PA shelter’s kennels empty for Christmas; just 1 cat left

A Pennsylvania animal shelter is full of holly jolly cheer this Christmas season after clearing out its kennels.

Adams County SPCA in Gettysburg had a lot to celebrate after clearing out their kennels over two weeks, except for one stray that came in “a little bit ago,” the staff announced on Facebook.

“Our community stepped up once again! This is the first time in 47 YEARS that the Adams County SPCA is empty let alone at Christmas time” the post said.

“It is a true miracle!”

“To say that we are beyond excited is an understatement!”

They celebrated by posting a photo of smiling staff members kneeling and standing at the open doors of a row of empty kennels.

The shelter adopted out nearly 600 animals to new homes this year and reunited 125 with their owners, staff said.

Since their shelter is now empty, they announced they’ll be taking in animals from nearby kennels to help “relieve some of their stress.”

The Post has reached out to Adams County SPCA for comment.

About 6.3 million animals are brought to shelters each year, according to the ASPCA.

Around 4.1 million animals are adopted each year, while roughly 920,000 are euthanized.

Animal shelters across the country are bursting at the seams as more and more owners are surrendering their pets.

A shelter near Albany, New York, is “beyond full,” according to Mohawk Hudson Humane Society CEO Ashley Jeffrey Bouck.

The number of animals entering shelters started rising in 2021, after a pandemic-related dip reversed. Adoptions haven’t kept pace with the influx of pets, causing shelters to become overrun with animals.

Shelter Animals Count, a national database of shelter statistics, estimates that the U.S. shelter population grew by nearly a quarter-million animals in 2023.

“The economy right now is really challenging for a lot of families,” said Kim Alboum of the Bissell Pet Foundation, a national animal welfare organization.

“And with the housing crisis, people are losing their homes and are having to downsize or move in with others. And this is a recipe for disaster for people that have larger dogs.”

With Post Wires.