Humane Society to Bolster Adoption Efforts

The Western Pennsylvania Humane Society is in the running for a $100,000 grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

One of 50 shelters competing for the ASPCA grant, WPHS hopes to adopt out 400 more cats and dogs from August 1 to October 31 than it did in that time last year. The idea is to have the most cumulative adoptions and “live releases,” which is when a feral cat is spayed/neutered and returned to its habitat.

WPHS Executive Director Lee Nesler says to kick off the race, an event this Saturday will feature $10 adoptions for dogs and cats more than six months old. That’s at both the North Shore shelter and the Fallen Timber Shelter in Elizabeth from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Anyone who already owns a dog must bring it in to meet its potential counterpart(s).

Traps for catching feral cats can be rented for $10 per week with a $35 deposit. Nesler says its advantageous to have local feral cats spayed and neutered.

“Once they’re spayed and neutered, then you don’t see a lot of the annoying behavior that some people feel the cats produce. The females aren’t in heat, there aren’t a lot of cat fights, and the males don’t go around spraying because they’ve already been neutered.”

Nesler says the grant would be used towards finding more space for the animals brought into the shelter and for more treatments and surgeries. WPHS took in more than 13,000 animals last year.