LEVERETT – While the majority of the 1,100 dogs the Dakin Humane Society took in last year were local rescues or surrenders, 380 of them were from out of state, traveling from overcrowded shelters in the South to adoption centers in Leverett and Springfield as a part of the Dixie Dog program.
Executive Director Carmine DiCenso said that Dakin is in a position where it can help other shelters.
“We’re really glad that we’re able to help other places. Ten to 15 years ago, we had so many dogs,” DiCenso said. Now, open spots in Dakin’s adoption facilities can be filled by dogs from overcrowded southern shelters where they have less of a chance of being adopted.
“When a shelter is overwhelmed with animals, they can’t get them out the door,” DiCenso said. “Being able to take animals from them gives them somewhat of a pressure valve release and allows them to work on placing animals in homes.”
DiCenso said that Dakin always puts local animals first and that they would never turn anyone who was bringing an animal in away. The Dixie Dog program exists because Dakin often has the resources and space to take in extra dogs.
Dakin works with specific partner organizations such as Operation Pets Alive (OPA), a rescue group based in Texas. OPA places dogs in foster homes until they are adopted or transported to another shelter.
Most months, Dakin receives two trucks of Dixie Dogs.
“We have strict protocols for vaccinations and how the animals have to be transported,” DiCenso said. “Before accepting a dog, we have several conversations and work with the foster family.”
Under Massachusetts state law, a 48-hour quarantine period is required for all Dixie Dogs, meaning they need to be separated from all people and dogs except for a select group of staff and volunteers for the first 48 hours that they are at a local shelter. At Dakin, this only happens in Springfield, as Leverett is not approved as a quarantine facility, DiCenso said.
DiCenso says that most of the time, the dogs are adopted the day they hit the adoption floor.
Brianna and Jeremy Mathieu of Chicopee adopted a three-month-old black Labrador Retriever mix puppy in May who was transported to Dakin from Texas. “We keep saying that we don’t know how lucky we got with him,” Brianna Mathieu said. “He’s super good with training and everyone just adores him.”
Rescuing a dog was important to the Mathieus. “You hear all these stories about dogs that are in shelters and don’t have homes,” Brianna Mathieu said. “We just have always in our heart wanted to rescue a dog because we know that they deserve it.”
Dakin will be receiving a transport of about 15 Dixie Dogs on July 14. To see adoptable animals or learn more about the Dixie Dog program, visit dakinhumane.org.