Updated August 18, 2024
Trooper
Trooper is a 4-5 year old black Shepherd who is fun loving, goofy and HAPPY ALL THE TIME!
Life is a party in Trooper’s mind. Although his life certainly was not a party before us. He was used as a stud dog and kept in a filthy basement. Yup, even though he is special needs, he was used as a GSD breeder in Penobscot County Maine.
We have not been able to get a clear diagnosis on him yet, and without an MRI it’s just not quite possible, but what we know is that his processing is just a tad bit delayed and he has a squished head.
Okay, that’s not the best description. But it’s the best that we can do. And it doesn’t really effect him much at all in any basic ways- he walks awesome on leash, he seems to do fine with other animals who can tolerate him, and he knows how to potty outside.
Although he’s not going to be the type of dog that you train for an important job, if you just want him to work at loving you and entertaining you with his funny ways, this is your boy!
He has an upbeat personality and when we say he is full of joy. We mean it! BIG joy!!
Justine
Justine is Charlotte’s little sister. She is also 9ish months old, likes other dogs and cats and LOVES people of all ages. She is spayed, up to date, and ready to go! She is an extroverted, bouncy, active puppy and needs lots of activities. She’ll keep you entertained for hours with her cute little puppy antics. She is the petite puppy of her litter and may remain small for a walker hound.
Charlotte
Charlotte is a 9ish month old merle walker hound. She’s already spayed and up to date on vaccinations. The only thing she needs at this point is her own home where she can start her new life. She would love to have another canine friend, but it’s not necessary. She’s good with cats too! Loves to play like a little whirlwind, but also knows how to chill. She is crate trained, very clean in her crate, and sleeps soundly in her crate at night. We will just say it before we’re asked- we have not heard her bay at all, no, she barks like any other dog. Will she bay at some point- quite possible, but not a given. Does it really matter? A little bit of baying is music to a hound lover’s ear, although quite honestly, hardly any of our hounds ever bay. She can be shy at first, but loves her people, kids, other dogs and she’s a wonderful playmate.
Heidi
Heidi is a 2-3 year old lab mix. We strongly believe she may be a Blue Lacy Cur/lab mix. She is good with other dogs, especially the males that she’s been introduced to in play group.
She is a bit overweight, after living almost her entire life in kennels. We are getting to know her, but what we see, we love. She would be a good dog for almost any family and she even likes kitties.
She does seem to have some prey drive around chickens and other birds- so a home with no chickens or other birds please!
Lola
Lola was found tied to a chain, starving to death this spring. Despite having had such a bad experience, she is pretty well socialized, good with chill dogs (she will match another dog’s energy) and seems to be fine with cats.
We aren’t sure how old she is- but we believe she is between 3 and 5. She is a petite American pitbull terrier. She is gaining weight and is now healthy, spayed and up to date on vaccinations.
Tark
Tark is a beautiful, well socialized 7ish month old puppy who loves other dogs, kitties, and people. He is currently enrolled in Basic obedience- Manners 1 and is doing great! He knows to sit politely for his meals and is learning to walk on leash without pulling. The only thing this boy does not like is a crate. He’d much rather be with his person as much as possible!
Uma
Uma is an 8 month old mix of all the perfect things! She is spayed and utd on all medical. She LOVES other dogs of all ages and sizes. She has good basic obedience, and is currently enrolled in Basic obedience- Manners 1 and acing it! She is crate trained, polite in the house, snuggly and affectionate, and fun-fun-fun!
She is missing a back foot, but that doesn’t stop her from being a totally fun-loving, normal pup!
Odin
Odin came to us recently after being found abandoned and starving to death in a trailer.
He was so nervous the first two days with us that we couldn’t get a good read on him. But after settling in, he is now showing his personality. He is SMART, very affectionate and eager to please, has basic obedience, and loves his new routine; meals on time, walks in the woods, and playing “pop up” with his baseball or Kong.
He is good in the house. And we will test with other animals, but we aren’t going to rush that. This guy is GORGEOUS and HUGE. He’s got a lot of weight to gain, and is awaiting his neuter.
We will be looking for GSD savvy adopters- he’s not a first time dog kinda guy. You need to be familiar with the breed at least a bit, and open to working with his kind- big loyalty, big smarts, and big presence. You must have TIME for him. He is extremely special, and he needs someone who will take the time to connect, and be his forever steward.
Moxie
Moxie is a super sweet, but shy girl. She’s crate trained, food motivated, and is slowly learning how to be a social puppy. She’s very observant and a fast learner. She loves being in our Freedom pack at Northeast Equine Sanctuary and takes correction well from all of her older aunt and uncle dogs.
She can be a little protective of her food around other animals because she was not consistently fed and nurished as a young puppy, but she happily eats in her crate which eliminates any issue. We’ve seen this many times with starving puppies. When they’re fed on a consistent scheduled , the behavior dissipates. She is only 4 months old. She’s loving the consistent meal times and looks forward to eating. Pretty soon eating regularly wont feel like a novel situation for her.
Moxie is a wonderful puppy, she’s got some normal bursts of puppy antics, but is overall a pretty chill puppy. She likes to follow her person around the house, and receive kisses and cuddles once she’s comfortable. Her favorite friend is Ellie, she seems to favor female dogs- although she’s learned that Ozzie (our male 2 year old lab mix) is the fun one when she wants to play.
We are looking for someone who will continue to work with her alongside their own well adjusted dog, the way that we have, allowing her to be herself.
She’s a beautiful little puppy, looking for someone to give her a chance.
Freddie
Freddie is a one year old Great Pyrenees who comes from a typical neglect situation where he was outside on his own all the time, without care, guidance and consistent food.
He loves to go for rides in the car! He loves to spend time out in our big fence laying in the sun or the snow! And he is learning basic commands like “come Freddie!” He is also learning that everyone he meets here are friends and that humans can be fun!
He just had his first trip to the professional groomer which he has learned to absolutely love. He will need to go to be professionally groomed at least once every 4-5 months. He is floofy and gorgeous!!
He has liked all of the dogs that he has met here. He’s being neutered on May 2nd , after which he will be ready to go home.
We are looking for a home for Freddie where you have a big nicely fenced in yard so that he can go in and out and play in a secure fashion in any weather.
Until we find his perfect home, we will continue to work on basic obedience with positive reinforcement. He is loving and affectionate and appreciates a kind word and a kind touch. And he wants to be more than just a pretty face in his new family.
Ok with cats
Mary Jane
Mary Jane is a 6 year old “XL Bully” who was used as a breeder for the first five years of her life. She was essentially a walking puppy mill. We got her when the breeder would not pay for emergency surgery during what was her last, but very difficult labor.
She loves kids and she really likes the other dogs she’s met while with us so far. She is with other dogs everyday, and has met our kitty cats, although she is uncertain about them. She is easy to please, loves to snuggle, and is mostly a couch hippo.
This girl is extremely sweet and extremely affectionate. She would be a wonderful companion for almost any family. We will probably favor applications where there are no cats just because she is still uncertain about them and we want to keep things simple for her. She has lovely house manners. She is spayed and up to date.
Cats possible
Cassie
Cassie has a long history of neglect. She was found outside as a chained dog in a neglect case, and ended up at a shelter that was completely inundated and immediately put her on the euthanasia list. She came in overwhelmed and a little bit frightened, but very much receptive to a kind hand and a little snuggle. She LOVES to be close to someone, and she loves to play!
She has blossomed into a friendly little chunky monkey who just wants to snuggle and give kissies. She wants to remain a homebody, lap dog, in a quiet home. She’s looking for someone who’s happy to have a sort of introverted life. She is crate trained and very easy to be around. She’s friendly and social with all of the people she meets, but she’s not necessarily a super outgoing dog. She would be happy to sleep in her crate while someone goes to work, as long as it was followed by her person coming home and spending time with her. Other dogs make her a little bit nervous and defensive, so we want her to find a home as the only dog. She has no idea what to do with a cat. In her cat tests, she was not aggressive. But we are going to label her no cats at this time.
We need someone to give her a chance. She’ll be a little bit of a project, But most of what she needs to accomplish is through passive learning- just being allowed to be a house dog.
Not ok with cats
Ruthie
Ruthie came in from a neglect case where she was kennelled her entire young life. She was one of the lucky few hounds to make it out of the previous shelter. She came to us emaciated and needing medical attention. But she is now healthy and at a normal weight and learning how to do lots of things! Ruthie is crate trained and is making progress on potty-outside training, basic commands, and “being polite”. She’s extremely treat motivated and although she does not have a lot of basic obedience yet, she walks awesome on a leash and really enjoys being engaged and given learning opportunities. She’s a diamond in the rough , but anyone who knows hounds, knows they make great, fun-loving, joyful family companions. She is cat friendly! And yes, she does bay.
Ok with cats
Maddie Lou
Maddie Lou is a 11-12 year old 30 pound female dog who’s spayed and ready to go. She’s sweet-sweet-sweet and loves other dogs.
Even though she is an older dog she loves to play and she’s so agreeable with everyone she meets. She has an upbeat personality and is so easy. She’s also happy to be crated with a blanket and a toy and has good house manners. She was definitely a beloved family member at some point. We were told that she lived with someone who died and she was found in very poor condition. She is now gaining weight and waiting for someone to love her through her golden years.
We hope she’ll find someone to take her home and treat her like family for whatever time she has left- if her enthusiasm for life is any gauge of the time she has left she will be with you for a long time! She could live with a chill cat, but probably not a spunky cat. Would prefer not to have to navigate too much cat-culture.
Ok with cats? Depends…
Loki
Loki Is a 3-ish year old neutered Shiba Inu. He is extremely playful, fun and energetic.
We are looking for an adult only home for Loki and one that understands that he has one issue that needs to be managed- Loki gets very reactive around medical procedures, and grooming of nails. In these situations he needs to be lightly sedated or muzzled and this is a must. He will bite if someone comes at him with nail clippers or needles and he thinks he’s going to be forced to do something that he perceives as extremely scary. That’s literally his only issue- we know about it, we work around it here at the shelter, and we want to find someone who wants to take that on whole heartedly because even in spite of that issue, he is a really fun, sweet little dog. Making arrangements to adopt a dog like Loki will also mean that you have a veterinarian and/or groomer who is willing to work with a dog like him.
Loki could do well in a home with cats that are used to being around playful dogs. He tries to initiate play when they’re at his level, but moves on if they don’t reciprocate it. However, a nervous cat may not appreciate Loki’s presence. He also likes other dogs as well, although some dogs think his antics are extremely annoying.
He would be the perfect dog for an adult only home, where he has a little fence to run around to get his sillies out, with people who truly don’t mind making arrangements when it’s time for him to have procedures performed.
Ok with cats? Depends…
Gidget
Gidget, who we call Gidgy for short, is a 3 to 4 year old spayed dog who is so loyal and sweet and pleasant to spend time with. Want someone to keep you warm at night? Play ball with you in the back yard? Keep you company in the office? This is your girl!
She is a great listener and has pretty good basic obedience, including this cute little “beg” pose that she does when she’s offered a treat. She definitely had a home that spent some time with her as a puppy and she’s wondering where the heck they went. As we understand it, she got loose and was picked up by animal control but sat waiting for her family to come and get her, which they never did.
Gidgy is fine around other dogs in passing, but she doesn’t necessarily trust or enjoy all of them and so we are looking for a home where she can be the only dog. She has met cats at the sanctuary -she seems to think they are toys to play with. Although we believe she could learn overtime to cohabitate with one- to keep it simple for her, we’d like to find a home where she can start out as the only animal and just get settled again. The less she has to figure out the less chance she gets bounced- the last thing this poor loyal dog needs is to get her heart broken again.
She would be a great dog for a home with kids, as she loves people of all ages (kids who, as we always say, are well behaved).
Not ok with cats.
Lucky
Lucky is an 8 year old mix, full of fun loving affection. Well trained and loving to be part of anything social- she mastered basic obedience 1-3 and was class superstar!
She is good with some dogs but can get too excited and a little noodgey. She is great on leash and is polite in pulic social environments. She can meet other dogs nicely, but she’s a bit too quick to overreact if another dog gets up in her grill in a way she doesn’t understand.
We’d love to find her a home where she can be the only animal- not because she absolutely has to be, but because it would be nice for her to have all of the attention while she gets used to a new routine, settles in and finally reacclimates to homelife.
She loves kids, toys, people, couches, car rides, and adventures.
Not ok with cats.
Scout
Scout is a lively younger dog, around 3 years old. She is 40 pounds, and has some boxer in her mix. She is pretty good with other dogs who are dog social and like to play, but we would like her to start off as the only dog or maybe potentially buddy up with a male dog.
Scout is an athletic girl who would love to learn how to be a jogging buddy, but if jogging isn’t your style she’d be happy to curl up on a couch with you and chew on a kong. She came in pretty green, and she is working with a trainer right now to learn how to loose walk on leash, basic commands, and play games!
She is learning to like the car, because here the car brings her to nice places! She loves people of all ages. And she’s been good with all of the cats that she has met, although they do seem new to her.
She is very trainable; she is food motivated and also responds well to general praise and encouragement. She won’t enter her new home knowing all the things that might be expected of her, but she will be worth the investment of time. She is crate trained and knows to potty outside. She’d enjoy a life where she can have access to a fence or regular rigorous walks- really the combination of the two would be perfect, but one or the other is fine. She loves the water, loves to play fetch the stick, and her favorite treats are whimsies.
Scouty is a great family dog.
Potential to live with cats
Macy
Macy is a 50 lb, two-year-old husky mix who has beautiful heterochromatic eyes and a fun upbeat personality. She knows how to sit before her meals and is working on some simple basic obedience- she’s a very smart girl!
She has a good heart and would make a really nice companion. She needs to continue learning how to walk loose leash… but we have started her on that learning goal and she’s doing well!
She didn’t have the best start in life- someone dumped her at a southern shelter and she was transported up to New England by someone who then dumped her because they weren’t ready to have a younger dog in their house. Then she was passed on to a person who hired a trainer who used adversives with her and when she came to us, although she was still surprisingly upbeat, she was very confused by humans and was nervous, easily distracted, and needing a good decompression/rest.
She is now settled in and sits quietly in her crate waiting for outings. She loves a nice treat and a fun toy. She does tease the other dogs and they seem to think she’s a little bit annoying. We would like to find her a home where she can be the only dog for a bit and get all of the attention.
Cat test pending