Coalition of Six Groups Includes Worcester Animal Rescue League, Boston Animal Control, Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center, Berkshire Humane Society, and Dakin Humane Society
Group-Wide Adoption Event—“Mass Saves”—Begins July 15
BOSTON, July 10, 2024 – The Covid-19 pandemic changed the world as we know it and left havoc in its wake for many sectors, including animal welfare, which is still trying to manage the extreme challenges it caused. That includes a huge increase in the number of dogs entering shelters and staying there longer, along with staffing problems among both shelter and veterinary workers that has caused burnout and unbelievable stress for those trying to manage a population often comprised of animals that need more behavior and medical support.
Those are just a few of the issues that have left many Massachusetts animal welfare groups feeling overwhelmed and stuck, something that is not sustainable and endangers the wellbeing of local animals, but the MSPCA-Angell has a plan to attack the challenges head on.
The organization announced today it is leading a coalition of animal welfare groups across Massachusetts—Worcester Animal Rescue League (WARL), Boston Animal Control (BACO), Thomas J O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center (TJO), Dakin Humane Society, and Berkshire Humane Society—that will work together to improve and save the lives of animals. The coalition is funded by Best Friends Animal Society.
“The issues facing animal welfare right now are daunting, to say the least,” said MSPCA-Angell Vice President of Animal Protection, Mike Keiley. “But we know that our best chance to address them means we need to work together.”
“So, we’re going to start at the top with one of the most pervasive issues we’re experiencing, and that’s the dog population crisis,” he added.
Addressing a Root Cause of the Crisis
According to Keiley, a large and increasing number of homeless dogs need specialized help from behavior experts to adjust to shelter life long enough to find their adoptive homes.
“A lot of those dogs really struggle in shelters and, unfortunately, the same can be said for cats,” he explained. “Given that recruiting qualified behavior personnel is just as hard as recruiting veterinary staff, most shelters aren’t able to address this challenge alone, and, without that help, it may not be possible to rehome the animals.”
As part of the coalition, the MSPCA-Angell will establish a behavior outreach role to work directly with animals at other shelters while also helping coalition members learn effective remedies they will be able to use on their own.
And that, Keiley says, is just one piece of the coalition’s plan.
A Lofty Goal: ‘Increase Adoptions, Reduce Euthanasia’
“Given that dogs entering shelters here [in Massachusetts] have an increasing need for behavior support and other resources, we’ve [the MSPCA-Angell] been advancing how we can meet those needs in our shelters and have found success,” Keiley elaborated.
“Now, it’s time to expand that support to other shelters with similar needs, and we’re confident they can be successful as well, despite some lofty headwinds.”
Shelter Animals Count—a national leader in animal sheltering data—estimates that the number of cats and dogs euthanized in U.S. shelters increased by 15% last year, compared to 2022.
“Local animal control officers are seeing an increase in strays, and, unlike in the past, they’re often unable to transfer animals to area shelters because those are already at or overcapacity due to the slowdown in adoptions impacting shelters across the country,” added Keiley.
“Inflation is a major factor in that slowdown and, knowing that, we’ve been able to successfully change tactics when necessary to rehome animals faster and now, we’re bringing that expertise to our coalition partners.”
Broad Goals and Individual Plans
In addition to addressing broad challenges facing the animal welfare industry, the MSPCA-Angell will also work with partners to handle issues that are unique to specific parts of Massachusetts.
“In Springfield, for example, shelters are seeing a significant increase in disease outbreak in the community,” Keiley said. “Because there are vaccines against these diseases—Parvovirus in dogs and Panleukopenia in cats—there’s also a straightforward solution to the problem.”
“We need to increase access to affordable spay/neuter services and vaccines,” he explained. “But with shelters already tied up dealing with animal intake and disease outbreak, not to mention the challenges of recruiting veterinary workers, this isn’t an easy task.”
To address this, the MSPCA-Angell is expanding its Community Outreach program to Springfield and working with Dakin and TJO to increase spay/neuter capacity.
“Our Community Outreach teams are successful at meeting people where they are and building trust with them, which in turn helps us ensure their pets are getting vital care, so expanding this program to Springfield as part of the coalition is a no-brainer, especially considering that a major piece in fighting the dog population crisis is providing resources needed to keep pets in their homes with the families that love them.”
Mass Saves: A Coalition-Wide Adoption Event!
The first official act of the coalition will be a group-wide, fee-waived adoption event—called “Mass Saves”—for all dogs aged one-year and older.
“We’ve held special adoption events when our cages are full, and we’ve seen incredible success, which I’m confident we can expand throughout the coalition by working together,” Keiley added, noting that the MSPCA-Angell was able to rehome close to 100 dogs in its last adoptathon.
“Making space in all of the coalition shelters is vitally important, as it allows us to collectively help more local stray and surrendered pets. Plus, we know that the formula to help dogs most in need right now is combining increased behavior support with reducing time in shelters, so we have the keys to be successful and want to get to work right away!”
Mass Saves begins on Monday, July 15 and runs through Sunday, July 21. Hours vary by location, and all dogs from BACO will be adopted through MSPCA shelters. Interested adopters may find more information at mspca.org/dogs.
