Area animal protection and adoption organizations facing a significant increase in animals

Staffing shortages making the problem worse

• Scott LaMar/WITF
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Scott LaMar was formerly the Host and Executive Producer of The Spark program on WITF-FM, 89.5 & 93.3 in Harrisburg, Pa.
  
  Previously, LaMar was WITF TV’s Sr. Public Affairs producer and produced the station’s award-winning weekly public affairs TV program, Smart Talk.
  
  In addition to his on-air duties, LaMar moderated political candidate debates, including those for candidates running for Pennsylvania governor and the U.S. Senate and was a regular contributor to BBC World News TV before and after the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.
  
  The American Society of Civil Engineers honored LaMar with their national Excellence in Journalism award in 2020. He has been nominated for five Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
  
  LaMar and The Spark have been recognized throughout the Central Pennsylvania community including ADVOZ Lancaster’s “Dignity in Dialogue Award”, the South-Central Assembly’s “Regional Citizen Award” and was named a “Humanitarian Hero” by The Humane Society of the United States/Pennsylvania.
  
  A native of Coatesville, Pa., LaMar has also worked as a broadcast news anchor, sports play-by-play announcer and manager.

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Airdate: Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Last week, the York County SPCA announced its Animal Resource Center was holding more than 320 animals waiting to be adopted in a space designed for 240. Did people just stop adopting animals, especially when we heard that more people were adopting pets during the pandemic?

The cause of the overcrowding and slow adoption rates is not enough workers — not enough veterinary technicians or customer service representatives.

And according to the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement it’s national problem. In a recent blog post, the AAWA said, “There are presently about 7,000 openings for veterinarians across the country, with the number of openings for veterinary technicians even higher – and not enough veterinary professionals to fill these positions.

Tuesday’s Smart Talk addresses the labor issue and what it may mean for the animals.

Appearing on the program are Steven Martinez, Executive Director of the York County SPCA (Society for the Prevention and Cruelty to Animals) and Karel Minor, CEO & President of Humane Pennsylvania.