Bedford County Humane Society


Bedford, Pennsylvania

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About Bedford County Humane Society

Founded in 1989, Bedford County Humane Society in Bedford, Pennsylvania is a non-profit, no-kill animal welfare organization located in South Central Pennsylvania. They rescue abused and neglected dogs and cats and rehabilitate them, both mentally and physically, and place them with the best new family possible.

An overwhelming 98% of their dogs and cats come from Bedford County, Fulton County, and various animal control facilities in which they're usually listed as strays, almost always scheduled to be euthanized.

Bedford County Humane Society strives to go above and beyond when caring for and socializing their animals. The shelter's staff understands the importance of getting to know each and every animal in order to place them in the most perfect home possible.

  • Dogs are walked daily and socialized with other dogs and shelter volunteers.
  • Cats are housed in large free-roam cat rooms so they can socialize all day with other cats, shelter staff and volunteers, and potential adopters.

Bedford County Humane Society treats each animal with the comfort and respect they deserve, and over the years they've rescued, rehabilitated, and placed thousands of dogs and cats into their loving forever homes!

They see their mission as having six parts:

  • Establish and maintain a safe haven for rescued, abandoned, and abused animals of all descriptions and make every effort to maintain a no-kill philosophy
  • Promote humane care and treatment of all animals needing protection
  • Promote the adoption of rescued, abandoned, or abused animals
  • Promote spay/neuter services to help alleviate the overpopulation of unwanted pets
  • Promote the extension of humane education to the general public, especially the community's youth population
  • Support animal rights legislation

If you're interested in adopting a pet from Bedford County Humane Society, keep reading to learn more about their adoption process and fees.

Contact Info

Address:
182 Bohn Rd
,
Bedford
,
PA
15522
Phone:
(814) 623-8968
Email:
bchs@bchsonline.org
Website: bchsonline.org

Hours of Operation

Mon - Sun: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Adoption Process

Bedford County Humane Society's adoption process is simple:

  1. Visit their facility to find pet that steals your heart. You can also view animals' profiles on the shelter's website.
  2. Complete an application either at the shelter or online. Your application includes supplying references for the shelter to contact.
  3. An adoption counselor will schedule an interview with you to discuss the pet you're interested in adopting. Remember, they know the animals best, so ask any questions you might have.
  4. Once your application has been approved, bring any current dogs you have to meet the new dog you're hoping to adopt.
  5. After you've finalized the paperwork and paid the adoption fee, you can take your pet home!

Adoption Fees

Your adoption fee at Bedford County Humane Society helps the shelter partially cover the costs incurred when saving the lives of homeless pets.

Adoption Process & Fees

Our writing team is hard at work researching this shelter's adoption process and fees, so this page will be updated soon!

In the meantime, here's some nice-to-know info that applies to nearly every animal shelter, humane society, and rescue.

Why Rescue A Shelter Dog?

Because shelter dogs are full of love!

Is it because they know you saved them and love you harder for it?

I can't say for certain, but yes.

Jokes aside, there are three things all shelter dogs need to thrive in their new home:

  1. Love
  2. Patient
  3. Training

Older shelter dogs, generally 1+ years old, may have experienced a lot of trauma, which often results in one of 8 common behavioral issues:

  1. Anxiety
  2. Aggression toward people & pets
  3. Resource guarding
  4. Destructive behavior
  5. Housetraining regression
  6. Poor social skills
  7. Leash reactivity & barrier-related aggression
  8. Constant whining

These issues are correctable! Your dog isn't broken, they're just damaged. You can fix them with enough love, patience, and a good training plan.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, finding good dog trainers can be hard. Like everything else, dog training is moving only. but there are great online dog trainers that are proven to work and can help get your new pup on the right path.

Animal Shelter vs Humane Society vs Rescue: What's the Difference?

You can learn a lot about an animal welfare organization just by looking at their name.

Animal Shelters

  • Most Animal Shelters are city or county-run organizations, often operated by the local Animal Control department, that manage strays and handle owner surrenders.
  • They usually have kennel facilities you can visit to adopt animals, and they usually have less stringent adoption requirements, lower adoption fees, and same-day adoptions (because their goal is to get animals out of the shelter).
  • Unfortunately, they usually know very little about each animal, including their true personalities and any behavioral problems.

Humane Societies

  • Most Humane Societies are non-profit organizations, many of which are no-kill shelters.
  • Some (but not all) are affiliated with The Humane Society of the United States.
  • They exist to improve animal welfare in the local community and often partner with city or county-run Animal Shelters that often euthanize animals due to capacity restraints.
  • They usually have kennel facilities, sometimes at multiple locations, and usually offer other services to the community such as low-cost spay/neuter clinics, community education programs, and more.
  • They may also have some animals in foster care.
  • There's a lot of variation in process and fees among Humane Societies, but they usually have really good websites that detail everything for you.

Rescues

  • Most Rescues are foster-based organizations that don't have physical facilities.
  • They usually have websites and contact emails, but not all of them have phone numbers.
  • Because they don't have a physical facility, you need to view animals in their foster network online, usually on their website but sometimes on their member pages on either PetFinder or Adopt-a-Pet.
  • If you see an animal you'd like to meet, contact the rescue using the process listed on their website or via email. They'll help you through the application process and set up a time for you to meet the animal at the foster's home.
  • Adopting from a rescue generally is the most expensive option here and takes the longest, but you get an animal that's been cared for in a loving home environment and their foster can tell you a lot about their personality.

6 Tips to Improve Your Adoption Experience

Adoption processes vary drastically from organization to organization, but here are some general tips that apply in most instances. Note that we'll use the term "shelters" here for simplicity but it includes all types of rescue organizations.

  1. See an animal online that you'd like to meet? Call the shelter before your visit to make sure the animal is still available. This especially applies for puppies, which are adopted out quickly.
  2. Usually, you'll need to get some paperwork in order: a photo ID, vaccination/medical records for any pets you currently have, possibly your vet's contact info and a couple of personal references, and (for renters) proof you're allowed to have a pet (copy of your lease or your landlord's contact info).
  3. If you need to provide contact info for your vet, let your vet know ahead of time. Otherwise, they may not release your information.
  4. Many shelters require your current dogs to meet adoptive dogs. Your current dogs need to be up-to-date on vaccinations.
  5. Some shelters require you to schedule a home visit to ensure a suitable living environment for the new animal.
  6. Adoption fees may seem excessive, but they're actually amazing values. Truthfully, caring for a pet is expensive. Most adoption fees include required medical care to get the animal ready for their new home including (but not limited to) spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, general vet exams, flea/tick treatment, deworming, heartworm testing/treatment for dogs, and feline leukemia and feline AIDS testing/treatment for cats. In general, your adoption fee is less than the cost of this care, so you're saving money in addition to your new animal's life!

If you have any questions about adopting an animal (what you'll need, what to expect, etc.) feel free to contact the PetLists team!

For more information about what's included in your adoption fee, or any other questions about the adoption process, reach out to
Bedford County Humane Society
in
Bedford
,
Pennsylvania
directly using the contact info above.

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Other Shelters in

Pennsylvania

Curious about other shelters? Here's 6 more. You can also browse all
animal shelters in
Pennsylvania
.


You can also go back to our listing of all 50 states to find shelters elsewhere in the US.
All information on this page is accurate and up-to-date to the best of our knowledge. If you spot an error, please contact us using our contact form.
Note: Hours of operation and other information on this page are subject to change during the COVID-19 pandemic.