Gone to the dogs?

Ambitious plans remain on the drawing board for a new pet adoption center and shelter along Rt. 6, just east of Denton Hill State Park in Potter County.

Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA) has acquired the property at the intersection of Rt. 6 and the Thompson Hollow Road, across from the Pine Log Motel. However, progress on the plan has been stalled ever since its chief proponent, Howard Nelson, resigned as PSPCA chief executive officer last February.

A $2.1 million bequest from Helen F. Miller of Potter County has made the project possible. Miller, who died in January 2005, left the money with instructions that it be used for an animal shelter in Potter County.

Early last year, the PSPCA acquired the Ulysses Township property from Sylvan Glen Inc., paying $140,000 for three parcels totaling 16.35 acres.

PSPCA announced at the time that the new center would serve as a sanctuary for animals that are part of pending cruelty court cases, as well as a location where prospective pet owners can acquire animals. It would include a cattery; housing and runs for dogs; exercise spaces and barns and stables for larger animals.

Once the center opens, the shelter in Wellsboro will be closed and the new facility will service both Potter and Tioga counties. PSPCA has been operating at an annual deficit of more than $125,000 in Wellsboro and is plagued by space limitations at that site.

PSPCA’s goal is to have a selfsustaining shelter for animal lifesaving, spaying or neutering, and cruelty prevention and response. The center would have a combination of paid employees as well as volunteers.

Part of the new plan is to launch a “Spay Ship.” It’s a mobile clinic that provides free or reduced-price pet spaying and neutering services. The organization will also provide stray dog and cat transportation service from the Potter County shelter to some outlying communities, including Wellsboro and Mansfield.

The organization is committed to reducing the number of animals that are put to death. Those figures have been less than 50 percent statewide and have been descending, despite the agency’s serious financial challenges and a growing population of unwanted animals.