SPRINGFIELD – Away from the happy barks of dogs who are meeting prospective families at the Dakin Humane Society in Springfield are two dogs for whom finding the right owners is especially important. Joe and Elliot are Parsons Russell Terriers who have come a long way from New Jersey but still have a long way to go.

The dogs are just a couple of the 216 who were seized on June 11 from a hoarding situation in which the animals were locked in cages for long periods of time, some so long that the cages were rusted shut.

“Some have never been outside before, never been on a leash,” said Karina King, director of Operations at the Dakin Humane Society in Springfield. She said they need to get used to the sights, sounds, and smells of the outside world.

The shelter that originally took in the animals, St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, called in other animal rescue organizations to help with the immense job of cleaning and caring for hundreds of animals.

King said that Dakin sent five people to help. Dakin is a regular partner with St. Hubert’s in the Sister Shelter WayStation, a program that transfers animals from shelters in need to those with room. It is usually used after a natural disaster.

“We consider this a disaster, just a manmade one,” said Nora Parker, a Goodwill Ambassador from St. Hubert’s.

After attending to the dog’s immediate medical needs, such as parasite control, vaccinations, blood tests, dental work, microchipping, spaying, and neutering, the Dakin volunteers brought six dogs back to Springfield to be adopted out.

One of the six, a dachshund, was in fairly good condition and was adopted immediately. The remaining five, all Parsons Russell Terriers between the ages of 2 and 8 years old, are also available for adoption but because of their background, these aren’t your typical shelter dogs.

“They’re not normal pets. They’re never going to be normal pets,” said King. She said it is paramount that the people that adopt these dogs understand the amount of work that will need to go into making it a positive experience for everyone.

“House-training is obviously a major issue here,” she said. Trust is also a struggle for these animals.

“They want to like people, they do like people, they just need time to learn to trust,” King said.

Three of the dogs, Madison, Pickles, and Gavin, are being fostered, which King said was their first experience living in a home. Dakin hopes to foster the other two, but are searching for foster homes that are a good fit. She said the dogs need to be in a quieter home, so they are not stressed out by over-stimulation, especially loud noises, which King said are very scary for them.

The most important thing is patience. King said the right people will be able to help the dogs, “move forward at the pace they’re willing to and understand that they won’t be better in a week.”

Dakin is screening prospective foster homes and adoptive applicants carefully to make sure the pairing will be successful on both sides. There is an adoption fee of $425, which King said does not even cover the medical costs for taking care of the dogs.

King said that anyone interested in fostering Joe or Elliot can go to dakinhumane.org to learn more. Anyone interested in adopting one of the dogs should call Dakin at 781-4000 for more information.