The decision whether to go to the Delaware Humane Association (DHA) or the Delaware SPCA for animal welfare services is going to get a lot easier. The two organizations plan to merge.
Both are non-profit, no-kill animal welfare agencies. Officials announced Wednesday the two are combining their resources and boards of directors.
The SPCA’s Executive Director, Anne Cavanaugh, will serve as COO, and DHA’s Executive Director, Patrick Carroll, will serve as CEO.
“We’re kind of in the same space in terms of animal welfare and animal wellbeing. We’ve both been around for a long time. We’ve worked together very closely,” said Carroll. “It just makes sense. Our missions are very similar. The work that we do is similar.”
Carroll says there’s a lot of overlap of services between the two organizations, but notes the SPCA’s low-cost vet clinic will add to what the DHA can offer.
“We turn people away often here at our Wilmington campus because we don’t have a vet clinic,” he said. “We usually refer them to one of the other shelters. So at least we can say, to those clients that need vet care, we can say we have another location and it’s only, you know, 15 minutes away.”
The combined entities will share locations in Wilmington, Stanton/Newark, and Rehoboth Beach. Carroll says the merger is expected to be finalized this fall and will not interrupt services at any of those sites. He also says there will be no changes to staff.
The merged organization will engage with a marketing company to decide on a new name.
Delaware is also served by the Brandywine Valley SPCA and First State Animal Shelter and SPCA.
