What We Believe
Dakin Humane Society provides shelter, education, advocacy, and assistance for animals and people in need.
Dakin is a private, non-profit organization serving the communities of Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties. Many of our programs also serve animals and people in Worcester and Berkshire counties, as well as northern Connecticut.
We do not receive any government funding nor are we funded or operated by any national humane organization. We rely solely on contributions from individuals who care about animals to bring our services to the community. We also depend on the dedication of more than 500 volunteers who work alongside our staff to help us care for animals, deliver our programs, and govern our organization.
On August 1, 2009, Dakin opened its new Adoption & Education Center at 171 Union Street in Springfield, ushering in a new era for animals in the Pioneer Valley. Along with our Leverett Adoption Center, our Springfield center provides a safe haven and a second chance to more than 5,000 homeless cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, and other small animals each year.
It isn’t just about sheltering.
The philosophy of Dakin Humane Society is as much about preventing animal homelessness as it is about providing homes. We believe that providing safe haven, while an important piece of our mission, is but one part of it.
Going to the source of animal homelessness is the cornerstone of Dakin’s work in our community. In August 2009, we launched our Three Year Plan to Adoption Guarantee, promising that by August 2012, no homeless animal who is adoptable—or who could be rehabilitated and made adoptable—will die for lack of a home.
Key elements of this plan include:
*Preventing Litters: The Dakin Community Spay/Neuter Clinic provides low-cost spay or neuter surgery to cats and dogs within a 90-mile radius of our location in Springfield. With special assistance programs for groups of animals most at-risk of becoming homeless—feral cats, cats of low-income community members, and pit bull dogs—the Community Spay/Neuter Clinic will serve more than 11,000 animals each year, reducing the numbers of animals in our communities born into homelessness.
*Expanding Behavioral Services: Most homeless dogs have never had the benefit of formal training classes. Thanks to Dakin’s expanded Behavior & Training Department, we now offer dog training classes on a sliding fee scale so that no dog need go untrained for lack of funds. Department experts also teach Dakin staff and volunteers to provide training and behavioral enrichment for dogs, cats, and other small animals awaiting a new home in Dakin adoption centers.
*Widening the Safety Net: Families in our community were too often forced to choose between safe shelter in a crisis and surrendering their precious companion animals. Today, Dakin provides temporary foster care for animals whose people are homeless, in nursing care, or seeking shelter from domestic violence through our Safety Plan for Animals. Our Pet Food Aid Programs continue to expand Meals on Wheels and Survival Center partnerships throughout the Pioneer Valley, helping animals stay safely in their homes, despite financial hardship.
*Reaching More Children: We develop our attitudes about animals early in life. By reaching out to our schools, to community groups, and to local colleges with education and internship programs, we make a long-term difference in how our community cares for its animals. While our education and outreach programs reach hundreds of people each year, we prioritize our work with children with emotional or behavioral disorders, building empathy and compassion in young people most likely to offend against animals and people.
it's also about you.
Creating a community where no homeless animal dies for lack of a home isn’t just the work of the humane society; it’s the work of every animal lover.
Together
we can create a Pioneer Valley that holds
every homeless animal safely in its arms, guaranteeing him a second chance.
Please, join us.
They depend on us.
We depend on you.
