When Crisis Strikes, Compassion Steps In

Life can change in the blink of an eye, and for a young mom with two beloved cats, one hardship quickly snowballed into another. Thankfully, because of the compassion behind Dakin’s programs, she didn’t have to face it alone—and her family stayed together.

The pipes in Julie’s building burst, and her apartment was flooded. Her landlord was in the process of replacing the carpets because of the water damage when they noticed that Julie’s two female cats had been spraying inside the unit. Julie was told that, because her cats were not spayed, the felines could not return to the apartment when the repair work was completed.

Distraught, Julie reached out to Dakin for help. “I love my cats very much, and have been going through a lot lately,” she wrote. “The idea of having to surrender them is incredibly heartbreaking.” She explained that her home is pet-friendly and knew that spaying her cats would almost certainly resolve the spraying issue—giving them a chance to come home where they belonged.

“I truly want to do the right thing for them and keep them with me,” she said with hope.

Thanks to a grant from the Massachusetts Animal Coalition (MAC), we were able to help Julie by covering more than half of the spay fee for each of the cats while Julie paid the remainder. The grant is funded by sales from the MAC’s “I’m Animal Friendly” license plates. Four-year-old Knova and three-year-old Luna—two beautiful tabby sisters—received their surgeries and were soon back where they were most loved: in Julie’s waiting arms.

Her gratitude said it all: “God bless you all, it means the world to me and my children and the cats we love dearly. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts. This is the best news we’ve gotten in a long time.”

When you make a gift to Dakin Humane Society, your kindness reaches far beyond the moment. It lifts up families in crisis, keeps cherished pets where they’re needed most, and brings comfort and stability when life feels uncertain. Because you care, families like Julie’s can weather the storm—with love right by their side.