Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society

Like Joey, a cockapoo.
(Original photo removed for safety.)

N.B. - I left out a word in the title and apologize for the neglectfulness! Also, the rest of this paragraph contains information that I have had to remove for confidentiality and safety. There is someone out there who is overeager about the dog.

At left is the reason I've been away from the blog -- my new little man, Joey.

Dakin operates a site in Springfield and in Leverett. Within the week I had seen the two very different facilities. Leverett is in a rustic setting, in a low-slung building surrounded by trees. Springfield's site is very urban, located on Union Street and surrounded by lots of old buildings. Unfortunately, some of these buildings are tornado damaged. Next to the Springfield building we could see an attic living space with the roof ripped away, exposing a living room like something from a doll house. I hadn't expected more disaster tourism so soon after visiting Monson, and it was a little shocking. Springfield is approximately 20 miles to the south of Florence, further reminding me of how close these disasters can come.

This little guy has been nicknamed Giorgio by his Leeds grandparents, who are entranced by his sweet demeanor and his calmness. They said that because I live in Florence, the name would fit perfectly. We'll still keep calling him Joe, since the last syllable of "Giorgio" still works for the dog (Whew -- the dog still needs to respond to something close to his original name.)