Viviana Cordano is a godsend! We first became acquainted with her when we adopted a three-legged pitbull mix from the Animal Rescue League of Boston. We had planned a trip overseas and, several week before our departure, we saw news stories about a dog that had caught in an illegal leg-hold trap yet was eluding rescuers in my hometown of Barre, Mass. This dog’s story broke our heart—she had been on the run in the woods of that rural Central Massachusetts town for more than a month until she wandered into a garage. The alert homeowner closed her in and notified the police, who worked with the ARL to get the dog to a veterinarian for a life-saving amputation (thus, the three legs mentioned earlier). Anyway, we were blessed to be able to adopt this wonderful, heroic dog, but we were so close to the departure date, we thought we’d have to scuttle the trip. We didn’t want to leave the newly adopted dog in the care of just anyone. That’s when the ARL alerted us to Viviana, who had worked there in the past, and they told us about her extensive and varied background in caring for dogs. Well, we met her and we were bowled over by her combination of compassion and authoritativeness. We had no misgivings about leaving the dog, Holly, as well as Holly’s adopted brother Buddy (yes, the names are coincidental), in Viviana’s care. Since that first connection, we relied on Viviana’s care and wisdom for years, always knowing we could trust her with walks, dog-sitting sleep-overs and pet-care consultation. We are thrilled to know she is back in the area and back in business!