World Veterinary Day: Meet Dakin's Veterinarians

Dr. Katie Spaulding, DVM, MPH - Medical Director & Shelter Veterinarian

Dr. Katie Spaulding began practicing shelter medicine at Dakin Humane Society in 2010 as the sole Adoption Center Veterinarian, and is particularly interested in infectious disease prevention and control, and antimicrobial resistance. She also has a special interest in alternative sterilization methods to traditional spay/neuter for the management of free-roaming cat populations. She graduated with a BS in Wildlife Biology and Ecology from UMass Amherst and holds a dual DVM/MPH (Master’s in Public Health) degree from Iowa State University/University of Iowa.

She is passionate about One Health, which is a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to health, recognizing that human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health are deeply interconnected. In 2017, she moved to Hawaii to work with various animal welfare organizations across the islands to provide accessible veterinary care and perform surgical sterilization, particularly for the free-roaming cat populations there. She also worked as a marine animal stranding volunteer veterinarian with NOAA/Hawaii DLNR and was hired as a veterinarian for the Marine Mammal Center’s Ke Kai Ola Hawaiian Monk Seal hospital.

Throughout the pandemic, Dr. Katie worked as an Infection Preventionist for the Hawaii State Department of Health and served as a One Health Subcommittee Member for the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists’ Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Task Force.

In 2025, she rejoined the Dakin family as Medical Director and Adoption Center Veterinarian and is very excited to once again be serving the animals and people of the Connecticut River Valley.

Dr. Jack Muth, DVM, PhD - The Pet Health Center at Dakin

Dr. Jack Muth has been working at the Pet Health Center at Dakin since 2022 when it first opened. He has a diverse background in veterinary medicine and is comfortable working with a wide variety of animals. His career started out West, having graduated from Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences with both a DVM and a Ph.D. in 2012. Prior to Massachusetts, he was most recently working in Michigan. He is proud to call the Pioneer Valley home and be part of the Springfield community.

As part of the Pet Health Center, Dr. Muth is excited to make veterinary care more accessible. He is looking forward to meeting both you and your pet! Teaching is another one of Dr. Muth’s passions and he enjoys helping future veterinarians and veterinary nurses achieve their career goals. When not working, Dr. Muth can be found playing with his dogs, hiking, or watching baseball.

Dr. Sherri Therrien, DVM - Community Spay/Neuter Clinic

Dr. Therrien has been a veterinarian at Dakin Humane Society since the opening of its Community Spay/Neuter Clinic in 2009. In addition to performing daily spay/neuter surgery, she also develops anesthetic and pain management protocols and supervises staff training and education.

Dr. Therrien has also performed spay/neuter surgery for Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control & Adoption Center, Second Chance Animal Shelter, and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MPSCA), where she initiated “Operation Fix It,” a spay/neuter program targeted to an at-risk animal population. In 2018, she joined ViDAS (Veterinarios Internacionales Dedicados a Animales Sanos) for a six-day high-volume spay/neuter clinic in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

A member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA), and the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV), Dr. Therrien holds a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine, a Bachelor of Science from UMass Amherst, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Veterinary Forensics from the University of Florida.

Dr. Elizabeth Helton, DVM - Adoption Center

Dr. Helton has been performing surgeries and treating shelter animals since 2016 at Dakin Humane Society. She graduated with a DVM from Tufts University in 2015 and completed externships in shelter medicine and spay/neuter surgery including 3 weeks of training at the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance in Asheville, North Carolina.

Dr. Helton has also worked as a surgeon and shelter medicine veterinarian at the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center, Sterling Animal Shelter, and on the Catmobile/Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society.

Dr. Helton has a special interest in zoological (exotic) companion animal medicine and surgery. She volunteers with the House Rabbit Network to provide medical and surgical services to rescue rabbits. At Dakin Humane Society, Dr. Helton is the exotic animal medicine expert on staff and treats a wide variety of species ranging from hamsters and chinchillas to ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs, and birds.

Outside of work, she enjoys hiking with her pack of Chihuahuas, gardening with her ducks, and enjoying the company of her cats.

Dr. Allie Kulow, DVM - Pet Health Center

Dr. Allie Kulow brought her knowledge and expertise to Dakin’s Pet Health Center after working in the veterinary field for over 25 years. After graduating from Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1996, she completed an internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery in Rochester, NY which she called home for over 20 years. She moved to Massachusetts in 2016 with her husband, a couple of dogs, some cats, and a few chickens. Dr. Allie has experience in both veterinary medicine and surgery - emergency and urgent care practice, general practice with an emphasis on the behavior of cats and dogs, as well as community practice and shelter medicine. She is thrilled to return to community practice and shelter medicine which has been the most fulfilling of all her jobs. She will be working in both the Pet Health Center and in the shelter caring for shelter animals.