A fluffy white dog lies on a patterned blanket against a plain white brick wall.

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Yesterday afternoon, we received an emergency call from a local Animal Control Officer. She was working with someone who needed to surrender several large dogs immediately, and they needed somewhere safe to go. We said we would take every dog who needed us. Within a few hours, five Great Pyrenees arrived at our shelter: two adults, a 10-month-old girl, and two little girls just 5 months old. All five were so scared and shutdown that they had to be carried into the building. Three had been living entirely outside, sharing one doghouse. The two youngest puppies had been confined to a whelping box since birth. None had ever been to a veterinarian, and all were deeply uncomfortable around people. They didn&rsquo;t know what a leash was or understand how to walk with one. Once inside, they tucked themselves into the corners of their kennels, turning their faces away and trying to stay as far from us as possible. They wouldn&rsquo;t eat or drink and even treats and peanut butter couldn&rsquo;t convince them to turn toward us. It is heartbreaking to stand beside a dog you want so badly to comfort and realize they don&rsquo;t yet understand that you&rsquo;re there to help. We wish we could tell them that they&rsquo;re safe now. That they can rest. That there are so many people who already care about them, even without having met them. For now, we&rsquo;ll show them in the little ways we can. A kind voice, a meal left nearby, sitting quietly with them, without asking for anything in return. Giving them all the time they need to realize they&rsquo;re safe with us. That is exactly what we are here for. There is so much ahead for these five. Each needs a full medical exam, and we&rsquo;re still learning what their care will involve. For the youngest puppies especially, we need to understand how growing up in confinement has affected them and whether they&rsquo;ll need specialized care throughout their lives. We knew this would be a long road before they arrived. Seeing just how frightened they were, only made us more certain. And they are far from the only ones. These five arrived after six other dogs had already been surrendered this week through urgent, difficult situations in our community. Two more dogs are arriving today, followed by 17 kittens tomorrow, from overcrowded, high-kill shelters where they desperately needed a way out. Including those arriving this weekend, that is more than 40 animals welcomed into our care in just one week. More than 40 animals needing a safe place to land. Medical care. Full bellies. Clean blankets and beds. And someone to help them feel like everything will be okay. We wouldn&rsquo;t change our decision to help any of them. But a week like this asks so much of our shelter, and we need your help. Most of these animals will need spay or neuter surgery in addition to their exams and routine care. We don&rsquo;t yet know what else those exams will uncover, and these five sweet dogs will need so much support as they begin to heal, settle in, and learn how to simply be dogs. If you&rsquo;re able, please make a donation today. Your kindness will help us care for them through all of it, from their first veterinary visit to the day they finally feel comfortable leaning into a gentle hand. If you&rsquo;ve been considering fostering, and live in New Hampshire, we would love to hear from you. A patient, loving home can make such a difference for an animal who is overwhelmed by the world. And if you&rsquo;re ready to adopt, welcoming an animal into your family makes room for us to help another. Everything has happened so quickly, and we&rsquo;ll share more as we get to know these dogs and learn what they need. In less than 24 hours, we&rsquo;ve already seen a little reason to hope: the two youngest puppies have started wagging their tails. Such a small thing. But after the start they&rsquo;ve had, it means so much. We&rsquo;ll continue sharing updates as we learn more about their needs and help them take their next steps. For now, please help us show these five dogs that their lives can be different from here on out. These five don&rsquo;t know yet what it feels like to be part of a family. Please help us give them the chance to find out. <a fr-original-style="" href="https://popememorialcvhs.org/adopt/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Learn more about adopting here</a> <a fr-original-style="" href="https://popememorialcvhs.org/volunteer/foster-care/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Learn more about fostering here</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1791572803/wysiwyg/dcwx6lnlterkcxwcakty.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">

Yesterday afternoon, we received an emergency call from a local Animal Control Officer. She was working with someone who needed to surrender several large dogs immediately, and they needed somewhere safe to go. We said we would take every dog who needed us. Within a few hours, five Great Pyrenees arrived at our shelter: two adults, a 10-month-old girl, and two little girls just 5 months old. All five were so scared and shutdown that they had to be carried into the building. Three had been living entirely outside, sharing one doghouse. The two youngest puppies had been confined to a whelping box since birth. None had ever been to a veterinarian, and all were deeply uncomfortable around people. They didn’t know what a leash was or understand how to walk with one. Once inside, they tucked themselves into the corners of their kennels, turning their faces away and trying to stay as far from us as possible. They wouldn’t eat or drink and even treats and peanut butter couldn’t convince them to turn toward us. It is heartbreaking to stand beside a dog you want so badly to comfort and realize they don’t yet understand that you’re there to help. We wish we could tell them that they’re safe now. That they can rest. That there are so many people who already care about them, even without having met them. For now, we’ll show them in the little ways we can. A kind voice, a meal left nearby, sitting quietly with them, without asking for anything in return. Giving them all the time they need to realize they’re safe with us. That is exactly what we are here for. There is so much ahead for these five. Each needs a full medical exam, and we’re still learning what their care will involve. For the youngest puppies especially, we need to understand how growing up in confinement has affected them and whether they’ll need specialized care throughout their lives. We knew this would be a long road before they arrived. Seeing just how frightened they were, only made us more certain. And they are far from the only ones. These five arrived after six other dogs had already been surrendered this week through urgent, difficult situations in our community. Two more dogs are arriving today, followed by 17 kittens tomorrow, from overcrowded, high-kill shelters where they desperately needed a way out. Including those arriving this weekend, that is more than 40 animals welcomed into our care in just one week. More than 40 animals needing a safe place to land. Medical care. Full bellies. Clean blankets and beds. And someone to help them feel like everything will be okay. We wouldn’t change our decision to help any of them. But a week like this asks so much of our shelter, and we need your help. Most of these animals will need spay or neuter surgery in addition to their exams and routine care. We don’t yet know what else those exams will uncover, and these five sweet dogs will need so much support as they begin to heal, settle in, and learn how to simply be dogs. If you’re able, please make a donation today. Your kindness will help us care for them through all of it, from their first veterinary visit to the day they finally feel comfortable leaning into a gentle hand. If you’ve been considering fostering, and live in New Hampshire, we would love to hear from you. A patient, loving home can make such a difference for an animal who is overwhelmed by the world. And if you’re ready to adopt, welcoming an animal into your family makes room for us to help another. Everything has happened so quickly, and we’ll share more as we get to know these dogs and learn what they need. In less than 24 hours, we’ve already seen a little reason to hope: the two youngest puppies have started wagging their tails. Such a small thing. But after the start they’ve had, it means so much. We’ll continue sharing updates as we learn more about their needs and help them take their next steps. For now, please help us show these five dogs that their lives can be different from here on out. These five don’t know yet what it feels like to be part of a family. Please help us give them the chance to find out. <a href="https://popememorialcvhs.org/adopt/" target="_blank">Learn more about adopting here</a> <a href="https://popememorialcvhs.org/volunteer/foster-care/" target="_blank">Learn more about fostering here</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1791572803/wysiwyg/dcwx6lnlterkcxwcakty.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;position:relative;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" />

Pope Memorial Humane Society - Cocheco Valley

Five shutdown dogs. More than 40 animals in one week. And a very big need for your help.

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