{"id":309740,"date":"2026-10-19T10:04:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T10:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/309740\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T10:04:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T10:04:24","slug":"this-female-led-story-deserves-a-spot-in-phillys-52-weeks-of-firsts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/309740\/","title":{"rendered":"This female-led story deserves a spot in Philly’s 52 Weeks of Firsts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\ud83d\udc8c Love Philly? So do we. Let\u2019s be friends. Sign up for the Billy Penn newsletter today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Every week this year, our city has valiantly been celebrating new discoveries, inventions and moments that kicked off right here in Philadelphia. Known as the 52 Weeks of Firsts<\/a>, the city has been throwing weekly \u201cFirstivals\u201d to celebrate those milestones \u2014 from the first hot air balloon<\/a> flight to the first Slinky.<\/a><\/p>\n

However, it turns out 52 weeks in the year aren\u2019t actually enough to celebrate every amazing milestone that\u2019s happened in our city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen\u2019s Animal Center has the distinction as America\u2019s first animal shelter,\u201d said Cathy Malkemes, CEO of Women\u2019s Animal Center. \u201cWe were founded in 1869, by 30 Philadelphia women, led by a Philadelphia woman named Caroline Earle White, and Caroline was very instrumental in the founding of Pennsylvania SPCA as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Cute 7-year-old Buttons waits to be adopted at Women\u2019s Animal Center. (Kimberly Paynter\/WHYY)<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take it back to the mid-1800s, when advocacy for animal welfare was on the rise. The SPCA<\/a> was founded in England in 1824 and later came to Pennsylvania in 1867. Unfortunately, women were not allowed to hold positions of leadership.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe women wanted to get more involved in being hands-on with animals, and so they met in 1869 to found a branch of the Pennsylvania SPCA, originally called the Women\u2019s Pennsylvania SPCA,\u201d Malkemes explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They opened an office at 1320 Chestnut St., where you can still find a marker honoring their efforts today.<\/a> Malkemes noted that at the time, the concept of animal sheltering \u2014 caring for animals, feeding them, providing them a comfortable place to live \u2014 did not exist.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn their first year of operation, they petitioned the mayor of the city of Philadelphia to take over what was then the pound or the dog pound, which at that time animals were really used for working purposes,\u201d Malkemes said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before the women began their shelter, if dogs were found on the street, strays could be clubbed, shot and drowned.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"A commemorative area at the Bucks County animal shelter recognizes founder Caroline Earle White and other women who started the Women\u2019s Pennsylvania SPCA in Philadelphia. (Kimberly Paynter\/WHYY)<\/p>\n

\u201cFinding new homes, or returning them to owners really originated with these 30 groundbreaking, pioneering Philadelphia women who had a passion for animals \u2014 all happening 50 years before they themselves had the right to vote,\u201d Malkemes said. \u201cThey were advocating for animals.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The women advocated for carriage horses in the city \u2014 installing new watering troughs and improving conditions. They began an education program for children to advocate for kindness towards animals and speak up against cruel practices.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey called it the Band of Mercy,\u201d Malkemes said. \u201cTheir thought was, if you want to change something, start with youth. Start with the next generation. We\u2019ll teach them. They\u2019ll pass it to their children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Continuing Caroline Earle White\u2019s legacy<\/p>\n

Throughout its history, the shelter has undergone several name changes and significant transformations, evolving into the Women\u2019s Animal Center we know today. The facility is much larger than it was back in the 1800s and moved to Bensalem in 1994.<\/p>\n

Walking into the space, there are historic photos of the women who made the shelter a reality, and the men who stood with them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The center welcomes a variety of different furry friends. It can house over 200 animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and other small pets. Despite the recent emergency that city hall declared against a certain rodent, when we visited rats were the featured pet of the week.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Early members of the Women\u2019s Pennsylvania SPCA advocated for working horses forced to pull carriages. (Kimberly Paynter\/WHYY)<\/p>\n

While finding a forever home is the ultimate goal, there are many charms to this temporary home. The center includes a community cat room where kids can grab a book, sit on a bench, and read to the felines to help socialize them. There is a veterinary facility onsite, where animals receive the care they need, including neutering and spaying.<\/p>\n

Outside, dogs work with specialists and run around in a large gated yard for training. When we came to visit, two young pups, Moaki and Blue, were playfully nibbling at each other, running around and getting their energy out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese two have kind of been our go-to like rock stars, social stars,\u201d shelter manager Josh Chance said. \u201cThey love each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Best friends Moaki and Blue romp around the outside play yard at the Women\u2019s Animal Center. (Kimberly Paynter\/WHYY)<\/p>\n

The open space is essential to get many of the dogs ready for adoption.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe may have some animals here that have never walked up steps,\u201d Sarah Marple, the center\u2019s animal welfare and behavior coordinator, said. \u201cThey may have never gotten into a car, and the team does behavior assessments and learns about each and every animal in our care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chance began working at the Women\u2019s Animal Center in April. He appreciated how much time he gets to spend with each animal. Recently, he worked with a \u201cshepherd-husky-type\u201d mix named Lola, who needed that extra attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was shut down for approximately two or three weeks, where nobody could handle her,\u201d he said. \u201cShe would hide in the kennel \u2026 So you got low growling, hard barking, snapping at the leash.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Two-year-old guinea pig Gingy waits to be adopted at the Women\u2019s Animal Center. (Kimberly Paynter\/WHYY)<\/p>\n

Marple and Chance worked with Lola for months, slowly understanding she wasn\u2019t comfortable in her kennel environment. Eventually, the team got her out to the yard, and learned that she could socialize successfully with other dogs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad that we had the time to take with her because a lot of places don\u2019t have that opportunity,\u201d Chance said. \u201cBut to see her thrive in the playgroup environment was huge, and then to finally show her to her forever home people was like, I could cry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of the most beautiful things about this kind of place,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The center is not just for the animals<\/p>\n

In addition to housing animals and helping them find their home, the center also has resources for people who are struggling to take care of their pets, including an animal food pantry. The space has also continued the shelter\u2019s original mission \u2014 spreading awareness on animal care to youth through the facility\u2019s education center.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Women\u2019s Animal Center was founded in Philadelphia and is now in Bensalem, Pa., and has the distinction of being America\u2019s first animal shelter. (Kimberly Paynter\/WHYY)<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many people like when I first started working here would say, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s so nice you work with animals.\u2019 We really work with people,\u201d said Karen Lash, director of development and communications at Women\u2019s Animal Center. \u201cAnimal shelters are a social service organization. We meet people where they are. We meet people\u2019s needs. We hear their stories. We hear their emotion.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the center is not on the city\u2019s list of official firsts, Malkemes is extremely proud of the continued impact of women in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen didn\u2019t really have their own voice back in the late 1800s,\u201d Malkemes said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is so much attention on the humane treatment of animals today, but I think people don\u2019t make the connection of the women\u2019s history part of this \u2014 that it was women.\u201d<\/p>\n

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