Animal abuse concerns in York County reached tipping point in 1920s

The situation

Maybe we should call this section “The disruption.”

We say this because York County seems to move ahead in the best of ways when we grapple with painful — and sometimes shameful — moments.

The American Revolution transformed York from an American version of a German village toward the mainstream of U.S. towns where the English language replaced the German tongue on its streets.

The Civil War transported farm boys to distant battlefields where they experienced different people and places. They would return to work in red-brick factories popping up along the dirt streets in most York County towns. The Civil War ended in a surrender in a small Virginia farmhouse, and the Industrial Revolution then began in expansive buildings larger than many county cornfields.

Not all moments of transformation were spawned by war on distant soil. In the late 1960s, a civil war in York fought along racial lines left two dead and dozens injured. That wrenching moment brought social change that elevated Black and Latino people and women to the highest levels of community leadership 50 years later.

And not every disruptive event brought mass casualties or the death of significant community members. They can come from an event that at first seemed small.

One such moment of change came in the killing of a single dog, an Airedale terrier named Kelly. That event came in 1925 near Market and Newberry streets in York when a game warden leveled his handgun at Kelly, apparently unprovoked. He shot at the 6-year-old dog twice. One of the bullets struck Kelly, who never recovered.

The public outrage spawned the creation of the York County SPCA, chartered within a year. That moment signaled that community consciousness about inhumane treatment of animals had reached a tipping point, that such acts would no longer be accepted without investigation.

One might say that Kelly’s death bore a sacrificial element. The SPCA today counts saving 350,000 animals in its 100-year history.

Indeed, York County never lets a crisis and its disruption go to waste.

The witness

York County SPCA Executive Director Steven Martinez answers questions about his organization, past and present.

Q. In the past century, the York County SPCA has saved more than 350,000 animal lives. What are some highlights from this century of operation?

• In 2006, we moved into our current facility to meet the growing demand for our services. In 2013, we built a high-volume, low-cost spay-neuter clinic.
• Our spay/neuter surgeon is on track to reach 100,000 surgeries in early 2027.
• In 2019, the organization began a foundational change to its operations. After internal research and review, we discovered our save rate was only 53%, meaning half of the animals entering our care were not leaving alive. This was devastating. Our staff, who had to carry out those euthanasias, felt the pain of managing the organization that way. We knew we had to change, and we embarked on a strategic plan to change our model and operations.
• In 2021, we started a community cat program.
• We became no-kill in 2022 and sustained that progress since 2022.

Q. How has the SPCA’s mission changed or expanded since its finding?

Our relationship with the community has changed over the years. We used to be a dog pound, drop off, center. Pets would be brought to the YCSPCA, out of sight, out of mind.

• Now we work to save all the animals that can be saved.
• We put an emphasis on keeping people and pets together. This led to creating and growing our human service programs like our pet food pantry, SafePet and CARMA programs. These programs address some of the root causes for why people would surrender a pet. Last year alone, we donated more than 57,000 lbs. of pet food. · According to the World Animal Foundation, In 2010, 62% of households had a pet and in 2026 that number jumped to 71% of households have a pet. We made a huge 9% leap in 16 years. Our relationship with our pets has evolved over the years, now most people view pets as family members. 96% of dogs say their dog is a “member of the family”.
• Our humane investigative work has expanded, especially as the law has become more defined and become more enforceable. We employ the county’s only Humane Society Police Officer.

Q. What are some projects, initiatives or changes in operational guidelines planned by, say, 2030?

·In 2022, we renovated the entire lobby, cattery, and conference room to accommodate our new and innovative lifesaving model.

In 2024, we purchased 13.2 acres of land, adjacent to our shelter. This secured our dog walking trails, protected us from a noisy/smellmanufacturing or trucking company from moving in. This brought our total footprint to over 18 acres.

In 2025, we opened (cut the ribbon) our new state-of-the-art canine play yards. These play yards enable us to host canine playgroups safely. More about playgroups here. · At the time of this writing, we are launching the public phase of our capital campaign. This once-in-a-generation project will create a state-of-the-art veterinary medical facility to accommodate our growth and support our lifesaving efforts. This facility will feature lots of quarantine rooms, inside/outside runs, two surgery suites, etc. Now that we are saving all the pets that can be saved, we need a new medical facility since we are a no-kill shelter. More on the campaign here. (This video is not to be shared with the public.)

This project will also expand our administration wing. In seven years, we’ve grown from 30 employees to 60, so we need somewhere to house our growing staff.

Q. Is there anything else you’d like the public to know about the York County SPCA?

We are a 501c3 nonprofit. Though our name is “SPCA,” we are independent and not affiliated with any other animal shelters. We receive no operational funding from any national organizations or the state or county.

The only consistent government funding we receive are fee-for-service contracts with York County municipalities. So, not “donating” or dollars for operations, this is a contract to provide services. And we are contracted with 66 of York County’s 72 municipalities. Which means we are the animal services department for the entire county.

One of our employees, Marilyn Krepps, has been with our organization for 31 years. She is a great witness to the change we’ve undergone. We highlighted her story in our 2026 impact video.

We are starting up and incubating Pennsylvania’s first and only association for animal shelters and rescues, called Federate Humane Society of Pennsylvania. Federated is housed out of the YCSPCA, and Federated’s first fulltime employee, Dillon Horger, is YCSPCA employee. Steven Martinez serves as the board president for the organization. Shelters from across the state are supporting the startup. We will publicly launch Federated in the first quarter of 2027.

The question

Kelly’s death was a terrible moment, but it sparked a movement that has saved more than 350,000 animal lives. What are some things in York County today that might be worthy of that same kind of collective action?

Related links and sources: Jim McClure’s “York County PA SPCA created 100 years ago after shocking act“. Photos, York County History Center. Bottom photo, York Daily Record.