Commitment To Our Partners
Baypath has a great team of staff and volunteers. But we would not be able to fulfill our mission without the help of our trusted partners out in our community – and beyond – advocating for the welfare of all animals and seeing to all aspects of their care and wellbeing.
Project Just Because
In 2018, we forged a partnership with Project Just Because. This wonderful group runs various programs throughout the year providing for the basic needs of families, children, and seniors; most notably they run a robust food pantry. We partnered with them to provide to their constituency our overflow of food and various pet supplies. In 2020, Middlesex Savings Bank gave us a generous grant to invest in the initiative.
VCA Westborough
The wonderful team at VCA Westborough has forged a critical partnership with us in the last few years. They have supported our mission in a myriad of ways, including support of our signature events with sponsorship, VCA-specific fundraising initiatives, supply drives, and medical support.
Furthermore, in 2018 when the leadership at VCA Westborough learned that we were exploring a potential surgical initiative yet had no space to do so, they immediately reached out and offered their facility for the critical pilot program.
Our Animal Control Partners
In the past year, Baypath has worked with animal control officers from more than 25 cities and towns throughout Massachusetts to take in lost, stray, and abandoned animals. In 2014, Baypath began serving Hopkinton’s Animal Control needs to house stray and lost dogs and cats. This contract, renewable every two years, guarantees the town two dog kennels at any one time, as well as space for cats. There are also formal relationships with the towns of Grafton and Westborough.
Our Local Rescue Partners
Baypath coordinates with more than 10 local shelters and rescues to transfer in animals expected to benefit from our behavior and enrichment programs. We are so grateful for these groups who do critical boots-on-the ground work to get these animals off the streets or out of bad situations. Their efforts allow us to continue their good work and find forever homes for these pets.
Our Southern Transport Partners
To help stem the tide of pet overpopulation in the southern United States, Baypath transports cats and dogs up from Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia. We have longstanding partnerships with great groups on the ground in these communities, and their advocacy and ours help bring these animals north to our shelter so that we can fulfill our mission of matching so many loving families with these great animals in need.
Our Medical Partners
Dr. Andrea Moolenbeek, Medical Director at Natick Animal Clinic, sees to the care of our animals on a weekly basis. Her routine visits, as well as her expertise regarding protocols and best practices, ensure the best of care for our animals.
In addition, the great surgical programs at Tufts, Second Chance Animal Services and Sterling Shelter Clinic enable us to take on and care for that many more animals.
Paws In Motion Rehabilitation
Dr. Suzy Starr and her team are leaders in the pet rehabilitation field. The certified staff at Paws in Motion tend to animals in need in their comprehensive facility by crafting individual rehabilitation plans and seeing them through.
Throughout the years, Suzy has generally donated her time and talent to help dogs in our care who need diagnostics and/or rehabilitation. Her efforts further help us gather a full health profile for these animals so that we can set them up for their best chance at success.
Cat Behaviorist Rachel Geller, Ed.D.
Rachel Geller, Ed.D. is a certified cat behavior counselor through the Humane Society of the United States. Rachel developed a Cat Behavior and Retention Program, and her work was recognized nationwide as a “Model Program” by HSUS.
For years, Rachel has worked with our organization to empower staff and volunteers through several training opportunities, webinars, and our Humane Lecture Series. She has also been involved in helping countless adopters successfully work on behavior challenges.
Dog Training & Behavior Partners
Our training partners are critical to our ability to both help the animals in our care, as well as set our adoptive families up for success. All of our training partners endorse science-based positive-reinforcement methods (no punishment is used). Some of our preferred trainers include:
Dingo Dog Studio – Kim trainer is a seasoned CPDT-KA who has helped us with in-home consults, as well as informing on behavior articles.
Life is Dog – Nance, Dana, and the team at are one of the preeminent training groups around who focus on positive reinforcement training and reinforcing the animal-human bond.
Masterpeace – Fran and her team are another renowned training group in the area, focusing on training classes, as well as agility and competition training.
Dr. Christine Maxfield, In-Home Euthanasia
Saying goodbye to a beloved pet is an incredibly difficult thing. Surrounding them with love and comfort in their own during this time can bring them great peace – as well as you.
We are often asked for recommendations for this service and cannot recommend our partner Dr. Christine Maxfield enough. She is a licensed veterinarian who specializes in this difficult, but important, service, giving respect and compassion to all.
