Local Shelter and Bank Sponsor "Adopt-A-Pet Day"

Last Thursday, Florence Savings Bank hosted an "Adopt-A-Pet Day" at four of their area locations. For the past eight years, they have given away a Customers' Choice Community Grant to the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society (among other local entities). This special event was meant to raise the profile of this no-kill shelter even more and, of course, would draw more people into FSB. Win-win, all around.

J. and I just happened to be in town that afternoon, so we wandered in to one of the branches to check out the merchandise. One of our neighbors, who is a volunteer for the shelter, was helping out with the event and we chatted with her as we scoped out the pets on display. There was a long-haired bunny, two mostly black kittens, and two adult male cats: One, a large 2-year-old (black!) and a black-and-white one-year-old. There was also a small-to-medium sized dog, with very short red hair. She was in the process of being adopted, and was wanting to meet everyone before she left to go home with her new owner. As I crouched down to visit with the chubby black guy (thinking how he needed to be on a homemade diet), this young dog crawled right into my lap. Now, I'm not a dog person, but if ever I was considering getting a dog, she would have been the one.

J. wanted to take the black and white male out to pet him, as he reminded him of his now deceased cat Min. That wasn't allowed, of course, so he had to make due. I checked out the kittens. The black female was playing all by herself; as I stuck my fingers through the wire, though, she started grabbing onto them. Man, was she cute! She was getting more and more wound up, though, and I did get her little needle-claws stuck into me right before we left. I guess I should have known better!

Meanwhile, I wondered where the pup had gone to, as the new owner was still sitting there filling out paperwork. J. pointed to the teller's area and I saw her being lifted, back and forth, over the counter so that each employee could say "Goodbye" in turn! That dog had only been there for 30 minutes, tops, and she was already a star.

Even though we would have liked to take home all the cats, we knew that our current lot would get very upset if we did. As we were preparing to go, a man and woman with a young boy came in, heading right for the animal display. I felt quite sure that there was no way they were going to leave without letting him adopt a pet.

Kudos to Florence Savings and The Dakin!
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Photo by Pieter Larson