MAHONING TOWNSHIP -- Officials with the SPCA near Danville say the security cameras already helped them catch people abandoning their pets, which is illegal. After the cameras caught them, some people came in to pay the drop-off fees, while others face animal abandonment charges.
Patricia Horn of Bloomsburg left the Pennsylvania SPCA branch near Danville with a new friend, a chihuahua named Destiny. She says Destiny was recently abandoned by her owners in Philadelphia. This SPCA is taking steps to prevent that from happening. Recently cameras were installed inside and outside the building.
"I think that's a good idea. You don't know who is coming in or when. I'm glad they're doing it," Horn said.
Shelter supervisor Donie Aulenbach says there is a need for the cameras because many people do not realize it is illegal to drop off animals at the shelter after hours. And it is a big problem in this area.
"Being a no-kill network it's not like we can euthanize animals to make space, so we end up having to pull space out of thin air which is not always possible," Aulenbach said.
For example, Fenway was found outside the shelter in a crate a little over a year ago. Because the shelter didn't have cameras at the time, they didn't know his history. They didn't know who dropped him off, so therefore he's difficult to place.
Aulenbach says over the last two weeks, the cameras have already worked to help track down people abandoning their pets. Some people paid the fees to surrender their pets, which is $5 for puppies or kittens and $50 for grown animals.
"It's so easy and inexpensive to bring an animal here to do it the right way," Barbara Anzman said.
"If the person did not want to pay the surrender fee, then they were susceptible to animal abandonment charges," Aulenbach said.
Shelter supervisors say the goal is not to charge people with a crime. They just want to know the history of the animals so they can take care of them the right way and get them adopted as soon as possible.