Second Chance Animal Shelter partners with struggling animal shelter in Puerto Rico as part of national Sister Shelter Project

U.S. shelters travel to Puerto Rico to provide hands-on support

Second Chance Animal Shelter is traveling to Puerto Rico to visit with its “sister shelter” to provide mentorship, support and hands-on problem solving and skill sharing. In an effort to assist overwhelmed animal shelters of Puerto Rico, The Humane Society of the United States and Maddie’s Fund^® established the Sister Shelter Project to pair each shelter with a thriving shelter in stateside U.S. Other participating shelters are located in Oregon, Colorado, Virginia, District of Columbia, California, Massachusetts, Texas, New York and New Jersey.

This is the first time a program like the Sister Shelter Project will be carried out on this scale. It will set a precedent where rural and underserved communities in all states have resources and support from strong, knowledgeable animal shelters and animal welfare professionals.

The project is part of a larger program of The HSUS called Humane Puerto Rico. The HSUS has been working in Puerto Rico to address the crisis of a staggering 300,000 street dogs and embed animal welfare into the fabric of the commonwealth.

“We were excited and extremely honored to be chosen as 1 of 11 shelters in the United States to be a part of this exciting program” stated Sheryl Blancato, Executive Director of Second Chance Animal Shelter.  “We are looking forward to working with our sister shelter as part of this program.  It will be exciting to see the lives of so many pets transformed by this partnership.  Being part of a program like this is life changing for the pets, and for everyone involved.”

To see a video regarding this, go to:  http://newsroom.humanesociety.org/video/video.php?bctid=4428025503001&channel=929963352001

About Second Chance Animal Shelter:

Second Chance is a nonprofit 501c3 tax exempt organization that began in 1999 in East Brookfield and relies soley on donations and grants to operate.  The Shelter operates an adoption center in East Brookfield, a Pet Wellness and Veterinary Center in North Brookfield, as well as a Community Veterinary Clinic in Springfield.  Second Chance helps over 26,000 pets a year through adoption, spay/neuter, veterinary care, community outreach, educational outreach programs, training, and a pet food pantry.  For more information, visit Second Chance’s website at www.secondchanceanimals.org.

About HSUS:  Subscribe to Wayne Pacelle’s blog, A Humane Nation. Follow The HSUS Media Relations department on Twitter for the latest animal welfare news.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization, rated most effective by our peers. For more than 60 years, we have celebrated the protection of all animals and confronted all forms of cruelty. We are the nation’s largest provider of hands-on services for animals, caring for more than 100,000 animals each year, and we prevent cruelty to millions more through our advocacy campaigns. Read more about our 60 years of transformational change for animals and people, and visit us online at humanesociety.org.

 About Maddie’s Fund:

Maddie’s Fund^® is a family foundation created in 1994 by Workday^® co-founder Dave Duffield and his wife, Cheryl, who have endowed the Foundation with more than $300 million. Since then, the Foundation has awarded more than $187.8 million in grants toward increased community lifesaving, shelter medicine education, and pet adoptions across the U.S. The Duffields named Maddie’s Fund after their Miniature Schnauzer Maddie, who always made them laugh and gave them much joy. Maddie was with Dave and Cheryl from 1987 – 1997 and continues to inspire them today. Maddie’s Fund is the fulfillment of a promise to an inspirational dog, investing its resources to create a no-kill nation where every dog and cat is guaranteed a healthy home or habitat. #ThanksToMaddie.

 

 

Second Chance nominated for Best of the Best Award

Second Chance Animal Shelter is proud to announce they are finalists in the 2016 Best of the Best Central Mass People’s Choice Awards.

Best of Central Mass is an annual contest hosted by the Worcester Telegram and Gazette to honor the best businesses and organizations in Central Massachusetts. Finalists are determined by local residents who voted earlier in the year.  The winners are invited to the awards ceremony which will be held on Thursday December 1^st at the DCU Center. Second Chance Animal Shelter will also be featured in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette the following day.

In recent years, the Second Chance Animal Shelter has won dozens of awards for its efforts in helping to protect our pets. Second Chance Animal Shelter has won awards from Purina, the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. They have also been an emergency placement partner with the ASPCA since 2013 and the Humane Society of the United States since 2010.

To get more information on adoptions or to donate, please visit http://www.secondchanceanimals.org/.

Free Parvo/Distemper and Rabies Vaccine Clinic – Sat. Oct. 15, 2016

FREE parvo/distemper vaccines and rabies vaccines at a special clinic at our Springfield Community Veterinary Clinic, 501 Belmont Avenue in Springfield this Saturday, October 15^th from 10 AM to 12 PM.  This is limited to the first 300 pets.  We are working to help with the continued parvo issues in Springfield therefore we are asking that this be limited to Springfield residents.  If you can’t make this clinic or are from out of the area, we do offer weekly vaccines clinics for only $12.00 at this same location every Monday from 9 AM to 11 AM.  Dogs must be on leashes (no flexi leads please) and cats in carriers.  We do expect a big turnout so please be respectful of the area around us and bring poop bags for your dogs.  We are offering this clinic as part of our continuing efforts to stamp out the parvo that continues to plaque the area.  Thanks to a grant we are able to offer this clinic.

Second Chance to participate in Valley Gives on May 3rd

 

PRESS RELEASE

 Second Chance Animal Shelter to participate in Valley Gives on May 3^rd

Second Chance to use this 24-hour on-line giving event to help fund Springfield location

Second Chance Animal Shelter is excited to be one of the participants in the community support day called “Valley Gives”.  This event is a 24-hour on-line giving event on May 3^rd, 2016.  The Community Foundation of Western Mass is putting on this event as a way to get the community involved in all the wonderful charities throughout Western Mass.  Second Chance operates a veterinary clinic that provides subsidizes rates for pets to help pet owners get the care their pets need.  This clinic focuses on the underserved pets in the greater Springfield area to ensure that they have access to care and provides weekly walk in vaccine clinics every Monday from 9 AM to 11 AM as well.

 

“We are excited to be part of this huge event” stated Sheryl Blancato, Executive Director.  “We are using this event to help fund our Springfield Community Veterinary Clinic”.

 

“We opened this Community Veterinary Clinic in April of 2015” she stated.  “This clinic offers subsidized rates for those in need.  This is an excellent resource for those that need help getting the care they need for their pets.  We know that there have been outbreaks of parvo in the City for years and therefore we are helping by providing weekly vaccine clinics every Monday.  We want to help end pet suffering and disease by providing access to veterinary service with subsidized rates for those that qualify.  Everyone is welcome at the clinic and those that do not qualify will pay the regular rates for care but also know that they are helping pets in need.”

 

“We also have plans to take our mobile veterinary clinic into the communities to reach those pets in need of vaccines” she noted.  “We will be announcing dates for those clinics in the coming months as well.  But we need funds to make all of this happen and Valley Gives is a great way for the community to help us to help them.”

 

To learn more about Second Chance Animal Shelter, you can visit their website at www.secondchanceanimals.org

 

About Second Chance Animal Shelter

Second Chance is a nonprofit 501c3 no-kill animal shelter that began in 1999 in East Brookfield.  Second Chance helps over 20,000 pets a year.  The Shelter operates an adoption center in East Brookfield, Pet Wellness and Education Center in North Brookfield, and a Community Veterinary Clinic in Springfield.  The shelter relies on community support and grant funding to operate.  The shelter facilitates adoptions, spay/neuter services, veterinary services,  and many other programs that help to make pet’s lives better.  For more information, you can visit Second Chance’s website at www.secondchanceanimals.org

Parvo Outbrerak Prompts Free Parvo Clinic in Springfield

FREE Parvo Vaccination Clinic – Saturday, September 19, 2015

at Second Chance’s Community Veterinary Clinic in Springfield

Parvo outbreak promps emergency clinic!

 

There has been an outbreak of Parvo in the Springfield area.  Second Chance wants to help save lives.  “In just over a month there have been 35 reported cases” noted Sheryl Blancato, Executive Director.  “And that is just what has been reported.  We expect many more have died”.  Therefore, Second Chance will be holding a FREE parvo/distemper vaccination clinic on Saturday, September 19, 2015 at Second Chance’s Community Veterinary Clinic at 501 Belmont Ave., Springfield, MA from 9 AM to 11 AM.  The vaccine will be given free to the first 500 dogs.  Dog owners must provide proof of a valid rabies certificate to get the vaccine or they can get a Rabies vaccines at this clinic at a cost of $10.00 per animal.  Dogs must be on leash. If your pet is eligible for a 3 year vaccination, please bring prior vaccination information.  Cats are welcome to come to get a rabies vaccine but we are not offering the cat distemper vaccine at this clinic.  There are is no additional charge for the vaccine exam.

“Parvo is a deadly disease that affects dogs that have not been vaccinated against the disease” stated Sheryl Blancato, Executive Director.  “Even dogs that stay inside could get this disease as it can be tracked in on the owner’s shoes.  We want to help prevent any more unnecessary deaths by offering this vaccine at no cost to the first 500 dogs.  If we can save even one life, it will be well worth it.  We will also be helping these pet owners to get the booster in 3-4 weeks as well.  We were the first last year when there was an outbreak to offer these free clinics and we don’t want to waste any time getting the help out to the public now either.”

“We have been offering weekly walk in vaccine clinics at veterinary clinic every Monday from 9 AM to 11 AM to help combat preventable diseases” she stated.  “But it is just not enough with this outbreak.  We need to go at this disease and get as many as we can vaccinated”.

ABOUT SECOND CHANCE:  Second Chance is a nonprofit 501c3 that began in 1999 in East Brookfield.  The Shelter operates an adoption center in East Brookfield, a Pet Wellness and Education Center in North Brookfield that includes a veterinary clinic, as well as a Community Veterinary Clinic in Springfield.  Second Chance helps over 16,000 pets a year through adoption, spay/neuter, veterinary care, community outreach, educational outreach programs, training, and a pet food pantry.  The shelter relies on community support and grant funding to operate.  For more information,  visit Second Chance’s website at www.secondchanceanimals.org.

30,000 and counting! Second Chance celebrates milestone

30,000 and Counting – Second Chance Animal Shelter Celebrates Milestone

Second Chance Animal Shelter is celebrating a milestone.  This spring they celebrated their 30,000^th spay/neuter surgery performed.  Second Chance began offering spay/neuter surgery in 2004 and now performs 5,000 spay/neuter surgeries per year.

“It’s a wonderful milestone” stated Sheryl Blancato, Executive Director.  “We have actually been so busy that we hit this milestone a few months ago but haven’t had time to stop and take note of it” she smiled.  “The low cost spay/neuter program has helped to get the pet overpopulation in the area under control.  We have continued to expand our reach for this service so that we can continue to save lives.”  Mrs. Blancato has also been an animal control officer for nearly 20 years and notes that this has changed the scene of animal abandonment as well.  “We have gone from picking up litters of puppies and kittens abandoned on the side of roads to having that be a rare event now.  That means that so many lives are being saved.  We know of the ones that we were able to save but there were countless more that ending up dying before help arrived.  It is not just about the spay/neuter that was performed on that one pet, but about the impact that it has on ensuring that the pets in need of homes can find them.  Keeping the birth rate in check means that there are homes for those that are in need”.

Second Chance Animal Shelter expanded the spay/neuter services from their location in East Brookfield, which is their adoption center to a full service veterinary clinic at their Wellness and Education Center in North Brookfield.  Second Chance now helps over 16,000 pets a year through programs including adoption, low cost spay/neuter, veterinary care, community outreach, educational programs, training and a pet food pantry.

“We take each life saved one at a time, but it is very rewarding to know the full scope of how many lives have been changed with just this one program” stated Mrs. Blancato.

Second Chance’s Veterinarian is featured as Everyday Hero

Second Chance Animal Shelter is very proud of their veterinarians and the clinics that they operate.  One clinic is located in Springfield and the other in North Brookfield.  Both provide veterinary care to pets and offer subsidized rates for those that qualify.  That, in itself, is unique and is gaining national attention for helping pets in need.  But, it is the veterinarians behind those clinics that are also receiving attention too. Dr. Alan Ledis, a longtime veterinarian for Second Chance Animal Shelter was just featured as an Everyday Hero by Petsmart Charities.

“We are so proud of Dr. Ledis.  He is a shining example of a veterinarian that has the passion to help pets and the people that love them” stated Sheryl Blancato, Executive Director of Second Chance Animal Shelter.  “He has been with us for 15 years and started out as a volunteer veterinarian.  Now he is one of our full time veterinarians working at our Springfield and North Brookfield locations helping pets”.

Dr. Ledis shows how helping pets is helping people.  Second Chance Animal Shelter has two veterinary clinics that offer subsidized rates as well for those that qualify.  They are the only animal welfare organization offering subsidized veterinary care for pets in need in Massachusetts.  “There are 23 million pets living in poverty in America”, Mrs. Blancato stated.  “Their owners do not love their pets any less, but they are often on fixed incomes and are limited when their pet becomes ill.  Senior citizens are one of the biggest segments of pet owners we see.  These pets are an integral part of their lives, and they reach out to us to keep their beloved pets healthy.  Dr. Ledis was instrumental in helping us to begin this program to help these pets and it has been extremely rewarding”.

To see the article on Dr. Ledis as the Everyday Hero go to http://www.petsmartcharities.org/blog/longtime-veterinarian-nixes-retirement-helps-people-through-their-pets.  To learn more about Second Chance, you can visit their website at http://www.secondchanceanimals.org

HAPPI Program launched in Springfield to help combat Parvo in the city

Second Chance launches HAPPI program in Springfield to combat Parvo in dogs

 

 

Springfield, MA – April 27, 2015 ─ Second Chance Animal Shelter announced today that they are launching an initiative to help combat parvo disease in dogs in Springfield.  The program called HAPPI stands for “help alleviate parvo in pets initiative”.  Second Chance recently brought their medical assistance programs to Springfield by opening a community veterinary clinic at 501 Belmont Avenue.

 

“Last year there were many many reports of parvo in dogs in Springfield” stated Sheryl Blancato, Executive Director.  “We came to Springfield and launched the first of several parvo clinics across the city.  It helped but we want to be sure it doesn’t happen again this year.  Now that we are in Springfield with a permanent location, we wanted to kick it off by going after the parvo issue with preventative vaccines.  This program provides parvo vaccines, which are a combination vaccine that also vaccinates against other diseases as well.

 

Walk-in clinics are being held every Monday from 9 AM to 11 AM.  Vaccines are usually $12.00.  But, with the current HAPPI program, parvo combo vaccines are only $5.00.  Rabies vaccines are also available for $12.00.  Pets coming to the clinic for the parvo vaccine must be up to date on rabies or they will need to get a rabies vaccine at that time.  The special $5.00 vaccine rate is only available at the Springfield clinic located at 501 Belmont Avenue in Springfield and only on the Monday walk-in clinics.

 

“Parvo is a serious disease that can be deadly, especially in puppies” noted Mrs. Blancato, “and it is easily prevented with a vaccine.  We want to help in the community and be sure that we get as many dogs vaccinated as we can.  So for the months of May and June, the cost is only $5.00 for this vaccine.  It will save a lot of lives if pet owners get the vaccine for their dogs.  We will also be holding an open house in May at this new clinic so that the community can see all the programs that are available to them.  There are a lot of diseases that are easily prevented with preventative care and we want to help”.

 

Second Chance Animal Shelter Partners with TD Bank to Support Homeless Pets Initiatives

Second Chance Animal Shelter Partners with TD Bank to Support Homeless Pets Initiatives

Second Chance Animal Shelter recently received a cash contribution from TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank^®, through the bank’s Affinity Membership Program.

 

Second Chance Animal Shelter helps over 16,000 pets a year through adoption, low cost spay/neuter, veterinary care including subsidized assistance, vaccine clinics, training, educational outreach, and a pet food pantry.  These funds will be used toward the cost of these services.

 

TD Bank’s Affinity Membership Program helps non-profit organizations raise money by receiving an annual cash contribution from TD Bank based upon the participation of qualified member accounts.

 

Second Chance has a growing list of members participating in the program.  You can join Second Chance by simply adding the Second Chance .  For more information about TD Bank’s Affinity Membership Program go to the shelter’s website at www.secondchanceanimals.org and click on “How to Help / Other Ways to Help.  Information on adding Second Chance to your existing account or if you are not a TD Bank member, you can also download a coupon for $25. to open an account and join the affinity program to help pets in need.  Or, find a TD Bank store near you or call TD Bank at 888-751-9000.

 

Community voting needed for ONLY Mass. animal shelter in national contest

LOCAL SHELTER ONLY MA SHELTER TO COMPETE IN

PURINA^® CAT CHOW^® SHELTER VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR CONTEST; CHANCE TO WIN A $25,000 MAKEOVER FOR SHELTER

 

Volunteer needs votes from public to help her win a $25,000 Shelter Makeover

Purina Cat Chow has selected Second Chance Animal Shelter as one of 50 cat-focused shelters nationwide that it’s recognizing during its Purina Cat Chow Shelter Volunteer of the Year Contest. The Purina Cat Chow Shelter Volunteer of the Year Contest is honoring and thanking the volunteers who tirelessly care for cats as they await their forever homes and work to make their temporary shelter homes gentler, less stressful places.

Purina Cat Chow asked 50 cat-focused shelters – one in every state – to help identify and share the stories of the volunteers who clean the visiting rooms, foster cats and kittens, and spend countless hours simply petting the cats to keep them calm and happy. Each of the 50 shelters nominated one volunteer who works tirelessly to create a gentler environment for shelter cats.

From now until Sunday, March 15, Second Chance Animal Shelter is asking the community to vote for our shelter volunteer’s story at www.catchow.com, click on the building better lives.  There you can read the story and vote for Stephanie Beland, the only MA volunteer in this contest.  The shelter of the winning volunteer will win a $25,000 makeover. In addition to the shelter makeover, four runners-up volunteers will each win a $5,000 donation for their shelter. Every participating shelter will receive a $1,000 donation, Purina^® Cat Chow^® Gentle Formula brand food and cat care supplies.

“The Purina Cat Chow Shelter Volunteer of the Year Contest allows us to recognize the hard work and dedication of one of our volunteers,” said Sheryl Blancato, Executive Director.  “Our shelter is excited and humbled to be the only shelter selected in Massachusetts and now needs the community to vote for our volunteer so we can win the $25,000 makeover donation from Purina Cat Chow.  The volunteers and staff voted and chose Stephanie Beland as the volunteer for this contest.  She is an amazing volunteer and we are so excited to share her story for this contest.”

Second Chance Animal Shelter is the only shelter from Massachusetts participating in the contest. The organization plans to use the cash donation to create a gentler environment for cats.

The Purina Cat Chow Shelter Volunteer of the Year Contest will donate nearly $100,000 among the 50 participating shelters in cash donations, cat food and cat care supplies to lessen the stress for cats living in shelters while they await their forever home.

“Each year, millions of cats enter animal welfare organizations. The dedication and hard work of shelter volunteers are critical to these cats’ care,” said Sarah Johnston, Purina Cat Chow brand manager. “We want to recognize the volunteers who make sure shelter cats have a comfortable place to live, access to high-quality nutrition, and provide unconditional support while they’re waiting to be adopted.”

This contest is part of the Brand’s “Building Better Lives” program, an ongoing commitment to help improve the lives of cats through rescue, nutrition and adoption support. In three years, the Purina Cat Chow “Building Better Lives” program will donate nearly $600,000 to more than 100 local cat-focused shelters nationwide and help improve the lives of more than 86,000 cats.

To learn more about the Purina Cat Chow Shelter Volunteer of the Year Contest, visit www.catchow.com.  Click on the “building better lives” and vote today and every day until March 15th.  It’s free to help a Mass. volunteer come out on top!