Photos courtesy of Humane Society of Harrisburg Area
The adopted dog seemed excited to leave the shelter but afraid to get in her new family’s car.
Vierria Maisonave, at the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area to adopt a cat, watched as a shelter employee climbed in and coaxed the dog into the backseat.
“They brought out treats,” said Maisonave. “They were very slow. They were very mindful. I saw that and thought, ‘This is definitely the right place to be.’ The fact that a staff member was willing to get in the car and guide her and be slow, instead of forcing her into the car, that really spoke to me.”
After a tumultuous time over the past few years, HSHA is getting a new “leash” on life. With major reforms and affiliation with a progressive shelter, HSHA is seeing adoptions rise and better lives for the animals—dogs, cats, guinea pigs, chinchillas—in its care.
“The focus over the last year has been—what improvements can we make to the facility, what programs can we implement—so that we’re addressing the animals’ needs while they’re with us,” said Director of Operations Aspasia Yeager. “They’re here, waiting for a home. What can we do for them that is medically indicated, so they leave a little bit better? We want to set them up for success.”
Transformation
The 2023 headlines featuring Humane Society of Harrisburg Area were grim.
“Fined by state over poor financial record-keeping.”
“Leader leaves job after series of controversies.”
“Furor over plans to euthanize dog unleashes complaints.”
That was the saga of Pursuit, slated for euthanasia before a volunteer spirited him away from HSHA’s Swatara Township facility. In the aftermath, volunteers complained about the shelter’s treatment of animals and people.
In January 2024, a new headline announced, “Harrisburg Humane Society aims to become a ‘no kill’ shelter.” The goal emerged from a new affiliation with Chester County-based Brandywine Valley SPCA, an open-adoption, no-kill advocate with operations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
HSHA reached its goal with a 94% “live release rate” in 2024, exceeding the 90% rate considered as a no-kill benchmark.
With the affiliation, staff remained largely intact, but major policy and facility upgrades followed. Open adoption. Air conditioning. Systematic animal socialization.
The numbers from 2023 to 2024 mark a dramatic turnaround. That 94% live release rate was a jump from 82%. Placements rose from 1,787 to 3,072. Spay/neuter surgeries for the community and in-shelter animals soared from 949 to 4,685. Wellness visits at HSHA’s Veterinary Resource Center—a low-cost clinic supporting pet ownership in the community—jumped from 3,916 to 4,876.
Open Adoption
When Brandywine Valley SPCA CEO Adam Lamb first met HSHA staff, he asked how many of their pets were up to date on vaccinations. Not every hand went up, proving his point. Even the best pet owners are human, and old systems requiring potential adopters to jump through hoops like, well, circus dogs “don’t necessarily equate to a better, more permanent home,” said Yeager.
Today, under open adoption, HSHA counselors talk with adopters, finding their preferences, capabilities and circumstances, on the way to matching the right pet with the right home.
“If they’re walking through the door at the animal shelter, they’re good people,” said Yeager. “They want to do the right thing.”
Vierria Maisonave visited HSHA during a discount adoption day, needing the mental-health pick-me-up of a cat to care for. She saw a sleeping cat named Hedwig, which she would rename Beatrix.
“A toy jiggles, she chirps, and she goes straight to me,” said Maisonave, of Carlisle. “There was this connection.”
Open adoption made it easy. She told an HSHA adoption counselor that she lived with her mom and their guinea pigs.
“They love their animals there,” Maisonave said. “They’re open, but they’re very serious about making sure that their baby is going to be safe with another family.”
Today, Beatrix gives kisses, dresses up for the camera, and cuddles with Cupcake—the new guinea pig that Maisonave’s mom adopted the day Beatrix came home.
“Beatrix is a cutie,” said Maisonave.
Playtime
Pre-Pursuit, HSHA board members justified the lack of air conditioning by claiming that AC units would take space devoted to open-air kennels.
Post-Brandywine affiliation, AC is installed, and so are 5,000 square feet of play space, in three fenced yards accommodating up to 10 dogs each.
“This has been a game changer for the quality of care for the dogs,” Yeager said. “It’s addressing their mental needs while they’re here. For a dog in a kennel, it’s a stressful situation. Here, they can get out and get some fresh air, stretch their legs, play with other dogs.”
Staff recently trained in Dogs Playing for Life, a playgroup approach that matches dogs temperamentally for socialization and exercise. Under the system, sweet Megara—a white mixed breed who was abandoned after having multiple litters of puppies—initially shied from play but, over time, learned that other dogs weren’t scary.
“You could see her confidence building,” said Director of Marketing and Outreach Amanda Brunish. “She’s learning that other dogs are safe. We were all saying, ‘Go, Megara!’”
Cats live in dedicated spaces according to their needs. Sociable cats mingle in the cat condo room. Estrella the calico was recently entranced by fish swimming in the built-in aquarium, visible from adjoining rooms.
On an early June day, a.k.a. “kitten season” in shelter world, staff were preparing to welcome 70 kittens from their foster homes. Their cages are gated on one side and glass-walled on the other, lining a hallway where visitors can soak up all that cavorting cuteness.
In the “critter room,” chinchillas did whatever it is that chinchillas do, while a volunteer lavished attention on a surrendered, lop-eared bunny.
Like a Machine
At some point, a visitor might notice that the HSHA kennels and spaces don’t smell bad. Staff love that compliment. They credit the volunteers devoted to cleaning and caring for the animals.
Stefanie Bevins’ first volunteer gig involved the unglamorous job of washing dishes—“stacks and stacks of dog dishes.”
“At first, I felt, ‘OK, I’m just doing dishes,’” said Bevins of Lower Paxton Township. “But it’s like a machine. Every little part makes it run smoothly. Even those volunteers that don’t have direct animal care, what they’re doing is important.”
Now, Bevins helps with paperwork and the summertime “Critter Camp” for kids. She also walks dogs, having taken a two-hour course in proper leashing techniques, which is “more complicated than it sounds.”
Bevins, owner of an 11-year-old rescue German shepherd, volunteered in January for the chance to do something gratifying. She was surprised by HSHA’s efficient operations.
“They have procedures for everything, which is great, because there’s no guessing what you need to do,” she said. “And the fact that they can do same-day adoptions now, instead of having a whole process, it’s very enticing to the community that wants to adopt a dog or a cat or a rat or a bunny.”
As HSHA removes old barriers, Shelter Skip Days have grown increasingly popular. Whenever the shelter is open, members of the public can take out a dog for a mental health day, perhaps to play at their homes or get a Starbucks Pup Cup.
Tim Delp, a former HSHA volunteer of the year and Pursuit-era critic, now brings Shelter Skip Day dogs to his backyard play area every Saturday. Often, it is a dog so amped up by kennel stress that it’s hard to adopt out.
“We work with them, or if they just want to lay and sleep, we let them do that,” he said. “We build trust with them and get them to feel what it’s like to be out of that stressful environment and be in a family.”
HSHA still has its detractors, Delp said, but he believes the organization has made all the changes demanded by protesters and is investing in the community and in staff training.
“That’s all positive and a plus for the animals,” he said. “That’s what we wanted to see. How do you make it better for the animals first, and right behind that, how do you make it easier and better for the community?”
Delp said he keeps in touch with CEO Adam Lamb and, as an engaged outsider, holds HSHA accountable for its promises.
“We love you and we trust you and we’re behind you, but we’re also watching,” he said. “I don’t think they would want anything other than that.”
It’s a stabilization year at HSHA, said Yeager. No new initiatives, other than a rebranding with Brandywine Valley SPCA, are planned while staff get accustomed to new routines.
As for Maisonave, if there’s “another baby” in her future, it will come from HSHA.
“I would definitely recommend it to others,” she said.
Her mom, Alaiah Livingston, shared that she was a foster child who now has a soft spot for adoptable animals. HSHA, she said, “is not a shelter. It’s their transition home.”
Humane Society of Harrisburg Area, 7790 Grayson Rd., Harrisburg, 717-564-3320. Find adoptable pets at www.humanesocietyhbg.org, but don’t look for sweet, once-shy Megara. She was adopted on June 5.
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