milestone i, august 2009
open dpvhs springfield adoption & education center
The opening of the DPVHS Adoption & Education Center in Springfield launches a new era for animals in the Pioneer Valley. Innovative programming has made DPVHS a regional leader in animal welfare. Our free sterilization clinics for feral cats, our animal-assisted therapy with juvenile offenders, and our creative adoption programs have been recognized in trade journals, conferences, and local media. Expanding these services—and the culture of creativity that makes them possible—to Hampden County means the end to euthanasia of adoptable animals is within our grasp.
between august 2009 and august 2010:
We will guarantee the adoption of all healthy dogs from our two adoption centers.
We will put programs in place to guarantee the adoption of healthy dogs, and dogs whose condition can be rehabilitated or successfully managed, by August 2010.
key programming elements for august 2009-august 2010
Our high volume, high quality spay/neuter clinic makes low cost neutering available to low income pet guardians.
- The clinic will open in October and neuter more than 7,000 animals each year;
- The clinic will be located in our Springfield building, but will serve animals within a 90-mile radius;
- The clinic will target specific populations of animals, including the cats of low-income community members, free-roaming and feral cats, and pitbull dogs;
- In addition to these animals and other animals belonging to the general public, the clinic will sterilize all animals in DPVHS adoption centers; and
- We will also work to serve local animal control agencies and other animal rescues by providing low-cost sterilization for the animals in their adoption programs.
While DPVHS will not turn any animal away, we will admit most animals to the adoption center through scheduled appointments. This allows our staff to:
- Keep animals in their homes by helping resolve behavior and other problems;
- Help people responsibly re-home animals on their own; and
- Control the flow of animals into the adoption center.
Helping people understand their pets is crucial to keeping animals in their homes. Our website and adoption center will provide tip sheets for dog, cat, and small animal care and behavior.
Helping people learn to communicate with their dogs is a key element in keeping dogs in homes. Our behavior department will hold training classes open to both adopted dogs and dogs from the community.
Our growing partnerships with other responsible shelters and rescues—our rescue partners—will form a strong community of advocates for animals. We will work together to save lives by transferring animals between agencies.
Every lost animal entering the adoption center will have her photograph posted on our website to help her family find her.
We will strategically market creative adoption programs to promote the adoption of sheltered animals.
Our website will have a live update of animals available for adoption in both adoption center locations.
We will take our adoptable animals on the road to malls, stores, and community events reaching adopters who might not think of coming to the adoption centers for a new friend.
We will increase the space available to isolate and treat sick animals, expanding veterinary care for more rehabilitatable and manageable sheltered animals.
Volunteer foster homes save lives by providing the extra time, medicine, or socialization necessary to help animals become adoptable. We will grow the number of foster homes by 25% this year.
Reducing stress, enriching the kennel environment, and providing positive training helps dogs and cats find new homes. Our behavior department will begin a formal stress reduction and adoption training program.
Our Springfield adoption center is spacious, but can be used more wisely to help animals. During this first year, renovations will include:
- Sunny, multi-level “colony” housing to allow adult cats to stretch, climb, socialize, and interact with prospective adopters;
- Additional housing for small animals to help rabbits, birds, and other animals flourish; and
- More spacious housing for cats in receiving and treatment areas to enhance their mental and physical health, leading to a more speedy recovery from illness and injury.
A comprehensive “safety net” program will target sources of animal homelessness and provide support to families and individuals who are threatened with the loss of their pet due to economic circumstances and other social factors. In this year, we will continue to provide:
- Franklin County “Community Cat Days” targeting low-income housing complexes in need of low-cost vaccinations, microchips, collars/i.d. tags, and spay/neuter assistance for cats;
- Pet Food Bank services to Franklin County residents at our Leverett adoption center and through a partnership with the Franklin Area Survival Center;
- Pet food deliveries to housebound clients of the Amherst Survival Center;
- Meals on Wheels pet food deliveries through the Amherst Senior Center; and
- We will expand our Meals on Wheels program to five additional towns through a partnership with Highland Valley Elder Services.