A Unified Effort to Tackle Pet Overpopulation – Massachusetts Animal Shelter Support (MASS) Coalition

The Massachusetts Animal Shelter Support (MASS) coalition was born out of a deep commitment to collaboration among animal welfare organizations in the state. The idea emerged through ongoing conversations about the growing challenges in the field of animal welfare. The participating organizations, already familiar with working together, recognized that the issues they were facing could not be solved in isolation. This shared understanding fueled the desire to form a coalition that would not only address these challenges but also create a lasting impact.

The MSPCA-Angell’s involvement in Best Friend’s Shelter Collaborative Program, where they assist shelters in South Carolina, was a crucial part of this inspiration. Meanwhile, TJO had been in discussions with Best Friends about the need for mentorship support. As these conversations progressed, it became clear that there was an opportunity to expand their efforts into something more substantial—a coalition that could connect individual initiatives and foster a collective approach to solving the issues at hand. The formation of MASS represents a commitment to finding solutions through collaboration, addressing the challenges in Massachusetts by working together as a unified force.

MASS is focused on sharing resources and strategies to increase adoptions, reduce euthanasia rates, and provide better support for both animals and the people who care for them. The coalition has outlined several initiatives to achieve these goals:

1. Community Outreach Program Expansion
   The MSPCA’s Community Outreach program will be extended into Springfield, with the aim of reducing disease outbreaks, increasing access to affordable veterinary care, and keeping pets with their families. This will involve collaboration with Dakin and TJO staff.
2. Behavior Outreach
   The MSPCA’s adoption center behavior team will offer behavior outreach services to all coalition members, ensuring that animals receive the support they need to thrive in their new homes.
3. Adoption Events
   To boost dog adoptions, the coalition will reduce barriers to adoption and host a series of adoption events across various locations.
4. Medical Support
   Resources will be shared among coalition members to address urgent and specialty medical needs, ensuring that animals receive the care they need.
5. Operational Best Practices
   The coalition will provide programmatic support for operational best practices, including volunteer programming, to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of all member organizations.
6. Foster Network Expansion
   The MSPCA’s foster network will be extended to support animals at all MASS organizations, helping more animals find temporary homes until they can be adopted.
7. Animal Transfers
   When possible, adoptable animals will be transferred from other organizations to MSPCA adoption centers, where they may have a better chance of finding a forever home.

The expansion of the Community Outreach program into Springfield is a strategic move aimed at addressing specific needs in a historically underserved area. The coalition has hired a Community Outreach Manager and a veterinarian who will work with local animal welfare organizations to bring essential services to the communities that need them most. This includes offering free or low-cost vaccine clinics to prevent disease outbreaks, providing access to spay/neuter services, and supplying necessities like pet food. By building strong relationships with human service organizations, the coalition aims to create a lasting impact in Springfield, ensuring that pets and their owners have the support they need to stay together.

One of the coalition’s key strategies to increase adoptions is to share successful practices across all member organizations. The MSPCA has had significant success with fee-waived adoption events, which have helped increase adoption numbers during times of high capacity. These events will be replicated across the coalition, with each shelter benefiting from the shared experience and resources.

In addition, the coalition is committed to reducing barriers to adoption by employing a conversational adoption process. This approach focuses on understanding the needs and preferences of potential adopters and matching them with animals that are likely to thrive in their homes. Rather than imposing rigid criteria, the coalition trusts adopters to make decisions that are best for their new pets and provides ongoing support if circumstances change.

The long-term goals of the MASS coalition are to increase adoptions, reduce the length of stay for animals in shelters, lower euthanasia rates, and solidify each shelter’s position as a trusted resource in their community. By working together, the coalition hopes to create a sustainable impact on animal welfare in Massachusetts, ensuring that more animals find loving homes and that shelters can continue to support their communities effectively.

The public can play a vital role in supporting these efforts by adopting, fostering, or volunteering at local shelters. Donations are also crucial, as they enable the coalition to continue its work and expand its initiatives. Now more than ever, community support is essential to the success of MASS and the well-being of animals across the state.

What motivates the coalition members to continue their work is the belief that success is not measured by the achievements of individual organizations but by the collective progress of all animal welfare groups in Massachusetts. The MASS coalition embodies this philosophy, with each member contributing to a shared mission and a common goal. The support and collaboration that have defined the coalition’s formation are a testament to the strength of the animal welfare community—a community that knows that by working together, they can achieve more than any one organization could alone.

For more information, please contact Jamie Garabedian at jgarabedian@mspca.org.