Lancaster County SPCA

March 29, 2016To whom this may concern:I am writing this letter in response to a letter received by the Lancaster County SPCA (SPCA) in regards to a complaint filed by [redacted].The complaint is unfounded based on the attached information and proof provided with this letter that contradicts Ms....

[redacted]'s complaint.The facts are listed below:1. The Lancaster County SPCA accepted 46 dogs from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in light of the MS floods on March 16, 2016. (see attachment A)2. Each dog received by our shelter had a Health Certificate, as required by law, signed by a licensed veterinarian. (see attachment B)3. Additionally, each dog had been vaccinated prior to transport by a veterinarian. Although a few dogs did not have the actual records upon arrival at the SPCA, we confirmed with the sending shelter that all dogs had received their rabies and first set of vaccinations. The paperwork was provided to us 3 days after the phone confirmation for the shots given. (see attachment C)4. In addition, all of the dogs received by the SPCA were given an initial examination by our vet techs which included all updates on vaccines and dewormer, to ensure there were no health issues and were placed up for adoption on March 17, 2016. (see attachment D)5. [redacted], a 9 week old, lab mix puppy, was adopted by [redacted] on March 17, 2016 and returned to the SPCA less than 24 hours indicating that the puppy appeared to have worms and possible kennel cough.6. In order to ensure each animal adopted at the SPCA is healthy and gets started off on the right track, our adoption includes a free veterinarian visit by our veterinarian. This visit is provided at no charge to the adopter, which conflicts with the information [redacted] has provided in her complaint that she would have been charged for a vet visit. In addition, at the first free visit by our veterinarian, if any animal has basic issues such as worms or kennel cough, treatment and drugs are provided free of charge to the adopter in order toensure the dog remains healthy. All of this is clearly laid out in our adoption packet given to each adopter during the adoption process. (see attachment E)7.  In addition, the adoption pack also includes a lot of good information in regards to kennel cough and indicates to the adopter that this does not constitute as an emergency as indicated in [redacted]'s complaint.8. During the adoption process, the adopter fills out an adoption application to ensure they can properly afford care for an animal once adopted from the SPCA. in the application, filled out by [redacted], on page 4, a question is asked how much do you anticipate spending on the particular animal during the course of one calendar year? As seen On the attached application, she indicates "as much as needed." Again, this contradicts her complaint with the Revdex.com. (see attachment F)9. Additionally, in a bolded box on page 4, she also initials that she understands that the SPCA does not know the history of most of the dogs we adopt and that adopter is adopting this animal with no guarantee to health. She again initials the same information on the Adoption Agreement the same. Also, on page 4 of the Adoption Application and Page 1 of the Adoption agreement, [redacted] initialed as to the fact she understands the adoption fee is a donation and is non-refundable. (see attachment F)10. March 18, [redacted] returned the puppy to the SPCA indicating she could not afford care for the animal. The puppy was evaluated again by the vet technicians at the SPCA. The SPCA did not observe any of the symptoms mentioned by [redacted] in her complaint. The puppy was placed on antibiotics only for precautionary reasons based on [redacted]'s discussion with staff of possible kennel cough. Subsequently the puppy was adopted On March 22, 2016 by another family as to which no complaints were made nor was the puppy returned. The puppy was seen by the veterinarian two days after this second adoption and was given a clean bill of health.11. Susan M[redacted], Executive Director, responded to the complaint emailed to her directly by [redacted]. M[redacted] indicated she was disappointed that [redacted] returned the dog in less than 24 hours back to the shelter prior to seeking basic veterinarian care that would have been provided free of charge. In addition, M[redacted] explained that worms are common of any puppies and kennel cough is thoroughly discussed in the adoption packet as to inform adopters not to panic. (See attachment G)12. The desired settlement requested by the complainant will not be provided by the SPCA. The SPCA has been more than accommodating in our adoption process. Seeing as [redacted] did not take the necessary time and effort to provide basic care at no charge to her as previously agreed upon and initialed by her, the desired settlement requested by [redacted] will not be issued by the SPCA.Furthermore, [redacted] has been banned from our shelter to adopt any future animals. Any future reference checks from other shelters in Lancaster and surrounding counties will also be made aware of this incident.If you have any further questions or need clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me via email atSincerely,Susan M., Executive Director

The resolution is not satisfactory to me; however, I no longer wish to pursue this.  The business is aggressive and unprofessional and makes me uncomfortable in pursuing this any further. 
Regards,
[redacted]