Second Chance is celebrating another year as a no-kill shelter, maintaining a 99% save rate and helping 56,000 pets in the past year to live better lives. Every day, with your help we are making a profound difference—giving homeless, sick, and injured pets a second chance at happiness and ensuring families can stay together through lifesaving care and support. We are committed to every animal life through our innovative programs, including a compassionate approach for pregnant pets.

At Second Chance, we believe that every life matters. Every pet deserves love, care, and a chance to thrive. We will never stop fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves.

Second Chance safeguards animal lives through several key initiatives. First, our robust spay/neuter program helps prevent overpopulation by providing accessible services for pets to get these services. We also offer a compassionate program specifically for pet owners who discover their pet is already pregnant. This program focuses on saving both the mother and her unborn offspring, ensuring they receive the care and support they need. By guiding pet owners through the process and offering vital resources, Second Chance’s adoption center ensures that every life is given a chance from the very beginning. While Second Chance does not spay a pet known to be pregnant, the organization offers innovative options to help save all lives, ensuring that both the mother and her offspring receive the necessary care and find responsible homes. Once the puppies or kittens are of age, Second Chance will spay the mother to prevent future litters and further reduce pet overpopulation.

Beyond spay/neuter services, Second Chance operates a variety of programs aimed at keeping pets and families together. From affordable veterinary care and vaccine clinics to a pet food pantry program and emergency medical assistance, the organization is committed to addressing the root causes of pet homelessness and suffering. These efforts reduce the number of animals at risk and reinforce Second Chance’s promise to protect and advocate for every life.

Second Chance Animal Services is very proud to have a 99% no-kill status, reflecting its dedication to saving as many lives as possible. The organization is committed to transparency and encourages the public to learn more about no-kill status in Massachusetts by visiting the Best Friends website at https://bestfriends.org/no-kill-2025/animal-shelter-statistics/massachusetts. Second Chance openly shares its statistics and celebrates the incredible work being done to ensure every pet has a chance at a loving home.

Our mission goes beyond just sheltering animals. It’s about changing lives—saving those in need, preventing unnecessary suffering, and giving every pet a fighting chance. Every pet we save, every family we help stay together, and every life we touch brings us closer to a world where no pet is left behind.

Second Chance Animal Services invites the community to join in their life-saving mission. Whether through donations, volunteering, or simply spreading the word, every effort helps ensure that every pet has a chance at a loving home.

Second Chance Founder & CEO Sheryl Blancato was honored as a member of the Class of 2025 Difference Makers by BusinessWest on April 9, 2025. Listen as she explains how Second Chance turned animal welfare upside down to make a real difference in the lives of pets.

Our Worcester hospital has been impacted by fire damage caused by an issue originating outside of our building. For the safety of our staff, clients, and their beloved pets, this location is closed today and will remain closed while necessary repairs and inspections are completed.

We are deeply committed to ensuring uninterrupted care for our Worcester clients. During this time, we are welcoming them to our Southbridge and North Brookfield hospitals, where we are working tirelessly to accommodate appointments and ensure continuity of care. The external issue is being addressed by National Grid and other agencies, and we are collaborating closely to resolve the situation. However, the timeline for reopening remains uncertain, and we want to proactively make arrangements for our patients in the interim.

While insurance will cover some of the damages, we’ve been informed that not all expenses will be reimbursed. We are reaching out to our community for help in getting this location back on its feet. Your support will allow us to reopen stronger than ever, continuing to serve pets and their families with the care they deserve.

If you need assistance or wish to reschedule an appointment, please call one of our locations. We are also monitoring our Worcester phone lines, emails, and texts from these locations to provide ongoing support.

Thank you for standing with us during this challenging time. Together, we can ensure that our Worcester hospital returns better than ever, ready to provide exceptional care for the pets who rely on us.

Second Chance Animal Services is proud to announce the expansion of its veterinary team and the addition of new programs aimed at tackling the root causes of animal suffering and surrender. This strategic move underscores Second Chance’s commitment to saving more lives by addressing issues before they lead to surrender or abandonment.

As part of this expansion, Second Chance is adding more veterinarians to its team, enabling the organization to offer increased access to affordable veterinary care, preventive services, and essential resources like pet food pantries. These efforts are designed to keep pets healthy and in their homes, reducing the need for them to be surrendered to shelters.

“While adoptions are a critical aspect of animal welfare, they address the problem after it has occurred,” said Sheryl Blancato, CEO of Second Chance Animal Services. “Our focus is on prevention—keeping pets out of shelters in the first place by addressing the root causes of their suffering and surrender.”

Key Benefits of the Root Cause Approach:

 – Prevention Over Reaction: By offering affordable veterinary care and essential resources, Second Chance prevents issues that often lead to surrender, such as financial hardship or lack of access to medical care. This proactive approach saves more lives by reducing the number of animals that end up in shelters.

– Keeping Families Together: Financial constraints are a leading cause of pet surrender. Second Chance’s expanded services help families maintain their pets, preventing the emotional trauma of separation and ensuring pets remain in loving homes.

– Reducing Shelter Overcrowding: Addressing the root causes of surrender helps reduce the number of animals entering shelters, alleviating overcrowding and improving the chances of successful adoptions for those animals that do need new homes.

– Comprehensive Care for Lifelong Well-being: The addition of more veterinarians allows Second Chance to provide continuous care, ensuring that pets remain healthy throughout their lives, which in turn reduces the likelihood of surrender.

– Community Outreach Impact and Education: Second Chance’s programs providing services directly in the community such as vaccine clinics help to prevent disease.  Second Chance’s educational program in schools help to teach children about safety around pets and responsible pet ownership, the importance of preventive care, and the resources available. This education is also provided at community outreach events to give pet owner this knowledge which empowers the community to make informed decisions, reducing the likelihood of future surrenders and promoting a culture of care and compassion.

– Breaking the Cycle of Surrender: By addressing financial and health challenges at their source, Second Chance is breaking the cycle of surrender, ensuring that pets stay in stable, loving homes where they can thrive.

– Long-Term Cost Savings: Preventing surrenders through affordable care is more cost-effective than rehoming surrendered animals, allowing Second Chance to allocate more resources toward expanding these life-saving programs.

– Holistic Animal Welfare: This expanded approach reflects a holistic model of animal welfare, focusing not just on rescuing and rehoming animals but also on ensuring that pets in homes stay healthy and cared for.

Transforming Lives, One Pet at a Time

The expansion of services and the addition of veterinary staff are central to Second Chance’s new “Transforming Lives: One Pet at a Time” campaign. This initiative is designed to raise awareness and funds to support the organization’s efforts to tackle the root causes of animal suffering. Through this campaign, Second Chance aims to engage donors and the community in creating a sustainable model of animal welfare that ensures more pets live long, healthy, and happy lives with their families.

“We’re excited to be at the forefront of innovative animal welfare solutions,” added Blancato. “Our expanded programs and services are a testament to our commitment to saving lives in a more effective and compassionate way.”

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Second Chance Animal Services, 111 Young Road, East Brookfield, MA 01515