Philadelphia, June 5, 2009— As of today, June 5, 2009, dog adoptions have resumed at the Pennsylvania SPCA (PSPCA) located at 350 E. Erie Avenue and the Rutherford Memorial Animal Hospital has reopened. The PSPCA’s two Philadelphia facilities were temporary closed due to the recent canine deaths caused by Streptococcus zooepidemicus (commonly referred to as "strep zoo"). The organization's cat adoption program has remained open.

The organization's Animal Care and Control Team (ACCT) facility located at 111 W. Hunting Park Avenue is still under a program of observation, treatment, and isolation. This program will be reviewed every day for the next ten (10) days and extended if needed. The illness has been traced to the Hunting Avenue facility with the exception of one (1) dog that became ill immediately after being transferred to the Erie Avenue location.

"After consulting with our own internal medical team and experts at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, we have instituted protocol in order to isolate the illness, closely monitor and treat all of the dogs in our care, and prevent against future occurrences," said Susan Cosby, CEO of the PSPCA. Cosby started work at the PSPCA in advance of her scheduled start date in order to assist the staff in handling this situation.