The animal shelter was directly in the path of the tornado when it touched down in the South End of Springfield.
Christine Duross, an employee of the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society on Union Street in Springfield, works with some of the dogs rescued after the June 1 tornadoes.SPRINGFIELD – Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society has announced its withdrawal from the ASPCA’s $100,000 Challenge competition, so it can focus on caring for local animals in the wake of the June 1 tornado, according to Dakin spokeswoman Candy Lash.
Dakin was directly in the path of the tornado when it touched down in the South End of Springfield.
The multi-part $100,000 Challenge has several phases, and Dakin did very well in the first phase. People were asked to vote for their local shelter, and out of 93 that entered the competition, Dakin placed third in the nation.
In the next part of the challenge, each organization had to adopt out at least 300 more animals in a three-month period than last year.
That’s when Dakin folded. They have too much on their hands caring for pets who survived the tornado, said Lash.
“In the last two weeks, we have provided temporary shelter, emergency veterinary care, pet food and supplies to more than 100 people and their animals,” she said, including two dozen on the night of the tornado.
One of the survivors is a Chihuahua mix named Poochy. Her family moved away instead of rebuilding, and their solution for the little dog was to abandon her.
Neighbors fed her, and a couple in the neighborhood decided to adopt her. When they brought her to Dakin on June 15, it turned out Poochy was pregnant, the puppies had died inside of her, and a bad infection had resulted.
“She would have died, had she not had emergency surgery last night,” said Lash on Thursday. “She’s not out of the woods, but she’s doing better.”
To keep competing in the $100,000 Challenge, Dakin would have had to increase the number of homeless “Dixie Dogs” it imports from the South each month.
It decided to stick closer to home, where “we need the support of ‘Dakin Nation’ more than ever,” said Lash.
For more information on how to help Dakin through this difficult period, go to www.dpvhs.org or call (413) 781-4000.