BVSPCA deploys to quarantine facility

WEST CHESTER » The Brandywine Valley SPCA (BVSPCA) has deployed staff and supplies to assist ACCT Philly with an off-site quarantine facility for the dogs in the ACCT Philly shelter. The quarantine facility is located on Tulip Street in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. BVSPCA staff will provide animal care for 90 dogs for an expected two- to threeweek period that readies the dogs for adoption or rescue groups.

ACCT Philly recently had an increase in upper respiratory cases and also saw a stronger strain, called pneumovirus, infect several dogs. Despite efforts to decrease the spread, ACCT Philly needed to separate their existing dog population to protect those pets and the community, based on their veterinarian’s recommendation and confirmation from disease management experts at the University of Florida Maddie’s Shelter Medicine program.

This weekend BVSPCA staff collaborated with the ACCT Philly team and the Pennsylvania Animal Response Team (PART) to setup the off-site quarantine location. The BVSPCA provided all of the kennels as well as some additional supplies, and BVSPCA staff will provide all animal care for the quarantine period, which is expected to last up to three weeks. The ACCT Philly veterinarian and several ACCT Philly staff will also be on-site.

“We believe in helping communities in need without boundaries or borders, this time in the City of Philadelphia,” said Adam Lamb, BVSPCA CEO. “Our experience with emergency sheltering, such as during Hurricane Harvey in Houston and at our Animal Rescue Center during other disasters, prepared us well for this.”

“We are incredibly grateful to the Brandywine Valley SPCA and Bissell Pet Foundation for all of their support. As soon as we recognized the seriousness of this matter, we engaged our entire support network of partners and volunteers to ensure that we were doing everything possible to protect dogs in Philadelphia,” said Sarah Barnett, Acting Co-Executive Director at ACCT Philly. “With more than a dozen of our 24 animal care positions vacant, we would never have been able to start this lifesaving event without the assistance of our partners and volunteers.”

The Brandywine Valley SPCA will be caring for these 90 dogs on top of the hundreds of homeless pets in its care right now and the 51 dogs and cats, on average, that come through its doors daily. The BVSPCA requests the public’s assistance meeting this emergency need. Donations can be made at: https://bvspca. org/acct-deployment