When Hope Pauses: Dozer & Minnie Are Still Waiting

Sometimes rescue feels like holding your breath—right when you think you’re about to exhale, life changes course.

This week, we experienced one of those moments.

Dozer and Minnie had an application approved. A meet-and-greet was scheduled. We were already imagining them curled up on a couch, wrapped in the warmth of a home, celebrating Christmas exactly where they belong. And then, quietly and respectfully, the applicant let us know they could no longer move forward.

We want to be very clear: we fully respect that decision. Life happens, and choosing not to adopt when the timing isn’t right is an act of honesty and responsibility. There is no anger here—just sadness. The kind that settles in slowly when hope has to be put back on the shelf.

Because we wanted this so badly for them.

Their Story Matters

Dozer and Minnie didn’t come to rescue through neglect or abandonment. They came to us from a loving New Hampshire family who faced an impossible season—divorce, moving, and the heartbreaking realization that keeping their dogs was no longer possible. Making the choice to surrender beloved pets is never easy, and it’s one of the reasons we are proud to be one of the few rescues in the area that accepts owner surrenders and helps families locally.

Keeping dogs safe sometimes means stepping in before things fall apart. That’s what happened here.

Dozer and Minnie arrived confused, bonded, and deeply attached to one another. They had each other—but everything else had changed.

Gentle Souls with So Much Love Left

These two are senior pups, but don’t let that word fool you. They are in great health, full of personality, and experts in the art of cuddling. They love soft places, warm laps, and playful moments that remind you joy doesn’t disappear with age—it just slows into something sweeter.

They do well with kids and cats, and while they can coexist around other dogs, they would truly thrive as the only dogs in the home, soaking up all the love and attention they’ve always known.

They’re the kind of dogs who don’t ask for much—just consistency, kindness, and a place to belong.

A Second Chance, Fully Supported

Thanks to an incredibly generous anonymous donor, Dozer and Minnie’s adoption fee is fully covered. They will also go home with food and supplies, because we want their transition to be as smooth and supported as possible.

What they need now isn’t money.

It’s a home.

Still Hoping

We won’t pretend this didn’t hurt. It did. We wanted to tell you they were home for Christmas. We wanted to close the chapter with joy and certainty.

Instead, we’re sitting in the quiet space between hope and waiting—holding faith that the right person hasn’t missed them yet. That somewhere, someone is meant to read this and feel that pull in their chest that says, “That’s my dogs.”

Dozer and Minnie are still here.

Still together.

Still ready.

And we will keep believing in their second chance—until it finds them.

If you think that chance could be with you, please reach out.