The Philadelphia Inquirer published on December 24th a follow-up to its investigation into the Montco SPCA Montco. The article, titled “SPCA overhauls its troubled shelter leadership. Trust remains fragile,” provides an update on how the organization is moving forward after the retirement of its longtime leader and a change in board members that followed criticism from volunteers and staff about the conditions at its facilities, especially the one in Conshohocken (Whitemarsh Township).

From the article:

In just three months, the Montgomery County SPCA has forced out nearly all of its top managers, replaced three-quarters of its board of directors, and committed to spending more of its wealth to fix up the troubled animal shelter.

The overhaul comes in the wake of an Inquirer investigation in September that revealed evidence of casual euthanasia, dangerous shelter conditions, and mismanagement at the SPCA — despite the nonprofit’s board sitting on more than $67 million in assets, a gold mine by industry standards.

For many, the whistle-blower-fueled revelations shattered faith in the century-old institution and its three branches across the county. In their first public interview, the shelter’s new board president, Art Howe, and interim executive director Tracie Graham vowed to win back trust.

“It’s a mystery to me why it got to the point where it got,” Howe said. “It’s absolutely time for a change, and we have made a lot of progress in the last four or five weeks.”

You can read the full article here.