Humane Pennsylvania is an innovative national leader in animal welfare, with adoption centers, accredited non-profit veterinary hospitals, emergency animal rescue services, community pet assistance programs, an animal focused charitable foundation, and a free, public dog park.

However, Humane Pennsylvania is more than buildings, programs, and services. What makes Humane PA unique is what we believe and how we approach our mission. We don’t believe people are the problem facing animals. We know people are the solution to every problem facing animals.

MISSION STATEMENT: Humane Pennsylvania empowers the people in our communities to increase their capacity to care for animals so that all animals are healthy, safe, and treated humanely.

Humane PA believes people are good, they want to do the best for their animals and for animals in their community, and they will ensure animals’ well-being to the best of their ability. We believe virtually all people in our communities fall into four basic groups and we work with them in the following ways:

  1. There are people who know what companion and community animals need to be healthy and happy, know what that requires, and how to access those services.
    • We ensure access to required resources and services for those with the capacity and knowledge who seek them.
  2. There are people who know what companion and community animals need to be healthy and happy, but face barriers and inequities in providing for those needs.
    • We provide support for those who seek these services but lack the capacity to obtain them.
  3. There are people who know what companion and community animals need to be healthy and happy, but have a poverty of knowledge or experience which prevents them from providing for those needs.
    • We foster capability and capacity in those who want to help animals but have a poverty of experience or knowledge serving as a barrier.
  4. There are a very few who do not care about companion or community animals’ needs and will not provide for them no matter what, but they are a vanishingly small minority.
    • We build a humane community to provide a safety net for animals subject to this small fraction of people.

We accomplish this through the combined impact of Humane PA’s innovative programs, unique adoption centers, accredited non-profit veterinary hospitals, emergency animal rescue services, community pet assistance programs, an animal focused charitable foundation, and even our free, public dog park.

The most important ingredient is the combined efforts of the people who believe in, support, and deliver our mission. It is the people of Humane Pennsylvania- staff, volunteers, and donors- working together with the community who are changing the world to make it a better place for animals and people.

We hope you’ll join us in our mission and our efforts to create the best communities anywhere to be an animal and an animal caretaker. Take a moment to see how we can help you and your pet or pets in your community. Learn how you can be a part of that work by volunteering, joining our professional team, or supporting Humane PA.