DC residents and animals are being failed by Brandywine Valley SPCA (BVSPCA), the Pennsylvania-based contractor responsible for providing animal care and control services across the District.

Since BVSPCA started to provide animal control services in January, DC no longer has 24/7 animal control to help residents and animals in need. Residents in crisis repeatedly report unanswered emergency calls, ignored voicemails, and outright refusal to pick up stray or injured animals. In far too many cases, callers to BVSPCA have been told to “let the dog go,” “wait until business hours,” or “find the owner yourself.”

This lack of responsiveness is putting animals and people at risk and forcing residents to do the work that BVSPCA is being paid nearly $10 million a year to perform.

Even more troubling, BVSPCA’s contract does not require them to accept owner-surrendered animals. That means DC residents who can no longer care for their pets—because of financial hardship, illness, eviction, or other life crises—are turned away. BVSPCA has even been reported to charge grieving families high fees just to dispose of deceased pets, compounding emotional and financial distress.

List of 28 Known BVSPCA Incidents Collected by A Concerned Resident

DC is now paying nearly twice as much for animal control but receiving substandard service. DC residents and animals deserve reliable, humane, and compassionate care. We are calling on local leadership (the Mayor's Office, DC Council, and Department of Health) to:

• Hold BVSPCA accountable for providing standard Animal Care and Control services, including:
  • (1) A reliable and responsive 24/7 dispatch service; and
  • (2) Intake and care for all stray animals, including capture in the field
• Amend or replace the current contract to require the acceptance of owner-surrendered animals for DC residents.

Share your experiences and join us in demanding accountability from the District's contractors and true compassion for DC’s animals and their families. For a draft letter template to send to your Councilmember, see: Council Letter on BVSPCA Concerns

Sign this petition to tell DC leaders: We deserve better. Our animals deserve better.