New Alliance to Help Animals in Philadelphia

Philadelphia follows New York City model to become a no-kill community 

October 3, 2004

September 28 will go down in the annals of the Philadelphia humane movement as a historic date.

On that evening, more than 200 people gathered for a town hall meeting at the Academy of Natural Sciences to officially launch the Alliance for Philadelphia's Animals, with a goal of turning Philadelphia into a "no-kill" city within 10 years.

The Alliance had received an unofficial leg-up the week before, when the group was featured at a Best Friends membership meeting in Philadelphia that drew more than 400 people. Best Friends' President Michael Mountain spoke at the meeting to tell members about the national No More Homeless Pets campaign, and Tara Derby-Perrin, president and chair of the Alliance, talked about how to get involved with the new effort in Philadelphia.

The Alliance plans to spearhead a drive to transform Philadelphia from a city that kills 30,000 animals a year into one that adheres to a "no-kill" philosophy within the next decade. With the support of the city government, the group intends to pull together a coalition of animal welfare groups in the area, and provide resources to support adoption and spay-neuter programs.

This effort follows upon the progress already made by the People Pet Partnership, a group that helped lay the foundation for cooperative partnership in Philadelphia through successful super adoptions and other projects over the past three years.

The Philadelphia Alliance is patterned after a model that has successfully reduced pet euthanasia and fostered cooperation among animal groups in New York City, and hopefully will add Philadelphia to the cutting edge of a national trend that has drastically reduced euthanasia numbers across the country. Those efforts have lowered the number of dogs and cats euthanized in this country from a high of 17 million in 1987 to less than 5 million in 2003.

"[W]e are working so that every adoptable cat and dog in Philadelphia is guaranteed a good home," Derby-Perrin says.

The town hall meeting featured leaders who helped build the historic Mayor's Alliance in New York City, including Ed Sayres, president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Jane Hoffman, president and chair of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals. Also speaking were Carmen Paris, deputy health commissioner for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health; and Joseph Cronauer, president of the Philadelphia Animal Care and Control Association.

"We're very excited to be a part of this historic meeting in which Philadelphia joins New York in paving the way to create a no-kill community," say Sayres and Hoffman.

Cronauer, whose agency handles animal control for the city, emphasizes the importance of building a coalition that works with groups across the city.

"We are committed to getting the job done," he says. "But we can't turn this thing around single-handedly. We need to pool talent and resources, and all work together putting the needs of the animals first."

Cronauer adds that he looks forward to the day when the city does not euthanize animals simply because they were surrendered by their people and there is no room at the shelter.

"For the first time in Philadelphia, the wheels are in motion to change the attitude that this is acceptable in our shelters and in our community," he says.

In addition to the featured speakers, Paula Kielich, the president of the Pennsylvania SPCA and Amy Angelilli, the president and founder of the People Pet Partnership were present.

To heighten public awareness of the Alliance for Philadelphia's Animals and its mission to aid animals in need, all those attending the meeting were given bright orange Animal Guardian Ribbons, which were donated by New-York-based Rational Animal, a nonprofit organization that promotes the welfare of New York's at-risk animals.

The Alliance is a not-for-profit organization supported solely by volunteers and sponsoring organizations. In an effort to make the greatest impact, funds received go directly to support the agencies that are working in the trenches to aid the animals.