The Women’s Animal Center in Bensalem, the first animal shelter in the nation, is celebrating 157 years of lifesaving work, writes Dino Ciliberti for the Patch.
The organization began when 30 Philadelphia women came together on April 14, 1869, to form the Women’s Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, motivated by concern over the harsh treatment of strays on city streets. They petitioned the mayor to take control of the municipal pound and successfully transformed it into the nation’s first shelter dedicated to rehoming animals.
The Women’s Animal Center also founded the nation’s first humane-education programs and still teaches young people compassion, kindness, and respect for animals. The organization launched the first free veterinary clinic and the first anti-vivisection society.
Guided by Caroline Earle White, the founders spoke up for animals in need despite the constraints of a society that treated them as second-class citizens. Their message continues today through the work of more than 3,500 active animal shelters nationwide.
“The extent of their influence is written on the heart of American culture itself, reflected in an estimated 90+ million American households now shared with pets,” said the center.
Read more about the Women’s Animal Center in the Patch.
