Every year our limited edition special color hoodies sell out quickly. Here’s your chance to order yours first! A portion of the purchase price comes back to help Second Chance continue our work helping pets in need in Massachusetts and beyond.
We are thrilled to announce that we performed our 75,000th low-cost spay and neuter surgery in September, marking another milestone in our mission to create healthier communities for pets.
This is just the latest achievement in our commitment to providing accessible and affordable spay and neuter services. We began our low-cost program in 2005 at the East Brookfield shelter, aiming to address the root causes of pet homelessness. Today, the program serves hundreds of pets each month in state-of-the-art surgical suites inside our hospitals in North Brookfield, Southbridge, Springfield, and Worcester, made possible by grants and generous donors.
Spaying and neutering not only contribute to controlling the population of stray and unwanted animals but also play a vital role in enhancing the overall health and well-being of pets. These procedures can prevent various cancers and other serious health issues while positively influencing pets’ behavior by reducing aggression and roaming tendencies.
This milestone is a testament to the dedication of our team and the support of our community. However, our work is far from over. We are committed to continuing our efforts to reach even more pets in need. We urge all pet owners to consider spaying or neutering their pets. Routine spays and neuters can protect pets from life-threatening conditions, including pyometra and testicular cancer. Our goal is not only to address the immediate needs of pets but to contribute to a healthier pet community in the long run.
Please visit our Spay/Neuter page for more information on our low-cost spay and neuter program.
At the end of September, we took in 16 cats from a challenging living situation. They are now safe, but they need our help to ensure they receive the care they deserve. At this time, we estimate that the cost of their care will be over $10,000.
About the Cats:
– Ages: 1 to 5 years (most are 2-3 years old)*
– Temperament: Mostly very friendly, with a couple of shy ones
– Conditions: Various stages of need for medical care
– Special Cases: 2 pregnant cats in foster care, 4 needing dental surgery, 12 on medication for various health issues (URI, skin, eyes, ears)
How You Can Help:
We’ve set up a fundraiser to cover their veterinary bills, medication, and special care needs. Your generous contribution will provide these cats with a second chance at a happy and healthy life.
What Your Donation Can Do:
– $20: Covers a week of medication for one cat
– $50: Contributes to the dental surgery for a cat in need
– $100: Supports the foster care of a pregnant cat and her future kittens
Every dollar makes a difference, and your shares help us reach more caring individuals. Let’s come together to give these cats the love and care they deserve!
Thank you for your compassion and support.
*updated ages 10/10/2023
The first two of the rescued cats are now available for adoption.
Beetlejuice is a 2-year-old neutered male. He’s available at our Adoption Center.
Hippo is a 1-year-old neutered male. He will be available Wednesday afternoon from 4-7 pm at our satellite location inside Northborough PetSmart.
If you don’t see Beetlejuice or Hippo on our Adopt-a-Cat page, they may have found a new home.
Charlie is a resilient 7-week-old German Shorthaired Pointer who’s captured our hearts. Charlie came to us with a fractured leg. The good news is that it’s a hairline fracture with no displacement. Since he’s so young, with some TLC, a splint, and lots of love, he’s expected to heal quickly!
The estimated cost for his treatment, including frequent bandage changes and monitoring, is around $1,000. We’ve set up a Facebook Fundraiser for all who want to help Charlie and pets just like him who come to us with medical needs. You can watch him grow before your eyes as he recovers and shows off his latest bandage colors on Facebook and Instagram.
This handsome young pup is a perfect example of why we do what we do. When he wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t hold down any food, his family rushed him to an emergency hospital. It turned out that five-month-old Finley got himself into some serious trouble when he ate something he shouldn’t. He needed emergency surgery to remove the object, but the cost was more than his family could afford. Lucky for Finley, the emergency facility knew about Second Chance. His family brought him to our North Brookfield hospital where Dr. Jackie and her team stayed late to help save this boy. Happily Finley is back home with his grateful family.
We believe in making quality care accessible to all. Our four full-service hospitals are committed making sure every pet can get the care they need. All locations offer subsidized rates for those that qualify. After all, stories like Finley’s are the reason we do what we do.
Charlie is a resilient 7-week-old German Shorthaired Pointer who’s captured our hearts. Charlie came to us with a fractured leg. But here’s the good news: our shelter vet says it’s a hairline fracture with no displacement. Since he’s so young, with some TLC, a splint, and lots of love, he’s expected to heal quickly!
Charlie need needs monitoring and frequent bandage changes which he is happy to show off on social media. The estimated cost for his care is around $1,000. We started a Facebook Fundraiser for anyone who wants to help Charlie and pets just like him who come to us with medical needs. You can watch him grow before your eyes as he recovers and see his latest bandage colors on Facebook and Instagram.
We’ve got a little pup who needs our support. Charlie is a resilient 7-week-old German Shorthaired Pointer who’s captured our hearts. Charlie came to us with a fractured leg. The good news is that it’s a hairline fracture with no displacement. Since he’s so young, with some TLC, a splint, and lots of love, he’s expected to heal quickly!
We’ve established a Facebook fundraiser for those who wish to help give Charlie the care he needs. The estimated cost for his treatment, including frequent bandage changes and monitoring, is around $1,000.
Please help if you can! Every dollar makes as impact. Your support will make a difference for Charlie and pets just like him who come to us with medical needs.
Charlie need needs monitoring and frequent bandage changes which he is happy to show off on social media. You can watch him grow before your eyes as he recovers and see his latest bandage colors on Facebook and Instagram.
It may be hot outside, but the latest edition of Mutt Matters and Cat Chatters is filled with heartwarming stories that will warm your heart even more.
Old dogs have something to wag about this summer, as The Grey Muzzle Organization announces the recipients of its annual grants, and dogs at Second Chance Animal Services Community Veterinary Hospitals are among the winners.
Second Chance is one of 90 animal welfare groups chosen from 370 applicants to receive a grant to help local senior dogs. Together the winning groups received a total of $848,000 in grants to help save or improve the lives of at-risk old dogs in their communities.
When her son and daughter-in-law passed away, a grieving mother inherited their elderly dog. Charlie Brown was her last link to the kids, but he was 16 years old and desperately needed dental surgery. The cost of Charlie Brown’s surgery was more than her budget could bear. Thanks to a generous grant we recently received from The Grey Muzzle Organization, Charlie Brown was able to get his surgery. The grant has allowed his owner to know that she is giving Charlie Brown the best chance possible while still being able to meet her own needs.
This grant will help us give senior dogs like 16-year-old Charlie Brown the veterinary care they need. No one is more grateful or loving than an old dog, and we’re looking forward to helping more senior dogs get the second chance they all deserve.
Over the past 15 years, the national nonprofit Grey Muzzle Organization has provided more than $4.6 million in grants to support its vision of “a world where no old dog dies alone and afraid.”
“Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we’re delighted to help deserving organizations like Second Chance make a difference in the lives of dogs and people in their communities,” Grey Muzzle’s Executive Director Lisa Lunghofer said. “Many senior dogs in Massachusetts are enjoying their golden years in loving homes thanks to the wonderful work of Second Chance.”
Second Chance helps over 44,000 pets a year and operates four veterinary hospitals in Central and Western Massachusetts communities. These hospitals offer full-service veterinary care at competitive rates with subsidized rates for those that qualify. With this generous grant, senior pets with needs that strain their owner’s budget can now get the care they need. For more information, please call the closest Second Chance hospital. Visit www.secondchanceanimals.org/vetcare/ for location phone numbers.
The national nonprofit The Grey Muzzle Organization improves the lives of at-risk senior dogs by providing funding and resources to animal shelters, rescue organizations, sanctuaries, and other nonprofit groups nationwide. For details, please visit www.greymuzzle.org
When I first met Nellie (the shelter staff and volunteers knew her as Socks, as that was her name when she was surrendered), I gave her a new name for her new start. I knew she was smart, probably the smartest dog I have met at the shelter, but she needed help dealing with her emotions. I think she understood her problems and was willing to work on them once I earned her trust. Little did I know that she would help me just as much dealing with my mine. In the nine months we worked and played and walked together we, at times, would need to comfort each other and build each other’s confidence. And that we did. I was certain we had a lot to learn from each other but I was not prepared for all that she would become to me along the way. Student, teacher, friend, my rock, my girl, my Nellie.
9 months in the shelter, countless Dog’s Days Out, miles of trails, lots of hard work and just a few days before her 4th birthday, Nellie went home and I smiled through the tears.
Oh, Nellie. I knew this one was going to be tough and it was. I knew I would have trouble letting her go and I did. I knew that my emotions would be all over the place when she finally went home. They were. I knew I was going to miss her terribly and I do. I love volunteering and I love this work and I love all these shelter dogs. But Nell is special. She will always hold a special place in my heart.
Nellie was there for me and helped me grieve the loss of both of my parents. She was a great comfort to my family on the day my father died. I stopped at the shelter on my way to my childhood home and picked up Nell as I knew she would be a good companion. She gave hugs to my mother and sister and rolled around on the floor with my brother as we all came to terms with the loss. She was a great comfort and beautiful distraction. My father would have loved her if he got to meet her. Three months later it was Nell that walked with me before my mother’s wake as I tried to process all that had happened and it was her, I visited after the funeral just to spend time with my friend.
So, I met her potential adopters. I told them all I knew about her and everything they should know and of course they saw how special she is and decided to give Nellie her Second Chance. So, after both of Nellie and I had a bit of a meltdown, I walked her over to the car where she sat and waited for the door to open and it did and she jumped in. Everyone was saying good bye to her. When a dog like Nell is at the shelter that long I think everyone gets more attached than they realize. There were tears, there were smiles, and then there was whatever it was I was feeling. She poked her head out from the back seat, paws on the center console, like always, and that smile on her face. Finally, I lowered my head, ducked into the car, and grabbed her face, kissed her on the nose, told her I loved her and then; I watched them drive away.
This is what she worked so hard for. This is why we sat in my car in the dead of winter reading books and watching videos and taking courses. This is what I wanted for her since she walked into the shelter 9 months ago. This is what I promised her. This is her second chance. These are wonderful people that really seem to get her and are willing to continue her conditioning and take her on through this next chapter of her life. This is a good thing. I should be happy, and I am. But I really am going to miss my friend, my teacher, my rock, my girl, My Nellie.
Happy Birthday Nellie
Mike -long time SCAS volunteer
Nellie is finally home! Her family tells us she is doing amazing. She’s making lots of friends including the security guards that she visits every night. She needs to say hi to them and sit in their laps for a few minutes before bed.