Let’s Talk About Stray Dogs

We’d like to provide some clarity on the topic of whether the Dutchess County SPCA “takes in” stray dogs, as there are a few misconceptions we feel it’s important to address. The short answer to this question is “yes” we do. The long answer is a little more complicated, so bear with us as we explain. 

River - found as a stray, now an adoptable dog at the DCSPCA

Who we are

The Dutchess County SPCA (DCSPCA) is an independent non-profit organization that is not affiliated with Dutchess County Government nor the ASPCA. We do not receive county funding. Instead, we are supported overwhelmingly by private donations from our kind and caring supporters.

What the law says

NYS Agriculture and Markets Law (Article 7, section 113) requires every municipality issuing dog licenses to appoint at least one Animal Control Officer (ACO) and to provide housing for lost or stray dogs.  The ACOs are also commonly known as Dog Control Officers (DCOs) since this applies specifically to dogs and not to other companion or farm animals.

Municipalities can, and frequently do, contract out for both ACO and dog housing services.  The terms of these contracts set out the times the ACO will work and the fees to be paid to the ACOs as well as to the organizations holding the dog housing contracts.  Any qualified individual or organization may engage with the municipality to enter into these contracts for service.

How it used to be

The DCSPCA used to hold some of these municipal contracts.  A couple of years back, during a review of these contracts, it was identified that the DCSPCA was losing money in caring for the stray dogs taken in. This meant we were subsidizing the municipal obligations out of the DCSPCA’s general operating budget. It wasn’t an effective use of the funds that our supporters so kindly donated.

In addition to financial challenges resulting from these municipal contracts, not all dogs that come in through these contracts are adoptable. When the stray hold is over, and the dog remains unclaimed, it can be very challenging for non-profit, no kill shelters to make appropriate decisions about dogs who are not safely able to be put up for adoption. Despite this being a municipal decision, it is the non-profit who is often viewed as making the decision and, therefore, not living up to their no kill promise.

The DCSPCA decided not to renew their municipal contracts because of the findings from the contract review. What this means is that the DCSPCA no longer takes stray dogs directly.  

What happens now

However - and this is the important part - we continue to partner with organizations which hold municipal housing contracts to take adoptable dogs who are not claimed and we help them find loving homes. We determine whether a dog is appropriate for adoption based on medical and behavioral evaluations and not on size or breed.  

If you would like additional information on the DCSPCA’s process or partnerships, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. You can email our Executive Director, Monica Scrivner, at monica@dcspca.org. We are happy to talk about how we continue to support stray dogs across Dutchess County.

If you're looking for contact information for your local ACO, click here.