The Society Page

Join Me at the First Annual Dakin Humane Awards!

2011-10-25T13:17:00.004-04:00

Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society will honor four extraordinary animal advocates and one superstar animal at the first annual Dakin Humane Awards celebration on Friday, November 4, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. at the Wyckoff Country Club in Holyoke.

We will present three community-based awards along with a philanthropy and a lifetime achievement award in recognition of these individuals who make the Pioneer Valley a better place for animals and people:

*State Representative Cheryl Coakley Rivera is the recipient of the Dakin Champion Award for her tireless advocacy as a public servant on behalf of those most in need of a strong voice in Boston, including the animals. Rep. Coakley Rivera passionately and convincingly led the fight to prevent the unnecessary devocalization of dogs and cats, has argued against legislation that attempts to ban specific breeds, and has been recognized for her exemplary efforts to help end greyhound racing in Massachusetts.

*Eleven year old Colin Scully will be presented with the Dakin Youth Award for his commitment to helping animals at a local cat sanctuary. Along with his dad, Colin spends hours every Sunday caring for the cats and helping out with special projects, which include providing extra attention to cats nearing the end of their lives. This selfless young man rises above the heartbreak he sometimes faces and returns each week to help "his cats" enjoy his love and gentle touch.

*Hawley resident, Rarie Dye, will be honored with the Richard and Nathalie Woodbury Award, named after the couple whose vision and legacy secured Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society's future. From the time she relocated from Texas to Franklin County in the 1980's, Ms. Dye believed it was "important to support your local animal shelter." Through a merger and its recent expansion into Hampden County, Ms. Dye has played a major role in the success of the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society. Rarie Dye's generosity, while quietly given, has largely helped Dakin become the organization it is today.

*The Janet Wilder Dakin Lifetime Achievement Award will honor Judy Smith, who has been with Dain from its roots as Friends of Amherst's Stray Animals in the 1980's. She worked alongside Janet Dakin to improve the lives of homeless animals in the northern counties. Ms. Smith long served as the organization's treasurer, continuing her commitment as a member of the board of directors through Dakin's expansion into Hampden County. According to Executive Director, Leslie Harris, "From Dakin's earliest days, Judy has done and amazing amount of daily, hands-on volunteer work, all the while maintaining a complete and detailed understanding of the organization's increasingly complex financial position. Judy's retirement from the board in 2011 marked the end of a long volunteer career that helped position Dakin as the pre-eminent animal charity in the Pioneer Valley."

*The Dakin Animal Hero Award will be presented to K-9 Dakota, the first and only accelerant-detecting canine with Springfield's Arson & Bomb Squad. Dakota recently retired after 12 yars of service, making him one of the oldest working dogs in the country. Near the end of his career, Dakota was involved in the investigation of a church fire that drew national attention. His distinguished career began following his adoption from an animal shelter. A children's book, Pound Puppy to Fire Dog, has been written in his honor.

In addition to the award recipients, special guest Cherry Garcia, one of 22 dogs taken from the home of notorious dog fighter, Michael Vick, will be joined by his family, including companion dog Madison and humans Paul and Melissa. They will share the story of Cherry's journey from a life of abuse as a bait dog who was completely shut down emotionally when rescued to a happy, charismatic dog and much-loved family member. Cherry now makes many public appearances to raise awareness about his breed.

We are grateful to our sponsors for the Dakin Humane Awards: Five Star Building Corp., Berkshire Bank, Baystate Health, White Rose Memorial Services, Hart & Patterson Financial Services, and Bertera Subaru. Our generous media sponsors are WWLP-22News, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, and the Valley Advocate.

You are cordially invited to come celebrate these remarkable individuals and support Dakin's work on behalf of animals. With Master of Ceremonies WAMC's Paul Tuthill and your host, WWLP-22News meterologist Brian Lapis, this promises to be a memorable and fun evening. Dinner will be followed by dancing to the Floyd Patterson Band. Find more information, including tickets, online at www.dpvhs.org or by calling 413-781-4000 x DOG (364).

See you there!

Opening Day...of the Kitten Season

2011-04-06T13:33:00.004-04:00

Dakin's adoption center veterinary team is scrambling to save a cat and kittens who arrived on our doorstep just moments ago.

Some helpful Springfield residents found the beautiful tabby mother cat giving birth in their garage this morning. After hours of labor, though, the cat appeared to be suffering. The staff at the local emergency veterinary hospital determined that, although two kittens had been born, another kitten remained inside. Fearing that the remaining kitten was dead and that this poor stray cat might require surgery, the emergency clinic sent the people and the foundlings to Dakin for help.

As of this moment, Dr. Spaulding, along with technicians Chrissy and Brittany, are working to spay the mother cat. While they hope to find the remaining kitten alive, they are prepared for the worst. Their expertise will at least save the mother cat's life and, thanks to Dakin's heroic foster parents and the adoption center staff, those two brand new kittens have begun their journey to a better life with a new family.

Dakin's Buddy Fund makes it possible to bring aid to animals like this mom and her babies. Please give generously to make sure this assistance continues.

Dakin is on the Road to Help Cats

2011-04-05T10:15:00.006-04:00

What do Stripes MacNeil and Dominobama Washington have in common? They were traveling companions on the ride down from Greenfield this morning.

Dakin staff came to the Leyden Woods community in Greenfield's west end to pick up cats needing to be fixed at Dakin's Community Spay/Neuter Clinic. With a pro-active management willing to partner with Dakin, Leyden Woods has been able to avoid the pitfalls many apartment communities face when they allow cats but don't regulate their care.

Thanks to the partnership between Leyden Woods management and Dakin, we transported 19 cats to Springfield for their spay/neuter surgery and shots. None of these cats has ever seen a veterinarian before. But that doesn't change the affection their families have for them. Bailey Gardner's "mom" cooed at his crate door as he was loaded into the van. She was, she said, practicing for the day she sends her son to college.

Tomorrow morning, the Dakin transport will leave Springfield bright and early, delivering the cats back to their families in Greenfield.

To learn more about Dakin's free spay/neuter program and other services, please visit www.dpvhs.org/snap/.

Help Dakin Win $100,000 in the ASPCA Challenge

2011-04-04T16:03:00.002-04:00

Dakin animals need your help.

We are entered in the qualifying heat of the ASPCA $100,000 Challenge. In order to participate in the challenge, we need to be one of the top 50 vote-getters nationwide.

What will being entered in this challenge do for Dakin and the animals and people we help?

*We will be eligible for up to $100,000 in prize money that will help us help animals.

*We will have opportunities to promote Dakin in our community and beyond--helping us help even more animals than ever before.

*Most of all, though, we will have the pride of knowing that our community was among the best in the nation at saving animals' lives.

How can you help? VOTE!

Vote every day, once a day between now and April 15th. Just go to www.VoteToSaveLives.org, look up Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society (we're under "MA") and vote. You'll need to have a working email address so you can receive a confirmation email (you'll only get one when you vote the first time--after that, you'll be remembered). Confirm that email and vote every day, once a day, until April 15th.

Let your friends know! Post it on Facebook, Tweet about it, forward this blog entry, email all your buddies!

To learn more, visit www.aspcapro.org.

On behalf of Dakin's animals, thank you!

Dakin to Offer Free Spay/Neuter to Select Communities

2011-03-10T15:20:00.003-05:00

Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society has received a $199,400 grant from PetSmart Charities to be used by the Dakin Community Spay/Neuter Clinic. This grant will provide free sterilization for pet cats of low income residents living in the following communities or zip codes:

Franklin County: Greenfield, Orange, and Turners Falls
Hampshire County: Belchertown, Ware, and South Hadley
Hampden County: Holyoke, Chicopee, and Springfield (01104, 01105, and 01108 zip codes only)

Across the Pioneer Valley, more than three-quarters of the animals entering area animal shelters are cats. In 2010, of the nearly 6,000 homeless animals served by Dakin, more than 4,000 were cats. As part of Dakin's Three Year Plan to Adoption Guarantee, we must reduce the number of litters born to cats. This grant will help us assist those community members who want to neuter their cat but have no financial resources to do so.

Why these communities? Of the 75 towns Dakin served in 2010, nearly 50% the kittens came from only these 11 communities! Our plan is to strategically reach the people whose cats are most likely to have kittens that end up homeless. And our statistics tell us to start in these towns.

All qualified cats will receive spay/neuter surgery, a rabies and FVRCP (distemper) vaccinations.

Clients just need to call the Clinic to schedule an appointment at 413-781-4019. You'll need to provide proof of residency and of financial need. Assistance with transportation may be available.

Don't live in one of the "target communities" or need help with your dog? No problem! We can still help. Give us a call and let's talk about options!

Dakin Cat Colony Rooms Open!

2011-03-09T13:25:00.005-05:00

Ever wonder what has been going on in the spacious, sunny lobby area at our Springfield Adoption & Education Center? The space used to be the lobby of the animal hospital that closed in 2007. When Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society purchased the building in 2009, we made it an immediate goal to convert this lobby space into cat colony rooms as part of Dakin's Three Year Plan to Adoption Guarantee.

Thanks to the generosity of the late Barbara Sullivan and the good folks at Five Star Building Corp., the new cat colony rooms are a colorful, sun-lit space with three multi-level living spaces for cats. This week, we moved the cats in and welcomed our clients to visit with them.

Not only does the space give our cats room to stretch, climb, and bask in the sun, it also gives our clients more room to sit and chat with our adoption counselors.

Come on down and visit!

2010 Year in Review: Community Spay/Neuter Clinic

2011-02-01T10:08:00.006-05:00

Statistics from Dakin's first year of full-service operations in the Pioneer Valley are now available. To celebrate the successes of our first year, I'll spend the next few blog entries walking through individual programs and their achievements in 2010.

If there is one thing we do to save lives in our community, it is to provide high-volume, high-quality, low-cost spay/neuter services. More than any other service we provide, Dakin's Community Spay/Neuter Clinic will most effectively help us reach our goal of saving the life of every adoptable homeless animal by August 2012.

Dakin's Community Spay/Neuter Clinic opened its doors in October 2009, and since then Clinic staff have sterilized more than 11,000 cats and dogs!

In 2010, the Clinic served 9,498 animals. Of those animals, 75% were cats and kittens, while 25% were dogs and puppies. The Clinic has identified "target" clients: animals already homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. This means animals in the custody of humane societies and animal control agencies or the types of animals most likely to be in custody--namely cats of low income people, feral cats, or pit bull dogs. Of the 9,498 animals served in 2010, 89% were "target" clients.

Pit bulls are disproportionately represented in our region's animal shelters. While they may be only 3% of the overall pet dog population, they can account for as many as 50% of the dogs surrendered to humane organizations or picked up by animal control. That's why Dakin's Clinic will spay/neuter any pit bull or pit mix for $50. In 2010, we helped 424 pit bulls, or 27% of all dogs brought to the Clinic by the public.

Cats belonging to people with few financial resources are not only at risk of becoming homeless, but they also produce unwanted litters of kittens. Thanks in part to a grant from the Massachusetts Animal Coalition's Animal Friendly License plate program, we are able to provide $25 cat spays and $50 cat neuters for people who are on some type of state or federal assistance.

We provided Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center's animal control officers with coupons for $10 cat surgeries (including vaccines). The officers identified people in need in the course of their daily work. Together, we helped 28 cats and kittens in 2010.

Through our Pet Food Aid partnerships with the Amherst and Franklin Area Survival Centers, we sterilized and vaccinated 6 pit bulls and 54 cats at no charge to families who were struggling to put food on the table.

For female pets old enough to have had babies, a quarter of the dogs and half the cats have already had at least one litter. And many have had more than one litter--a lot more! Our record holder so far is Orea, a beautiful black and white longhaired cat who, at 7 1/2 years of age, had 13 litters of kittens before we spayed her. Although Orea is an "indoor only" cat, her powerful hormones led her to escape, find a male cat, and get pregnant...13 times!

Older animals who have had multiple litters are common at the Community Spay/Neuter Clinic. We have spayed cats around Orea's age whose people report that the cat has 2 to 3 litters every year--they just haven't kept track of exactly how many litters that was.

Says Clinic Director, Karina King: "The Clinic's work ties in with Dakin's Adoption Center work in many ways. Adoption Center staff often walk clients over to the Community Spay/Neuter Clinic's desk once they learn that the clients want to surrender their male cats for spraying or because they can't deal with anymore litters but can't afford surgery. We are able to provide them with spay/neuter they can fit into their budget. It's win-win-win: the pet gets to stay at home instead of being surrendered; the client gets to keep her beloved pet (we get lots of tears of joy!), and the Adoption Center has one less animal they need to care for and re-home. Adoption Counselors also bring over clients who are surrendering litters of kittens. When we spay a kitten's mother, we know that the Adoption Center will have fewer kittens arriving next year."

Although the Community Spay/Neuter Clinic does not screen for income for non-subsidized services, most of the animals we see have either never seen a veterinarian or have not seen one in the past year. Only 22% of animals brought in by members of the public had seen a veterinarian in the past year and were current for a rabies vaccine (as required by law). Of those who have been seen by a veterinarian, low-cost vaccine clinics (i.e., PetCo, LuvMyPet) are the most popular veterinarian for our clients.

Only 4% of our patients are non-pit bull dogs whose people are not receiving state or federal assistance; 18% of our cat patients are not receiving state or federal assistance and can afford our already low price of $80. Most of these people have indicated that they called their veterinarian and could not afford the fees.

I make these last points, not because I think veterinarians charge too much for their services. In fact, I have a long relationship with a local animal hospital, love their staff, and happily pay for the excellent care my animals receive. But I also know that many of my neighbors are not so fortunate. For these folks Dakin's Community Spay/Neuter Clinic offers a real and accessible alternative for spay/neuter surgery. In fact, many local veterinarians refer clients to us who could not otherwise afford spay/neuter services.

We are grateful to PetSmart Charities, the Massachusetts Animal Friendly License Plate program, and many individual donors for their support of Dakin's Community Spay/Neuter Clinic. Without their generosity, the Clinic would not be the life-saving force it is. Please consider making an online gift to support the Clinic's work, today.

2010 Year in Review: Pet Food Aid Programs

2011-01-24T14:21:00.002-05:00

Statistics from Dakin's first full year of full-service operations in the entire Pioneer Valley are now available. To celebrate the successes of our first year, I'll spend the next few blog entries walking you through individual programs and their achievements in 2010.

Dakin's Pet Food Aid programs began in March 2007 with an arrangement with the Amherst Senior Center to deliver pet food along with Meals on Wheels. In that first year, we distributed approximately 500 pounds of food. As recently as 2009, Pet Food Aid delivered a little more than 3,500 pounds of food, thanks to new collaborative efforts with other senior and survival center agencies.

But last year's food distribution blew the doors off our previous records: Dakin delivered more than 20,000 pounds of pet food to people in need in 2010!

We helped a broad range of folks--housebound elders, individuals with disabilities, low-income families, and people facing emergencies like house fires--through collaborative arrangements with more than half a dozen human service agencies. Both of our Leverett and Springfield adoption centers served as pet food banks, helping keep animals at risk of being surrendered safe at home with their families.

Here's how it all breaks down:

Amherst Senior Center Meals on Wheels: 2,263 pounds; Amherst Survival Center Senior Grocery Box Delivery: 617 pounds; Amherst Survival Center Pet Food Bank: 3,120 pounds; Belchertown Senior Center: 485 pounds; Highland Valley Elder Services Meals on Wheels (Northampton only): 2,781 pounds; Franklin Area Survival Center: 3,153 pounds; Northfield Food Pantry: 4,858 pounds; Leyden Woods Community (Greenfield): 652 pounds; Northampton Survival Center (started December 28, 2010): 140 pounds; Pioneer Valley Red Cross: 200 pounds; Leverett and Springfield Adoption Center walk-ins: 2,300 pounds.

Without safety net programs like Dakin's Pet Food Aid, many more animals--and people--in our community would be at risk of homelessness. Allowing an individual or a family to re-allocate money they would have spent on pet food to pay for groceries, medical bills, or heating oil helps keep families safe and together.

What's coming up in 2011? You'll notice that our partnership with the Northampton Survival Center didn't begin until the last week of 2010. We estimate the Center will distribute as much as 1,000 pounds of pet food each month, leading to an additional 12,000 pounds of food in 2011.

Where does the food come from? Most of it comes from people like you. You can make a gift to the Pet Food Aid programs securely online. You may also donate sealed bags of pet food (we are unable to use opened bags) to either of our adoption centers. We thank you for your generosity!

A special thank you to The Amherst Club for making a gift that helps us purchase much of the food for the Amherst-area programs. If you want to help the Club keep making this gift, be sure to attend their fabulous "Love Notes" concert on Sunday, February 13th. Proceeds from this event help fund projects like Dakin's Pet Food Aid programs.

Home for the Holidays

2010-12-13T15:04:00.014-05:00

It used to be that animal shelters closed for the week preceding the Christmas holiday. Not so we could all go on vacation but so we could prevent people from adopting animals around the holidays.

The prevailing notion was that gift adoptions are bad things—impulse decisions that could ruin the life of an animal. We had this notion that people would be irresponsible in their gift-giving, adopting a six-month-old Rottweiler puppy for great aunt Madge or springing a kitten on allergy-ridden little Timmy. We thought people would just be too busy over the holidays to trouble with having a new animal in the house.

But we at the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society have re-examined these old myths.

Myth: Gift adoptions will result in the dumping of incompatible animals on animal shelters.

Reality: The statistics show that animals received as gifts are actually less likely than animals acquired by other means to be relinquished by their caretakers. In fact, it is unusual for the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society to receive an animal as the result of a gift gone awry.

Myth: The Christmas holiday is stressful and hectic in everyone’s life.

Reality: Not everyone celebrates Christmas. And not everyone’s household is Grand Central Station during this time of year. Many people stay home with only their immediate family or one or two other guests. Lots of people have a great deal of time off during the holidays (especially people on an academic schedule). This may actually be the perfect time to introduce a new animal!

Myth: Gift adoptions are based on impulse buying.

Reality: Many people put a great deal of thought into the gifts they give (remember, the thought does count!). Besides, people acquire animals for themselves on impulse all the time. Good adoption counseling should help to identify and prevent impulse buying.

Myth: The gift recipient needs to be involved in the adoption process.

Reality: This is true…to a point. Certainly matching many dogs may rely on pre-adoption introductions to all family members (and the family dog) to ensure everyone’s safety. But some cats and kittens may be successfully adopted as a surprise for other family members who want a feline companion.

Gift adoptions can go wrong if the giver does not take precautions to be sure the recipient of his generosity wants the animal and can care for the animal properly. After all, an animal isn’t a Billy Bass Singing Fish or a necktie. He is a sentient creature with a personality and needs. Think of giving an animal as being more like offering an engagement ring—you are offering your loved one a lifetime commitment. And such things should not be offered lightly.

Giving the gift recipient the opportunity to pick out her own pet may be a better idea than doing it for her. To this end, Dakin offers gift certificates. Dakin gift certificates are redeemable for adoptions or for any purchase from one of our adoption centers, our retail selection, our Diamonds in the Ruff thrift shop, dog training classes, or our Community Spay/Neuter Clinic. Just visit our Leverett or Springfield locations to purchase your certificate.

If you are considering adding a four-legged family member to your household this holiday season, please visit your local animal adoption agency first. You can talk to knowledgeable counselors who are committed not just to making a great match, but also to supporting your relationship with your new animal for years to come.

Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society adoption centers in Leverett and Springfield are open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5:30 (we’re open Thursday nights until 7:30) and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4:30. We will be closed on Christmas day to allow our staff to spend time with their own families. Before that, we’d like to spend time with yours.

Pedigree Foundation Helps Dakin Dogs

2010-11-29T15:35:00.002-05:00

On my first day back from a long holiday weekend, I was pleased to find an award from the Pedigree Foundation as part of their "Dogs Rule" grant program. Pedigree donated $653.87 to the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society to help us get dogs adopted. You know what we're going to do with the money? We're going to use it to spay and neuter some of our adoption center dogs.

"But you already have your own spay/neuter clinic!" you say. Indeed, we do. Dakin's Community Spay/Neuter Clinic--which just completed its 10,000th surgery in a little more than a year--provides high quality, low-cost sterilization surgery for animals living in our community as well as animals in our adoption centers. But sterilizing adoption center animals costs money, and while we charge an adoption fee for our animals, it doesn't begin to cover the true costs of saving lives. There are the vaccines, the de-wormers, the flea and tick treatments, the antibiotics, x-rays, wound care, disinfectants, equipment, staff, electricity, heat, ....I could go on. Suffice it to say that every gift goes a long way around here!

So we'll gratefully take this generous grant from the good folks at the Pedigree Foundation and use it to help some great dogs find new homes. In the meantime, you might consider making one of these dogs your new best friend.

Super Spay/Neuter!

2010-11-24T11:20:00.008-05:00

It seems like a superhuman feat, doesn't it, neutering 10,000 cats and dogs in just over a year? Well, the team of professionals at Dakin's Community Spay/Neuter Clinic made it happen! Wearing colorful scrubs instead of blue tights and a cape, the clinic folks today celebrated their 10,000th surgery.

Cat 10,000 is Victoria, a demure brown tabby who, at only 2 years of age, has already had several litters of kittens. Although she has lived the hard life of a free-roaming cat, a kind person has taken her in and, after spaying her, will find Victoria a new home. Most importantly, Victoria will never again bring kittens into a world where there are already far too many.

Here are some quick facts about Dakin's Community Spay/Neuter Clinic:

*75% of the animals we serve are cats; 25% are dogs.

*Of the dogs we serve, 1 in 4 is a pit bull or pit bull mix. Pit bulls also comprise 30-50% of the dogs entering animal shelters or animal control agencies in our region so even though they are only 3%of the overall dog population, pit bulls are the dogs most at risk of becoming homeless in our community. The Community Spay/Neuter Clinic will neuter any pit bull or pit mix for only $50.

*Of the cats we serve, more than 70% have never received veterinary care. Of those few cats who have received veterinary care, most of them received that care at a low-cost vaccine clinic.

*Many of the female cats we see have already had more than one litter of kittens....which is why we will spay any cat who is at least 8 weeks old and weighs at least 2 pounds. Cats can come into heat and become pregnant as early as 4-5 months of age. Waiting until 6 months or a year to spay a female cat may lead to unwanted kittens.

*Although our prices are already very low, we have additional assistance programs for people who may not be able to afford surgery. If you or someone you know receives state or federal aid, we will spay or neuter your cat for only $25. Feed feral cats in Holyoke? We'll neuter your Holyoke ferals for only 10 bucks. Call us at 413-781-4019 or email spay@dpvhs.org for more information.

How can we afford to do this? Some of the fees we charge for services help to off-set some of our expenses. But the truth is that we do it with some small grants and through the generosity of individual donors like you. Please consider giving generously to Dakin's Community Spay/Neuter Clinic.

Dogs Deserve Better

2010-11-05T11:11:00.003-04:00

When I was growing up in Ohio, it was commonplace to chain our dogs to doghouses. Most of them had no more than three or four feet of chain. Buck, my dad’s Brittany spaniel, lived his entire life at the end of that chain, within four feet of his doghouse.

It was my job to feed and water Buck every day after school. I dreaded this chore. Because Buck was so desperate for any type of warmth or contact, he lunged against his chain and jumped on me. His paws were inevitably muddied with the feces and filth that surrounded his little wooden doghouse. After shoving him off me, sometimes pulling him off by his thick leather collar, I righted his bowls and filled them. Then I walked away. The whole process couldn’t have given Buck more than thirty seconds of human contact. Once a day. For sixteen years.

While my childhood was longer ago than I care to admit, and dog care practices have come a long way since then, many dogs in our community continue to live their lives on the end of chains.

Such an existence is bleak beyond compare. Like Buck, most chained dogs have little room to move. Their once grassy area turns quickly to beaten dirt or mud. Their chain frequently becomes tangled or tips over food and water bowls. Their doghouses are often inadequate against the elements. And perhaps worst of all, they are socially isolated.

Like humans, dogs are social creatures. Even in their domesticated state, dogs crave the companionship of other pack members. When dogs don’t have other dogs to hang out with, they create pack members wherever they can find them—more often than not with us humans. Keeping a dog alone on the end of a chain frustrates this intense need for companionship.

When a dog lives his life on the end of a chain or in a small pen, he is often neglected in many other important ways. Chained dogs are less likely to receive adequate nourishment, shelter, or veterinary care. In fact, it is hard for many dog lovers to understand why people who chain their dogs have a dog at all.

If you know a dog who lives chained or penned, it is possible to help. Visit Dogs Deserve Better for ideas on how to compassionately approach people who chain their dogs. You can also learn how to work for legislation in your community that will prohibit or restrict this cruel practice.

In fact, residents of the Town of Amherst will debate a proposed bylaw at their fall town meeting this week. The bylaw would place limits on the ways outdoor dogs can be confined, including banning the use of heavy, short chains. The bylaw also prohibits any but working dogs from being confined outdoors at night. Based on similar ordinances in Greenfield and East Longmeadow, the Amherst proposal was initiated by citizens who care about dogs.

As I write this entry, my dogs are curled up next to me on the couch or snoring away on soft beds near the woodstove. Though it is a cold November evening, many dogs in our community are not so fortunate.

New Dakinmobile Hits the Road!

2010-10-28T09:14:00.004-04:00

In late September, our friends at Five Star Building Corp. put on the third annual Dakin Five Star Charity Golf Tournament at The Orchards in South Hadley. Golfing teams showed up bright and early on a clear, cool autumn day to have fun and help animals.

Thanks to Dakin board member, Kevin Perrier, and his team at Five Star, the tournament's sponsors, and the golfers, Dakin now has a shiny new van!

A spacious Ford Econoline 350, the new van is an integral part of the second year of Dakin's Three Year Plan to Adoption Guarantee. This is the year our Community Spay/Neuter Clinic begins transporting animals from outlying areas to Springfield for surgery.

We are grateful to everyone who made this year's golf tournament a success!

Every Buddy Needs Somebody

2010-10-04T10:06:00.005-04:00

The theme of this year's Dakin summer fund drive was "Every buddy needs somebody." Our goal? Raise $15,000 for the Buddy Fund--the emergency medical fund that provides extraordinary care to the sick or injured homeless animals who enter our adoption centers.

Named after Buddy, a young shepherd mix who needed the special attention of a veterinary cardiologist, the Buddy Fund provides care for animals like Big Raul, a Chihuahua mix whose car accident led to the amputation of one of his rear legs. Visitors to Northampton have probably seen little black and tan Raul (now named Cheese Wagstaff) happily hopping around the city streets with his new family.

The Buddy Fund is an essential element to achieving Dakin's goal of Adoption Guarantee by August 2012. As the Pioneer Valley's only non-profit humane society, we rely on the generosity of our supporters to help animals in need. In fact, Dakin's Springfield Adoption & Education Center is currently playing host to Buddy Fund recipient, Bailey.

While big, red Doberman mix Bailey may appear to have little in common with tiny Raul, they both took on traffic and lived to tell about it. Bailey's front leg was broken in an encounter with a car. Thanks to Buddy Fund donors and Dakin adoption center veterinary staff, Bailey is on the mend....and in search of his new family.

Speaking of families...we recently heard from Buddy's people. Adopted in 2007, Buddy, now named Monty, is a star of another kind. His new guardians, Hayley and Adam, are actors with Ashfield's Double Edge Theatre. Monty even had a cameo in this summer's production of The Firebird.

To date, the summer fund drive has raised more than $23,000 to help sick and injured homeless animals. It's never too late to help save a life. Please consider making your gift today.

When the Internet Bites Back

2010-06-21T11:18:00.007-04:00

A member of our Dakin Board of Directors just forwarded me one of those standard African nation phishing scam emails (you know, they need you to wire money to the Nigerian prime minister's account to help him out of a bad spot). But this one had a new and interesting twist: the scammer, George, is talking about pets. He writes:

Hello Seller, I got your contact as i was searching for a lovely pet to buy for our interested buyer is there i saw your advertisement that you have this particular one available under your possession to sell out.

I need puppy and breeds with a lovely bull dog or cat, please let me know the one that you have available to sell out, send me your list and the prices so i can select, or let me know if you have only this one you advertise.

I am the sales representatives of my company we have store in both UK and Ghana west Africa, my financial manager is ready to apy you through Money order and once you confirm your money in your bank in your hands i will give you the shipping information, but please let me know if you will handle the shipment , or i will handle it. Send down your full information with the price of your pet , your full names with your full address and your phone number for communications.

George
DEVTRACO

My first thought was that no one would fall for someone who needs puppies to breed with bulldogs or cats (!). But what if you had an ad in the paper or online trying to find a new home for an animal and you received this message? What if you weren't terribly computer literate? Certainly no animal would come to harm, but your bank account would be cleaned out in no time.

The Internet has been an incredible resource for the animal welfare movement. Not only can we showcase our adoptable animals, but we can communicate inexpensively with our constituents, mobilize them quickly to action, and raise much-needed funds to help animals.

But the Internet has a darker side, too. Not only is it a place where scam artists like "George" can prey on naive users, it's a place where animal hoarders, puppy millers, and abusers can present themselves as rescuers, responsible breeders, and law-abiding animal lovers.

In 2007, Maine animal welfare officials served a search warrant on J'aime Kennels of Buxton, ME, seizing more than 250 dogs found in horrifying conditions. I witnessed this tragedy first hand when I joined a small Dakin team that helped care for the dogs on site as the case began its long path through the court system. What was as nearly as disturbing as the herding breed dogs driven to insanity by constant confinement, the lapdogs living in their own excrement, and the puppies so covered with flies they did not, at first, appear to be white dogs, was that J'aime Kennels had a wonderful website. An unsuspecting dog lover looking for a particular breed of dog could search, for example, for French bulldog breeders and discover that J'aime would ship "hand-raised puppies" anywhere in the United States (while their website is now disabled, they still appear on other websites as "reputable" breeders).

At a Dakin event not long ago, I met a woman with two adorable Shih Tzus. She told me she bought them over the Internet from a breeder in "the Midwest." She never saw their parents, she never saw where they were raised, and she trusted the website and the person on the other end of the phone completely. She now has two lovely young dogs. I can almost guarantee you that the parents of those two lovely dogs live in squalor and loneliness somewhere in the Midwest.

People who would no sooner support such puppy mills by shopping at a pet store for their new dog often think nothing of buying a puppy over the Internet...from often the very puppy mills supplying the pet store trade. The growth in Internet puppy sales from breeding mills has increased as retail store sales have declined. Why? Puppy millers can avoid middle men--and often state and federal regulations--by selling directly to consumers.

So what are you to do when you can't find the puppy of your dreams at your local animal adoption center?

First, consider talking to the adoption center staff about breed specific rescue agencies. They can also help you negotiate adoption websites like Petango.com or Petfinder.com.

If you have your heart set on a puppy, be sure to research reputable and humane breeders. In our region, the Pioneer Valley Kennel Club could be a terrific resource. A reputable breeder can be identified as someone who does the following:

*Specializes in one breed of dog. Any website or advertisement that advertises "Yorkies! Poodles! Frenchies!" will likely lead you to a puppy miller, breeding dogs with little regard for their health or well-being.

*Considers the health and well-being of their dogs by breeding infrequently and performing all necessary screening to be sure they are not passing on poor genetic characteristics.

*Requires the surgical sterilization of the pet you adopt.

*Will allow you to see where the puppies and the parents are being raised. If you cannot see the kennels, don't buy the dog. Do not accept photographs as an alternative.

Remember that AKC paperwork is not a stamp of sound health or temperament. The AKC does little to regulate unscrupulous breeders and will sell registration papers to anyone who can prove the consistency of their dog's bloodlines--for good or ill.

Of course, because this is a humane society blog, I'm going to make one more plug for adopting a rescued dog. My life is enriched immeasurably by the four dogs and two cats with whom I share my home. They are funny, clever, heartwarming, loud, messy, and lovable. Above all else, we found each other at the adoption center. You can, too.

It's Raining Cats and...Cats!

2010-06-02T15:27:00.004-04:00

In June we celebrate Adopt a Shelter Cat Month...and none too soon! Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society currently has nearly 300 animals in its care--most of them cats and kittens.

More than 100 kittens and their mothers are frolicking in the spare bedrooms of our foster volunteers, while still others await sterilization surgery at the Dakin Community Spay/Neuter Clinic prior to going up for adoption.

And, oh the cats and kittens in our adoption areas! Longhairs, shorthairs, calicos, Siamese mixes, giant Maine coon-types, and classic tabbies. We have ginger cats and black panthers, stunning blue-eyed beauties and Holstein-spotted troublemakers. Fat cats, svelte cats, polydactyl cats and cats with no claws at all. If you can't find a cat at our Springfield or Leverett adoption centers, my friend, you aren't looking for a cat.

We have cats who have never met a stranger and cats who will spend the first week hiding under your bed (before deciding you're okay). We have cats who want to live alone and cats who love a party. We even have cats with special needs, like Annie Oakley, who is living with feline immunodeficiency virus.

In our Springfield Adoption Center, we have office cats: cats too stressed by the hustle and bustle of the busy adoption center to remain in a cage, but who have blossomed in the offices of our administrative staff. These lucky cats "help" our staff get their work done (if your own cat insists on sitting on your computer keyboard, you know what I mean), until they find their new homes.

We have so many great cats needing homes, that we are waiving the adoption fee on cats one year or older for a limited time.

What are you waiting for?

Holyoke Ferals Receive Reprieve...For Now

2010-04-21T20:50:00.003-04:00

At last night's Holyoke City Council meeting, the council voted by a narrow margin (8-7) to send the proposed ordinance prohibiting the feeding and sheltering of any animals outdoors back to committee for public hearing. This was a good and important step, not just because I think the ordinance, as written, should be defeated, but because it gives us a chance to work collaboratively to come up with a solution that can work for people and for cats.

And if last night's meeting taught me one thing, it's this: we have our work cut out for us in helping people understand the plight of feral and free-roaming cats. And it's not just our government officials who need more information...sometimes it's the cat advocates, themselves.

The Holyoke ordinance came about because one individual, in opposition to pleas from his neighbors, orders from the Board of Health, and, finally, a determination from a judge, refused to stop feeding cats on his property in a residential neighborhood.

Unfortunately, despite this gentleman's best intentions, he was not responsibly feeding his feral cats. A responsibly managed colony is fed only at specific times. This prevents wildlife from approaching and helps to control colony size. It also helps the feeder identify new cats immediately so they can be trapped, neutered, vaccinated, and returned (or placed, if social). When feeding time is over, all dishes (except water bowls) should be removed.

Other elements of responsible colony management include: neutering and eartipping all cats, removing and re-homing socialized cats, keeping rabies vaccinations current, and working with neighbors to avoid creating a nuisance.

As animal advocates, we do ourselves no favors by not being willing to look at both sides of an issue and look for common ground. While I'm the first to agree that Trap-Neuter-Return plays an important--even vital--role in reducing the population of feral cats, protecting the public health, and making cats a more welcome presence in a neighborhood, it may not be the right approach every time. In instances where the owner of the property does not welcome the cats or the cats are threatening protected wildlife, we need to look at trap-and-relocate (much more difficult than it sounds) or fencing the colony to protect other animals (a solution that is working in other parts of the country). Check out these communities where feral cat and wildlife advocates are drafting mutually-beneficial legislation designed to protect all animals--feline, wild, and human.

Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society is committed to working with trapping experts, community cat lovers, animal control, and government officials in the City of Holyoke to come up with reasonable, long-term, humane solutions that benefit both cats and humans. Dakin can help by providing low-cost sterilization surgery for feral cats at our Community Spay/Neuter Clinic. We can collaborate with experts like Homeless Cat Project to provide training sessions in the community on how to manage a colony--including trapping, feeding, sheltering, vaccinating, and working with neighbors.

If we choose not to work together to find a creative solution for feral and free-roaming cats, we don't have anything to lose. But the cats do.

Holyoke Homeless and Feral Cat Ordinance is Pending

2010-04-16T14:54:00.001-04:00

Because I could not possibly say this better myself, I'm asking you to click on this link to the MSPCA's advocacy page to learn more about how you can help cats in Holyoke.
Holyoke Homeless and Feral Cat Ordinance is Pending

Rescue Waggin' Comes to Town!

2010-03-26T16:27:00.005-04:00

At 5:00 Thursday morning, two guys in a truck filled with 20 dogs set out from the Augusta Regional SPCA in Staunton, Virginia and began driving north. The guys are drivers for PetSmart Charities Rescue Waggin '. Rescue Waggin' saves the lives of dogs and puppies by transporting them from areas of high pet population (where they face almost certain euthanasia) to areas like the Pioneer Valley where adoptable dogs are in high demand.

While Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society has operated its popular "Dixie Dogs" program since 2003, our relationship with Rescue Waggin' is a new one. In fact, Dakin is the first New England animal welfare organization to become a part of the Rescue Waggin' program.

Rescue Waggin' partnership offers several advantages. In the past, Dakin staff have had to negotiate the arrangements with our partner agencies in the South. We had to help them understand our disease control standards, quarantine requirements, and behavior evaluations. With Rescue Waggin', PetSmart Charities assumes the task of training the sending and receiving agencies to work together. Not only do we have a standardized behavior evaluation, but we also have standardized paperwork and health certificates.

Best of all, PetSmart Charities works with the sending community to put programs in place to end overpopulation (spay/neuter!) while covering the transport costs for the receiving organization so that we can invest our hard-earned money in programs in our community that help animals in need (cats! pitbulls! rabbits!). Participation in the Rescue Waggin' program could save Dakin as much as $20,000 a year--no small sum when it comes to saving animals' lives!

The latest load of 14 dogs (6 of the 20 were dropped off at the ASPCA in New York City) will go through their state-mandated 48-hour quarantine period here at Dakin's Springfield Adoption & Education Center. At the end of that quarantine, we'll have our veterinary staff examine them, provide them with any necessary medical treatment or vaccinations, send them over to the Dakin Community Spay/Neuter Clinic for a quick snip, and then we'll split them between our Leverett and Springfield adoption centers. In only a few short days, this latest round of lucky Dixie Dogs will be living the good life in their new Yankee homes.

Whenever we talk about Dixie Dogs, we want to remind people of two important points: First, Dakin staff work very hard to make sure that we help every local homeless dog we can, including those housed at animal control agencies in our own communities and around Massachusetts. Second, wonderful dogs die every day in this country for lack of a home. It is our obligation to do everything we can to put an end to that tragedy.

As I write this, my Dixie dog, Howard, and my Yankee dog, Grampy, are snoring next to me. Who says the North and the South can't get along?

De-Vocalization Bill Passes Massachusetts House!

2010-03-04T09:57:00.005-05:00

Thanks to the hard work and support of a grassroots movement of dog lovers, the Massachusetts House just moved forward on HB 344, An Act Prohibiting De-vocalization, as written! In an overwhelming 150-1 vote, the House moved the bill forward where it will now be heard by the state Senate (the lone dissenting vote was Rep. George Peterson, R-Seventh Worcester).

What to do today? Hug a legislator!

Call, email or most appreciated of all, send a hard-copy note. It doesn't have to be long. Thank- you notes are important, and not just because your mom said so; they help cement relationships with legislators, encouraging them to embrace future humane bills.

If you choose to email, put “Thank you for supporting H344!” in the subject line. Then write a short message, with your name and address. Constituents rule.

Please also thank the heroes of the day, who saved the bill, even if they're not your representatives.

They fended off amendments proposed by the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association, which would have effectively killed the bill. If the following are not your Reps, don't bombard them with calls. Send an email (with "thank you for supporting H344" in the subject line) or, the gold standard, a note that you put a stamp on and mail:

Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, Rep.CherylCoakley-Rivera@hou.state.ma.us
Rep. Bill Bowles, Rep.BillBowles@hou.state.ma.us
Rep. Will Brownsberger, Rep.WilliamBrownsberger@hou.state.ma.us
Rep. Jennifer Callahan, Rep.JenniferCallahan@hou.state.ma.us
Rep. Gene O’Flaherty, Rep.GeneOFlaherty@hou.state.ma.us
Snail mail: State House, Boston 02133

Rep. Coakley-Rivera, from Springfield, made an impassioned plea for passage of the bill without amendment. She said, "(My dogs) are members of my family. They may not be search dogs who find people…or assistance dogs working with children. But they are special to me. (De-vocalization) involves monetary profit, not love of animals. (It) is inhumane and must be stopped. Most people who de-vocalize their dogs don't take the time and training. Little dogs have a tendency to yelp, it's their only defense. I brought my friend who has sat here for the last 40 minutes and not said a word. He gets love and humane treatment from my family. Please accept this bill as written."

Thank you, Rep. Coakley-Rivera! And thank you all the legislators who moved this bill forward!

What's next? The Massachusetts Senate! Stay tuned for updates on this measure as we continue to work to get it passed without amendment. Keep an eye on Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society's Facebook page for up-to-the minute news.

Dakin's Buddy Fund Saves Lives

2010-03-01T15:50:00.006-05:00

Bol has all the outrageous enthusiasm of any 6-month-old pit bull--he jumps, he romps, he loves to chase a ball. And he also has complete fractures to both bones in his right front leg. After being hit by a car in Springfield, Bol ended up at the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society when his person realized he didn't have the money to treat Bol's injuries.

The adoption center veterinary staff have splinted Bol's leg to help it heal. While he's not out of the woods yet, and surgery or a cast may still be needed, Bol is already putting weight on his bum paw and starting to enjoy life again. This afternoon, the veterinary staff were re-wrapping Bol's leg, fashioning a "pee-proof" glove for the splint to keep it from getting soaked every time the rambunctious guy goes for his daily constitutional.

From broken legs to dental extractions, from enucleations to ear infections, Dakin's adoption center veterinary team goes the extra mile to help homeless animals who need to recover from injury, neglect, or abuse before finding their second chance. We're grateful to have talented staff capable of helping animals in need. And we're also grateful that donors to the Dakin Buddy Fund make such treatment possible.

Named for a young shepherd mix with a cardiomyopathy, the Buddy Fund is the special account we use to provide treatment beyond the standard spay/neuter surgery or vaccinations. When an animal comes to us sick or injured, but with good prospects for recovery and a full life in a new home, we call on the Buddy Fund to help him out.

Please consider a donation to the Buddy Fund today. Your gift is a lifesaver.

Things are Hopping at the Humane Society!

2010-02-11T12:17:00.004-05:00

Construction Zone!
We are a few short weeks away from unveiling our remodeled adoption center lobby in Springfield! Formerly the waiting room for the animal hospital that was here when the MSPCA owned the building, our bright new lobby will include two large, glass, multi-level colony rooms where our adoption cats will be allowed to roam and interact with people; a smaller colony room for cats who have been diagnosed with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV); a waiting room filled with toys and activities for children; and adoption counseling stations that will allow our clients to sit and talk with DPVHS staff, rather than crowding around a small counter area.

The remodeling of the lobby is part of the DPVHS Three Year Plan to Adoption Guarantee. It was funded through the generosity of Barbara Sullivan, a cat lover who passed away in 2009 and left a bequest that was designated for improvements to our Union Street building. We are grateful for Barbara's forethought and compassion for animals.

Celebrate Valentine's Day by Loving Somebunny!
In honor of Valentine's Day--and in celebration of Adopt a Rabbit Month--we invite you to come to one of our adoption centers and Love Somebunny this weekend. While the cost of all rabbit adoptions will be reduced for the celebration, your new rabbit will still receive the same great services, including a veterinary exam, spay or neuter surgery, a rabbit care handbook, and, this weekend only, a special Love Somebunny adoption gift pack! Visit our adoptable rabbits online. Our good friends from the House Rabbit Connection will be on hand in Springfield on Saturday and Sunday to help adopters learn more about living with rabbits.

Taylor's Tavern Bartender Shoot Out Benefits DPVHS!
What could be more romantic than watching people try to slide a mug of beer the length of a bar in competition to see who can hit the target? I submit that nothing is more romantic. That's why I'll be spending Valentine's Day with the cool kids down at Taylor's Tavern in Greenfield for the 13th Annual Bartender's Shoot-Out. All proceeds from the contest will benefit DPVHS. Festivities kick off at 1:00 p.m. Your $20 entry fee gets you a very cool t-shirt, a Magic Hat glass, a couple of beers, and a shot at greatness.

DPVHS: 2009 Year in Review

2010-02-02T11:23:00.005-05:00

2009 was a wild year for Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society. We started the year off normally enough--setting our budget, applying for grant funding, dreaming of a new building...and then, at the end of February 2009, we received word that the MSPCA would be closing their Western New England Animal Care and Adoption Center by the end of March.

Those of you who follow DPVHS closely know that we worked with the MSPCA to negotiate the purchase of their adoption center at 171 Union Street in Springfield, closed on the purchase in mid-July and re-opened the busy adoption center on August 1st. For the first time in its history, DPVHS had become an open admission humane society. But we did so with one goal in mind: to end the euthanasia of adoptable animals in the Pioneer Valley by 2012.

With our Three Year Plan to Adoption Guarantee in place, we held on tight and plunged forward. Here are some statistics for the year 2009:

*Our Leverett Adoption Center admitted 14% of the animals arriving at DPVHS...but that tiny facility adopted out more than 40%!

*Adult cat adoptions in Leverett are the big news this year. For the past 3 years we've tried to increase our adult cat adoptions there with no success. The number of adult cat adoptions remained static...until 2009! This was the first year we were able to significantly increase the number of adult cat adoptions performed, from 375 adults in 2008 to 489 adult cats in 2009!

*We ended the year with an 83% live release rate! What's a live release rate? You better catch up on your reading here.

*Despite operating as an open admission adoption center for the last five months of 2009, DPVHS euthanized no healthy cats or dogs in 2009.

*We increased our volunteer foster program from serving 393 animals in 2008 to serving 557 animals in 2009, an increase of 42%!

*Thanks to our "Certified Pre-Owned Cats" program, launched in September 2009 as a way to save lives and encourage the adoption of adult cats, we saw a 37% increase in the average monthly adult cat placements. The average jumped from 67 adult cats to 106 adult cats per month finding qualified homes. That equals about 156 extra adult cat adoptions during the promotion.

*Even though it opened on October 12, 2009, the DPVHS Community Spay/Neuter Clinic served 1,358 animals by the end of December 2009!

*Of the animals served by the Community Spay/Neuter Clinic, 80% are cats and 20% are dogs.

*Of the animals brought to the Community Spay/Neuter Clinic by their own families, only 37% have ever seen a veterinarian prior to coming to us. The difference is most marked in cats: only 17% of cats coming to the clinic have ever seen a veterinarian (compared to 77% of dogs). But of those animals who had been to see a vet, PETCO or Luv My Pet low-cost vaccine clinics are the single most popular provider of services. Still, 83% of felines and 30% of canines did not have a current rabies vaccine, as required by law.

*The Community Spay/Neuter Clinic served 201 animals from other rescues, shelters, or animal control agencies, including the Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control & Adoption Center in Springfield.

*DPVHS employed more than 400 volunteers by the end of 2009. The service they provide is the equivalent of having 4 additional paid staff members for each day of 2009!

*DPVHS was featured in the media 98 times, an average of 3 times per week, not including regularly-scheduled segments or advertising.

*DPVHS conducted regular humane education programming in 2009 at: Childrens Study Home (Springfield), Maple Valley School (Wendell), Victory House (Greenfield), Brightside (West Springfield), Behavioral Health Network (Springfield), Morgan Elementary School (Holyoke), Leverett Elementary School, Greenfield High School, Leeds Elementary School, Orange School District, and Deerfield Elementary School. Additional programs were delivered to schools and scouts throughout the Valley.

Thank you to all of you who volunteered your time, donated your hard earned money, or cheered DPVHS on from the sidelines to make 2009 a banner year! It is only with your help that we can create a community where every animal lives a full and peaceful life.

Birds of a Feather

2010-01-14T15:37:00.005-05:00

When most people think about humane societies, they think about cats and dogs. Maybe rabbits. But birds?

In fact, DPVHS provides shelter and adoption for more than 50 homeless birds each year. From tiny finches to parakeets and doves; from lovebirds and cockatiels to large parrots…birds of all shapes and sizes find refuge and new homes through Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society’s adoption centers. Many birds come to us because their people did not realize how much work caring for a bird can be.

Here are a few things to consider before adopting a bird:

Even though many people keep birds in their home, birds are not domesticated animals. They are the wild native species of other countries (which raises some real issues about the international bird trade and the inherent cruelty of removing animals from the wild and forcing them to live in cages).

Parrots, including lovebirds, parakeets, and cockatiels can be destructive, noisy, and quite messy. Not only that, but some species can live 20 to 50 years or longer. A commitment to a bird is a long one that may have to include provisions for the bird's care in your will!

Despite their chewing, squawking, seed-tossing way, birds are also beautiful and elegant. If you're thinking about acquiring a bird, consider adopting one from a rescue agency. Just as adopting a dog from the humane society instead of purchasing him from a pet store or online breeder helps end the cruelty of puppy mills, adopting your next bird from a rescue helps stop the perpetuation of the international bird trade.

But before you adopt, make sure you do your research. You want to be sure to adopt the kind of bird that will fit your lifestyle and also that you can provide a home that is healthy and fun for you and the bird.

In celebration of National Bird Month, DPVHS, the Springfield Falcons, and Red Robin are joining forces to celebrate our feathered friends and help homeless animals.

This month, you can have fun at the Springfield Falcons while helping DPVHS. On January 30, the Springfield Falcons will play against the Providence Bruins at the MassMutual Center. Tickets are on sale for $10 (regularly $17). $2 from each ticket sold will benefit DPVHS. Purchase two tickets and receive a free appetizer at Red Robin in Holyoke and a chance to win dinner for four!

Falcon ticket order forms are available at DPVHS, 171 Union Street, Springfield, or by calling or e-mailing Julia Kincade at (413) 739-3344 x105 jkincade@falconsahl.com.

And wait…there’s more! Along with catering to the winning entry, Red Robin will host a 10% night on February 8, 2010 to benefit DPVHS. With presentation of a coupon available through Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society and the Springfield Falcons, 10% of your party’s tab will benefit DPVHS!

Secondhand Dogs at your Service

2010-01-05T14:38:00.005-05:00

They say you only get once chance to make a first impression. When Snickers, a chocolate Pomeranian mix, and Milo, a cream poodle mix, first arrived at DPVHS, they didn't do a good job of endearing themselves. Marni Edelhart, DPVHS's Behavior & Training Coordinator says of Snickers, "When Snickers first walked into the adoption center he was not selling himself very well. He darted hither and thither on his leash barking at everything that moved, humping me, and peeing on stuff." Doesn't sound like a dog people would line up to take home.

"Milo, on the other hand," states Marni, "came in very subdued and quiet until he got into a kennel where he let his voice be heard, barking whenever anyone entered the room. Like Snickers, he had a history of bad behavior with other dogs when on leash. In our evaluation here he did a lot of barking when he met another dog, but seemed more anxious than threatening."

Enter the good folks at New England Assistance Dog Services, or NEADS. NEADS provides trained dogs to assist people who are deaf or who have disabilities. They are the oldest hearing assistance dog provider in the country and the only organization of their type in New England. With headquarters in Princeton, Massachusetts, NEADS reaches out to animal adoption centers to find sheltered dogs with the qualities to make a great service dog. Diamonds in the ruff, so to speak.

Marni worked with NEADS evaluators to help Snickers and Milo get a second chance. She says, "NEADS has very high behavioral standards for their service dogs; there can be no evidence or history of aggression, and the dog has to be friendly with people of all ages and other animals. Additionally, hearing dogs (which is what both Snickers and Milo are training to become) should be highly energetic, motivated by both play and treats, and sound-sensitive. The more interest they show in novel sounds the better. Both Snickers and Milo had a physical appeal that sparked interest from adopters who wanted fluffy cuddlebugs. Their personalities, however, are much better suited to work than to snuggling. Although they are both social they prefer chasing a ball or following a scent to sitting quietly to be petted."

Snickers, the dog who paced frantically and loudly on the end of a leash, did great during his NEADS evaluation. "Once in a quiet room," Marni said, "some of his sweeter qualities became apparent and after a couple of days in a regular routine here he was a much more pleasant companion. The one concern in placing him with NEADS was his loudmouth behavior on leash when he saw other dogs. Fortunately he was barking out of love and interacted very nicely with dogs once he was close enough to smell them." Snickers won a recruitment slot. He began training as a hearing assistance dog with NEADS on December 21st.

Milo, although only about 25lbs, was surrendered because he was too much for his guardian to keep up with. According to Marni, "Unlike Snickers, when NEADS came to meet him he showed off as though he had prepped for the exam. With each new sound he calmly looked up and went over to investigate. He walked nicely on a leash for them and when he met the Labrador that they brought along he was a little over-eager, but perfectly friendly. NEADS was very happy to get such a promising assistance dog candidate and after watching him in their evaluation I felt even more sure that life as an assistance dog (always having a job to do) would suit Milo perfectly." Milo began his training on January 4th.

We are proud to send two DPVHS "alumni" to NEADS for their "graduate work." And even prouder that these two dogs will help a person with a disability navigate the world while providing them companionship. Congratulations, Snickers and Milo!

For more information about NEADS, visit www.neads.org.

DPVHS Community Spay/Neuter Clinic Launches!

2009-11-16T16:06:00.009-05:00

In only one month of operation--so to speak--the DPVHS Community Spay/Neuter Clinic has already sterilized more than 600 cats and dogs!

Here are a few fun facts:

*The Community Spay/Neuter Clinic is a key component of the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society's Three Year Plan to Adoption Guarantee.

*The Clinic offers spay or neuter surgery to any healthy cat or dog who is at least 8 weeks of age and weighs at least 2 pounds.

*We serve pet animals, feral/stray cats, animals in shelters or rescues, and animals held by animal control officers. There are no residency or income requirements.

*There are special reduced prices for feral cats ($35) and pit bull dogs ($50). Why? Because these populations of animals are at an increased risk of homelessness in our communities. By neutering them, we reduce their populations while also eliminating many of the behaviors that make them unwelcome members of the community.

*More than 1/3 of the public (i.e. not adoption center, animal control, or rescue) dogs we have served so far have been pit bulls or pit bull mixes!

*The overwhelming majority of public cats we have served have had no prior relationship with a veterinarian.

*We are not a full-service veterinary hospital. We encourage each person who cares for an animal to establish a regular relationship with a private veterinarian.

*We will serve any cat or dog within a 90-mile radius of Springfield!

*An appointment is required. Please call 413-781-4019 or email spay@dpvhs.org.

Learn more about the DPVHS Community Spay/Neuter Clinic!

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November 22nd is the Magical Night of Giving at the Ingleside Mall in Holyoke. Special shopping hours, discounts, and raffle prizes are available only to ticket-holders. Buy your ticket at one of our adoption centers and the proceeds benefit DPVHS!

This Just In...from North Carolina!

2009-10-06T21:49:00.004-04:00

On Monday, October 12th, Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society will open the first Humane Alliance-style spay/neuter clinic in Massachusetts. As part of the Humane Alliance training program, our entire clinic staff is spending the week before opening day at the HA training center in Asheville, North Carolina. What follows is a message from DPVHS Clinic Director, Karina King:

DPVHS's Community Spay/Neuter Clinic team is now halfway through our training week at Humane Alliance in Asheville, North Carolina - getting ready to open our own clinic next week on October 12th.

The Humane Alliance facility is gorgeous - 6 surgical suites with attached prep areas. It's designed as both a working spay/neuter clinic and also as a training facility to show other groups what they have learned over the years (they've now spay/neutered more than 200,000 animals at their own clinic and have helped more than 50 other clinics get started around the United States).

Humane Alliance serves animals within a 90-mile radius of their facility, and the euthanasia rate at their local animal shelter has declined 70% since they began operating. This - the reduction in euthanasia rate at the local shelter - is why we're here, and why DPVHS is opening our own spay/neuter clinic. We can never find homes for the number of animals born in our community; we've got to provide accessible spay/neuter so the number of births - and the number of homeless animals - goes down. It's the only way to lower the number of animals that die for lack of a home in our own neighborhood, the Pioneer Valley.

The professionalism of the veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and staff here is just amazing. I've watched these teams calmly, gently, and with the utmost skill spaying and neutering 25-45 animals per team (one team consists of one vet and 2-3 support staff), with 3-6 teams in action on any given day. Each animal receives only the best of care, but no time or motion is wasted, and constant attention is paid to keeping the day flowing smoothly.

The training program here is very much hands-on. Our training team shows us what to do, then we do it with them, then we do it ourselves with them standing by to assist us if needed and answer our many questions.

Our veterinarian, Dr. Therrien, says it's like being back in veterinary school again - not something she's used to, having been out of school for quite a while now! Although she is an accomplished surgeon with years of surgical experience, Dr. Therrien is learning new knots and suture techniques that have been developed to complete spay and neuter surgeries both safely and in the most efficient way possible.

Our technicians, Crystal and Kristin, and our veterinary assistant, Sara, are learning with veterinary technician Joey and veterinary assistant Shannon. They're learning about administering the type of anesthesia we'll be using, keeping the animals we'll be caring for safe and comfortable - as well as new kinds of medical records and the efficient flow used when you are caring for many more animals per day than veterinarians in private practice do. They're hearing again and again, "treat each pet as if he were your own". And even though we are caring for many pets each day, there's lots of snuggling and "oh my, isn't she cute!".

DPVHS clinic administrator Jodi and I are setting up the computer system we'll be using in the clinic and learning how to take in and send home 30 patients per day. We'll also be learning about running transports to bring in animals from a distance - those whose people cannot bring them to us (we are scheduled to begin transports to the clinic in Phase 2 of DPVHS's 3 Year Plan To Adoption Guarantee). I'll also be learning more about how to ensure that our clinic brings in enough income to cover our costs. Not as much fun as what the rest of my team is doing, but we need to ensure that we will still be around in years to come.

When we return to the Pioneer Valley and open our own clinic on October 12th, a veterinarian and technician from Humane Alliance will be accompanying us. They'll help us take a good look at our own clinic space and configure it most efficiently, help us get set up and started, and share the wisdom they've learned by helping more than 50 other clinics get started before us!

There are two folks from Ohio here at the training center this week, too. Their area is euthanizing way too many animals, and they would like to open a Humane Alliance-style clinic in their area. They're visiting to learn more about the program and see if this type of clinic is right for them. When I hear the Humane Alliance staff having the same conversations with the Ohio visitors that I had with Humane Alliance just this spring I think, "What a long way we've come in such a short time!"

We are grateful to be here with these wonderful people and excited to get back next week and get our own clinic started! The entire clinic staff can't wait to get going at home!

To learn more about Humane Alliance, visit www.humanealliance.org.

Karina

Vivi's Reprieve

2009-10-05T19:13:00.005-04:00

In late September, our friend Joanne from the New England office of the Humane Society of the United States contacted animal shelters across the region to ask for our help with dogs rescued from a cruelty case that has stretched over three states. It seems William and Tammy Hanson, a pair of fugitives with convictions for animal abuse in Arkansas and Missouri, were finally arrested after a long run from the law that included a stop in Vermont.

The story began in 2006 when investigators, acting on complaints about stolen dogs, foul odors, and excessive barking, conducted an aerial investigation of a “rescue” center called Every Dog Needs a Home. What they found were more than 400 abused or neglected dogs—many dead or dying—wandering around a trash-strewn property. While the Hansons were convicted on several counts of cruelty to animals, they went on the lam prior to sentencing...which led them to Vermont.

In July 2009, the Hansons were spotted in Vermont, where Ms. Hanson was taken into custody (she is currently fighting extradition to Arkansas). Mr. Hanson fled…eventually landing in Missouri where he was rounded up by authorities at the end of September. And he had 30 more dogs.

Which brings us to Vivi (pictured above). This sweet, fat Australian cattle dog is a refugee from hell with the Hansons. Last weekend, the HSUS brought her from Missouri to Vermont. DPVHS has transported her to Springfield to find her a new home. But her real second chance at the good life depends on you. Please, visit Vivi—and the other homeless animals available for adoption—and consider adding a new best friend to your family.

Learn more about the Hansons' cruelty case and run from the law.

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A great big tail wag to our friends at Five Star Building Corp. for their wildly successful Five Star Dakin Charity Golf Tournament! They raised more than $30,000 for the animals in one swing of the golf club. (Okay, it seemed that simple, but we know it was actually a lot of hard work). And we couldn’t have done it without our generous sponsors, including 84 Lumber, Nicky D’s, and the Taylor Agency. And thank you, too, to everyone who played a glorious day of golf at The Orchards to help the animals!

Heroes Needed. Spare Bedroom a Must.

2009-09-16T14:49:00.003-04:00

It's the tail end of kitten season, so to speak, and our heroic foster volunteers have helped hundreds of kittens get a second chance. But today all of our foster homes are full. And the underage kittens continue to arrive. We need your help to save their lives!

If you have:

*a spare room where kittens (sometimes with a mother, but usually old enough to be without her) can stay separate from other household pets;
*a desire to enjoy the company of frisky kittens; and
*a big heart

then DPVHS needs you!

Learn more about being a foster parent. Contact DPVHS coordinator of volunteer services, Emily Kolod at ekolod@dpvhs.org or 413-781-4000 x 111 and sign up to be a foster hero today!

Boo Needs a Barn!

2009-08-28T13:21:00.003-04:00

My friends, if you are a discerning cat lover like me, you know a good cat when you see one. Boo is one of those cats. He's both a lover and a fighter...which gets him in dutch with the staff here at DPVHS who try to take care of him every day.

If you've ever been lured in by a handsome fellow's charm, only to have your heart broken in the end, then you know what life would be like with Boo--he solicits love and affection...and then swats you for your trouble. We're hoping his recent neuter surgery (and the resulting dip in testosterone levels) will help reduce this behavior, but we're not holding our breath.

Instead, we're looking for a home where Boo can stretch his legs, enjoy the outdoors, and maybe not hurt people who seek to love him. In short, a barn home.

Like some of the cats who arrive at DPVHS, Boo isn't exactly presenting the prettiest picture of the perfect household pet. Other cats destined for the barn program include those cats who persist in "thinking outside the box" for no apparent reason. With so many healthy, friendly, well-socialized, box-thinking cats and kittens seeking homes, few people are lining up to take home our feisty and free-thinking felines. For these cats, a barn home is their last chance.

And you don't just need a working barn to successfully care for a barn cat--if you have a warehouse, workshop, or other non-residential space where you wouldn't mind a little rodent deterrence and a friendly purr, consider adopting a barn cat from DPVHS. You'll be a homeless cat's last chance at the good life.

Cats Galore!

2009-08-11T17:06:00.004-04:00

In the week since opening our DPVHS Adoption & Education Center at 171 Union Street in Springfield, we have been inundated with cats and kittens. Our Leverett Adoption Center is overwhelmed, as well.

We need your help now more than ever.

Adult cats--cats 6 months or older--are coming in at 10 times the rate they are being adopted. Simple math will show you that, eventually, there will be no space left inside the adoption centers. We are doing everything we can to juggle cats and space:

*We are admitting all new cats by appointment. This helps us save lives by managing resources--including space and staff--better. We are grateful for the community members who have embraced this system and willingly made appointments for the animals they cannot keep.

*We are helping some of our shy adult cats adjust to the bustling adoption center environment by letting them spend their first few days in "time out" rooms. Some of these cats are even hanging out in administrative staff offices.

*We are making all adult cats at both DPVHS adoption centers members of the Lonely Hearts Club, effective immediately. This means that any cat 6 months or older may be adopted for half the regular adult cat adoption fee of $120. The adoption fee still includes sterilization surgery, microchipping, vaccinations, and important blood tests.

If you have room in your house for one more cat, please come to our Leverett or Springfield adoption centers and take a chance on love!

Join us on Saturday, August 1st!

2009-07-29T16:32:00.005-04:00

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!

Movin' On Up!

2009-07-25T17:40:00.009-04:00

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!

Help End Convenience Devocalization of Pets

2009-06-23T15:45:00.009-04:00

There is a measure currently before the Massachusetts legislature--HB 344, An Act Prohibiting Devocalization of Dogs and Cats--that would end the practice of "de-barking" dogs (and, yes, even "de-meowing" cats) for the convenience of their human guardians.

Opponents of the measure--primarily some people who breed dogs and others who oppose any restrictions whatsoever on what they see as their right to "use" animals in any manner they see fit--argue that preventing people from devocalizing their dogs means more dogs will become homeless and die in animal shelters.

Sadly, the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association, is also opposing this measure, arguing that they need to be able to perform the surgery as a last-ditch effort to keep a noisy dog in his home (the measure would allow for devocalization for medical reasons).

Still, veterinarians are not in agreement about this. MSPCA's Angell Animal Medical Center, for instance, refuses to perform this surgery. Veterinarians supporting the bill state that devocalization poses serious risks--from chronic gagging to hemorrhage, infection to aspiration pneumonia. Tissue regrowth may subject the animal to repeated surgeries--all to attempt to stifle a normal behavior.

DPVHS--along with the MSPCA, the Animal Rescue League of Boston, the New England Federation of Humane Societies and most major animal welfare organizations in Massachusetts--has formally endorsed this measure, and here's why:

Not only is “problem barking” not a significant cause for animals being surrendered to animal shelters, “resolving” problem barking through convenience devocalization is like chewing gum to try to solve an algebra problem—it doesn’t work. It might dull the dog’s barking to a horrid rasping sound, but it doesn’t address the significant social, emotional, or physical distresses that cause problem barking in the first place.

For breeds of dogs who are normally considered “talkative,” we recommend the placement of these animals into home environments where vocalization is both expected and accepted as part and parcel of living with a particular breed of dog. Devocalizing naturally talkative dogs--a standard practice for unscrupulous breeders--for the convenience of breed fanciers is an inhumane practice.

As with people, individual dogs have individual needs and personalities. Rather than performing an unnecessary and painful surgery on an animal in order to shoehorn him into an inappropriate living environment, the more humane alternative is to judiciously match a person’s lifestyle with the appropriate dog.

If the person already has the dog but her lifestyle has changed, then addressing the dog’s barking through behavior modification and enrichment is a far more humane alternative than subjecting him to a surgical procedure.

And, failing successful behavior modification, we submit that carefully re-homing the dog into a more appropriate environment—whether through a shelter, a breed-specific rescue, or the person’s own efforts—is a more humane alternative than convenience devocalization. The relatively low population of sheltered dogs throughout New England makes it unlikely that an otherwise well-behaved but noisy dog will be euthanized in a New England animal shelter for lack of a home.

Devocalization doesn’t keep dogs from becoming homeless—few shelters can lay claim to never having housed a devocalized dog. And if the pro-devocalization lobby were truly serious about keeping animals out of shelters, they would be working much harder to address the real reasons animals are in shelters in the first place—lack of accessible and affordable pet sterilization, a lack of pet-friendly housing, free-roaming animals without identification, and people who have unrealistic expectations of their animals’ normal behaviors.

With so many humane alternatives available to help people with noisy pets, allowing people to resort to the “quick fix” of devocalization is inexcusable. Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society urges passage of legislation prohibiting convenience devocalization.

How can you help?

Urge your state representative and senator to support HB 344. Find them at www.wheredoivotema.com.

Show your support by attending the public hearing at the Massachusetts state house on Tuesday, July 14th (call 617-722-1639 up to two weeks prior to confirm the date).

P-L-A-N is not a 4-Letter Word

2009-05-20T14:41:00.003-04:00

As DPVHS prepares to expand our services into Hampden county, we're planning, planning, planning. From my desk, I can hear Lori (our humane educator) arranging some donated moving trucks to help our administration team get from Leverett to Springfield and our rescue team to get from Greenfield to Leverett. Michelle, our development coordinator and website maven, is working with the graphic designer on a reconfiguration of the DPVHS letterhead. Martha (an adoption counselor) and Nate (a volunteer) just wandered through the administration trailer measuring every wall, window, and doorway to determine the best way to use the space once the administrators leave. This morning, Judy, a longtime DPVHS volunteer and board member accepted the assignment of dealing with our telephone systems. Everywhere I look, people who already work long, hard days are stepping up to the plate to plan as seamless a transition as possible.

One of the key parts of this transition is helping our community understand what we're doing. To that end, we've got another community forum scheduled. This one will be held at the Greenfield High School cafeteria (1 Lenox Avenue, Greenfield) on Thursday, May 21st from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. This is an opportunity to hear more about DPVHS plans for expanding services and to come and lend your opinion about what you would like to see happen for animals in the northern parts of the Pioneer Valley.

And once we're all idea'd out Thursday night, it'll be time to head on over to the Rendezvous in Turners Falls for a shindig benefiting DPVHS. Our cat ladies extraordinaire--Nicole, Erin, and Anja--have been working tirelessly to round up a veritable who's who of local musical and literary talent for the evening. Not only will you be hanging with the cool kids from 8:00 p.m. to whenever, but you'll also have a chance to eat, drink, be merry, and bid on auction items to benefit the programs and services of DPVHS.

Hope to see you there!
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I just had to share today's charming photo with you. This is (L to R) MacDuff and Charlie, dog companions to Ella Smolenski. Ella is the Northampton Lions Club member who organized April's benefit dog walk. Charlie is a proud Dakin Dog.

Lions and Ringtails and Bears, Oh My!

2009-05-13T09:46:00.006-04:00

Yesterday evening I was honored to be invited to join the Northampton Lions Club at their monthly dinner meeting. The Lions presented DPVHS with a portion of the proceeds from their April 26 Dog Walk benefit (the other beneficiary of the event was our host, Look Park).

This isn't the first time I have joined the Lions at their dinner meeting. A few years ago, the Lions chose to honor the memory of the late Michael Giusto with an annual scholarship in his name for one of our staff to attend the training conference of the New England Federation of Humane Societies. One of the best things about attending the meetings of civic organizations like Lions is that you bear witness to the long tradition of service and volunteerism in even the smallest of communities.
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On my way home from the meeting, I came across a small bear wearing a red radio collar. He was ambling across a street in Florence, stopping only to stare down my car as I pulled to the side of the road. He soon disappeared into the trees at the back of a yard. As I drove on along the backroads to my home in Conway, I encountered two raccoons out for their evening stroll. All of this is a reminder that with spring comes more wildlife. Please remember to slow down, especially at dawn and dusk when they are active along roadways. And don't assume they'll know enough to get out of your way. Give them a brake.

The Truth can be Hard to Come By

2009-05-07T12:48:00.008-04:00

Thank you to everyone who expressed their joy and excitement at the prospect of DPVHS extending our operations to Hampden county by purchasing the MSPCA's Union Street animal care and adoption center! I am grateful for your support and inspired by your enthusiasm.

One unfortunate spot in all of this is the statement made by Greenfield's newspaper, The Recorder. The front page headline of the May 1st edition indicated that DPVHS is considering closing both our Greenfield and Leverett shelters. In addition, in the May 7th edition, an op-ed piece ran suggesting that DPVHS is "abandoning" the animals and people of Franklin county.

Regrettably this miscommunication has led to angry calls and letters from DPVHS supporters accusing us of turning our backs on them.

Here's the real story: DPVHS has never considered leaving this community. We are closing the Greenfield facility because it is old, rundown, and does not lend itself to remodeling or expansion. In fact, any DPVHS supporter who has followed the saga of our search for land to build a new facility knows the Greenfield shelter was eventually going to be closed when a new building was built.

Every service the Greenfield building performs for animals can be done more humanely and more safely in our Leverett and Springfield buildings.

Leverett is staying open precisely so we can continue to serve the upper valley. Located in Franklin county near the Hampshire county line, the Leverett shelter has traditionally served more animals and people than our Greenfield shelter did. Not only that, but the Leverett building lends itself to renovations better than does the Greenfield building.

Our administrative offices (development, bookkeeping, etc.) are currently located in a house trailer behind the Leverett shelter. The people who work in these offices will be moving to Springfield some time in June. The space they leave behind will be used to give work, meeting, and animal care space to the Leverett shelter staff.

DPVHS has its roots in Hampshire and Franklin counties. Our supporters and most of our staff (including yours truly) live here. We are committed to these communities and will continue to provide vital services to animals and the people who care about them in Hampshire and Franklin counties. The good news is that we will also be expanding these services to communities in Hampden county.

DPVHS Buys MSPCA Springfield Building

2009-04-30T16:33:00.002-04:00

When the MSPCA closed its Western New England facility in Springfield on March 31st an enormous void was left in relation to the future care and welfare of homeless animals. The nearly 7,000 animals received each year by that adoption center would no longer have a place to go.

I know from speaking to many of our DPVHS friends and volunteers that you shared my concern about what this closure might mean for the animals and people in our communities. For the past few months, we have been working with other agencies, exploring the best approach to ensure that no animal in need will be left without shelter and no person will be left without a place to turn.

DPVHS has been working and saving toward the building of a new facility to meet our growing needs and consolidate our efforts to help the animals of Hampshire and Franklin counties. However, with the close of the MSPCA, we needed to rethink our planning process to include the animals of Hampden county.

We chose to see the unfortunate departure of the MSPCA as an opportunity to help animals and their people on a much broader scale, bringing DPVHS’s innovative programming to a new set of communities, not just expanding our scope geographically, but also increasing services and outreach with a goal of helping more animals in need.

The MSPCA has generously worked with DPVHS to continue to meet the needs of animals and the people who care about them in western MA. While still owing a multi-million dollar debt on the building, the MSPCA accepted an offer of $1.2 million dollars to purchase the Union Street property.

The purpose-built facility at 171 Union Street in Springfield holds the promise of being able to bring DPVHS’s ideas about sheltering and preventing animal homelessness forward. In addition to our adoption and humane education programs, we will be able to provide a high-volume, low-cost, high-quality spay/neuter clinic to serve our own sheltered animals, as well as those in shelters in surrounding communities. This clinic will also assist low-income members of our communities in western Massachusetts with their own pets while serving even more dogs and feral cats than we are currently able to help through our existing mobile clinic or voucher programs. In addition, there is ample room to expand our cat areas to create beautiful and bright colony rooms, thereby reducing stress while increasing feline adoptions.

We hope to close on the building by the end of May. Although our administrative offices will move to Springfield, our adoption center in Leverett will remain open to serve the communities in the northern parts of our region. We plan to close our center in Greenfield at the end of June, transferring the rescue and rehabilitation function of this building to Springfield.

We anticipate a Grand Opening celebration of the new DPVHS animal care and adoption center in Springfield on Saturday, August 1st! Stay tuned for more information about a series of friend- and fundraising events being planned for the interim.

You are an important part of the success of DPVHS. You have helped us help animals, deliver programs to people in need, and given me the inspiration to continue to work for a brighter future—a future we hope you’ll embark on with us.

Deadly Northampton Fire a Sobering Reminder

2009-04-22T17:11:00.003-04:00

Last week a devastating fire swept through a Northampton apartment building, killing pets and leaving dozens of people homeless. Thanks to fast-thinking neighbors and hardworking firefighters, many pets were rescued from the blaze or found wandering nearby shortly afterward.

The good folks at the Pioneer Valley chapter of the American Red Cross were on the scene to help families find temporary housing. After reading about the plight of so many people and their animals made homeless, I called the Red Cross and offered the assistance of the DPVHS in providing pet food and supplies to people in need.

It wasn't long before I heard from Lisa. She and her family were lucky to escape the fire with all of their animals. While neighbors cared for the smaller pets, Lisa and some of her family were staying at a local motel with their dog, Blue. Blue was eating off paper plates, drinking out of an inverted Taco Bell container and had no collar or leash. We quickly put together a care package of food, leash, collar, bowls, and a temporary i.d. tag and headed off to deliver them to Blue and his family.

This tragic incident reminds me of the importance of having a disaster plan for your family and pets. The Humane Society of the United States has wonderful information about making your own plans--whether for large scale disasters like hurricanes, ice storms, floods, and chemical spills or smaller disasters like house fires.

If you had to evacuate your home quickly, how easy would it be for you to snap a leash on your dog? Wrestle your cats into a carrier? Lug your gerbil cage out the door? Would you have their medications? Their special foods? A can opener? What if all those things--and more--were ready to go in your family's disaster kit?

We all think it won't happen to us. Until we meet people like Lisa and her best buddy, Blue.

The best time to plan for a disaster is before the disaster strikes. Join me in making this pledge: "I will get my family (including my animal family) disaster plan in place before the end of May."

Include Pets in Domestic Violence Protection Orders

2009-04-15T12:10:00.003-04:00

"He told her if she left him he'd kill her cats. Can you help?" The domestic violence volunteer advocate was pleading with DPVHS to provide safe haven for a pair of cats while their person found safety for herself. We were glad to help. And it wasn't the first time we've provided refuge to cats, dogs, and other animals who were being used by abusers to control their victims.

In fact, according to a recent study, animal abuse was present in 71% of non-fatal cases of domestic violence. Furthermore, the study found, 48% of victims will not leave their abuser for fear that animals will be hurt or killed. These sobering statistics demonstrate the importance of including animals in domestic violence protection orders.

As the 2009-2010 Massachusetts legislative session gets underway, lawmakers will be asked to consider this very thing. House Bill #1499 will provide protection for both human and animal victims of domestic violence, allowing judges to include household pets in domestic violence restraining orders. In considering this legislation, Massachusetts is following in the footsteps of other states with similar laws in place or bills pending. These include our neighbors in Maine, New York, and Vermont.

What can you do? Let your lawmakers know the importance of supporting this life-saving legislation. Volunteer to serve as a Safety Plan for Animals foster home to help DPVHS ensure safe haven for animal victims of domestic violence.

Holy Pack of Poodles, Batman!

2009-04-14T14:15:00.011-04:00

One of the effects of the closure of the MSPCA's Western New England Animal Care and Adoption Center in Springfield is that the MSPCA's law enforcement officers working in western Massachusetts have lost their local place to take the nearly 500 animals they remove each year from situations of abuse and neglect.

So last week, when I got a call from my buddy Mike, manager of the MSPCA's Animal Care and Adoption Center at Nevins Farm in Methuen, I wasn't surprised to hear him ask DPVHS for help sheltering some cats and dogs about to be removed from a terrible situation a few towns to the east of us. Seems the MSPCA's Nevins Farm was prepared to remove the starved and neglected horses from the home, but they were hoping we could help with several standard poodles and a few cats. We agreed and made arrangements to meet the MSPCA's law enforcement officer the following morning.

Picture the usual standard poodle in your mind: a giant ball of black or white fluff prancing around the show ring like a cheerleader with a country-western hairdo. Not so these poor creatures. The poodles at this place--dogs who had been used to breed--were emaciated, terribly matted, and living outdoors in muddy kennels. Thanks to MSPCA law enforcement, the dogs, several cats, and a horse are now safely out of that horrible situation.

And thanks to DPVHS and the terrific folks at Fur's A-Flyin' pet grooming of Easthampton, the poodles are now freed of their horrible mats. One poodle's mats weighed 10 pounds! Think about all that weight pulling at the delicate skin of your feet or ears. Some of them couldn't even wag their tails because of the matted and urine- and feces-soaked fur. You can now visit these lovely dogs at the DPVHS dog adoption pag e.

Underneath all that fur were urine burns, sores, and infections. And while the dogs were so weakened by starvation that they couldn't stand long enough to be completely groomed, they are expected to make a full recovery.

Thank you to everyone who joined forces to make this rescue possible: the good folks at MSPCA for saving the animals from a lifetime of suffering, the staff at DPVHS who dropped everything to provide excellent care, and the Fur's a-Flyin' groomer for helping make the dogs comfortable again.

Stay tuned for updates on the cats!

Ferrets, Inc.

2009-04-09T14:56:00.007-04:00

With the closure of our region's only open admission shelter, DPVHS has decided to open the door to what animal shelter workers often refer to as "other" animals. We even added an "Adopt a Pocket Pet" section to our website to help our adopters meet the animals who are not cats and dogs.

We didn't have to wait long before the first "others" arrived at our doors! Mork and Mindy are a pair of ferrets whose antics have been entertaining staff and visitors. They are comfortably ensconced in a Tokyo cage near the front desk of our adoption center, poking their weasly heads out of their hammocks every now and again, just to say hello.

Mork and Mindy are a bonded pair and must be adopted together. To learn more about ferrets, visit Massachusetts Ferret Friends. There, among other (probably more useful) things, you'll learn that a group of ferrets is called a "business."

If you'd like to adopt DPVHS's little business of ferrets, stop by and meet Mork and Mindy!

25 Random Things About DPVHS

2009-03-25T09:48:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of welcoming people to join Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society on Facebook I'd thought I'd share "25 Random Things About DPVHS."

1. Janet Wilder Dakin (founder of the original Dakin Animal Shelter) was author Thornton Wilder's sister.

2. In the early 1900's Greenfield had its own Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. We still have their handwritten meeting minutes. One of the decisions they had to make at a membership meeting? Whether to send funds to help care for horses working in World War I.

3. DPVHS was formed in 2006 when the Dakin Animal Shelter in Leverett merged with the Pioneer Valley Humane Society in Greenfield. Today, those two buildings still serve animals--Greenfield as the rescue center and Leverett as the adoption center.

4. The board of directors of DPVHS can consist of anywhere between 11 and 19 volunteer members. There are currently 16.

5. The primary focus of DPVHS humane education programs is working with juvenile offenders and other kids who are at risk. These programs have been featured at conferences for both social workers and animal welfare workers.

6. It's very popular to name cats after foodstuffs here at DPVHS. In recent history, we've covered most of the dietary categories (depending on your chosen diet). Some of our kitties named after main courses and side dishes were Taco, Chili, Waffle, Bacon, Chicken, Meatball, Miso and Chowder. One must always appreciate the finer tastes in life, thus the following cats named after herbs and spices: Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Mint, Peppercorn, Sage, Parsley, Basil, Thyme and Ginger. Of course, we have the condiment cats (Gravy, Honey, Pickles and Olive); the Nuts (Cashew, Almond, Peanut, Pistachio); and the dairy (Butter, Pepperjack). We musn't forget to recognize our more nutritiously named kitties: the vegetables (Corn, Pumpkin, Pepper, Bean) and the fruits (Blueberry, Banana, Cranberry, Lemon, Gooseberry, Tangerine, Raisin, Raspberry, Apple). Of course, our most popular cat named based on food stuffs have been those named after candies (Butterscotch, Caramel, Jellybean, Kit Kat, Snickers, Fudge, Chocolate, Taffy, Bonbon, Lollipop, M&M, Reeses Pieces) and desserts (Creamsicle, Ginger Snap, Fluff, Frosty, Pie, Twix, Oreo, Cookie, Cupcake, Brownie, Double Stuff, Hostess). Finally, we must wash all these cat names down with our friends who are named after our favorite beverages: Cider, Latte, Hot Chocolate, Tea, Guinness, Martini, Whiskey, and last but not least, Got Milk!

7. Volunteers contributed more than 6,500 hours of time in 2008.

8. Thanks to an innovative free software for animal shelters called PetPoint, adoptable cat and dog profiles on the DPVHS website are now updated in real time.

9. DPVHS does not receive funding from any government agency, nor is it affiliated with any national animal welfare organization.

10. 81% of the animals admitted to DPVHS are felines. Most of these are kittens and will arrive in the 4 months of peak kitten season between June and September. Two-thirds of these kittens will need a stay in a foster home before they will be ready for adoption.

11. Thanks in part to aggressive spay/neuter programs like Feral Spay Sunday and CatSnip, the death toll for felines in Pioneer Valley animal shelters dropped 42% between 2002 and 2006.

12. All animals adopted from the DPVHS have microchip identification--a rice-sized radio transmitter injected just under the skin between their shoulder blades. When scanned, the chip can provide information about the animal's adoptive family. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like Lojack--you can't tell where your animal is through global positioning!

13. Some of DPVHS's Dixie Dogs come from Alabama. The others are from Menifee County, Kentucky. Our Yankee Dogs are from all over Massachusetts, including greyhound race tracks and animal control officers.

14. Jeff.

15. DPVHS believes so strongly that both indoor and outdoor cats should wear a collar and id tag that we give them away for free (in a variety of snazzy colors!).

16. It is a little known fact that copious amounts of chocolate are integral to the seamless operation of any animal welfare agency. Thanks to a special volunteer, both our sheltering locations have bottomless stashes of chocolate.

17. Our adoption center in Leverett may hold the record for the "Hardest Animal Shelter to Find." If it weren't for our road signs, we would have potential customers wandering all over the hills, trying fruitlessly to find cell service.

18. Ever heard that strange snorting sound coming from our dog kennel cd player? It's not Pigs on Tape. It's the sound of contented dogs being played over and over. The idea is to keep the dogs in our kennels relaxed by having them listen to the sounds of other dogs being happy.

19. DPVHS is the reigning holder of the much-coveted Furball Trophy. We retained the trophy (first won by Dakin staff at the 2005 Dog Day at Quonquont Farm obstacle course) by trouncing the MSPCA Springfield staff in the Great Bowling Throwdown of 2008.

20. DPVHS provides dog and cat food to be delivered to housebound seniors in local Meals on Wheels programs. We also work with the Amherst Survival Center to deliver pet food along with groceries to people with disabilities.

21. Volunteer Pet Taxi drivers shuttle daily loads of animals to and from local veterinarians for their spay/neuter surgeries. One volunteer even makes a weekly two-hour round trip to East Brookfield to a non-profit clinic that sterilizes most of our kittens.

22. Students from the University of Massachusetts can earn college credit through an internship with DPVHS. They participate in animal care, clinical procedures, behavior evaluations, customer service, humane education, and supply drives, all while learning about current issues in the animal welfare movement.

23. It makes our day when we receive letters and emails from our alumni animals. We just learned of a cat adopted from us in 1998 who has successfully recovered from surgery and treatment for cancer. Maxine is now fat and happy once again. We hope they all find such a loving home.

24. While our Greenfield rescue center was built as an animal shelter, our Leverett adoption center was originally built as a boarding kennel. The kennel owners lived in the house where our administrative offices are now located.

25. In 2008, DPVHS found new homes for more than 1,300 cats, dogs, puppies, and kittens. They were cuddly, rambunctious, tentative, frisky, mellow, loyal, frightened, silly, and (most of all) special.

Wanted: Foster Heroes!

2009-03-17T12:08:00.007-04:00

Of the 579 kittens DPVHS sheltered in 2008, 319 needed foster care prior to being placed up for adoption. That's 319 kittens too young, sickly, unsocial, or otherwise unprepared for life in the Big World.

The percentage of kittens needing foster care continues to go up as we make headway against feline overpopulation in our communities. So many people now do the right thing and spay their pet cat before she has a litter, that it is unusual for us to see healthy eight week old kittens being surrendered. Instead, we receive primarily the offspring of stray and feral cats--kittens with little vaccine history, a justifiable suspicion of humans, and often without even a mother to provide for their basic needs.

This is where our heroic foster parents step in. Thanks to the hard work, compassion, and spare bedrooms of dozens of Pioneer Valley residents, 319 infant and orphaned kittens got a second chance last year. Our foster parents bottle fed, cuddled, scooped litter pans, made special trips to the veterinarian, and taught kittens how to lap their food from a bowl. They reassured frightened mother cats, lured scared kittens with toys and treats, and taught their kids about the importance of gently helping animals in need.

Most of the 900 or more kittens we expect to see in 2009 will come in during the few short months of the late spring and summer. In fact, our first have already begun to arrive. We need your help.

Do you have what it takes? Do you like the antics of kittens but don't want to let your own cat contribute to overpopulation by having a litter? Do you have a spare room? Are your resident animals vaccinated and healthy? If so, we're looking for some everyday heroes like you to help us save a few hundred lives.

To learn more and to volunteer to be a foster parent, please contact our foster coordinator, Mike, at mikev@dpvhs.org or call 413-773-3148.

If you can give them a home for a few weeks, we'll find them a home for life.

Hate Mail

2009-03-10T15:08:00.008-04:00

Through our feedback form on the DPVHS website, I received this anonymous message: "I think that it is your responsibility, especially in this hard time for the MSPCA Springfield, to step up to the plate (for once) and become an open admissions shelter. I believe that any 'limited admissions' shelter has NO RIGHT to call themselves a 'Humane Society' for many reasons; one being that you constantly turn animals away and push your 'problems' onto true humane societies like the MSPCA. Who will no longer be your 'dumping ground'..so it's high time you actually help the aniamls [sic] that need it. You people may boast about your high adoption rate, but in reality it is only high because you turn a huge amount of animals away at the door or during a phone call! It's a disgrace! I hope you people decided to take action for once and not pawn your 'unwanted, non adoptable' animals on someone else."

Semantics about the definition of "humane society" aside (there being many humane societies with no sheltering function at all), this anonymous emailer does not say anything we at DPVHS do not already know. We do not boast about our "high adoption rate," because we are well aware that we achieve it only by accepting primarily those animals we believe we can successfully place for adoption. We also readily agree that this is a luxury afforded us by the presence of the MSPCA's open admission shelter in Springfield. The closing of that shelter is very likely to change some of the ways DPVHS operates, including which animals we admit.

What it is unlikely to change, however, is the DPVHS commitment to ending companion animal overpopulation. Our decision, years ago, to accept only those animals with a reasonable chance at finding a new home (even if they needed expensive rehabilitative care beforehand) was a decision based on one principal: adoption programs alone do not end animal homelessness.

DPVHS expends an enormous amount of resources--as a percentage of our budget, far more than most open admission shelters--on homelessness prevention programs (accessible or free sterilization, humane education for at-risk populations, pet food assistance, safe haven foster care, etc.). The challenge of keeping these successful programs operating while also adjusting to a higher than usual influx of animals will be a significant challenge.

While we recognize that our sheltering programs, which re-homed more than 1,300 cats and dogs last year (including 300 cats and kittens taken directly from the MSPCA in Springfield) make a difference to each of those 1,300 individual animals, they aren't the solution to too many pets and not enough homes.

The difference between a limited admission and an open admission shelter isn't simply whether all animals get admitted or not. It's an issue of how resources are allocated. In an ideal world, limited and open admission shelters (along with animal control agencies, trap-neuter-return groups, breed-specific rescuers, and others in the rescue community) all work together to end animal homelessness.

The 300 or so kittens DPVHS took each year from the MSPCA, for instance, were not adoptable kittens ready for adoption--they were infants needing weeks of foster care and medical treatment prior to placement. With the volume of animals coming through their doors during peak kitten season, the MSPCA did not have enough available foster homes to give these kittens a chance. Because DPVHS controls the influx of animals through an appointment system and prioritizing admissions for adoptable or rehabilitable animals, we do have foster homes available. Together, MSPCA and DPVHS saved those kittens' lives.

Neither of us could have done it alone. The MSPCA closing is a loss for the entire community. While my anonymous emailer's divisive and ill-informed hostility doesn't serve to help any animals, it does highlight the looming challenge facing all animal lovers in our region at the end of March when the MSPCA leaves town for good.

Feral Family Needs Your Help

2009-02-18T10:48:00.005-05:00

When a Greenfield business closed down this winter, a colony of feral cats lost their home and their regular feeder. A truck driver whose route used to take him by the cats every day can now only visit on the weekends. And with the business closed down the cats will soon lose what little shelter they have under a trailer.

Thanks to the cats' neighbors and a volunteer from The Cat Hospital the colony is being fed and neutered. DPVHS animal care specialist, Rena, is trapping and neutering the remaining cats. Four have found a new home in a barn, but ten to fifteen cats still need to be relocated.

Although these beautiful cats are not suitable as house pets they would be perfect for a working barn that provides shelter, food, and veterinary care. Learn more about adopting a barn cat. And if you can help, please email Rena at rglazier@dpvhs.org.

MSPCA Closing Marks End of Era...and a Chance for New Beginnings

2009-02-09T13:19:00.005-05:00

When the announcement arrived late last week that the struggling MSPCA's Western New England Animal Care and Adoption Center in downtown Springfield would close at the end of March, I wasn't shocked so much as disappointed. The facility had been struggling to make ends meet even before the Angell hospital closed in the other portion of the building. And with no buyers for the building in sight, an endowment tumbling in a bad market, and an animal shelter racking up a $1 million annual deficit, the MSPCA made a difficult decision.

The impact of this decision will be felt for years in one of New England's largest, poorest, and most violent cities. Animals are at the bottom of any economic food chain. Springfield's animal population--both those who are homeless and those who have families with few resources--will soon have even fewer avenues for assistance.

But this is also an incredible opportunity. The MSPCA's departure gives the community a chance to come together and answer this question: "What kind of community do we want to be?"

Do we want to be a community that will fund a progressive animal welfare agenda? Do we want to be a community committed to ending the killing of healthy, adoptable homeless animals? Or do we accept euthanasia as the solution to ending their overpopulation?

Do we want to be a community who values life? Do we believe that to end animal homelessness, neglect, and abuse we'll need to do much more than shelter animals? Are we prepared to fund aggressive spay/neuter programs? Outreach to low-income communities? Education for underserved or at-risk populations?

If we truly are a community interested in finding the life-affirming way to address this challenge, now is the time to step up to the plate. We need your help as a volunteer and as a donor.

We also need your creativity and your brain power. Share your ideas with us!

Lost Souls

2009-02-04T16:29:00.004-05:00

One of the biggest challenges our staff faces are calls about stray dogs.

In Massachusetts, each town is required to employ an animal control officer (in some cases this is known as the "dog officer"). This person is required to hold stray dogs for a minimum of 10 days in an attempt to find the dog's original caretaker. After 10 days, the officer may find a new home for the dog, deliver him to an adoption agency like DPVHS, or euthanize him.

Because each town in the Commonwealth acts independently when it comes to animal control, one town may have a responsive and professional officer (like Amherst's Carol Hepburn or Northampton's Nancy Graham) while neighboring towns may have officers who never even return phone calls.

So when you find a dog in a town with one of those absentee animal control officers, what do you do? We recommend that you next call your town's police department. Unfortunately, several callers have told our staff that they have been instructed by the police department to turn the dog loose. In fact, one town's department told the caller to take the dog to a neighboring town and turn him loose because that town has a working animal control officer!

DPVHS will accept adoptable stray dogs from town officers after the 10 day impoundment. Unfortunately, we are not able to take the dogs for that impoundment period, partly because a person who loses her dog in, say, Southampton, may never think to look in Greenfield for her dog. But also because it is the town's legal responsibility to provide the public safety function of caring for stray dogs (as an aside, few towns are legally obligated to help stray cats, meaning that the burden of caring for our community's thousands of stray cats falls on non-profit organizations like DPVHS).

What to do if you've found a dog? First, call your local animal control officer. Failing that, call your police department. Still no luck? Visit the good folks at The Missing Pet Partnership for great tips on finding the dog's original family.

Be sure to contact all area animal shelters to file a found dog report. An animal shelter or your veterinarian can also scan the dog for microchip identification.

If you want to hold the dog for 10 days while you try to find his family, you can call DPVHS for a pre-admission screening to be sure the dog will be successful in the kennel environment and suitable for adoption. If he is admitted to the DPVHS adoption program, we'll find him a new home.

If we believe the dog will not be successful in a noisy, active kennel, we'll give you some tips on placing the dog on your own.

In the end, petitioning your town to employ an effective animal control officer may be the best longterm solution. Learn more about legislation pending to update our state's outdated animal control laws.

The First Dog

2009-02-03T15:51:00.004-05:00

Much has been made of President Obama's promise to get his girls a puppy should they make it into the White House. Websites abound recommending every possible type of dog, from labradoodles to Bichon Frises to the venerable Heinz 57, the theory being that they need a "hypoallergenic" dog to deal with young Malia's allergies.

Despite the fact that nearly as many allergists as animal rescues have weighed in on the myth of the hypoallergenic pet (pet allergies being caused by dander or saliva, rather than fur), the Obamas and their advisors continue to press for one of the breeds of dog traditionally considered to trigger fewer allergies--the poodles and other wiry-coated breeds.

Of course, those of us in the animal welfare movement are hoping our President and his family will set an example for us all by heading off to the nearest animal shelter to carefully interview candidates for the coveted position of First Dog.

And they're always welcome to come on down to the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society for some personal, small-town service!

Buddy Fund Helps Kitten in Need

2009-01-26T14:20:00.007-05:00

We're hoping Samson will grow into his name.

This little guy came to DPVHS after being found wandering around Greenfield with his sister, Aurora (you might remember Aurora as the calendar-perfect longhaired orange kitten whose website photos caused a stampede--and nearly a brawl--in our adoption center).

Samson is about three months old, but he is only the size of a two-month-old kitten. While his sister may have been the picture of health and elegance, Samson suffered from a congenital disorder known as pectus excavatum. This deformity, according to the website of Veterinary Surgery Central, Inc, results in the depression of the heart and lungs. So while Samson's breastbone disorder wasn't obvious from the outside (it was covered with fur), it was impacting his ability to develop and grow normally.

Here's where the staff of DPVHS decide if it's time to dip into the Buddy Fund. Started in 2006 and named after a shepherd mix with a heart problem, the Buddy Fund is what we use to provide veterinary care above and beyond the routine vaccinations and dewormers all our animal guests receive.

After consulting with Dr. Dave Thompson at Riverbend Animal Hospital of Hadley, we determined that Samson was likely to make a full recovery after having corrective surgery.

Indeed, Samson came through his surgery with flying colors. His foster parent (and DPVHS animal care specialist), Rena, says his breast plate keeps him from jumping on furniture, but

otherwise, he's a normal, healthy kitten. She says he is social, loving, and curious about what his big cat brother Liam is up to. Needless to say, Rena plans to adopt Samson.

Without the Buddy Fund, kittens like Samson would have no second chance. And without you, the Buddy Fund doesn't exist. Please consider making a contribution to DPVHS today.

When Cruelty Flies Just Under the Radar

2009-01-23T10:58:00.008-05:00

The other morning, our staff arrived at the door of our adoption center to find a cat in a carrier wrapped in a plastic garbage bag. The temperature that night had fallen to below zero. Fortunately, the cat survived the night (without freezing or suffocating).

What was your first thought when you read that story? Mine, too. It's hard not to be angry when we hear about an animal being hurt. And many animal advocates allow bearing witness to such awful instances to tarnish their view of human nature. I usually have to take a deep breath and remember that, on the other end of this story, we'll find a person doing a good thing--opening her heart and adopting that abandoned cat.

While animal abandonment is illegal, one of the perpetual frustrations for animal welfare advocates is when we encounter cruelty or neglect that is just this side of the law. People who allow their longhaired cats to become painfully matted or who chain their dogs 24 hours a day or who keep their rabbits in freezing, filthy outdoor hutches usually aren't breaking any laws.

Proving cruelty or neglect and getting a case through the courts all the way to conviction are Herculean tasks. And the most common kinds of neglect--failure to provide socialization, adequate exercise, and basic compassion--aren't illegal at all.

Some communities decide that the minimal standards for what constitutes cruelty aren't enough. They might decide that there is more to caring for a dog, for example, than just giving him food, water, and a dog house. Those dog-loving voters then get together and pass anti-tethering ordinances. (For more information about anti-chaining legislation and other ways you can help end the torture of perpetual tethering, visit Dogs Deserve Better).

But legal options aren't always the best way to make change. For instance, communities with aggressive low-cost spay/neuter programs are more successful at achieving high rates of companion animal sterilization than those that pass legislation requiring sterilization. Making it illegal to care for an unspayed cat doesn't make it any more affordable to get her spayed.

Building a community that cares humanely for its animals involves educating people about the needs of different species, as well as the individuals within those species. Most people care for their pets the way they were taught to care for their pets--tie them up, let them run loose, keep them indoors, make them stay outside, take them to the vet, let them have a litter.

Our job as animal advocates is to provide accessible information. And by "accessible" I mean information people are willing and able to learn from--that means everything from delivering our message with compassion to delivering our message in a language our audience can understand (i.e., when I first started out in animal welfare 20 years ago, we served significant Spanish-speaking populations, but not only didn't we have Spanish-speaking staff, we didn't have Spanish-language materials).

DPVHS is fortunate to be located in the Pioneer Valley region, close to four renowned colleges and a major university. Our adopters, donors, and friends are often savvy animal lovers. Their attitudes about everything from farming animals to wearing them to hunting them to neutering them are typically more progressive than in other communities. But we still have a long way to go.

Some day, we'll live in a community where no one would consider wrapping a living cat in a plastic bag and leaving him outdoors in sub-zero weather. We'll live in a community where no one buys their puppy from a puppy mill or considers it okay to tie their dog up to a doghouse his entire life. Until then, we'll continue reaching out to schoolchildren, youthful offenders, college students, families with kids, elders in need, and all of the animals in their lives.

Animals and the Economy

2009-01-12T11:30:00.007-05:00

The steep economic downturn and mortgage crisis of the past eight months has led to a flurry of phone calls from television and print reporters wanting to know if DPVHS has been inundated with homeless animals. The truth is that, unlike our colleagues in other New England animal shelters, we have not been overwhelmed with animals becoming homeless due to foreclosures.

While it's true that the upper Pioneer Valley region has simply not been hit hard by the mortgage crisis, that doesn't mean there doesn't continue to be a crisis of animal homelessness in our community. Animals lost their homes by thousands in the Pioneer Valley long before this latest housing bubble. Maybe they wandered away from home without identification, maybe they were born before their family got their mother spayed, maybe their special old lady died without a plan in place for her pets...whatever the reason, animal homelessness is nothing new under the sun.

And there are other signs of an economic downturn on the animals in our community. Demand for our CatSnip program--a subsidized spay/neuter program for cats of people in need--has more than doubled. The demand on the pet food bank at our rescue center in Greenfield has surged. We are seeing more animals coming to our shelter in worse condition, causing our veterinary bills to go through the roof.

Still, the DPVHS philosophy of not just helping homeless animals but preventing animal homelessness holds firm. We know that subsidizing the cost of spaying a cat is less expensive than caring for her kittens. We know that sometimes a bag of cat food may make a difference between being able to keep a pet at home or sending her to a shelter.

As we head into 2009, we're proud to report a new food program in partnership with the Amherst Survival Center. They have begun weekly grocery deliveries to housebound seniors We'll supply pet food for that program. Keep a eye out, too, for an expansion of our successful pet food Meals on Wheels effort to towns beyond Amherst.

If you would like to donate food to any of these efforts (cat food is especially needed), we will gratefully accept your contribution at the Leverett adoption center or the Greenfield rescue center. Monetary donations to any of our life-saving programs are also greatly appreciated.

Purr-Fect Kittens

2008-12-08T13:31:00.007-05:00

I wanted to share an email with you from Dr. Harriet Blanton, one of the local veterinarians who performs sterilization surgery on DPVHS kittens prior to adoption:

"Dear DPVHS,

I can no longer keep silent about the state of Dakin's kittens. I have had it up to here with them and must reconsider whether I can continue to do surgery on them. They are WAY TOO FRIENDLY! THEY PURR WAY TOO MUCH! THEY TAKE NAPS while waiting for their surgery! They CHASE THEIR TAILS and generally have way too much fun! What the heck are you guys doing to them?!

"Seriously now, whatever it is, please keep it up. I laughed my way through all 16 of them today (or however many it was)--they are a delight. I was forced to just hold one for a while (Ruby, I think her name was), just because she looked a little worried and because I needed a serious kitten fix (as opposed to a silly kitten fix). It's so nice to do surgery on kittens with some fat on them, and no fleas, and no ear mites. You guys do an awesome job with these little babies and I thank you for it! (although I have had to get a lot more creative in figuring out ways to stop their purring--these guys are tough!). Please pass on my thanks to all the good folks who make these kittens what they are."

There are a whole lot of good folks who make DPVHS kittens what they are. There are the good people in our community who find them and bring them to us (often spaying their mother in the process).

There are the volunteer foster parents who keep the kittens in their own homes until the kittens are fat, healthy, and well socialized (did you know that more than 80% of all kittens admitted to DPVHS will need foster care prior to placement?).

There are the well-trained DPVHS staff who will perform blood tests, administer vaccines, treat parasites, and cuddle every kitten who comes through.

There are the dedicated shelter volunteers who clean cages, fluff up the pillows, and play with the kittens during their stay with us.

There are the local veterinarians who discount their services to allow each DPVHS kitten to be neutered prior to adoption.

And, finally, there are our adopters...you angels who bring the whole thing full circle by coming into the adoption center, falling in love, and taking a new kitten (or cat, or dog) home for the rest of her life.

Thank you all for making DPVHS kittens so purr-fect!

Humane Heroes Battle...Invasive Plants!

2008-12-01T13:21:00.005-05:00

One of the principals of living a humane ethic is that we don't concentrate our efforts solely on the welfare of companion animals like dogs and cats. It demands that we take a broader view of animal welfare and the environment. Which brings us to land stewardship.

DPVHS owns the land where our shelter buildings sit in Greenfield and Leverett. Both properties are wooded and offer terrific views of surrounding conservation land. The Leverett property has a large meadow--many of you may have met your best canine friend in the giant fenced play area on that meadow. Over the years, though, our beautiful meadow has been overrun by thickets of invasive multiflora rose bushes.

So on a brisk Sunday in November, a team of intrepid briar-battlers converged upon the Leverett meadow and met head-on the multiflora rose invasion. A big tail wagging thank you to Allison, Ann, Sue, Jan, Maida, Sherrill, and Carole for their persistence in pulling, snipping, tugging, and dragging the nasty thickets into piles to be burned later in the winter (controlled

burning will help stop the development of new plants and seeds).

One of DPVHS's best buddies is Allison, an avid dog lover, the talented designer of things like our logo and newsletters, and an advocate for native wildflower and plant species. Here's what Allison had to say about our multi-flora rose adventures:

"Our work on the 16th concentrated on the dense thickets of multiflora rose, and a few of the Japanese honeysuckles, which surround the DPVHS property.

"Multiflora rose and Japanese honeysuckle are non-native invasive plants first introduced to the U.S. and Europe in the mid-1800s from Japan and China. Multiflora rose was originally used as rootstock for horticultural breeding. Japanese honeysuckles were imported and planted as ornamental shrubs. Both plants became widely used. In the 1920s and 30s, they were actively promoted, along with other species such as Japanese barberry and autumn olive, by organizations such as the U.S. Soil Service (now USDA) for use as living fences, windbreaks, crash barriers (!), and wildlife food sources.

"With the decline of New England agriculture, multiflora rose and Japanese honeysuckle quickly escaped controlled plantings and invaded abandoned fields and forest edges. Like many successful invasive plants, they have the ability to thrive in a broad range of conditions: wet meadows and dry fields, full sun to shaded forest understory. The rose hips and honeysuckle fruit produced at DPVHS not only spread new plants on that site, but are bird-borne to other properties within a wide radius.

"As evidenced at DPVHS, multiflora roses can quickly form dense, impenetrable thickets which cut off light, suck up water and nutrients, and physically displace existing native species. My quick walk around the perimeter of the property showed very few remaining native plant species in what was once a rich and diverse wetland/meadow. Low plant diversity means low diversity of insects, birds, and other animals as well. The health of one piece of property affects the surrounding areas. Good land stewardship means promoting native species and diverse habitats, removing invasive species, and monitoring for new infestations."

For more information on invasive plants, visit the Invasive Plant FAQ of the New England Wildflower Society.

Black is Beautiful

2008-11-24T15:26:00.003-05:00

Did you know that black cats tend to stay longer at the DPVHS adoption center than any other animal?

In 2005, our shelter manager did a year long study that showed that the top 10 longest stays at the humane society were black cats. And black cats had an average stay of 4.5 weeks--when most cats get adopted within a week or so.

At this writing, DPVHS has several black cats and kittens available for adoption. Some have been at the adoption center for a while; some are new arrivals. All face a potentially longer stay with us until their adoption angel finally arrives.

DPVHS isn't the only shelter contemplating the plight of black animals. Other shelters have noticed their black dogs being overlooked, too (DPVHS is happily free of that problem!). We are left to speculate as to why black animals are so frequently overlooked by adopters.

Right now we are soliciting ideas on how we might improve our adoption options for black cats. Ideas have included special cage lighting, a classic string of pearls for collars, signs highlighting the best reasons to adopt a black cat (after all, black is slimming and it goes with everything!), and many more.

If you have ideas on how we might best adopt a black cat, or if you have a beautiful black cat of your own, please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you!

Pan Loo Who?

2008-11-11T12:16:00.009-05:00

Panleukopenia. It may be a strange word to the average animal lover. But it's a word that strikes fear and dread into the hearts of animal shelter workers everywhere.

Panleukopenia (PAN-loo-ko-PEE-nee-ah) is a viral disease that strikes cats and kittens, causing diarrhea, vomiting, and sudden death. Although a common vaccine is available to protect cats against the disease, not every cat--especially those who are homeless, breeding, or free-roaming--is vaccinated. To learn more about why panleukopenia is so dangerous in an animal shelter environment, visit the website of the University of California at Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program.

In late October, DPVHS staff admitted several litters of kittens and their mothers from a home in Chicopee. The gentleman who lived with the cats started out with good intentions by helping stray cats...only to be quickly overwhelmed when the cats began multiplying.

The cats and kittens we admitted to our Greenfield rescue center didn't look well. We isolated them and immediately began treating them for severe upper respiratory infections, eye infections, dehydration, and a host of other complaints. We were all excited to be helping a person and animals who were clearly in dire circumstances.

But last week our hearts sank when one of the Chicopee kittens died from panleukopenia. Shortly thereafter, another kitten, unrelated to the Chicopee kittens, was diagnosed with the disease. In order to stop any further spread of the disease, we took immediate measures to protect our sheltered cats.

First we separated the "at-risk" cats (those with no history of vaccination prior to coming to DPVHS) from the well-vaccinated cats (those who were vaccinated in their previous home). We placed all of the at-risk kittens and cats into quarantine. The cats with a history of vaccination in their previous home remain available for adoption in the adoption center in Leverett.

Because panleukopenia has a 7- to 14-day incubation period (the time it takes for an animal exposed to a disease to become symptomatic), all cats will remained quarantined until 14 days after the last case was diagnosed.

In the meantime, our adoption center and rescue center staff have changed their daily routines to incorporate "Panleukopenia Protocols." That changes everything from the way they clean and disinfect to how they handle animals in the shelters.

Panleukopenia is not a disease that spreads through "aerosolization" (breathing), but rather through transmission of microscopic amounts of fecal matter. Just think for a minute about all the items in each cat's living space: his bedding, newspaper, cuddle box, litter box, food and water bowls, even the cat himself. And then the walls of his living space. The floor in front of it. The walls of the room he is in. The list of potential surfaces to be contaminated becomes endless. While our staff and volunteers clean and disinfect rigorously every single day, Panleukopenia Protocols will require them to dig even deeper and clean even harder.

In speaking to our colleagues in other New England animal shelters this week, we have learned that we are not alone. Panleukopenia tends to strike hardest in the spring and fall. Many of us are battling the disease today.

Until the end of the quarantine period, immune cats and, of course, dogs (who are unaffected by panleukopenia) remain available for adoption.

If you have questions about panleukopenia, email me at lharris@dpvhs.org. We appreciate your support!

Victory for Greyhounds in Massachusetts!

2008-11-05T15:15:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Massachusetts voters made history. We became the first state with an active greyhound racing industry to bring an end to commercial dog racing through voter initiative.

Thank you to everyone who voted Yes on Question 3 to bring an end to an industry that puts profits before dogs!

Why End Greyhound Racing?

2008-10-29T11:36:00.001-04:00

On November 4, 2008, Massachusetts voters will have the opportunity to put an end to the greyhound racing industry in the Commonwealth by voting Yes on Question 3.

Opponents of Question 3--primarily those involved in the greyhound racing industry--say that the two tracks remaining in Massachusetts (Wonderland Park in Revere and the Raynham-Taunton track) generate substantial income for state coffers while providing as many as 1,000 jobs. They argue that greyhounds are treated like athletes and do not receive inhumane treatment.

Proponents of Question 3--those interested in seeing an end to commercial dog racing--say that the industry is inhumane. They site the following: greyhounds spend at least 20 hours a day in cages barely large enough to stand up or turn around in; are fed cheap, raw meat that comes from dying, downed, or diseased livestock; and are injured at an unacceptable rate (nearly 800 injuries reported since 2002--80% of which were broken legs).

By its own admission, the greyhound racing industry is dying its own slow death. Gambling receipts have declined precipitously, Wonderland chose to cut back to a seasonal racing schedule, and even a multi-million dollar bailout served up by the legislature has not resolved their ongoing problems.

So why not just let the industry continue on its path to decline? Why vote now to end racing? Because Question 3 calls for a phased end to racing by 2010. This gradual closure allows kennels to move their "good" dogs to tracks outside of Massachusetts and allows workers to plan ahead for job transition. On the other hand, if the tracks close down suddenly (as did the track in Plainfield, Connecticut in 2005), not only will workers suddenly be at a loss, but hundreds of dogs (those not "worth" transporting to another race meet) will suddenly be homeless. Voting Yes on Question 3 allows the tracks, the employees, and the rescue network supporting greyhound adoptions to plan ahead for the end.

Both of our local newspapers--the Daily Hampshire Gazette and The Recorder--have come out against Question 3. They say the industry is dying anyway, that abuse isn't a good enough reason to stop the income to the state, and that anti-racing advocates should take their case to the legislature.

Aside from the fact that anti-racing advocates have taken their case to the legislature on more than one occasion to no avail, any editorial position that doesn't consider evidence of systematic mistreatment of animals to be reason enough to end an industry is morally bankrupt.

The fact is that our society has been willing to accept a double standard for dogs who share our lives as companions and those used for commercial gain. While we wouldn't leave our own dogs confined to a crate for 20 hours every day, we have accepted that greyhound kennels do. While we wouldn't feed our own dogs raw meat unfit for human consumption in order to save a buck, we have accepted that greyhound kennels do. While we wouldn't shoot our own dogs up with cocaine to make them faster, force them to run until their legs break or their hearts give out, or prevent them from living a life of happy companionship, we have accepted that greyhound kennels do.

It's time to end greyhound racing in Massachusetts. Vote Yes on 3.

Welcome to The Society Page!

2008-10-22T12:29:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the first installment of the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society's new blog. We hope this forum will provide a place for animal advocates to learn about the latest work of the DPVHS as well as engage in respectful dialogue about some of the latest issues in our movement.

First, a little bit about us. The DPVHS was created in 2006 when the Dakin Animal Shelter of Leverett, MA merged with the Pioneer Valley Humane Society of Greenfield, MA. This event marked a new beginning for animal welfare in the Pioneer Valley region of western Massachusetts. You can learn more about our organization by visiting www.dpvhs.org.

As cold weather descends upon New England (and as my resident animal friends jockey for the best spot near the woodstove), I am reminded of the less fortunate souls relegated to a life outdoors.

At this time of year, the media draws our attention to the plight of homeless humans, huddling under blankets on park benches or competing for a cot at the local shelter. And rightly so. The tragic effects of homelessness can be seen even in small, rural communities like ours.

And the economic and social forces that lead to homelessness for humans are often the very same that lead to homelessness in companion animals--poverty, substance abuse, violence. We speak daily to people who love their animals but are forced to make choices between feeding their children or caring for their pets.

We also hear from some members of our community that people who can't afford to care properly for pets--vaccinating them, neutering them--shouldn't have them in the first place. They certainly shouldn't need handouts from the community to make sterilization surgeries or vaccines affordable.

At the DPVHS we realize that cats and dogs (and sometime rabbits and birds) wander into the lives of loving people with few financial resources. Maybe they had money when they first opened their doors and their hearts to a new dog. Maybe they just have a soft spot for stray cats. The fact of the matter is that people who can't afford regular veterinary care--or even good food--do share their lives and homes with animals. And without resources, the animals will suffer.

The DPVHS provides free pet food and supplies to needy people through our Pet Aid program in Greenfield. We are currently working on a program to provide Pet Food Meals on Wheels for the pets of seniors in Amherst. Our CatSnip, Feral Spay Sunday and other low-cost or free sterilization programs make pet sterilization surgeries accessible.

We know that a lack of choices often leads to homelessness for people and pets. We are here to provide the safety net that keeps animals in their homes.

What do you think?

Leslie Harris
Executive Director, DPVHS