We are Humbled By Your Support
We are humbled by this show of support and so proud of all the employees and volunteers who help make Second Chance possible.
2021 Best of Central Mass:
Best Pet Services
Best Veterinarian: Dr. Ashley Raymond & Dr. Jackie Celmer
Best Nonprofit
2022 Reader Raves:
Best Veterinary Clinic
Southbridge Grand Opening – November 4th
Please join us for the Grand Opening of Second Chance’s Southbridge Community Veterinary Hospital & Bay Path Veterinary Education Center at Second Chance.
Help Care for 52 Cats from a Local Large-Scale Rescue



Care & Compassion Have No Schedule
CEO Sheryl Blancato offers a glimpse inside Second Chance
Day after day, a similar scene plays out. Our veterinarians and vet techs go about their day, seeing pets for checkups and sick visits, or performing scheduled surgeries while reception staff greet pets and pet owners and schedule future appointments. They may have plans after work, even if it’s just to put their feet up and relax. When a phone call comes in of a very sick pet, all those plans change.
It was already midafternoon recently when Second Chance received a call about a dog that couldn’t pee due to a blockage of stones. An emergency facility had temporarily unblocked him, but this was just a temporary fix. Without immediate surgery the dog would suffer in pain, unable to pee, and die. Emergency hospitals are stretched to the limit, just like the owner’s budget. Second Chance was this dog’s only chance.
Suddenly those afterwork plans changed. Schedules were quickly shifted. A vet and two surgery techs agreed to extend their already long day to perform the surgery after their regular day ended.
The dog arrived late afternoon and was prepped for surgery. The surgery began and it didn’t take long to see that the dog was a lot sicker than originally thought. There weren’t just a few stones…there were hundreds of tiny stones. The expected one- to two-hour surgery continued for nearly five hours. Exhausted, the team plugged along. The vet carefully removed the stones while the surgery techs monitored the dog’s vital signs.
The hospital director had left for the day just as the surgery began, expecting the staff to be there just a couple of hours. When the surgery continued into the night, she left her family to provide support. She picked up snacks and Chinese food on the way back to the hospital. It was now after 9 PM and the surgery had to continue, there was no stopping. They had to be sure that no stone was left behind, risking another blockage.
The surgery finally ended a little after 10 PM. Now it was time to monitor the dog’s recovery. The staff could finally sit down and have something to eat. The dog recovered well, the family was ecstatic, and the weary team headed home just before midnight.
This is not an isolated story. It happens more often than you think. This dog is alive today and with his family because three staff members gave up their time and their plans to save a life. I am in awe of the work our staff does at our hospitals and adoption center every day, going above and beyond when necessary to help a pet in need if possible.
Last month, we adjusted the surgery schedule at our largest vet hospital in North Brookfield in response to the current emergency veterinary care crisis that’s affecting pets in Massachusetts and across the country. We reduced spay and neuter surgery capacity to allow our doctors to provide critical care and surgeries, saving an average of 25 pets every week. While spay and neuter services are temporarily limited at this location, our Springfield and Worcester hospitals are running at full capacity.
Summer 2021 Newsletter
Mutt Matters and Cat Chatters – catch up on all things Second Chance with our Summer 2021 Newsletter
Aug 2021 NewsletterDixie & Dakota’s Lesson of Patience
Dixie was just four months old when she was adopted from Second Chance. Despite a positive meet and greet with her new 3-year-old sister Dakota, things got off to a rocky start. “There were several issues in the beginning with puppy curiousness and not knowing personal space.” Their owners kept a close eye to make sure things didn’t get out of hand.
“I’m told it was the puppy finding her place in the family…In the beginning I was so close to bringing Dixie back because I didn’t think it was fair to her for us to be so focused or controlling of them playing…I loved her to pieces and didn’t want to. I made the appointment to return her but arriving there, getting ready to hand over her leash, that look she gave me…I just couldn’t.
Now 10 months later they are inseparable…Dixie follows her sister Dakota everywhere…They have fun playing & when Dakota has had enough she has this bed- we call it the ‘I’m done, time to take a break bed’ – she goes there, lays down & Dixie is right beside her, which is fine for both of them apparently. So we all ended up living happily ever after! I’m so glad I gave it more time…I couldn’t imagine her not being part of the family.”
NEW ADOPTION CENTER HOURS
Our new hours will help to better serve you and the pets in our care.
Regular Hours:
MONDAY 10 am – 3 pm
TUESDAY 10 am – 3 pm
WEDNESDAY 10 am – 3 pm
THURSDAY 10 am -3 pm & 5-7 pm
FRIDAY 10 am – 3 pm
SAT 11 am – 4 pm
CLOSED ON SUNDAY