Over the last year, shelters across the country have struggled with the number of dogs entering their facilities and staying there longer. On top of this, a staffing crisis in veterinary medicine has led to a lack of access to affordable veterinary care. The MSPCA-Angell has spent the last several years expanding its animal relocation and TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return) programs to help shelters in the southern U.S. that were being hit the hardest, but here’s the truth: Massachusetts is not immune to these issues.

Many shelters in Massachusetts, including The MSPCA Animal Care and Adoption Centers (Boston, Methuen, Northeast Animal Shelter, and Cape Cod), are seeing an increase in the homeless dog population. Among those dogs, more require extra support from trained behavior staff, which are difficult to recruit. On top of it all, the western part of the state is also experiencing disease outbreaks.

That’s why the MSPCA-Angell teamed up with shelters across Massachusetts and launched a new project called Massachusetts Animal Shelter Support (MASS). MASS is an extension of the MSPCA-Angell’s mission to assist animal shelters facing obstacles — similar to the organization’s work in the South — but this time focusing on working alongside shelters across Massachusetts. MASS aims to share resources and strategies developed at the MSPCA-Angell to increase adoptions, reduce euthanasia, and help more animals and the people who love them.

The organizations the MSPCA-Angell is joining forces with to form MASS include Boston Animal Care and Control, Berkshire Humane Society, Dakin Humane Society, Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center, and Worcester Animal Rescue League.

To accomplish their goals, MASS will:

1. Extend the Community Outreach program into Springfield to reduce disease outbreaks, increase access to affordable veterinary care, and help keep people and pets together
2. Shift the adoption center Behavior team to provide behavior outreach to all five organizations
3. Increase dog adoptions by reducing barriers to adoption and developing a series of adoption events
4. Help with urgent and specialty medicine needs
5. Extend program support for operational best practices and volunteer programming
6. Extend the foster network to support animals at MASS organizations
7. Transfer adoptable animals from MASS organizations to the MSPCA-Angell adoption centers when possible

 

This vast undertaking will extend the MSPCA-Angell’s scope of work across the state. But with years of experience working collaboratively in the animal welfare space, the MSPCA-Angell knows what works — and that’s working together.