new board includes corporate and nonprofit leaders, animal welfare experts and advocates, and dedicated individuals with specific skills to support strong governance and oversight. Senior-level managers also agreed to resign or retire, and we have navigated this transition with invaluable help from the Pennsylvania SPCA and incredible dedication from our remaining team. Some individuals have faced harassment and even death threats due to online misinformation, but they have been steadfast in their desire to care for animals and help reshape the organization for the better. 

We have focused considerable effort on increasing our lifesaving capacity and refining protocols and safeguards around euthanasia, one of the most profound issues covered by the Inquirer. We understand that we play an important role as an “open” shelter — meaning we don’t turn animals away due to aggression, attack histories, or insurmountable medical needs — but we wholeheartedly believe humane euthanasia should always be the last resort.

As pet owners and animal lovers, we know personally the heartache of end-of-life decisions. Humane euthanasia is strictly reserved for cases where animals are suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life or the safety of the public in ways that prevent rehoming. Each of these decisions is closely overseen and approved by multiple animal welfare professionals. Over the last five months, we have achieved and maintained a lifesaving or “live exit” success rate of 90% or better. We’re proud that our current lifesaving rate puts us on par with shelters that identify as “no-kill.”

We plan to maintain this by enhancing our surrender prevention programs, creating new community resources, and expanding our lifesaving efforts to include more rescue partnerships, foster programs, and adoption initiatives. This includes creating and hiring for new positions. We are working with Noetic, an executive search firm for nonprofits, and have received nearly 150 applications for a new CEO role. Despite a national shortage of veterinarians, technicians, and animal welfare professionals, we have also hired new Vet Techs, licensed Dog Trainers, and a dedicated Volunteer and Foster Programs Manager. Additional recruiting is ongoing. 

Along with hiring, we recognize the importance of engaging with staff and volunteers and enhancing our internal education and training programs. We’ve already held new trainings — for example, we just hosted a seminar on “compassion fatigue” last weekend — and two of our board members are now serving as liaisons to help facilitate open communication between staff, volunteers, and the board.

At the same time, our new board is knee-deep in strategic planning, which will include a comprehensive study of animal welfare needs across our communities. We believe this is the first time Montgomery County SPCA has undertaken this type of needs assessment, and it will help to inform major next steps and big investments. We’re working with a locally-based firm to help facilitate the process, and we’ve partnered with Animal Arts, a leading architecture and design firm specializing in animal welfare and veterinary services, to reimagine our facilities and ensure we’re meeting the needs of our communities well into the future. 

For now, our existing facilities will continue to operate, with some improvements already implemented and more in the works. As a first step, we’re investing $250,000 on near-term upgrades in parallel with longer-term facilities planning. We’ve installed new outdoor play areas at Conshohocken and Perkiomenville, and new interior kennels will be installed in May. 

These incremental steps may not satisfy some detractors. The truth is that big changes and organizational turnarounds take time, especially for a nonprofit committed to keeping its doors open and providing services 365 days a year. The Montgomery County SPCA is 115 years old, and we owe it to our communities to be thoughtful stewards and ensure the organization can continue its mission for another century or more. 

We acknowledge that much of our work is still ahead, but we believe we’re on the right path after six months of transition and transformation.

By: Art Howe & Samantha Holbrook