One of the country’s oldest animal welfare and rescue organizations is expanding to the city proper.
Local nonprofit Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Cincinnati will soon open an adoption center in the heart of Over-the-Rhine at 1312 Main Street, in a Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) space just across from Mr. Pitiful’s and RAD OTR. This new center is a major focus of the 153-year-old organization as it enters its “new era,” according to Chris Seelbach, President & CEO of SPCA Cincinnati.
“We are redefining what animal welfare can look like for the next decade or more, and trying to be a model for the region and the country on what the next chapter of animal welfare looks like,” he said. “What that means is … we are taking our services to the heart of the city, where more people are living and working and playing, in order to increase our adoptions, get more animals out of the shelter and into homes.”
The new 1,795 square-foot adoption center will have the capacity for six dogs and ten cats at a time, with several dedicated rooms for meet and greets.
“There will be two dogs positioned in the windows, too. It’ll be just like, uh, what’s that song, ‘How Much Is That Doggie in the Window,'” Seelbach said. “Animals really bring people joy, and so we’re bringing that possibility to meet your best friend into the heart of our city.”
One way the organization is utilizing the local area is by offering “Paw Passes,” a short-term foster situation. Local citizens can come in and take a dog out for the day to visit, say, Washington Park, to get a pup cup, to visit their home or whatever their heart desires.
“Obviously, we hope that that short term foster turns into a long term adoption, but if it doesn’t, any time out of a shelter is better for the animal,” Seelbach said. “It is tough when you bring that dog back. The dog is sad, but it is still worth that time out of a shelter with a person, because that experience makes their life better.”
Adoption at SPCA facilities are quick and easy: every animal is already spayed, neutered and fully healthy. No background checks or home visits are necessary, and the price is as low as could be: $10 for cats, $70 for dogs. The barrier for entry is so low in an attempt to get as many animals into good homes as possible. Seelbach suspects that more people will gravitate toward adopting cats instead of dogs because they’re easier to maintain in an apartment, but noted that he sees plenty of dogs in the neighborhood, too.
“SPCA Cincinnati provides vital services to the community while expanding access to affordable pet adoption in the neighborhood,” said Christy Samad, EVP of Civic & Commercial Space Activation for 3CDC. “With several nearby dog parks, exceptional walkability, and community greenspaces, OTR is a natural fit for a pet adoption center.”
The organization’s expansion into the city corresponds with their push to be involved with more events downtown, too. For example, SPCA Cincinnati is sponsoring the wiener dogs race at this year’s Oktoberfest, and are collaborating with Ziegler Pool—just steps away from the new adoption center in Over-the-Rhine—for a “swim with your pet” event on September 13.
For Seelbach, the former City Councilman who was well-known for being vocal about his feelings on Over-the-Rhine as a resident of the neighborhood, having an adoption center just feet away from where he lives is “really exciting.”
“I love Over-the-Rhine. I’ve lived here for 22 years. It’s a huge part of my identity, and there hasn’t been this type of service that I know of, ever, in downtown or Over-the-Rhine. There’s been pretty much everything else, but never an adoption center,” he said. “So, the fact that we’re bringing the ability to adopt a dog or a cat to the urban core for the first time in the history of the entire city… I think people are going to genuinely love it.”
Seelbach says he hopes that local residents will sign up to volunteer at the shelter, which they can do by visiting the organization’s website. While he does live in close proximity to the new shelter, he’s constantly all over the place—the organization’s main campus is in Sharonville, and the group also owns a farm in Miamitown, a warehouse in Blue Ash, helps maintain a dozen or so pantries, and gives away 150,000 pounds of pet food every year. Needless to say, SPCA needs all the hands it can get.
“Adoptions are great, but there’s many other ways to get involved,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun to foster a cat or a kitten or a dog, but even if it’s just coming to walk the dogs or taking a dog to use the restroom… that’s what we’re looking for from the community.”
While our society has become increasingly fragmented, Seelbach still believes animals are a great unifier across all backgrounds.
“Animals are one of the few things in this world that bring people together. Animals are just one of those things that, regardless of who you are, where you’re from, where you live, what differences you may be or believe in, people love animals, and they really can bring people of differences together,” he said. “Animals really bring people joy.”
