DUTCHESS COUNTY SPCA

The Dutchess County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DCSPCA) is a nonprofit animal welfare organization dedicated to providing temporary shelter for stray and homeless companion animals and to protecting animals from cruelty and neglect. Our mission is to make Dutchess County safe and humane for companion animals and people and to educate the public about the humane treatment of animals. We do this by facilitating companion animal adoption, enforcing humane laws, providing public outreach and education, and offering affordable medical care for animals in our region.

In 1871, five years after the first animal anti-cruelty laws were passed in the United States, a group of prominent community leaders in Poughkeepsie held a public meeting to form the  country’s third oldest Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Although the name, location, and specific programs have changed many times throughout the last 150 years, present-day DCSPCA remains steadfast in our commitment to a better life for animals in Dutchess County and beyond.

Today, the DCSPCA is the only agency in Dutchess County that investigates and enforces animal cruelty laws. We contract with several municipalities to accept stray animals and facilitate return to their owners or placement through adoption. The DCSCPA is committed to caring for all adoptable animals until a new home is found. We envision a community in which there are caring, respectful relationships between humans and animals and that all adoptable animals have homes.