More Info About Us
What we believe
It is the mission of the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society to work with our community to strengthen the bond between animals and people, enhancing the quality of their lives through compassionate sheltering, responsible adoptions, education, and community outreach.
The DPVHS is a private, non-profit organization serving the communities of Franklin and Hampshire counties. Many of our programs also serve animals and people in Hampden, Worcester, and Berkshire counties. 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 100 volunteers who work alongside our staff to help us care for animals, deliver our programs, and govern our organization.
It isn’t just about sheltering.
The philosophy of the DPVHS 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 the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society’s work in our community.
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. Our education and outreach programs touch more than 15,000 people each year.
The primary source of homeless kittens entering our shelters is our community’s population of feral and barn cats. Since 2002, our Feral Spay Sunday free clinics have neutered more than 5,000 feral cats. Doing so has prevented the birth of thousands of unwanted kittens, reduced the population of free-roaming cats, and protected wildlife from feline predation.
Families in our community were too often forced to choose between safe shelter in a crisis and surrendering their precious companion animals. Today, the DPVHS 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.
They depend on us. We depend on you.
Providing food, housing, medical care and attention to more than two thousand homeless animals each year costs more than $2,500 each day.
This is where you come in. The Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society relies on generous contributions from people like you in order to maintain our high standards of animal care and to support nationally-recognized programs like Feral Spay Sunday.
Please consider supporting this vital work with your tax-deductible donation: