Our Story
A New Hampshire Based Non-Profit Foster and Facility-Based Dog Rescue
How It All Got Started
Several years ago, we were looking to adopt a young dog to add to our family. As we visited shelters around New Hampshire, we noticed that not only were there no puppies but there were several empty kennels as well. In most parts of the country this is unheard of. Many of the shelters we visited advised us to look for a puppy on PetFinder. Through Petfinder we adopted a dog from a rescue organization in Alabama and soon became involved in assisting several southern rescues in placing rescue dogs from the South. Alabama and other southern states are overwhelmed with the number of homeless pets, with approximately 10,000 cats and dogs being destroyed every day.
Approximately six to eight million animals enter shelters on a yearly basis. Most of these animals do not get adopted and are euthanized. Whether you want to volunteer, adopt, foster or donate goods or dollars, we are grateful for any support you can provide. ADOPT DON'T SHOP!
Our Mission
Our mission here at Peace and Paws is to match the world’s best dogs with the world’s best people. We are committed to improving the lives of these animals, supporting spay and neuter education and trap-neuter-and-return programs and continually finding ways to preserve the well-being of these rescued animals. We are a non-profit, primarily volunteer and foster-based rescue committed to saving our treasured friends from high-kill shelters.
Peace and Paws is a 501 (c)3 nonprofit dog rescue that began as the result of our own adoption experience. We started Peace and Paws by going through the adoption process ourselves (a lot like what you are doing now). We adopted a phenomenal dog from Alabama and wanted to make more of a difference for these incredible and deserving dogs.
We have successfully adopted more than 3,000 dogs - and counting - thanks to the help of our southern partners. We couldn't do what we do without them. Through our rescue work with Peace and Paws, we saw a need for safe, reliable transportation for the dogs and founded Rescue Riders Transport in 2008. From 2008 to 2014 Rescue Riders transported thousands of dogs from the south. Our dream of opening an adoption center of our own - The Ruff House Retreat - came to fruition in the spring of 2014. At that time our Rescue Riders services became private and dedicated to transport of Peace & Paws dogs only.
We have met so many wonderful people along the way. Our rescue partners, adopters, volunteers, foster parents and donors are the backbone of Peace and Paws. The Peace and Paws family is a team of many who all share two very specific goals: To help as many homeless dogs as possible and give adopters a positive rescue experience. It has been - and continues to be - an amazing, inspiring and rewarding journey that we would not trade for the world.
With Gratitude,
Melissa & Bo Hannon
