The new owner of Haggett Hill Kennel Sallie Albert (right) stands beside longtime employee Devin Jones outside of the Edgecomb kennel. Albert has started a program called New Leash on Life Recovery and Rescue which aims to house pets from people who face homelessness, need mental health and substance use treatment, and or are in a domestic violence situation. The program will also feature a recovery house for recently incarcerated women with substance use disorders to help them get back on their feet. (Christina Wallace photo)
For the new owner of Haggett Hill Kennel, at 93 Dodge Road in Edgecomb, entering recovery shouldn’t mean having to surrender beloved pets.
Sallie Albert, of Kennebunk, established New Leash on Life Recovery and Rescue in October 2025, a program that will board pets at Haggett Hill Kennel from people who face homelessness, people who need mental health and substance use treatment, and those in domestic violence situations.
According to Albert, the program will run alongside Haggett Hill Kennel’s regular boarding services for cats and dogs.
Albert, chief executive officer and owner of Alternative Correctional Healthcare in Brunswick, said her experience contracting out to seven jails throughout Maine inspired her to start a program where people facing hard times could board their dog without having to surrender them.
“It first struck me when one of my nurses called me … and we had a patient come in that had two dogs at home,” Albert said. “They didn’t want to let anyone know because they didn’t want to surrender their dogs.”
Albert said when she discovered Haggett Hill Kennel was for sale, she felt the location would be the right fit to start this program.
“I can’t imagine having to lose my pet,” Albert said. “I can’t imagine being in a bad situation, being homeless, needing mental health treatment, needing substance use treatment, and having to surrender him. I would be devastated. It would be the worst thing ever.”
According to Albert, she closed on the property in October 2025 and has been running the kennel since.
Anyone who knows of an animal that might be at risk of being surrendered can contact her to come get the dog and provide boarding, she said.
Dog kennels line the walls of Haggett Hill Kennel, at 93 Dodge Road in Edgecomb. Business owner Sallie Albert has established a program called New Leash on Life Recovery and Rescue. Through the program, Haggett Hill Kennel will board cats and dogs for people in need to prevent them from having to surrender their animal. (Christina Wallace photo)
“If they come into that situation where the person doesn’t want to surrender their dogs, I’ll come get the dog and I’ll bring them here,” Albert said.
The program includes a recovery house for recently incarcerated women facing drug addiction, which officially opened the week of March 22, and includes a house manager and room for five women to live.
According to Albert, she had been looking for a place to develop a recovery house because she saw a need for women in particular to receive specialized treatment from drug addiction in Lincoln County.
The house adjacent to Haggett Hill Kennel, where the previous owner Deb Sandmeier used to live, underwent renovations to turn it into a house suitable for multiple residents to live in.
Albert said the goal is to house women who are in recovery from drug addiction and provide them with mental health and substance use therapies, support, and assistance with job hunting.
“I’m going to do resume building here, and then I have another individual who’s going to come in and do trauma informed yoga,” Albert said.
There will be a full-time recovery manager living at the house to be a point of contact for the residents and provide support, said Albert.
Albert said she is in the process of getting licensed with the state to take in rescue dogs, and wants to eventually incorporate animal assisted recovery in the program.
“For a rescue, that is the perfect situation,” said employee Devin Jones. “They are socializing with different people, and for whatever reason women resonate better with (rescue dogs) than men, so it’s so much better for the dogs.”
Since finishing renovations, Albert said she will be taking referrals from the Maine State Prison, Maine Correctional Center, jails, and shelters to bring women in and provide them with resources to get them to a better place in life.
“My goal is to get them in a better spot,” Albert said.
For more information on both Haggett Hill Kennel and New Leash on Life Recovery and Rescue, call 882-6709, email haggetthillkennel@gmail.com, or go to haggetthillkennel.com.
The adjacent house to Haggett Hill Kennel is being renovated to become a recovery house for recently incarcerated women. The new owner, Sallie Albert, said the goal is to house six women who are in recovery from drug addiction and provide them with mental health and substance use therapies, support, and assistance with job hunting. Albert said she hopes to open the house in February. (Christina Wallace photo)
