Founded in 1929, the Brandywine Valley SPCA is the first open-admission no-kill shelter in Pennsylvania and Delaware. In 2023, the BVSPCA cared for more than 17,000 lost, stray, owner-surrendered, and abused and neglected animals while achieving a 93% live release rate. The BVSPCA provides animal protective services for Chester County and much of Delaware County in Pennsylvania, and it holds a five-year contract with the Delaware Office of Animal Welfare to provide state-wide animal services. BVSPCA animals are placed through adoption centers in Dover, Georgetown, and New Castle in Delaware, and West Chester and Plymouth Meeting in Pennsylvania. In addition, the BVSPCA provides families with safety net and low-cost veterinary services at its four Animal Health Centers in Malvern, New Castle, Dover, and Georgetown. The BVSPCA also operates the Animal Rescue Center (ARC), a facility dedicated to act as a bridge for animals with additional needs prior to adoption, such as cruelty cases, disaster victims, infants, and those with medical needs.

In 2024, BVSPCA entered into affiliation agreements with the Animal Adoption Center in New Jersey, and the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area (HSHA) to expand lifesaving and its no-kill mission. Recently, Best Friends Animal Society recognized HSHA as reaching no-kill status of more than 90% animals saved.

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Plainly, yes, as demonstrated with BVSPCA's work in Delaware. The State of Delaware has had a bumpy history with animal control. The contract moved back and forth among a few shelters, none providing consistent services and with little macro impact on lifesaving. The contract at the time was held by a shelter with a historical live release rate under 80%. When the contracted shelter decided in late 2015 not to renew the animal services contract and only gave a 30-day notice before ending services, it left the state in a precarious position but also created an opportunity for betterment with a forward-thinking partner and progressive animal services provider- BVSPCA.

From the start, it was the BVSPCA’s goal to establish a shelter and clinic in each of Delaware’s three counties to improve operations, services and outcomes for the community. Through tremendously hard work, dedication and financial resources, the BVSPCA continues to be the sole contract provider to the State of Delaware and in 2018, this achievement was recognized by Best Friends Animal Society when Delaware was named the first no-kill state in the country and the state received the national spotlight across media outlets such as CNN, People Magazine, and the Washington Post.

Adam Lamb focuses his career on marrying open-access sheltering with no-kill standards. Lamb first came to Pennsylvania from Tampa, Florida where he worked at the SPCA Florida, Humane Society of Tampa Bay, and Hillsborough Animal Services.  In 2014, Lamb was named executive director of the then-Chester County SPCA. His work led to the rebranding of the struggling County shelter with a live release rate of 65% as Brandywine Valley SPCA, which became the Commonwealth’s first open-admission no-kill shelter. His leadership as CEO of BVSPCA has brought expansion and growth to the now largest animal welfare organization in Pennsylvania, operating and serving in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties. He has also led BVSPCA’s expansion into Delaware where, in 2018, the BVSPCA helped lead Delaware to become the first no-kill state in the nation, as well as into Central Pennsylvania and South Jersey. Lamb recognizes the role Animal Welfare Organizations play in helping keep owned pets in their homes and cutting down on the number of homeless animals, and launched programs for pet retention, not only to serve BVSPCA adopters but the entire community. Free vaccine clinics, pet food pantry, low-cost spay and neuter surgeries, community cat programs, partnerships with rescue organizations, and humane education programs are just some of the ways Lamb has helped lead the BVSPCA to become a national leader in Animal Welfare and progressive programs. Lamb has served as the president of the Federated Humane Societies of Pennsylvania, and on the Best Friends committee to Save Them All 2025 and the Petco Foundation Leadership Forum. He has also become a nationally recognized leader in Animal Welfare.

Brandywine Valley SPCA will bring its nationally recognized programs and expertise to the District of Columbia. Services will include animal control services, intake diversion, adoptions, and basic shelter animal wellness. Working with DC Health, the BVSPCA will be able to serve the communities of the District in ensuring stray, lost and injured animals receive the adequate care and treatment they deserve.

Through demonstrated best practices, the BVSPCA will ensure length of shelter stays are shortened and aim to move the District to No-Kill status. BVSPCA is committed to ensuring world class services are offered, at the most affordable price for all the District residents and beyond.

The Animal Control and Care Contract with DC Health goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

BVSPCA will expand innovative approaches and work toward bringing the no-kill mission to the nation's capital. BVSPCA's progressive policies and programs aim to elevate and modernize animal care for DC, to ensure even more animals stay in their homes and out of the shelters, remove barriers to adoption, and provide resources for the community like vaccine clinics, pet food pantry, low-cost spay/neuter services, and opportunities for the community to get involved to enhance animal care in the District.

This new partnership will streamline public hours of operation, creating a safe space for the reunification of lost pets, prospective adopters, community programs, and volunteer services. BVSPCA has also set a goal for the year of increasing services to pet families in the community such as low-cost immunizations, spay/neuter, and wellness care.

Adam Lamb, long-serving and nationally recognized animal welfare leader, and CEO of BVSPCA, will continue to oversee operations.

Day-to-day operations in the District will be led under BVSPCA Chief Operating Officer Aaron Johnson's direction. A long-time animal welfare employee and leader in Animal Control and Services, Johnson was most recently serving as executive director at Montgomery County Animal Care Services in Texas.

BVSPCA will continue to operate as is across the existing Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey footprint.

The BVSPCA’s no-kill work began in Chester County in Pennsylvania and has helped lead Delaware to become the first no-kill State in the nation. BVSPCA has been a leader in the no-kill movement and prides itself on continued average live-release rates above the national 90% standard year after year. In 2024, BVSPCA worked with affiliate partner Humane Society of Harrisburg Area to elevate lifesaving above the 90% benchmark, and HSHA was recently recognized by Best Friends Animal Society for becoming a no-kill shelter. An important goal of the partnership is to bring BVSPCA’s no-kill standard of lifesaving to the District, and leadership will assess what needs there are to bridge the gap and set goals for reaching that lifesaving benchmark.

A community is considered to be no-kill when every brick-and-mortar shelter located within the county has a save rate of 90% or higher. No-kill means healing the animals who can be healed, treating behaviors that can be treated, and prioritizing the safety of both pets and people in our communities. When we value those objectives, humane euthanasia is used as a last resort in instances when an animal is deemed too ill or too dangerous for rehabilitation. The no-kill philosophy also acknowledges that euthanasia may be an appropriate choice in rare cases of irremediable aggression in which (1) a veterinarian has eliminated medical treatment as a solution; (2) rehabilitation by a specialist in behavior has failed; and (3) staff and public safety cannot be reasonably assured, or other management protocols would seriously compromise the pet's quality of life. 

Find more from Best Friends Animal Society at bestfriends.org/no-kill-2025.

BVSPCA hopes to retain as many current staff as possible, to scale lifesaving, and evaluate potential opportunities for more consolidated roles to maximize efficiency and eliminate redundancies across the entire BVSPCA footprint. This means staff could be re-evaluated, re-allocated, and tailored to accomplish this goal. There are no plans for any massive decrease in staffing, but in fact, BVSPCA will be looking to increase staffing for all three locations in DC. BVSPCA will need highly skilled people ready day one to ensure the lives that depend on us do not feel the shift with the provider. 

BVSPCA works hard to ensure funds are utilized with maximum efficiency across the organization, and all campuses are truly part of one life-saving team. That being said, we know some donors prefer their gifts to be solely earmarked to one location, program, or initiative, and we will gladly honor donors’ wishes and intent. 

BVSPCA welcomes adopters, donors, fosters, and volunteers to join this effort in expanding resources and care for the most vulnerable animals across the District. Register to receive our e-communications, volunteer, or foster. Once we open in DC, stop in to adopt, drop off donations of supplies, or see what we are all about. You can also support this work by making a financial contribution to this effort, starting a social fundraiser on your social channels to support our work, and attending and supporting our upcoming events. Community support is vital to make this work possible.

The BVSPCA will operate three locations at the start of the contract in early January. The community has deep ties to the 1201 New York Ave. NE shelter. BVSPCA will continue to operate and use this space to help inform and educate the community on the future plans of the District animal welfare services. Additionally, DC Health has procured a 30,000 sq. ft. space at 2 DC Village Ln. SW, which will be renovated to the specifications of the BVSPCA’s needs. Lastly, nearly 8,500 sq. ft. has been procured by the BVSPCA to act as a high-visibility retail space. This space is located at 1514-1516 Okie St. This facility will include at least 70 kennels for adoptables and downstream plans of providing medical services, as well.