Dakin Humane Society
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If you’re an animal lover, you’re going to fall in love with Dakin Humane Society like we have. This prolific organization is one of our very favorites. Their mission is to “deliver effective, innovative services that improve the lives of animals in need and the people who care about them.”
Dakin functions as a traditional animal shelter, but they also do so much more, including provide low-cost spay/neuter, vaccines, and other veterinary services, provide pet food to those experiencing financial hardship so they don’t have to decide between feeding themselves and feeding their beloved pets, coordinate getting animals into foster homes, care for feral/community cats, and even receive shelter pets from parts of the country facing overpopulation and attempt to re-home them with a fresh start where Dakin’s based, in New England.
Dakin Humane Society helps a whopping 20,000 animals per year with shelter, medical care, spay/neuter, and behavioral support. And they receive no government funding, nor any from national humane organizations. They rely solely on donations.
What we love about them is their mission of supporting animals and giving them the love, care, and veterinary services they need. But they also take a holistic approach, in that they care for the people who care for animals too. As their website says, they’re rooted in the belief that “people are good and will make good decisions for animals when they are treated with kindness and understanding, and when they have enough information and resources.” And they aim to “create a world where services that support the human-animal bond are accessible to all and companion animals are no longer vulnerable.”
These beliefs manifest themselves in programs at Dakin like the aforementioned Pet Food Aid Program, which aims to allow families to keep providing for their pets so they can stay together even while facing financial hardship, and they don’t have to surrender the pet.
They offer curbside vaccine clinics, accessible veterinary care for common pet health issues, and even low-cost grooming for small dogs. Their Community Spay/Neuter Clinic is the largest in New England. They’ve performed thousands of surgeries every year since they started offering them in 2009. They do Trap Neuter Return work through their Kitten Street Team, and they have community cat caregivers.
And they have their aforementioned Animal Transport Program, and maybe the best thing about that program is that when a transported animal from a different part of the country is adopted from Dakin, they give a portion of the adoption fee back to the source community to go towards spay/neuter surgery resources and other programs that aim to control the animal population.
And they rely solely on donations and grants to fund it all. So how can you support all this amazing work? Head to Dakin Humane Society’s home page, and check out the “Donate” tab. You can do things like:
- Donate pet supplies from their wish lists on Amazon and Chewy. These items are sent right to Dakin’s door for immediate use.
- Shop at Home Again, Dakin’s onsite thrift shop, which is open on Saturdays and sells both pet and people stuff. It’s run by volunteers, so 100% of your purchase goes to Dakin’s programs and services. It raises $50,000 of funds for Dakin per year.
- Make one-time or monthly donations or honorary/memorial gifts.
- Buy one of the plush dogs or cats they sell on their website.
- Donate supplies for their use—even vehicles if you’ve got a spare!
- Set your Amazon Smile account to support Dakin Humane Society. This means 0.5% of your eligible Amazon purchases go to Dakin. It might not sound like much, but it adds up—Dakin has received $21,000 this way so far.
- Buy a Big Y bag with the giving tag, and direct your $1 donation to Dakin Humane Society within seven days of your purchase.
- See https://www.dakinhumane.org/give-back-programs.html for more give-back programs at local businesses.
- Buy their apparel and merch here.
- Run in their 5K this May!
And yes, they operate as a traditional shelter too! You can become a foster with them or adopt a pet from them.
“Dakin’” Care of Business With BellyGuard
Our onesie is a soft, breathable alternative to the cone of shame. And since Dakin provides surgeries for so many pups, we thought they could use some. Our customers have called the BellyGuard a lifesaver. They’re made of 95% soft, breathable cotton and 5% spandex to hug a pup’s shape.
They’re veterinarian-approved, and pups can go to the bathroom while wearing them thanks to the BellyGuard’s easy-to-use clip-up system. And dogs can wear them all day. Fewer and fewer pups at Dakin Humane Society will need the traditional cone post-surgery, whether they’re there for a spay or neuter, or are in the shelter waiting for their forever home.
BellyGuard doesn’t block a doggo’s field of vision or restrict their range of motion, like the cone. They can wear it both inside and outdoors, they can eat and drink in it, and helps them sleep much better than in the cone—all while keeping their incision protected and healing.
If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to make an animal rescue donation, join us! Whenever you purchase a BellyGuard, you’ll be given the chance to make a donation toward us supplying Dakin with as many of our onesies as possible.
And if you’re in the Pioneer Valley and looking for somewhere to donate pet supplies, check out Dakin for yourself! It’s located at 171 Union Street, and you can call them at 413-781-4000.
