A nearly two-year probe led by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office found the Montgomery County SPCA violated state nonprofit laws, euthanized animals unnecessarily, and failed to use its $67 million in charitable assets to maintain healthy animal shelters, officials announced Wednesday.
The probe began in October 2024, weeks after an Inquirer investigation revealed signs of mismanagement, hazardous conditions, and animal mistreatment at the state’s wealthiest animal shelter.
Attorney General Dave Sunday said his office reached a settlement requiring the nonprofit to replace its board of directors, hire new executive management, bring facilities up to code, and revise old bylaws. The shelter also must pay $21,040 in fines as part of the settlement.
The Montco SPCA said many of the terms of the settlement agreement were either well underway or completed as of Wednesday. The organization touted in a statement its “extraordinary progress” over the last two years, including a $26 million commitment to facility upgrades and an improved save rate for animals.
Following The Inquirer’s reporting on shelter operations, and outcry from animal welfare advocates, some donors pulled the Montco SPCA from their wills, amid concerns that the funds were being misused at the century-old institution.
The Inquirer found squalid kennel conditions, inadequate foster programming, and undertrained staff. The Montco SPCA’s wealth dwarfed that of most animal shelters in the region, yet it spent comparatively little on operations. At the time, it also saved the fewest number of animals among regional shelters, euthanizing nearly one in five that entered the main branch in Conshohocken.
The local SPCA leaders responded with a complete overhaul of operations, beginning with the ouster of its executive director, who had run the shelter for more than 50 years.
The shelter also replaced most members of its longtime board of directors, named a new executive director, improved training for staff, and invested heavily in shelter infrastructure. Plans are underway to build a new shelter.
It is a stark change from just two years ago, when the cash-rich shelter hoarded millions in investment accounts as complaints piled up.
Between 2021 and 2024, the attorney general’s probe found, the board of directors “failed to exercise due diligence and reasonable care” that resulted in multiple violations of Pennsylvania laws governing nonprofits and trade practices, according to the settlement agreement.
The agreement cited “potentially undue and precipitous euthanization of animals,” as well as mistreatment of pets, unsafe conditions, and “undue” stockpiling of charitable funds.
Sunday said that over the four years examined by his office, the Montco SPCA failed donors by spending an insufficient amount to advance the shelter’s mission.
“Pennsylvanians who donate to charities should be able to trust that their money is being used to support an organization’s mission,” Sunday said in a statement. “This settlement holds the Montgomery County SPCA accountable, puts important safeguards in place, and serves as a reminder to other charitable organizations that they will be expected to fulfill their mission and comply with the law.”
Shelter officials said the reforms are ongoing. The Montco SPCA expects to invest $25 million to build a new veterinary clinic and adoption facility in Blue Bell, where the nonprofit purchased a building for $5 million in September, according to a spokesperson. Estimated grand opening: 2027.
Meanwhile, the SPCA’s Conshohocken and Perkiomenville locations remain open for business, while its Abington branch plans to reopen in the fall after a $500,000 renovation.
“The resolution reflects both the substantial progress we have made, and a shared commitment to continue building a stronger, more sustainable organization for the future,” the nonprofit’s statement said.
Acknowledgment
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