Chester County Spca Review

We recently rescued a cute hound puppy from the New Castle location. The staff there was great with the adoption and was super helpful in helping us bond with our new puppy and made sure he was a good fit for us.

Fast forward two weeks. The puppy we adopted was showing random signs of aggression towards us that made us uncomfortable to be around him at times. He would aggressively bark towards us, lunge at us, and would get into fits that included biting that was definitely more than just puppy biting, and left bruises on more than one occassion. I grew up raising labs from puppies, and even with how mischievous and mouthy they can get, we agreed that the dog we adopted made us feel too uncomfortable and that it could possibly turn into a bigger issue when he was fully grown.

We loved the two weeks we spent with him and made the incredibly difficult decision to surrender him back.

We called the New Castle branch and the lady on the phone was very helpful and suggested we surrender him at the West Chester branch since it was closer to us.

Upon arriving at West Chester we were helped by a lady at the desk who seemed like she couldn't be bothered. With both of us visibly emotional throughout the whole process, she asked 'Why are you returning him?' and before I could even get out a response she said 'Because he's a puppy' in a snarky tone. I thought I misheard the first time so I asked her to repeat and she said the same thing. As I tried to explain why I was promptly cut off.

She also seemed completely disinterested when we were trying to explain what medicines the dog needed and when he was fed, etc.

I am incredibly disappointed at BVSPCA. We adopted here with the full intention that we would have this puppy forever. After hours of discussion we made the difficult and upsetting decision to surrender him back. We truly believed this was in his and our best interests, and the lady working at the shelter, where they are supposed to have the animals best interests, completely shamed and threw words into our mouths in an already emotional time.

EDIT: BVSPCA did reach out to offer support and remedy the issue and said they would talk to the employee involved. It was a nice gesture and made the situation a little bit better.

I lost my dog yes i understand it was my fault i found him and talk to the person who found him they said they called the pound so they came and pick him up i went to BVSPCA location in west chester first there rude i knock on the door and the employee saw me she pretend it to not see me and i knock harder so i finally grab her attention i was not rude to her first and said i losg my dog im here to pick him up and she said ok give me a second well she came back a few minutes later saying i couldn't get him back because the person who did the paperwork to get him back wasn't there and i would be charge $50 dollars for him to stay the night i ask to talk to the manager she said the same thing that the person wasn't at work and they couldn't give me my dog back and i would be charge $50 dollars well i come back the next day well THERE BOTH LIARS THE SAME 2 WORKERS WHO SAID THE PERSON WAS OUT FOR THE DAY WAS THE ONE WHO DID THE PAPERWORK AND STILL CHARGE ME $50 TO GET MY dog back there all liars in the spca all they want is money they even "had issues finding him in the system" all because he is a purebred they refused to give him back twice there bunch of unprofessional people there its sad all those animals depend on them because like i said THERE LIARS AND JUST WANT MONEY!

We adopted our dog from here they are very nice and helpful and we love our dog so much

The staff here are incredibly nice and informative about all their pets. Cara was such a huge help for us to finally pick out our sweet angel Rusty! The facility is clean and professional. Thank you for a great experience!

My experience was amazing from start to finish. The staff was friendly, attentive and made the adoption process so easy. I adopted storm she is literally the most gentle and sweet girl I have ever met. She's such a joy to have in the house.

We adopted a dog (Samantha) in July of last year and a cat (Rorie, formally Kenya) last month. This place is amazing, the staff was so friendly and informed about the animals. You can tell that they really care about the animals they have there. Definitely recommend bvspca to everyone looking for a new fur baby.

All the volunteers were helpful and seemed to really love the animals. This is the second time we ve adopted at this location.

Jeff was very patient letting me meet a couple dogs to find the right one for my dog and my family. He helped me with my choice and I am so happy with our new family .

Beautiful place that takes care of dogs and finds them a good home.

A volunteer assumed I was under 18 and refused to treat me like a potential clinent due to this. When I asked a simply question about the cats she angrily asked where my parent was. When I informed her I was over 18 she then said if I didn't own the house I lived in that I couldn't have a cat. I wasn't even looking to buy a cat today, I was just looking because I was coming back Saturday with my mom- the owner of the home.
When I told her this, she said it not get attached to any of them because they probably wouldn't be there when I came back.
I also overheard her telling another family not to bother getting a kitten because "they were all sick anyways."
I'm not some dumb kid just trying to take home a random cat, I've worked around pets for the past three years of my life, and I was planning to adopt a cat as a service animal.
I'm not going back here.

Went to get a puppy and apperently they wanted $500 this place i believe is a puppy mill and should be shut down. also some of the staff were rude and didnt even want to show us any puppies. all other foundations dont overcharge for puppies. i wouldnt reccomend this place .

My family and I wanted to find the perfect rescue dog to be the next addition to our family and we turned to BVSPCA. Their facilities were super clean and the staff was very informative. The overall adoption process was seamless, even with everything going on. We love our Charlie (formerly known as Brent) and will definitely come back when the time is right to add another family member. I would recommend coming a bit earlier than the opening time though since there was a bit of a line when I came!

The whole experience was just great. There were a lot of workers/volunteers there to answer any question, and help caring for the animals. I liked how when we picked a dog we were interested in. We were able to be with him by ourselves. There was a lot of care taken when going through the adoption process. Even when my girlfriend n I asked about a self serve dog wash. A worker took her time to find one that was 8 mins from the SPCA location. N the woman who went through the application with us. Was very knowledgeable n showed a lot of compassion with the process. We will definitely be back n will recommend this SPCA to everyone I know thinking of adopting

I visited with some colleagues one morning to help out with some of their duties. The staff there are friendly and care deeply about the animals in their care. They take great care of all the animals, and all the dogs in there are so sweet!

Nice place ppl friendly and know what there talking bout and love dogs.

We love Frank FNA Diablo!! We know that bringing him homr comes with an adjustment period but he has done amazing so far. The staff at BVSPCA were wonderful!!

I found a 4 week old kitten on the side of the road. I had it for a day, feed it and took it to the cat hospital the next day on high street where they can him an enema because he was severely constipated. They did this free of charge because I didn't have money to care for the kitten. They told me to take it to the Chester County SPCA to surrender him so he could he the medial attention that he needed. When I arrived there, the woman at the front desk looked over the kitten and asked me to sign the paper work. I was visibly and clearly upset at this point and she told me it was a $50 fee to surrender the kitten and I told her I did not have it. I explained that I had found the kitten and obviously she was not sympathetic because after she found out I was only donating $10 because that was all I had, she gave me an attitude and told me to never adopt a kitten with problems and to always rescue one. I clarified again that I had found the kitten on the side of the road but I guess that answer wasn't good enough. I was crying and she said nothing comforting, just gave me an attitude and took the kitten away. I was so upset after the fact. that woman is in the wrong field for how nasty she was about the situation.

They have some beautiful dogs up for adoption. This is where I got my Bella 3yr old Labrador Retriever Mix. She is such a sweet dog her name was Betty before I adopted her. Due to unfortunate circumstances I had to take her back. I miss her everyday. She will always have a place in my heart I hope see finds a good family that will love her and take her home.

First of all I will say I am happy with the little guy I had adopted. He's a very good kitten; affectionate, playful, loving. I adopted him yesterday which was Clear The Shelters day, July 23, 2016. I live an hour and fifteen minutes away but drove all the way down for this specific kitten. When I got there things seemed okay, I met one volunteer and she seemed really nice. Now the day before I had gone down I had asked if it was possible for them to hold two kitties for them so I could meet them and get to know them, they said they could not because it was first come first served. As I was waiting in line a woman pulled up with an empty cat carrier and one of the employees came outside to let her in the building which made me very confused since they weren't even open yet. Anyway, I went in to go pick my kitty out and felt a weird vibe from the whole place, there were only two volunteers there who were extremely nice and helpful, the rest were extremely rude. People were even told if they were not going to adopt an animal that day that they basically shouldn't be there what so ever. I was only allowed about five minutes with the two kittens I was interested in. The one had something wrong with his tail like it had been shaved off at the base, when I asked the woman what was wrong she could not tell me because she didn't know if he was shaven or if there was a problem with him so, I chose his brother. I was then told that in 7-10 days that i would have to bring the cat back down for his last vaccinations. I told them I live an hour and fifteen minutes away and that if it would be okay for me to take him to my vet to get his last vaccinations and have the paper work faxed down for proof. Right away they told me no, that this was a new law with them and I had to do it and that an hour and fifteen minutes isn'tisn't even that far. The woman then told me she was in a rush and told me to ask someone else questions I may have, which I thought was very rude. So I then filled out the paper work and waited for my name to be called. I felt as if everything was rushed and the pets weren't actually cared for. While adopting I was told my kitty was on medication but he wasn't anymore. There were also little children behind the desks helping these employees, they must've been volunteers but they seemed awful young. Paper work was given to these children and paper work was messed up and the wrong papers were given to me. After they basically got yelled at I received the correct paper work and was sent home with my kitty. Now I got home and was home for a little while with the new kitten and my one year old cat who I already have (which they knew about) and all of a sudden I get a call from the SPCA. They tell me they had made a mistake with my cat and that he was still on not one but two medications from a kitty cold that he has and that I would have to come back down the next day to get it. I was speechless, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I told them how could a mistake like this be made? One the kitty needed his medication and two they knew I had another cat at home who can possibly contract the cold the new kitten has. I had asked them if there was anyway they could send the medication to me and I was told no that it wasn't possible. And so instead of having the two prescriptions sent to a vet for me to pick it up they send it to my email saying I could have it filled and pay for it out of my own pocket or drive back down to get it. I can't believe everything that happened. My vets office was closed, and even if they were open they wouldn't fill the prescription because it's against the law. So today, July 24, 2016 I had to go all the way back down to Philly to pick up his medication. When I was give his medication I was told the one I had to refrigerated, knowing I have an hour and fifteen minutes drive back I'm not even given an ice pack to keep his medication cold until I could get home. Will never adopt here again. I feel they do not care about their animals or the people who adopt them to give them forever homes!!!

This facility and these folks, even the administrative team, do such a wonderful job with the animals. We have adopted all of our pets from this location and cannot recommend it enough. We live close by and try to visit as much as we can, and if we can't visit, we make sure to donate before winter to help in whatever way we can. It's such a worthy cause and they never give up on their animals. Clean, respectful, and professional all the way!

It s always sad seeing so many wonderful animals in need of a home. When we saw Trevor, our hearts just knew he was the one. The adoption process was quick, affordable and most importantly, Trev looked well taken care of.

I adopted a kitten from this SPCA. They are clean, the animals extremely well cared for. Thr shelter has been redone so the dogs have a nice little home. Thank you for Kitty Quinn!

I adopted my puppy from the New Castle location, he ended up pretty sick right after adoption and the clinics at the Malvern and West Chester locations both squeezed us in to make sure he was taken care of with the necessary medications to get him healthy again. You can tell from their followup and care that the wellbeing of the pets are really their number one priority.

We got our dog from the West Chester location. All the dogs were well cared for, lovable, and playful. I would have taken them all if I had the room, time, and money. We were glad Joy (who is now named Venus) gets along well with the cats we have. Starting to think she thinks she is a cat. I recommend them all the time to friends.

EVERYONE there was so incredibly nice! Everyone from the ones who helped us with the cats, to the ones at the front desk! They let my fiance and I take our time with the cats we were interested in and let us see which ones we really connected with. They answered all of our questions and you can really see how much they love and care for all the animals there! It really warmed my heart! I will definitely be back there! It was our first time there and it will definitely NOT be our last! Thank you to everyone who helped us bring our new cat home! You're all the best and we couldn't have done it without any of you!

I love this place nice people and they care a lot for their animals I have even got two dogs there and they are AWESOME!!!!!

Great shelter, fantastic workers, so many sweet dogs and cats.

Staff was polite we love our new husky she is so loveable

Patient, knowledgeable and friendly staff. They were very helpful in our quest to find the perfect fur addition to our family!

They are so friendly and helpful. Adopted a beautiful new dog for my family.

We were looking for another dog that got along with our current one and the volunteer staff was amazing. They took the time to make our dog comfortable and understand his personality to recommend dogs who would get along best with him. They also worked with us on a one on one personal level to make sure that any new dog was a good fit with our current one. The experience was far and above another local shelter in Philly; along with being VERY clean and low stress. I would check this location if you're adopting, they're great, we ended up adopting an adorable little girl who was rescued by SPCA from a kill shelter in Alabama.

Terrible workers/people. Terrible attitude. Let my 3 year old daughter look at a puppy and then after saying we want him then proceeding telling us that hes ALREADY ADOBTED. I LITERALLY HAD TO BREAK MY DAUGHTERS HEART AND WALK OUT OF THERE. THERE IS IN PANICK AFTER GREATING A CONNECTION. HORRIBLE STAFF.

I contacted the Brandywine spca several times for some help or at least advice on a problem with feral cats. There was a female cat who took up residence under our porch. She gave birth to 3 kittens. Then the mother cat developed an eye infection and appeared to be really sick. I could not even get the spca to call me back after leaving several messages. I didn t expect them to magically solve the problem. I DID expect them to care. They clearly did not.

I adopted both of my beloved cats from here, volunteer, and foster for them. They take great care of the animals and are a no-kill shelter. They help the community and put the fun in fundraiser!

They made adopting our boy so easy, and he's a perfect match! So clean and the staff was very helpful.

Fantastic staff! All were very knowledgeable and helpful :)

Best pup from the best organization. Wonderful people, staff and volunteers, who make the day to day happiness and heathy of all the animals a reality. They are always looking to make things better for all in their care.

Brandywine spca is very much for profit and not the type of SPCA we need in our county. We turned in an year old abandoned dog by my adult daughter xboyfriend which had been abused. Paid $50 intake fee. I specifically explained to the intake officer. Please do not allow my daughter to recovery the dog as he will be returned into an abusive situation. They state sign wavier to sign dog to them and we can not contact, visit basically giving up animal.

Two days later the release dog to my daughter. I called them explained why did your release dog back. No explaination no did not refund $50 fee. No#2 Beware and as your see not looking out for well being of the animals.

A month later I got a $300 ticket for not having the dog licenses in chester county from the age of 6 weeks to a year. I explained Im not the owner nor was the dog in my possession during this period. The Courts contact spca to drop licenses matter they refused. So gotta go to court July 28. 2019. Brandywine spca is greety for money and not an advocate for animals. Thank you listening to my story and Becareful if you looking out for the welfare of an animal.

We adopted our Maddie,a shepperd mix, about 4 yrs ago,really liked the facility and staff. Would definitely recommend ! She is the best pup you could ask for!

Good service, everyone was very nice. I like how they included a bag of food, the medicine, a bag of treats, and a couple of toys for free when I adopted my kitten. I also like how they have the bin of free pet clothing. :-)

We foster kittens for them and they are wonderful providing what is needed as well as education!

Rescued a very loving and sweet kitty staff was great at their mega adoption event.

We love the SPCA! I always take my daughter to look at the dogs and cats. Every time I take her to see the cats the lady in there is always mean. The lady with the short hair always has something to say and the way it comes out her mouth is so harsh! Sometimes I try to avoid going in there but my three year old loves seeing the cats.

I felt that they cared about the animals and families, both. I love my little senior dog!

Sad to say they sold me a sick kitten, sharing a cage with another coughing, sick kitten. My application indicated we already had a 2 year old cat, and their kitten had full blown, active herpes. I had to return the kitten beyond their return period and they refunded my purchase price.

A few years ago, they also sold my daughter a mixed rescue dog for $600, saying he had "kennel cough ", which was actually full blown pneumonia. Due to extensive vet bills trying to save a very sick puppy, they also refunded her $600 when she said she was going to the press. They do not have a full time vet on staff, only visiting part time, so techs are diagnosing and misdiagnosing.

This is an Awesome place to adopt ur new fur baby. The Shelter is very clean and the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable

Very kind and committed staff. Happy with all aspects of our visit and adoption.

I am very disappointed in the way the management acted... The only reason I am giving 2 stars is because the women and gentlemen caring directly for the animals were kind and heartwarming.

I visited a young German Shepherd named Mike who has anxiety issues & needs to a forever home. His behavioral manager said he picked up on my scent, seemed interested, & would like me to come back for another meeting.

Before leaving, I looked at a sweet cat in the window. Moments later, I was told I had to leave. Apparently you are not allowed to look at more than one needy animal, which is entirely unprofessional and beyond bizarre.

This poor dog is terrified of kennels and needs out but this manager also named Mike (older man with grey hair) was rude, insensitive, and absolutely disrespectful. Why does the SPCA exist? They will keep this dog there suffereing forever, because they never even replied to my emails.

Thanksfully I went to PetValu and Lost Dawgs where everyone was brilliant! HIGHLY RECOMMEND them over the SPCA! Sad but true.

Terrible, I've gone twice with my boyfriend within the past month and the second time we found a puppy we wanted to adopt. As I walked to see their products I saw a volunteer helping a family in a play room and then bringing the dog back to his pen. My boyfriend meanwhile was trying to get the volunteer to help him with our adoption and we wanted to play with him too. As I came back I saw the volunteer put the dog in the pen and leave somewhere else. My boyfriend said the same volunteer told him they weren't allowed to take the dogs out for us... he went to ask someone else and they said to hold on while they wash their hands, they left and never came back, left after 15 minutes of not being acknowledged, sad that there could be more adoptions with better staff.

I have not (yet) adopted from this SPCA , but the facility is lovely.

Had such a wonderful experience adopting my cat from this center. Shawn in the cat center was so helpful, answered all of my questions and even taught me to trim my cats nails so I would feel comfortable caring for her at home! My cat had a difficult time transitioning and at first would not eat. I called this center and spoke with Rhonda who was SO helpful, gave me great advice/tips to encourage her to feel safe in our home. Luckily it worked and my cat is now eating, playing and asking for attention! Thank you for all you do SPCA!

I love this SPCA! We came in looking for a friend for our 9 year old rescue. All the associates helped us, they listened to us when we told them what we were looking for and made sure we made the right choice for our family. They were upfront about any costs and made sure we felt comfortable with our new family member. As a result, Bailey (formerly known as Sapphire) is settling in at Home with her big sister. (Bailey is the black dog; Macie is the tan one)

I was told there would be NO FEE to come get my dog. And they charged me $50 to get her out. Even tho I I only had $49 and they let me go with that. Tgat was still wrong.

Super friendly staff and made it very easy to adopt our new family!

Awesome place to work with during the adoption process. So happy with our new fur baby!

The facility is clean and inviting. There were many families there to adopt animals. The staff were helpful and very caring.

Awesome dogs good place to get dogs a little pricey though but overall nice place to buy animals from ASPCA u used to give donation when getting dog or cat but they changed it to were they want cash straight up now

Wonderful, caring staff and place. Our family went quite a few times until we found the perfect little addition.

I love there was alot of love for animals shared stories with other people strangers and the staff was fast and gave u alot of info on the animals

I love volunteering here! It's a truly amazing experience!

oh the were worth the 2.5 hr trip from slower lower Delaware. they have a well stocked shelter, and the prices were reasonable.

Clean environment. Friendly helpful staff. Highly recommend.

Got Blue on Saturday afternoon and she's adjusting well to her new surroundings. She is a lovable dog and I would go back to the SPCA if I needed to. The people there are really good people who know the animals on a personal basis.

I couldn't be happier with my experience! I was able to find my new best friend with some help from the awesome staff.

I adopted Liberty a Staffordshire Mix from the Dover, DE Petsmart Location on July 3rd, 2016 which is a branch of Brandywine Valley SPCA of PA. Liberty is such a amazing dog... You know the saying don't shop adopt... Well this is my first time adopting and it's been amazing! Brandywine Valley has been great to work with (Amanda the Practicing Manager) has been amazing! These people do great things! My hat is off to you! Thank you for my new bundle of joy! We absolutely love her! And this is a wonderful SPCA! Very pleasent people to deal with! She has her forever home! THANK YOU BRANDYWINE VALLEY SPCA for all that you do!

We are glad to visit Brandywine Valley SPCA! The facility is well organized and clean; Received good information about the cat that immediately formed the bond with us; Process is straightforward; We appreciate the detail info from staff that helps kids to understand the responsibility and commitment. Thank you!

Amazing people, well managed. Shelter is clean and animals are well cared for. Staff is friendly and helpful. Low cost veterinary services available. We adopted our dog here - they were very knowledgeable and supportive.

The facility was clean and organized. The animals (feline area) seemed calm and cared for. The staff was happy to help me and friendly. The adoption process was very quick and easy. We love our new baby girl kitty!

love everyone here for all they do for all our fur baby's

My parents dog got out, the police took him here. I picked him up and he was happy and cared for!

My soft spot is rescue animals, and I've always been afraid to volunteer out of fear of feeling bad, wanting to adopt everyone, etc.

However, I feel great about volunteering at BVSPCA because of how well the animals are treated, how well their marketing team does at spreading awareness about adoption, and about all of the other facets of BVSPCA that seriously makes them a leader in the world of rescue organizations. Their behavior therapy and training for dogs, their animal welfare officers, their morning playgroups, their constant opportunities for continued education for volunteers, and more. they ALWAYS have the best interest of the animals and do everything they can to rehab and make comfortable the animals in their care. I just love being a part of this organization and am confident in any conversation I have with someone considering a pet, to ADOPT!

Great place great animals they are some of the sweetest animals and need homes I highly recommend you stop by and pick up a new member of the family

This is a fabulous, life saving organization! We attended Walk for Paws a this past weekend and had a wonderful time. It was well-attended and a ton of fun. I will absolutely be attending future fundraising events!

I adopted my kitten from here in 2019. He has been the perfect addition to the family! He is the one on the right in the photo. The staff is very professional and friendly. Another benefit is that this is a no-kill shelter.

We've adopted 2 dogs from the CCSPCA and were very satisfied. They allowed us to meet and play with the dogs before we brought them home. I am now fostering for them and the amount of support for my foster is great. They are responsive and readily available. This a great no-kill open-admission shelter, the first in PA.

Best place to find great dog. I found my love bug Biggie and he is the best thing to happen to me in long time.

Friendly staff that took care of our family from the time we walked in. It was truly a joy to have met them.