The Villages - March 2020 - 4

{ FOR THE

OF PETS }

MEET MANNY:

A Mixed Breed and Member of The Family
STORY BY RICA KEENUM | PHOTOS BY BRANDON ATWELL
Since childhood, Linda Daniels-Blatchley felt the pull of little dog
paws on her heart.
"We were living in a walk-up flat in Syracuse, New York," she said.
"My mom died when I was two and I was very lonely. I wanted a dog
more than anything in the world but we weren't allowed to have pets."
After college, a friend offered her a cat and she promptly accepted.
Dog ownership would come later, followed by an active volunteer role.
But first came her 30-year career as a school psychologist. In 2010, she
and her husband moved to The Villages.
"When we got here, I felt sort of lost because I wasn't doing anything
that I felt was meaningful," she said. "I became interested in volunteer
work and saw what was happening with puppy mills." She learned
about mass-breeding operations, how they force dogs into inhumane conditions with no regard for their safety or wellbeing. In many cases, dogs end up traumatized,
unsocialized and with long-term behavioral or
health problems.
"Dogs are amazing creatures -
sentient beings that feel everything and
give so much," she said.
Feeling the call to contribute and help
make a difference, Daniels-Blatchley began walking dogs at the Marion County
Animal Shelter.
"There is almost nobody to walk those
dogs," she said. "Some of them have been
there for years in their tiny kennels."
While at the shelter one day, a woman came in
with a dog she'd almost hit on the road - Manny, a
friendly little mixed breed with perky ears and lively
eyes. Daniels-Blatchley agreed to take the dog home until his owner could be located. But she soon learned the
owner no longer wanted him.

I want people to know
if they have a dog they
don't want or can no longer
keep, there are better
options than dumping
them in the forest.
- Linda Daniels-Blatchley
4	

MARCH 2020



The Villages - March 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - March 2020

Contents
The Villages - March 2020 - Cover1
The Villages - March 2020 - Contents
The Villages - March 2020 - 1
The Villages - March 2020 - 2
The Villages - March 2020 - 3
The Villages - March 2020 - 4
The Villages - March 2020 - 5
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