Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Join us on Saturday, August 1st!


The sign guys are putting the first coat of Dakin blue on the sign posts. The volunteers are gathering in the rain to lay the mulch. The community service guys have hauled away the last of the weeds and debris. The moving boxes are broken down and recycled. Our computers are on line. We've been trained on how to work the new telephones. Dr. Therrien and her crew have been neutering away to have animals ready to go home.....what's left?

Just you!

Join us on Saturday, August 1st from noon to 4:30 p.m. to celebrate the grand opening of the DPVHS adoption & education center at 171 Union Street in Springfield!

Can't make the drive to Springfield? Our Leverett friends will be celebrating, too--drop by the adoption center at 163 Montague Road in Leverett to join in the cheer!

And THANK YOU to everyone who made this expansion of DPVHS services possible. We are so excited to begin bringing our innovative programs to help even more people and animals.

See you Saturday!

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Movin' On Up!



On July 15th, I received the keys to the new DPVHS adoption & education center at 171 Union Street in Springfield! And within days, thanks to our muscular friends at Five Star Building and Remodeling of Easthampton and plenty of volunteers and staff, we were able to relocate our administrative offices from Leverett to Springfield in one day...and equipment and animals from Greenfield to Leverett a short few days later.

As pleased and proud as we all are to be able to serve the Pioneer Valley region from Vermont to Connecticut and to have the opportunity to work from a state of the art adoption center, we also know that a building alone doesn't save or change lives. It's the people who make a difference each day.

Our seasoned Leverett adoption center staff have been working hard to carry on serving animals and people during our busiest time of year even while all around them is a swirl of activity and change. The little house in Leverett where our administrative staff had their offices now serves as the first stop for all cats and kittens who arrive in our northern adoption center.

In the midst of all the unpacking in Springfield, our newest adoption center staff members are gathered around the conference table watching webinars on disease control and animal body language. They are learning how to clean a cage without spreading germs, leash a strange dog without getting bitten, and calm a frightened cat.

Technicians in our clinic are preparing the surgical equipment for the spay and neuter procedures that will begin this week to prepare animals to go home on opening day.

Lori, our humane educator, has had to quickly get her new office set up: her summer programs start in Orange this week and in Leverett next week.

Coordinator of volunteer services, Emily Kolod, has been meeting with volunteers new and old to keep them updated with the latest DPVHS information.

And those volunteers--many of them former MSPCA volunteers--have pitched in to help with everything from toting boxes to sweeping floors to making sure all our animals are receiving the best of care.

Finally, we are pleased to welcome to the DPVHS staff some of our old friends from the MSPCA adoption center--Eliza, Betsy, Vanessa, Emily, Marni, Candy, Chrissy, and Dr. Atkins will all be essential to making the Valley a better place for animals.

The new DPVHS Adoption & Education Center opens on Saturday, August 1st at noon. I hope to see you there!


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On July 24th, my best girl Hattie Brown and I attended Mutts and Muttinis, a benefit for DPVHS held by the Deerfield Inn. We were delighted to meet a number of Dakin Dogs and their people (I confess that my favorite was little Celeste, pictured here). Not only was my dinner delicious, but Ms. Brown sends her compliments to the chef for an extraordinary chicken, rice, and carrot "doggie stew. Thanks, Deerfield Inn!