About Us

Mission: The mission of the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter is to protect, shelter and adopt homeless animals in the northern Franklin and parts of southern Cumberland county service area.

Vision:The vision is to remove any barriers that prevent CVAS from protecting, sheltering and adopting homeless animals within our service area.

Values:Provide shelter to stray and otherwise homeless pets and minimize their stress, protecting them from the elements and providing a place of safety and comfort.

Act as the contact agency in our service area to assure the safe and speedy return of lost pets to their owners.Place adoptable pets with responsible owners.Aid in the prevention of cruelty and neglect to animals through educational efforts and legal citations as necessary.Promote responsible pet ownership through humane education initiatives.

Work to reduce uncontrolled animal breeding.

These functions are sustained by community donations, memberships, bequests and grants, and by the operation of the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter Thrift Store in Chambersburg, PA.

The Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter, Inc. is an independent, non-profit, community-supported animal shelter that provides humane services for animals in need. Early grassroots efforts for the shelter actually began in the 1970’s, and throughout the years, the shelter has been maintained by a number of different organizations. In 1994, CVAS established itself as an independent, non-profit entity.

The shelter provides a variety of services for the surrounding community and its animals and functions under the direction of a volunteer Board of Directors, as well as an experienced staff. Through contributions from private individuals and organizations, the shelter maintains its dedication to animals. Without the generous support of the animal-lovers in this community and beyond, CVAS would not be able to care for the more than 2,000 animals that come through the doors every year. Shelter staff, board members and the four-legged friends in the kennels can’t thank contributors enough for their support.

The Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter staff works 365 days a year to clean, medicate, nurture, protect, and ultimately find loving homes for the animals in the kennels.

The shelter director is charged by the board with the overall management of all operations of the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter, Inc. and its affiliated enterprises including our Thrift Store. The business manager oversees the budget and expenditures for the animal shelter and thrift stores. The kennel manager supervises the kennel technicians, schedules work, orders supplies and assigns duties and animals for personal one-on-one care and attention. The kennel technicians feed, clean, medicate, examine, vaccinate and test the animals. They are with the animals on a daily basis and know the various behaviors and temperaments of the animals. The maintenance manager oversees all the mechanical aspects of CVAS including the grounds, main building and out-buildings. The office manager answers all calls that come into the shelter – including those about abuse, adoption, neglect and lost and found animals. The office manager also keeps track of the books for the shelter and thrift stores as well as helps maintain the files on all the animals. The adoption technician speaks with people interested in adopting animals, reviews applications and tries to match the right animal with the right family. The community outreach coordinator takes care of humane education, pet therapy to nursing homes, tours of the shelter, the shelter newsletter, special events, volunteers and newspaper articles.

The Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter operates a thrift store at 66 South Main Street in Chambersburg. Staff and volunteers of the Thrift Store maintain the environment of the store, sort through all donations, help customers and provide the shelter with invaluable support.