Maria Lowe of Bristol gets a kiss from Snoopy during The Maine Dog Rescues holiday pop-up event at the Good Things Thrift and Craft Shop in Waldoboro on Saturday, Dec. 20. I am definitely a dog lover, Lowe said. I just want to take them all home. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
The Good Things Thrift and Craft Shop in Waldoboro was a hive of activity on the Saturday before Christmas. And smack in the center, in a wire enclosure in front of an 8-foot Christmas tree bedecked with ornaments, sat Snoopy and Peanut.
Snoopy is a young black and white terrier mix brought to Maine from a shelter in northwest Florida. He was excited to meet everyone who came near and shoppers responded to his engaging personality with pettings, back scratches, and occasional kisses.
Peanut is a purebred poodle, surrendered by a previous owner who could no longer care for her. She was more tentative than Snoopy, curious but cautious, rewarding patient dog lovers with a gentle sniff of their hands.
Both dogs were brought to the Maine Dog Rescue’s pop-up event in the hopes that they might find an adoptive family and a home for the holidays.
Raechelle Haynes stopped by the pop-up with her 9-year-old daughter. She said she started fostering dogs so animal-loving Skylar could see what it would be like to have a pet before making a full-time commitment. They have already fostered two puppies.
“That first time was a little hard,” Haynes said. But she believes that fostering provides an important service to animals in need.
While the initial impetus to foster came from Skylar, Raechelle Haynes enjoyed the experience too. She said it added accountability and structure to family life and “I didn’t realize how much I missed snuggling with fur babies at night.”
The Maine Dog Rescue is a newer rescue organization in the state, founded six months ago by Mariah Maheux and Emily Hintz. They are experienced animal advocates who wanted to provide a bridge between overflowing animal shelters and overwhelmed dog owners to a network of foster volunteers and ultimately a permanent home where dogs can find stability, safety and love.
The Maine Dog Rescue is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization, insured and licensed by the state. It is not a shelter, but a growing network of foster homes throughout Maine where dogs are cared for while Maheux and Hintz reach out to potential adopters.
They partner with NFR Maine, a rescue organization that transports at-risk dogs north from Florida shelters. They have a strong focus on helping with local owner-surrenders as well.
“I think owner-surrenders are probably the hardest for me. Those dogs have lived in those homes,” Maheux said.
And sometimes owners change their minds.
“They don’t want to give the dog up and that’s hard,” Maheux said. “To have to leave that dog, knowing it’s probably best if they were in a different situation. But you go to bed at night knowing that you at least tried. You put your best foot forward and you tried.”
In those cases Maheux tries to suggest resources to help the owner address the issue that prompted the surrender whether it be support, training, financial assistance, or some other need.
The Maine Dog Rescue currently works with 10 foster families and Maheux and Hintz have rescued approximately 30 dogs in the short time they have been operating.
They pride themselves on the support they provide their foster families. The rescue covers the cost of food and supplies, as well as all medical expenses including vaccinations, medications and spay and neuter surgeries.
And they are careful of the very real risk of foster burn-out.
“We take things slow and we really focus on making sure that our fosters and volunteers are heard,” Maheux said. “We know our limits, and we know our foster’s limits, and our volunteers’ limits, and we make sure we honor that.”
She knows it’s not always easy for foster families but said reward that comes “as soon as you get the first update from the adopters and you know that you helped save a life.”
While the adoption pop-up was not a typical event for the store, Good Things Manager Katie Deabler said it “worked out really well because it got them some exposure and it brought some new people through the door. It was a win-win for everyone.”
She hopes to host another adoption pop-up in the spring. Outside this time, with room for more dogs.
Maheux is on board for another Waldoboro event too. Raffle and merchandise sales helped raise $1,500 for medical procedures for two dogs currently in foster care and Maheux said she received several applications from potential foster homes.
But most important?
“We got an application on Snoopy,” she said.
For more information on The Maine Dog Rescue, go to mainedogrescue.org/adopt.
(Bisi Cameron Yee is a freelance photojournalist based in Nobleboro. To contact her, email cameronyeephotography@gmail.com.)
