New England Puppy Rescue solidifies its home base
- John Fitts
- May 30
- 7 min read
By John Fitts
Staff Writer
The first mission of any rescue is to save animals but for Marissa Squires, President and Founder of New England Puppy Rescue, the details – including intake care, foster home acclimation and the adoption process – matter greatly.
To that end, the non-profit organization recently debuted a 3,000 square-foot Rescue Facility & Adoption Center in the Canton Green Plaza in Canton.
“Our mission has always been to save the most vulnerable puppies and set the standard for what responsible rescue can look like,” said Squires. “This new facility allows us to expand that mission, build stronger connections with the community, and make sure more puppies have the chance to find their forever homes.”
Included in the space are adoption rooms, a fully stocked veterinary clinic, intake areas, enrichment spaces, plenty of room for fundraising events and, of course, areas where families can meet their newest cuddly friends.
Much of the Rescue Facility & Adoption Center space was formerly home to Dogology, the retail business owned by Squires.
And while New England Puppy Rescue had previously utilized some of the area, the relocation of Dogology to Avon and a subsequent raising of some $60,000 – with the help of many very generous donors – allowed the organization to upgrade and expand its space.
“This new Rescue Facility & Adoption Center is the result of an incredible amount of community support,” said Squires.
That allows the organization to utilize the area in so many ways and some of that is community based. While visits to the facility are generally by appointment, Squires is excited to welcome the public to events, many of which will benefit the rescue while offering people a little puppy pick-me-up.
The rescue, for example, hosts “Puppy Fix” events, which give people the chance to support the organization in exchange for time with little cuties. Refreshments and fun are included and sometimes activities such as yoga are part of the mix as well.
Squires also foresees hosting alumni get-togethers and other engaging events.
And, of course, the space gives the organization the room it needs for tasks such as intake and puppy care.
“We have an in-house veterinary clinic, which just means we have everything that we need in house - from testing to medications to treatments to hospitalization –to treat every issue that not only arises but that’s within our protocols,” Squires said.
For Squires, it’s also extremely important that people feel comfortable with the adoption process and an upgraded facility allows a space where families can relax and ensure that a puppy is a good fit. She feels having such a hub goes a long way toward stability and transparency. The rescue experience does matter.
“We are so excited to finally have our facility in Canton. … to invite people in, to meet us, to feel like there’s a transparency there and a legitimacy there,” Squires said. “Here, you’re coming somewhere that’s not going away and meeting us and looking us in the eye and having this conversation about the puppy that you’re adopting.”
Within the revamped facility is The River Room, which includes an intimate space where people can sit with their new family member.
River was a blue nose Pit Bull that belonged to Squires and her fiancée. River, just 12 when he passed in June of 2025, changed the face of the rescue.
He and his sister were just four weeks old when they were found by the side of the road, in Berlin, in 2012.
Squires didn’t initial plan to adopt River into her own family, but things worked out that way after two would-be placements fell through.
“The beautiful thing about the whole story is that [River] ended up turning into our puppy raiser,” Squires said. “So, we had all this knowledge. People would start calling us and say ‘hey, we have these abandoned puppies’ or ‘these puppies left in a box that are underage; they don’t have a mom; please help us,’” Squires said. “So, that really skyrocketed my research on orphan puppies. … how you nutritionally care for them, behaviorally care for them, because they don’t have another dog to learn from. They need extra help both nutritionally, but certainly behaviorally, on appropriate boundaries and rules and socialization.”
And then River began helping with that process in ways Squire never could.
“He was kind and loving but also gave them boundaries and showed them how they should be acting,” Squires said. “So, I always say he taught them things we could never teach them. Humans are really doing their best to live in a dog world, but a dog already does it.”
Even more amazingly, perhaps, Squires found another Pit Bull, Ruthie – who will be 2 this summer – that learned from River and is now continuing his legacy.
Squires came into animal care circa 2008 after working in the finance industry. She began in the veterinary field, became a technician and earned a degree in canine massage therapy, according to her biography. Working at Progressive Animal Wellness expanded her experience in a practice that combined a holistic approach with more traditional veterinary practices. And with the Dogology business and the non-profit rescue, she and her teams have learned a lot over the years.
Still, the rescue is relatively small and averages 200 to 250 puppies per year, most under 6 months old.
It was approximately four years ago that the rescue, which started in 2010, re-branded to its current name to reflect its specific mission.
Squires said there are a lot of misconceptions about rescuing and adopting out puppies.
“We always say what people don’t understand is just the true overpopulation crisis and puppies actually take more time and resources than adult dogs,” she said. “They might be easier to adopt out in theory but when they’re in a shelter full of disease, they’re more susceptible to that and they take more time to take care of from the shelter staff. So, they’re actually some of the first on the euthanasia list, just because of time and resources.”
Out of state versus in-state rescue is another hot topic and while NEPR does work with Southern based rescue organizations, it also adopts from local shelters and agencies, as well as through its owner surrender program.
“I do think it’s important to note that we are focusing more locally. We’ve had about 45% of the saves this year with puppies just from Connecticut, which is actually really sad because we’ve never really run into that,” Squires said.
The rescue is also looking to do its part, educating the public and working to help stem the problem.
“We’re starting a spay-neuter grant program,” Squires said. “So, what that means is we’re going to have an application on our website where families that are struggling can apply, and we will sponsor a spay or a neuter. We’re starting with one a month just because that’s the ability. We’re hoping to grow the program. There’s a new spay-neuter clinic in Winsted called Noble Deeds that is setting aside a slot of month for us till the end of the year.”
“What we want is to stop the cycle. We want to stop, where we can, the overpopulation crisis and if that means we’re starting slow and fixing one dog a month, hey that’s one less that’s going to have an oops litter.”
Through that and other efforts, it’s important to work with people in a non-judgmental manner and Squires knows that so many are struggling economically, which can sometimes lead to situations that are less than ideal.
“We have transparency; we have a facility, but we really want to do more outreach in terms of helping people [that are] struggling,” Squires said.
Like many rescues, NEPR is foster-based and has some 40 foster homes – although they are not all active all the time as some people foster more often than others.
“We are a foster home-based rescue, which is what we believe in,” Squires said. “We always say we don’t want to take them from one bad shelter and put them in a better shelter. We want them to get into a home environment because that’s best for them, stress wise, decompression wise. They always go for a minimum of a week, if not two weeks, into a foster home after they arrive so we can get to know them.”
“When they live in a home environment and they’re hearing the sights and the smells and the comings and the goings; foster homes really get a good sense of what a match would be for this puppy, which we think is really important.”
The organization is all volunteer, including Squires, the foster parents, and head veterinarian, Dr. Kat Blakeley. About 14 additional people volunteer at the facility, cleaning, meeting adopters, maintaining spaces, and attending events.
Rescue can be overwhelming. Several national organizations estimated the number of euthanized dogs in the United States at more than 300,000 annually.
“I think the hard part about it is just the need,” Squires said. “It really does feel like just a drop in the bucket. So, sometimes when you’re so exhausted, it’s hard.”
But ultimately, she knows NEPR is doing good.
“It enriches my life in more ways than it exhausts me,” Squires said, adding that it in incredible to see the change in the puppies and adopted families.
And Squires wants to see the organization grow further and rescue more puppies. At the same time, nobody benefits if the work does not stay manageable.
“We’re small. It’s not how we want it because we’re growing but we grow very slowly [so] we’re not compromising our policies and procedures just to do more,” Squires said. “We are always quality over quantity because. … We want rescue to be positively looked at, and we believe in what we believe in.”
Squires also wants to further strengthen local connections.
“We’re always trying to think of, not only how we can save all of these lives and more lives, but how can we pull the community in?” Squires said.
And Squires appreciates everyone who supports the effort, whether it’s fostering, adopting, volunteering, talking to neighbors, buying a ticket to an event or spreading the word on social media.
“I feel like this year we need to feel good, right? And you know it feels good to give back and it feels good to be a part of something that’s making a difference in this world no matter what capacity,” Squires said. VL
To follow New England Puppy Rescue, visit
• Adoption Inquires: adopt@newenglandpuppyrescue.com• Other inquires: info@newenglandpuppyrescue.com
