Second Chance Animal Services Shatters Record for Pets Helped in 2025
EAST BROOKFIELD — Second Chance Animal Services announced that the nonprofit helped a record-breaking 64,143 pets in 2025, far surpassing its previous annual high of 56,000.
This milestone marks one of the most impactful years in the organization’s history. Every Second Chance veterinary hospital experienced growth in the number of pets helped, with some locations assisting thousands more animals than in prior years. The nonprofit hospitals break down barriers by offering affordable care to everyone and additional subsidies to those who qualify.
In 2025, Second Chance’s adoption team responded to an increased demand for care for pets with complex and long-term medical needs, including several large-scale rescue efforts, such as the 52 cats taken in from a single home and the intake of 26 golden retriever moms and their puppies, who were under two weeks old at the time of rescue. The organization supported an unusually high number of mothers with underage puppies and kittens who required extended foster care before becoming adoption-ready. These intensive cases resulted in a slight decline in the number of pets adopted. As a no-kill shelter, Second Chance does not euthanize pets for space and remains committed to providing care for animals who need time, medical treatment, and specialized support.
“Each year, we think we may start to level out, and each year, we reach new heights,” said Sheryl Blancato, founder and CEO of Second Chance Animal Services. “It is incredibly exciting for the pets we are able to help every day, but it is also a sobering reminder of the growing challenges facing pets and the people who love them.”
Blancato added that Project Keep Me — which provides temporary boarding and care for pets while domestic violence survivors secure safe housing and while veterans focus on in-patient treatment — saw need more than double in 2025. The program helps ensure that pets and the people who love them can stay together by offering peace of mind during times of crisis and transition, allowing families to heal and reunite without the added fear of losing a beloved companion.
Demand also rose sharply for the Second Chance pet food pantry program, which now supplies pet food to 26 local human food pantries. New partner pantries joined the program in 2025, and requests for pet food surged as more pet owners faced financial hardship. The pantry program is a direct reflection of Second Chance’s mission to keep pets with the people who love them and out of shelters. Second Chance expects to break ground early this year on an expansion that will allow the organization to feed even more pets in need.
Second Chance’s spay and neuter program shattered annual records in 2025, with 8,747 procedures performed. Nearly every hospital saw an increase in spay and neuter surgeries, including a significant rise at the Worcester hospital despite a temporary closure at the beginning of the year following a fire in late 2024. The organization’s low-cost spay and neuter program plays a critical role in keeping pets healthy and reducing the number of animals entering shelters.
Founded with the mission of saving lives and enhancing the well-being of pets and people, Second Chance Animal Services provides affordable veterinary care, adoption services, spay and neuter programs, and community support throughout Massachusetts. The organization attributes its record-breaking year to the strong collaboration and dedication of staff and volunteers, and the continued generosity of donors and community partners.
“This simply could not happen without our compassionate supporters and the teamwork throughout our organization,” Blancato said. “Together, we are making a meaningful difference for tens of thousands of animals and the families who love them.”