Caring for abandoned and surrendered dogs, cats and small animals is the role of the Women’s Humane Society, one of the country’s first humane societies. We serve the Delaware Valley from our convenient location in Bensalem, Pennsylvania and offer a variety of services to area pet owners. The Society is not affiliated with any other humane society or SPCA and is completely supported by your donations and fees collected for medical services; we do not receive any federal, state or local tax funds.  

 You’ll find information on adoptions, surrendering animals, our hospital, cruelty investigations, education, obedience, and volunteer programs, and our ambulance service on this website, along with pages dedicated to answers to frequently asked questions.  

 Please keep in mind that although our animal listings are updated several times each week, it is possible that an animal you see on the site may already be adopted by the time you visit us. It is impossible to determine if an animal is right for you and your family just by looking at a photograph on a website. We urge you to carefully consider an animal’s interaction with your family members and the demands of your lifestyle before making the decision to adopt a pet.  

 In order to adopt a pet from the Society, you must live within a 50-mile driving distance of our location in Bensalem, PA. We use MapQuest to determine driving distance. The route used to determine distance is up to our discretion.

Register for June Dog Training Classes

Openings are available for our next series of dog training classes. Classes are open to both puppies and beginners 6 months and older. Classes are offered on Saturday mornings, beginning June 2, or Tuesday evenings, starting June 5.

The cost for the seven-week series of obedience training classes is $100 or $95 if the dog was adopted from the Women's Humane Society. Some classes begin with an orientation session.

During obedience training classes, you learn how to teach your dog basic commands such as sit, down, stay, leave it, heel (how to walk on a leash) come, and how to calmly walk by other dogs and strangers. Our trainers will help you understand how your dog thinks and learns, enabling you to better understand the training process.

Participants must bring a health certificate from their veterinarian stating that the dog is in good health, has had distemper, parvo and rabies shots, and does not have external or internal parasites.

Call Deb McCrossen at 215-437-1932 to register for a class. Training class applications can also be downloaded from our website here.

 Request for Donations:  Dry Dog Food

 Effective May 16, 2012, our store of dry dog food is very low. Brand name dog food is preferred because grocery or department store brands may contain a higher degree of fillers that can cause stomach upset. Donations can be dropped off during our shelter business hours.

Cathy Malkemes Named CEO of Women's Humane Society

Cathy Malkemes has been appointed Chief Executive Officer at the Women’s Humane Society. Cathy has over 25 years of non-profit management experience and previously served as Executive Director of the Member Relations at WHYY, the Philadelphia Region’s leading public broadcasting station, and also was the Director of Membership Development for the Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership at Drexel University College of Medicine.

She spent many years as a Girl Scout executive and served as Chief Membership and Program Officer for the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Pennsylvania, where she was responsible for organization operations in the areas of membership, volunteer training and educational development.

Cathy will be responsible for overseeing the Society’s animal shelter, veterinary clinic, educational programs and fundraising activities. “I look forward to leading the Women’s Humane Society with its rich and valued history as we continue our legacy of providing educational programs and services to the community,” she said.

“I am pleased that Cathy Malkemes has joined the Women’s Humane Society,” said Suzanne Bush, President of the Women’s Humane Society Board of Directors. “She has achieved outstanding results in non-profit management in this region. She is an enthusiastic, compassionate leader who brings a wealth of experience to America’s first shelter.”

Cathy holds B.S. and M.Ed. degrees from Temple University and was a member of the inaugural class of the Bryn Mawr College Nonprofit Executive Leadership Institute (NELI) and completed the program in 2005.