LOVE AT FIRST LICK

Jeanne Encarnacao, Jackie Swist and Eileen Brown’s kindergarten classes at the Newton School in Greenfield raised $1,096.28 in their Collecting Pennies for Puppies Drive that will benefit the Franklin County Regional Dog Shelter. On Wednesday morning shelter director Leslee Colucci and K-9 handler Lt. Scott Waldron brought a rescued English mastiff named Tess to the delight of the students who got to meet her up close. The students presented Colucci and Waldron a symbolic over-sized check for the amount. The shelter, located at 10 Sandy Lane in Turners Falls, serves 21 towns in the county. It was established in 2012 by Sheriff Christopher Donelan. Staffed mostly by volunteers, its mission statement reads; “We seek to provide a safe, welcoming facility for stray, lost or unwanted dogs, and to make their lives healthy and happy as we find them a forever home.”