Our History
The Central New York SPCA has been part of the community since 1891, when local advocates organized to protect animals from cruelty and neglect. Our earliest work grew out of a very Central New York story: the Erie Canal.
In the late 1800s, working animals were essential to daily life. Horses and mules pulled barges, wagons, and carts, often under difficult and unforgiving conditions. Local accounts connect the founding of the CNYSPCA to concern for the mules used along the Erie Canal and to the people who believed that animals deserved protection under the law.
One of the organization’s early leaders was Orrin Robinson “Bob” Casey, a former professional baseball player who later became closely associated with humane work in Syracuse. Historical accounts say Casey saw the mistreatment of canal mules while working around the Erie Canal trade and carried that memory into his work for animal protection. He went on to serve as superintendent of the Central New York SPCA for decades.
Over time, the work of the CNYSPCA expanded from protecting working animals to caring for stray, abandoned, abused, and neglected animals throughout our region. The mission has grown, but the heart of the organization remains the same: to speak for animals who cannot speak for themselves, to promote humane treatment, and to serve both animals and people in Central New York.
Today, more than 130 years later, the CNYSPCA continues that work through sheltering, adoption, cruelty investigation, dog control services, education, and community support. Our history is not just about where we began. It is about the responsibility we still carry forward every day.
Our Founding
The story of Bob Casey is more than just baseball. In the offseason he clerked in a general store that sold supplies to the crews of packet boats on the Erie Canal. In making deliveries he noticed how inhumanely the mules pulling the boats were treated.
Over the years, he never forgot what he had seen. On Jan. 10, 1891, the Central New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was formally incorporated. Orrin Robinson (Bob) Casey was appointed superintendent, a position he held until his death on Nov. 28, 1936.
He was often described as a kind, compassionate man, with a hearty laugh. His work with the CNYSPCA was commendable, but perhaps his obituary in the Syracuse Herald said it best, “An immortal, but nevertheless, shadowy and legendary figure of American baseball history, slipped forever and entirely into the realm of the dim and misty past…” Play ball!
