My family has adopted 5 pets from the SPCA, 3 cats and 2 dogs, starting in the fall of 2019. Our first pet was a cat that was, at the time, the longest tenured cat in the facility. She was brought in as a feral stray and the staff worked with her to be socialized. With some love, she has become a wonderful pet. Our second pet was a 1 year old dog in 2021. Then a kitten in 2022, another dog (for my daughter who was a senior in college at the time) in Jan 2024, and another cat in May 2024. Each of these animals had different histories, and with some love and affection at home, they have become wonderful pets. Our last cat had a respiratory illness when we adopted him. This was fully disclosed to us at the time, and they provided meds which cleared him up. We got full vet checks and medical histories for all, and the kitten we adopted in 2022 was able to come back to the SPCA to be neutered when he was old enough. read more

Again this worthless organization cant help me!! They advertise how they have helped millions of animals yet when I bring my cat to them they send me away hopeless! The Vet couldn't tell me what the tumor was only that even if she did an Ultra sound the genius surgeon on staff wouldn't feel comfortable operating!!!! I explained what was going on the the Dumb receptionist, if you aren't equipped with capable doctors why are you even making an appointment for me, and then Charging me for a Special Visit that's more than regular, when the Genius Vet said, oh we only do routine things here like spay and neuter and shots. Then give me my F$$$ing money back!! This place needs to be shut down and Completely revamped with real Vets!! NON PROFIT my Behind they rob poor people!!!! The CEO of the SPCA hides out in his big office taking all the donations and the shelter and the animal clinic have nothing ! I would like to see how the CEO lives I bet his pets go to Top of the Line Animal Clinics!!! Just like Children's Hospital and all the other NON profit organizations in this crappy state, they all hide behind the NON-Profit label and the top dogs are all millionaire's and feed the people they are suppose to help a bunch of dirt crap. The crappy Governor of PA knows this and they all wash each others hands in Gold Bars at the poor persons expense!!!! read more

I recently (November 2023) separately adopted 2 wonderful small dogs from this shelter. the staff is professional, even though many are volunteers. they are helpful, polite, and focused on doing their best for the animals and potential adopters. the shelter is clean and bright. with your new pet, you receive health records, microchip already registered in your name, a packet of information on canine behavior and owner responsibility, and your new pet is spayed/neutered. Because I am 80 years old, and both dogs are 8 years old, I paid no adoption fee under their Adoption-by-Senior (over 65 years old) policy. this is a no-kill shelter with up to 120 dogs there at any one time. the dogs are fed 2x/day. can you imagine the work involved in keeping the place clean? my hat is off to all working for this shelter, and I strongly recommend them. read more

This place is an absolute disgrace...I would never,ever recommend WC SPCA to anyone. Not only are the nuts at the front desk incapable (of anything) the management is of poorest quality...where do they find these people? I adopted a beautiful dog there that had never been socialized apparently and sadly had to put him down a month after I got him due to serious aggression problems...problems that even a dog trainer could not help with. I was not able to return the dog because it was past my 2 week adoption period. That's BS... (not that I wanted to return it there) No help once so ever with them or their 'management'....what a laugh 'she' is. No concern, no returned phone calls, no NOTHING . Not a care in the world once the animal was out of the shelter. OH...and whoever heard of not being able to walk a dog on a leash outside first, to see how the animal handled? Unbelievable. They knew the dog was aggressive that's why and wanted him off their clock. Disgrace! My vet finally advised me to have the animal put down.due to severe aggression that was never mentioned...it was difficult for me to do that as it was not the dogs faught it was never socialized and kept in a cage for a year or more without much care to the animal at all I am sure. Absolute disgrace of a place and I would advise anyone to never go there period. I can not stress that enough. The only thing good about that horror of a place would be the volunteers Period. Never, never ever again. ( Horrific people...not the animals or volunteers.) read more

I have gotten 2 Dogs from there & adopted 2 cats there also. They are a NO KILL SHELTER. Because they are, they need more help. I don't know how anyone could be so cruel as to write a BAD word about this place!! They try as hard as they can, and to give as much information as possible with what they know. They have a trainer there & take dogs & cats in give them a SAFE PLACE where they are fed, watered, w/ nice beds. They even see who can be put together so they're not lonely. They also provide medical attention after the HORRIFIC Situations some of these Animals have been through. I for 1 will always support this particular SPCA, now & after I'm gone. Give ME A BREAK PEOPLE. Consider that this is a commitment & supposed to be a member of your family! A little compassion & PATIENCE goes a long way! I suggest you try volunteering just 1 day there then come back & try writing a review on a NO KILL SHELTER AGAIN. read more

This SPCA (along with the DELCO SPCA) is now a NO KILL shelter, which we were overjoyed to hear. We learned they offer discounted veterinary services, which is great for anyone who needs a vet on a budget. * * * TIP: * * * We also learned they sell discounted flea and tick products, as well as discounted heartworm preventatives. Their prices were a lot lower than our vet's for Revolution, so we will be taking advantage of this great offer. Thank you, SPCA!!! The facility is very nice. They look like they've had a recent makeover, and the atmosphere (while noisy and a bit overwhelming in that sense), was not a scary depressing experience, as shelters of yore used to be. It is always emotionally difficult to see all the sweet faces needing a home, when you are searching for a pet, but the staff here was attentive, and quick to help narrow down options by the species, breed, age, sex, and type of home you have, so you know who does well with other animals / children / etc. That, and searching their available pets ahead of time on Petfinder.com, help the process a lot. We had a long conversation with Janet in the cattery, who gave us a lot of interesting info on the T&R (trap and release) program for spaying and neutering feral cats, as well as the low down about how the shelter works, and tips for acclimating new cats, to an existing cat family. Having had multiple pets my whole life, I thought I knew a lot, but Janet knew tons more than we did. While I have a lot of pet experience, Janet still had a lot of insight and wisdom to share. We learned a lot from our talk with her. Thank you, Janet. All in all, we had a very positive experience, and we really appreciated the professionalism and knowledge of the staff at Chesco SPCA. read more

Chester County S P C A - Animal Shelters Near Me - West Chester, Pennsylvania

See all

I've personally had two bad experiences here. The first was when a dog I wanted, and applied for was adopted out to someone else while I went to get the appropriate amount of cash to pay for him. The other was when I tried to adopt a puppy, but couldn't because it was being held for nearly two weeks, in the loud and gross shelter, because it was on hold for a bridal shower (yes, you read that correctly). I recently learned from a friend of mine that they adopted a puppy there, and the next day the dog showed signs of Parvo, and the SPCA wouldn't do a thing about it. It was clear he had gotten Parvo from the shelter. A few thousand dollars later and that puppy is finally better. This place needs to take responsibility for it's poor actions and customer service. At the end of the day you are supposed to be advocates for these animals, but from my experience it seems the opposite is happening... read more

I am not sure what I'm more disappointed about. The fact that they lie about their dogs or the fact that unfortunately I had to take mine back because he is nothing like what they said he was. I was told my dog was a "gentleman on a leash" he walks on one like he's never been on one nearly tore my rotator cuff on more than one occasion. I was told he was house trained, but the fact that he pees and poops in the house 4 to 5 times a day makes me believe that they had no idea if he was house trained but decided he would sell quicker if his card said he was. I don't understand why they feel like they need to lie about their dogs to get them sold. The first rule of customer service is if you take care of your customers more customers will come but if you worry about your money the customers will stop coming. Well after I got my first dog there and they did not disclose that he had mange and kennel cough (vet said he has had it for months when we took him in the day AFTER we got him) and after spending $1,500 in vet bills, I guess I was crazy to give them a second chance. Look up their article on phillymag.com and do yourself a favor and never a companion here. They're not even deserving of the one-star they're getting. I'm beyond disgusted with how they took care of us. read more

The staff here really suck, especially at the front desk in the main building. They're just funky to deal with overall and it's like dealing with nasty help at your kids doctors office -- my kitties are my kids too!! read more

I was told by the employees at Chester County SPCA the small dog I adopted was a house-trained puppy. He turned out to be neither. My vet said he was between 4 and 5 years old AND he had no clue as far as house-training. I returned him to the SPCA and the employees made me out to be the bad guy! Stay away from this place! read more

This place is just amazing! I think that everyone should go to the spca. They take great care of the animals. The staff is just unbelievable. I recommend going here than going to petsmart or petco. read more

I have read the negative reviews about this shelter after adopting, so I cannot speak to them. I do hope, however, that the negative reviews were due to management issues, because I understand that many of the administrators of this shelter have changed recently. I adopted the love of my life, my 12 year old cat, in August. I came in later in the day, met him, and assured the staff I would be back the next morning at opening to take him home. Such was the case. I was informed of the few medical conditions he has (just missing some teeth since he's an old man) and he was taken to a local vet (not the shelter's vet) and he's healthy as can be. However, I am not giving 5 stars because I agree with the comments about rude workers. I guess it just depends on the day and time you go in, but I went back this week to drop off donations and meet some other cats, and the workers were a bit more abrasive. One woman in particular in the cat room was very rude. Another man I could tell was nice, but was not the one assisting me. The man assisting me took a while to warm up to me, but once he figured out I am experienced with cats, laid off the tough guy act. We ended up getting along, chatting about shared experiences as cat owners and he suggested a new addition to my furry family. I am deciding whether or not to go back and adopt the second cat from here, but that decision has nothing to do with the shelter itself. tldr; staff can be rude but it's worth it to save the animals read more

If I could give them a 0, I would. This place is disgusting. Here's why. 1. Uncleanliness and Unhygenic. Dogs are wallowing in their own crap/piss. Or should I say, diarrhea, from poor quality food and poor care. Literally, stepping in it. I even saw a trail of blood along with the diarrhea, and it had a lovely paw print in it. 2. Diseases & Sicknesses. Literally the majority of the dogs above age 1 have infections; their scleras (the white of the eye) are completely red, an obvious sign of infection. Of course, the caretakers don't seem to do their job and get them medical care, let alone notice them. So what about the dog's under age 1? Well, considering they're all lumped together in a massive room, barking and yapping and whining, the infections will quickly transmit to those younger pups. 3. Poor care. As said before, there's poop and piss all over the cages. When the dogs are yapping too much, I witnessed a caretaker slam on one dog's cage and scream at it in an almost horrifying, demonic fashion. I could list more reasons but for the mean time I will sum it all up in two words: ANIMAL CRUELTY. This isn't a shelter. It's pure abuse and torture. read more

The staff is rude and they do not follow the rules. They encourage people to keep found dogs saying they are full and if they find them homes it's ok. The completely go against animals control laws and are not held accountable for the laws they are supposed to enforce. read more

I went in August and it was revolting. When you first walk in, there's a large picture window to the left. It's supposed to allow you to look at puppies. There were eight large dogs in there. No where for them to lay down, no toys, no blankets and the floor was full of stool. There wasn't any room for these poor dogs to lie down, unless they laid in dog poop. It was absolutely disgusting. I went into the "kitten room." The smell almost knocked me over. There was one tiny kitten covered head to toe in poop. I brought it to several of the peoples attention that were working there...nothing, was done to help this sweet kitten. Another had a fresh wound on her tail...she was missing the tip of her tail. Again, I alerted no less than three people. It was blown off. This was a fresh bloody wound! I did select a kitten there. It took several hours for that selection and I had to sit in a floor that had urine puddles on it and smeared poop. The people in this room were allowing this to happen!! The entire experience at this SPCA was one of the most horrifying, upsetting and repulsive experiences I have endured. I felt so horrible for the animals there. P.S. They also gave my kitten a rabies shot, weeks before he should have had it. Now, the poor thing has to go through it again and I have to pay for it again. read more

What a great facility! I saw the animals being treated with dignity and the staff know all the individual personalities. Mostly bulldogs here, but all pets are reasonably priced, some even free. read more

Bait and switch. My wife and I have to move and unfortunately we could not bring our cat, we called around to a number of places and chester county spca said they would take him. First we did not want him to be put to sleep, we were told that they would rehome our cat. We would arrive in the morning drop him off pay what we were told was 10 dollars and he would go to a foster home. If for any reason they couldn't shelter him any longer we would be called and have the option to take him back instead of him being put down. We arrived in the morning as instructed but no one was there and all signs said they open in the afternoon. The person we spoke to was not around and no one would confirm or deny that they worked there. The ten dollars was now two hundred and fifty, and the rehoming was now a cage. The lady we talked to told us that she was probably just going to put him down. We took our cat as fast as we could and left. Our cat is now living in a loving home with a friend of the family. read more

Please Please Please stop thinking that they are a 'No Kill' shelter. This place puts more dogs down then a vet hospital. For a place that's Non-Profit, and supposed to put the dogs and their well being first, they are very much motivated by money. First being that according to Public Record, the CEO, Adam, recently upped his salary 400% to just under $200,000 a year, while he continues to collect donations from people who are doing it because they are under the impression that they don't kill any dogs. All the while they put down a dog if they are sick for a day, or are limping, or are harder to deal with then other dogs. They don't inform sponsors when they put down a dog that they spent at least $150 to sponsor, and don't even give them the opportunity to put it towards another dog. They lie and make up excuses and claim the dog never existed and that we are mistaken. I have seen post after post about them euthanizing a stray within hours of it getting to their facility. Even runaways, where people would send out pictures, and descriptions everywhere prior to the animal actually being found. If brought to the bvspca, they will sell it to someone else just to get that money for the adoption, and deleting the Facebook posts of the people putting up pictures of their runaway. This is so when that person tries to prove that the Spca saw their post and disregarded it, they cover themselves by deleting the posts and claiming they never came in. Not even considering that they threw an animal who has a loving home to a strangers home, for a few hundred bucks. It is unfair to both families, and most importantly the animal. Please stop donating your hard earned money to people who will pretty much pocket it for themselves. Their only agenda should be about the wellbeing of their animals, and finding them homes forever, yet that's the only thing they don't do. The longest tenured dogs get the least amount of exposure, and they don't like employees or volunteers trying to help the tougher dogs, so that its not a big deal to anyone when they are euthanized. Just very sad that there are this many animals in the care of people who wouldn't care if the dogs were dead or alive. Some quick basic research will more than confirm this. read more

this review is about the BVSPCA in New Castle, DE.: My dog was lost on 10/12/16. I reported it lost on the BVSPCA website and on Pawboost. On 10/19/16, they allowed someone to adopt my dog without ever contacting me. They charged her $200.00.. She notified me today that she adopted a dog matching the description she saw online. We met at BVSPCA and they denied ever knowing the dog was lost or on their website. They refused to h=give her back her money. She was in tears.! it is wasn't for her honesty I would n=have never seen my dog again! Shame on you BVSPCA of new Castle, DE . read more

The Brandywine Valley SPCA (former Chester County SPCA) has contracts with Delaware County municipalities to receive stray animals however if a a Chester County resident is on hard times it is impossible to surrender an animal to them. My sister tried FOUR times to surrender two cats that she can not bring to a new location and we could not re-home ourselves. It is a very unfortunate situation and no one wants to have to do this. Since they are now "no-kill" they are "selective" or in other words completely not receptive to accepting animals. Three times she was told to come back to the facility another day, one time a staff member directly asked my other sister why "she could not take the cats?" (she lives out of state and was visiting). One staff member told my sister, "it is kitten season--we have no room." They gave my sister a map to the Malvern facility but neglected to tell her the facility was closed that day. One staff member at the Malvern facility told her that it was 50.00 fee for the facility to accept them, however the intake person at the Malvern facility was not available that day. The following day at the Malvern facility the fee was now 50.00 per animal (100.00). The other problem is at the facility on Paoli Pike staff is terrible and rude. There could be six people in the lobby and four people behind the front desk and no one that works there will make eye contact with you..because if they do they will have to ask, "can I help you?" and actually have to try and help you. I fostered for them for several years and I will not foster again. The staff acts like you should be able to come pick up an animal at a moment's notice. Some people have to work for a living and can not drop everything to pick up a kitten. Every kitten I have gotten from them was sick and again, they expect you to drop everything to get the kitten back to the facility. "Our vet is only here until 10 ..you need to be here before that!" I tell them, I have am at work and I cannot bring the kitten in..."oh...can your neighbor bring it in?" No..my neighbor is at work and also can not just enter my home. Very fustrating. Staff needs training, their executive director needs a course in interpersonal skills. I spoke with him on the phone yesterday about the situation with my sister and he was rude..no wonder his staff is so rude..it starts from the top and goes down. read more

I could not be any happier with the SPCA new vet clinic in Malvern. They could not be more compassionate or professional. Dr. Camilli got down on the floor and was talking so nicely to my cat who was hiding under the bench. She petted him and talked to him to make him comfortable. Her vet tech, Monica, was just incredible. She so clearly loves animals and is very knowledgable and thorough. She was kissing my cat on top of the head and talking so sweetly to him. She took X-rays and showed me everything that was going on inside his body. Not only did my cat get compassionate care, their prices were very fair. A huge thanks to all! I would highly recommend them! read more

Love them. They were so patient and helpful today when we chose and brought home our kitten today. Sara the manager was very personable. Desk guy was entertaining and efficient. read more

Between my parents and me, we've adopted 4 cats in the past year. Workers there are very friendly and helpful, and we're very happy with our new kitties. read more

Bar far the best kept pets and most welcoming shelter environment in southeastern PA. They really try to get to know their dogs before adopting them out. Very eager and helpful staff as well. Only 4 stars because the person who answers the phone at the number listed on Google isn't actually at the shelter, and was slightly abrasive and extremely unhelpful. Ended up driving over an hour for a dog she first said didn't exist and then said wasn't adopted yet, who turned out to be gone. Otherwise, extremely positive experience all around. read more

I drove a half hour to get a little dog that the spca had on there website. When I got there I didn't see the dog or any of the small dogs they had on there website. I asked a girl there were he was n she told me they don't have any dogs of that breed. I told her then why is it on your website? She didn't believe me so I showed her. She was confused n went to talk to I guess a managet. Some manager they are. I was told "oh we do have that dog but you can't adopt him cause he's getting checked out I think she said. You can come back tomorrow at 10. I told her I couldn't I have to work n that I want him n I'd pay for him now. No way was that happening. So I asked about another little dog on website...same situation. Then I asked about a German Shephard on website. Nope don't have that one she went to a rescue. Wtf are you for real!? What makes matters about this place so bad is about 5 mnths ago I adopted a bulldog that was brought in they say from coats villa wandering streets. They didn't even h@ve him 2 days n adopted him out. They also said he was evaluated an everything was good. Bullshit... the dog was good up until the second day we had him and ..now mind you this dog was around little kids ranging from age 6 mnths to 8 yrs old. This dog went completely nuts for no reason. No one provoked him no one did anything to him but this dog stared you straight in the eye n literally lunged at you. My sister was bit by the dog n I had to kick him off of me n broke a board over his back. The dog was so vicious we couldn't move or he would attack. We called the police. They came an they said to leave him in the car @ll night n take him back tomorrow. The cop couldn't believe how this dog was snarling an aggresive. The next day we took him back an of course they didn't believe us an were adopting him out again. They also were not gonna give me back my money of 380.00. It's not my fault they are incompetent an have no idea that it doesn't take one day to see a dogs true colors. So them telling me I'm not getting my money back n there adopting him out again I told them they better pray that dog doesn't severely injure or kill a child n let them no I'm no idiot an that I have a video of that dog being beyond aggressive changed there tune n I was refunded the money. Even though I asked what happened to the bulldog they never replied. To all who cares I will be posting the video. This place is unbelievable how I wanted that dog n willing to pay now n told them there was no way I could get there by 10 an they just don't give a crap. Why don't you try thinking about the animal instead of acting as though your some high n mighty athority figure and better than the people who come there trying to adopt a dog into a loving home. Hope that little dog gets a good home cause I'm not going back there again. Waste of my rime . To many animals that need homes out there to have to deal with people that just make it impossible to adopt I can def. See why this spca is filled w so many dogs. Good luck! Oh sorry one more thing. When I took bulldog back an they weren't refunding my money but I could get another dog there were two little dachshunds there n I told them I will def. Take them! They said oh they got adopted.I said I was just there like 2 sec ago no they didnt. Long story short they completely lied to me n were tripping over there own tongues! Apparently a volunteer may have wanted them n she took them without anyone knowing n she was being told to bring them back. Then oh she's gonna adopt them maybe? Does anyone see how much bull goes around in this place ? And I just couldn't n wouldn't have the time or energy to make up such a story or stories! A complete joke they are read more

I adopted a small dog there in March of 2016. They gave no information on her except a guess as to her age. Brought her home and it soon became apparent that she was aggressive toward my two chihuahuas. I told the staff I had them. Most other rescues/shelters will at least test the animals to see if they get along with other animals. I immediately called the spca and got an answering machine. I gave the story about the problem I had encountered. Nobody ever called me back. Soon after It was discovered that she had worms and kennel cough!!!! This facility is only interested in getting animals out the door and collecting high fees for it. ( a mixed breed puppy I looked at was $600.00!) Of course I am going to work with this dog and take care of her health problems because it isn't her fault she was poorly taken care of by this organization. I would NEVER go back there and I will continue to warn others that this isn't the place to go to find a pet. So disappointing. read more