Dakin Humane Society honored six people, one company, and a dedicated guide dog at its 2025 Humane Awards, which were held at Dakin’s Springfield location on Thursday, November 13. Meg Talbert, executive director at Dakin, and Kaitlyn Holloway, Dakin’s community engagement manager, presided over the award ceremony.

The Humane Awards were originally created by Dakin in 2011 and were comprised of multiple community-based award categories for individuals making a positive difference in the lives of animals and people. The honorees typically represent all ages and backgrounds, and demonstrate their commitment and concern for animals through their life and work. The awards honor community members who share Dakin’s belief that the way we treat animals reflects our community’s health.

The winners of the 2025 Dakin Humane Awards are:

Katelin Welles – The Richard & Nathalie Woodbury Philanthropy Humane Award. This award is bestowed to a leader (or leaders) in the community whose contributions are transformational and demonstrate extraordinary dedication. These individuals display a remarkable sense of stewardship in sharing time, talent and resources to improve the lives of animals and people who love them. Katelin Welles is a Navy veteran and a former addiction counselor who currently volunteers as a wildlife rehabilitator. She is especially dedicated to caring for neonatal kittens, and recently completed a surrender counseling workshop to help families keep their beloved pets whenever possible. Dakin is one of several east coast humane societies she supports philanthropically, and her generosity has enabled Dakin to enhance its Kitten ICU, provide winter shelters for feral cats, restock much-needed supplies, and provide a number of services for animals in need, and the people who love them.

Trystan Candelario – The Youth Humane Award. This award honors a hero, 16 or younger, who displays extraordinary care and compassion to make a difference in the lives of animals, and makes the world a kinder and gentler place. This year’s recipient, Trystan Candelario, began helping animals at age seven. In 2023, at the age of 10, he rescued two vulnerable and hungry puppies while visiting Puerto Rico, brought them back to his Massachusetts home, and helped them find families to care for them. Mr. Candelario has built feral cat outdoor shelters to help cats stay warm in the winter, fundraised for animal causes, and helped rescue animals both locally and far away. He has also returned to Puerto Rico after natural disasters to help feed animals left without homes, and sets a remarkable example of how compassion, dedication and love for animals can make a difference.

Dr. Lauren Atkins – The Frances M. Wells Humane Award. This award, named for the Greenfield Animal Shelter’s benefactor, is given to an individual recognized for notable contributions to the health and welfare of animals. After launching her career in animal welfare 28 years ago in South Carolina, Dr. Lauren Atkins eventually moved north and became the first veterinarian hired when Dakin moved into its Springfield location. She also spent a decade at Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center, continuing to improve shelter medicine and the quality of care for thousands of animals. Dr. Atkins’ most compassionate chapter began when she founded Paws Finding Peace, a practice dedicated to at-home euthanasia that allows families to say goodbye to beloved pets with dignity and love. She chose this practice because it provides a peaceful transition for the pet, especially those with behavioral issues, and allows the grieving family to be together, along with other pets, to provide comfort to the animal in their final moments.

Melissa Dawn Vancini - The Champion Humane Award. This award honors an individual who serves in the public or non-profit sector who has faithfully made life better for tens of thousands of animals and people. Melissa Dawn Vancini is founder of Missing Mutts Search & Rescue, a volunteer-based, non-profit group that helps reunite lost pets with their owners through free search and rescue services. The group is the culmination of a decade spent as a foster caregiver for dogs, many of whom were scared and a flight risk. Through patience and care, Ms. Vancini learned how to work with these dogs and help them settle in, understand what each one responded to best, and give them time to adjust to their new settings. Over time, an idea took shape to open her own dog recovery group, which became Missing Mutts Search & Rescue. Since then, her work has made an incredible impact on countless animals and the people who love them. From fostering scared dogs to leading a community movement that helps find pets when they are lost, Ms. Vancini’s dedication is extraordinary.

Bernie (Guide Dog) & Attorney David Roulston – The Distinguished Animal Humane Award. This award recognizes an exceptional animal (and human handler) whose extraordinary devotion to people has proved transformative or lifesaving in challenging or exceptional circumstances. Few partnerships embody the human-animal bond more beautifully than Attorney David Roulston and his guide dog, Bernie. Mr. Roulston has spent his life in service to others, and his work has been guided by integrity and compassion. For the past 45 years as an attorney, he has defended the rights of people facing some of the most difficult moments of their lives: those caught in the legal system while battling addiction and struggling with their mental health. Mr. Roulston did all this while living with an incurable eye condition he's had for more than 25 years. Beside him every step of the way have been his guide dogs, including his current companion, Bernie. Matched a decade ago, Bernie’s serenity and acceptance in every situation makes him an exceptional partner in Mr. Roulston’s work and life. When Bernie walks into meetings, clients smile, and his presence helps to open the way for his person to build a relationship so these clients can get the help they need. Mr. Roulston and Bernie were honored for demonstrating how the human-animal bond can transform lives with service and grace.

Berkshire Bank – Corporate Leadership Humane Award. This award is presented to a business or its corporate foundation that demonstrates outstanding commitment to improve the lives of animals through employee giving, volunteerism, or partnership. Berkshire Bank, a division of Beacon Bank & Trust, exemplifies what it means to lead with purpose. As a trusted advisor its clients rely upon, Berkshire Bank is committed to helping those in its communities live their best lives and reach their full financial potential. In addition to giving back to the communities it serves through grants, sponsorships and campaigns, Berkshire’s employees tirelessly support Dakin’s work in a variety of ways, including serving on its Board of Directors, volunteering at Dakin’s Will Run for Cookies 5k, holding a “kitten shower” to collect donations from local financial center personnel and standing in as Mrs. Claus at a pet photos with Santa event.

Charlotte Cathro - Janet Wilder Dakin Lifetime Achievement Humane Award. This award is bestowed to a person whose life’s work has exhibited exemplary leadership, selfless commitment, passion, and extraordinary dedication to advancing animal welfare. This year’s recipient is Charlotte Cathro, whose journey with animals began long before she served on Dakin’s Board of Directors. From her first family dog, a Basset/Shepherd mix who taught her about unconditional love, to an impactful school trip to a farm that led her, at the age of nine, to stop eating meat (and ultimately adopt a vegan diet), Ms. Cathro has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of animals through rescuing, fostering and caring for them. Shortly after relocating to western Massachusetts in 2011, she joined Dakin’s Board of Directors, bringing her financial expertise to strengthen the organization. Ms. Cathro served as treasurer, finance chair, and ultimately, president. Thanks to her expertise and guidance, Dakin has a solid financial foundation and sustainable future. She tackled all that while running her own business, teaching, and raising a family. Ms. Cathro has been a steady hand and a voice of reason when the path forward wasn’t always clear or easy. A dedicated foster caregiver who often hosted adoption reunion parties, she is a firm believer that joy from animals multiplies when it’s shared. This award honors her lifetime of quiet, consistent, transformational work and commitment to animals.

Dakin Humane Society, located in Springfield, MA, is a 501 (c) (3) organization that delivers effective, innovative services that improve the lives of animals in need and the people who care about them. Since its inception in 1969, Dakin has become one of the most recognized nonprofit organizations in western Massachusetts, and a national leader in animal welfare. In a typical year, the organization shelters, treats and fosters more than 20,000 animals and has performed over 134,000 spay/neuter surgeries since 2009, making it one of New England’s largest spay/neuter providers. Dakin’s Pet Health Center, a non-emergency veterinary resource for pet dogs and cats, has seen more than 12,000 patients since it opened in 2022. Dakin is a local non-profit organization that relies solely on contributions from individuals and businesses that care about animals to bring its services to the community. For more information, visit www.dakinhumane.org.