Forever Home Rescue New England

Woof! Woof! Woof! (That’s from my new furry friend!)
And I’ve got nothing to say but good things about FHRNE!
(OK, maybe I do… they wouldn’t let me take ALL the dogs home with me – I asked).
Yes, I second everyone else’s opinion that rescuing a shelter dog is harder than becoming a billionaire and running for president… but, somehow based on how I feel about people, guns and driving compared to dogs and animal welfare, it should be way harder to get a dog than any of the above.
I’ve witnessed first hand the steps that FRFNE takes to make sure that both the families and the pooches are in the best situations. Their post adoption follow up is amazing! I witnessed how they took care of a pet and a family situation years after the adoption.
Of course I’ve had experience with a few shelters with previous pets and before getting my puppy from them. Top concern is for the pets at all places, but this place is actually nice to the humans too.
Please, if you want a new family member, stick with it with this group. Show up at their open houses and try your hardest not to take all the dogs home with you. If they don’t approve you at first, it’s because they know what they are doing. Volunteer and show them that you’ve got what it take to be a great forever home.
Don’t ever buy a pet store or puppy mill dog… All dogs are great, but rescue dogs make you feel good!
(Special thanks to Pam, Julie, Lexi and Joanne)

I am a huge animal lover. All my dogs have been rescues, and have brought so much joy to my family! I had some free time and decided to volunteer I contacted FHR and am now one of their volunteers. I am Absolutely Amazed by this shelter!!! So incredibly well run, very clean, The dogs are loved and cared for… I do not know anything about their adoption process… But I am very impressed by the compassionate staff, volunteers and the entire facility

It’s befuddling how this organization transacts business. We recently passed all adoption criteria with flying colors and were ready to meet our potential pet. We were interested in a particular dog, and were told that she was being re-​placed, seemingly because she was a poor fit for the family up here in New England that adopted her some months ago. Over the course of nearly a week, I spent copious time speaking with the current owner and FHR. My references, including the vet we use, took time out of their days to entertain this process by answering their questions and telling them what responsible pet owners we are. In the end, FHR was ready to take several hundred dollars from us to adopt this pet, and yet the owner was brokering her own adoption separately. We were not allowed to meet the dog at all. I’m sure FHR does wonderful things in removing at-​risk dogs from tenuous situations. However, FHR should consider tightening up their representation policies so that potential adopters and their references don’t end up spending a lot of valuable time and emotional energy on an adoption that is not going to happen.

NEVER USE THIS GROUP .EVER !!!
Today they put down a sweet dog, Rosie because they did not want to deal with her. They did not even bother to call the woman who had to give her up (who had fostered her) She had issues with males but her person would have been willing to take her back if she even thought this would have happened. THEY ARE DOG KILLERS. Period. This was not the only option Forever Homes had. Rosie became aggressive in the car when the new foster family tried to get her out of it. She didn’t know where she was, didn’t know what was going on so they called Forever Homes who DECIDED ON THE SPOT, instead of working with her, or calling her first foster family TO PUT HER DOWN!!! WTF!!! They just drove her to Tufts and killed her. I can not tell you how sad and horrified I am that they did this. There was at least 5 people in Cambridge that would have taken Rosie if they even thought this would happpen. This was something that they knew. The first foster family told them that if there were any issues with Rosie that they would take her back in a hear beat. Instead of making one LITTLE PHONE CALL THEY DECIDED TO KILL HER!!! Unbelievable!!! If you do adopt a dog from this kill shelter, never bring them back there if there are any issues because they will put your dog down in a heartbeat.

Although we ended up adopting through nashua humane society, this group was great. Very warm, supportive, patient, and not holier than thou as some of these rescue groups can be. Really love the dogs and provide full and complete and honest info about them. Highly recommend.

A few years ago, we adopted our pup through this organization. We were first-​time adopters, although we had both had dogs growing up. My husband wanted to get a puppy, and I insisted on a shelter dog. The spay and neuter programs in MA are so effective, it’s difficult to find a puppy in a local shelter. Therefore, we started looking at pups from the South through some local shelters.
Several rescue organizations we applied to made it extremely difficult to adopt a pup. Do we have a fenced-​in yard? Nope. That excluded us from several off the bat. Another one wanted us to agree to take the puppy sight unseen. When I asked what we would be able to do if the puppy, for some reason, was not a good fit, I was told we would have to surrender the dog to a local shelter; once we adopted the dog, the rescue organization was not responsible. This also did not seem like a good system to me.
Then we came across Forever Home Rescue. Their website had lots of great info, and they had a wide array of sizes and ages of pups available for adoption. We also liked that this rescue has a 2 week trial period for each dog; if you, for any reason, find the dog you have adopted does not fit your family or lifestyle, the rescue will take the dog back into their care. While we did not plan on needing this, it’s nice to know that someone who already knows the dog is available for a Plan B. We quickly found a puppy who seemed like he would be a good match for us, and inquired about him. We received prompt correspondence via email, and shortly after that a phone interview with one of the volunteers. They asked about our jobs, work schedule, lifestyle, availability of sidewalks and parks, and experience with dogs. They then asked to schedule a home visit. This seemed strange, but we agreed. I was afraid they’d see we didn’t have a fenced-​in yard and that would be the end of it, but the volunteer came by with her own 2 dogs and walked around our house, looked at our yard, chatted with us, and was in and out in 10 minutes. No big deal.
After we got approved to adopt our little guy, he arrived from Mississippi and had to remain in quarantine for 2 days before we picked him up (this is a MA state law). We paid a $ 450 adoption fee, but he came neutered, microchipped, and fully vaccinated. This fee also covered his transportation fee from Miss. My husband and I thought this fee was more than fair. He was full of energy and super friendly. The rescue gave us all his paperwork for his medical care he received while in his foster home and we took him home.
Since his adoption 3 years ago, we continue to receive emails from this rescue with tips about dog ownership and contact info should we need help with anything pertaining to our dog’s care. They really seem to be there to support you throughout your rescue dog’s lifespan, not just in the immediate post-​adoption period. We can’t say enough about this organization. They are wonderful people to work with, and I am so grateful to them for hooking me up with my best friend!

After losing our beloved Dash (see my profile pic, I can’t bear to change it) after 12 plus years as her owner, we thought we would wait a few months to adopt again– but we were so sad and our house felt empty! We had adopted Dash from Buddy Dog before we were even married and kids were not even on the horizon, but now with two young kids, we wanted a dog that had been exposed to kids already, and because of our work schedules, we wanted a dog that was a «teen» and was housebroken.
After hearing two great recommendations by people who had adopted through Forever Home, we went with them! The approval process was quite comprehensive, and included reference checks. We were not willing to reserve a dog without meeting it first, which somewhat limited our options, as about half of their available dogs are pre-​reserved by people up in Mass while the dog is still living in a foster home in the south.
With all of these «conditions» we identified two dogs that seemed like a great fit. Nico was claimed right before we requested him, but Lucy, a hound mix, was still available. My husband went and met her the day after she came up from Tennessee, and brought her home that day. She is adorable! At the foster homes in the South, the dogs live outside. So, she has had a little adjusting to do to indoor living (and we have had to train ourselves to put shoes in a closet to prevent them from being chewed up) and she is very high energy, but she is great in the car, loves people, and is pretty good with other dogs, so we are thrilled.
All in all, I think this is a great organization and would definitely recommend them! Check out their Facebook page!

We adopted a beautiful hound mix on July 1, 2013. His paperwork was a little confusing showing 3 ages but there was a health certificate and the rescue assured us he was a nice healthy boy. My 10 year old son fell fast in love with him when he was so calm and cuddly. We took him home around 5pm, after a few hours of him sleeping and not having any energy at all I felt him and noticed he was very warm. He woke us that night with very deep wet couching noises. I called my vet 1^st thing in the morning and took him in. When we got there he had diarrhea all over the floor, once the vet was able to check him out she said it was a very good thing we got him in right away and she hoped with antibiotic he would be ok. She could hear the sounds in his chest and treated him with cephalexin for pneumonia. Over the next 3 days we gave him his medicine twice a day, held ice cubes for him to keep him hydrated when he wouldn’t get up for water and put his food right next to his bed to make sure he would eat. He had a few little bursts of energy but he was mostly really tired and lethargic. He had diarrhea in our house a couple of times and when I picked him up and carried him outside he also had diarrhea. — During this time I was in contact via phone and emailthe «director» She refused to pay the initial vet bill, claimed he was vet checked the day we took him which he was not and was shown in his paperwork to be last check on ⁶⁄₂₄. She only apologized for the mis-​information when I scanned and sent her the document showing the dates. When our pup wasn’t getting better on day 3 of meds I contacted her again and said he was going to need to be seen again — because he was still warm, lethargic and having diarrhea. She was extremely rude in all of her correspondence. She even asked my why I took home a sick dog, told me he wasn’t sick and tried to talk me into returning the dog, All I wanted was for them to pay for his vet bills, since I had just donated $ 450 to rescue him. After multiple emails and calls she gave me her «word» if I brought Sparkey to her she would have him seen and cared for by Tufts in Walpole… I brought him to her with his new bed and toys and food and his medicine so she could keep him in the comforts we had him in for the past few days, while he was with her and the vet. She did not take him to Tufts, she took him to the contracted vet the shelter uses in Medfield. That vet gave a report that Sparkey was not sick — but should stay on meds — did not have diarrhea but gave meds to harden his stool… oh and he should stay with her and away from other animals till he is better. I can not for the life of me understand that he left me sick and you could hear the noise in his chest, see the yellow mucus from his nose but miraculously he was cured when she got him to her vet. Through more stressful emails and calls she kept trying to get me to surrender the dog — for no reason, we loved Sparkey and were taking care of him, we just simply wanted them to cover the costs of the vet bills since they gave us a sick dog. — the next day she send me back my donation /​adoption fee and a refund of my vet bill and says she is keeping the dog! All I can tell you is if you are looking for a new addition to your family, please look elsewhere! This organization is is run by a very rude and uncaring woman. The record keeping is not in order. The dogs could be sick and they are not organized enough to recognize this before sending you home with a sick baby. And if they do, they want it back — I wonder if it because they know they are wrong and don’t want to foot the bill… lose money… get in trouble with the State… or hopefully not to put the dogs down. Very Sad… this was a terrible experience that I hope and pray no one else will have to go through because of this «Non profit» organization!

I adopted a dog through Forever Home Rescue and am very, very happy!
I had started looking for a rescue dog through a few organizations and Forever Home was the easiest and most thorough to work with. They did a very thorough evaluation – checking vet records and references. They didn’t do a home visit, like one other organization did, but I think they got enough information without doing that.
I identified a few dogs that looked like they might be good matches for our family. The person working with me from Forever Home was very good about helping me narrow down my search further. We have three kids, including a toddler, and FHR was clear about the fact that they would only let us adopt certain dogs that would be good with kids. This appealed to me greatly because I obviously did not want a dog that wouldn’t be good with my kids and I felt like some other organizations would let you take nearly any dog that you were willing to take.
FHR put me in touch with the foster for the dog we were most excited about. I spoke with the foster mom and she told me all about the dog. Then the dog was shipped up from Tennessee and we went to meet her at FHR. Everyone was very pleasant at the shelter and let us take our time and ask plenty of questions.
We loved the dog and took her home! She was spayed, microchipped, had all her shots etc. She is such a sweetheart and is amazing with our kids. I feel like we won the dog-​lottery. FHR followed up to see if we had any questions and to see how she was settling in and they made it clear that we can always contact them if we need to for follow up. They also do offer to take the dog back at any time for any reason and while we won’t be doing that ever, I feel it’s a good policy to have because it’s so important that the match is right for both owner and dog.
Hurray for FHR!

Can I just say trying to get approval to adopt a shelter dog is harder than getting Security Clearance with the Federal Government!
Long story short skip to the end.
After many many months and many more applications to various shelters in the area and many rejections, or postponements, (e.g. «Sorry you cannot adopt a one eyed 2lb Yorkie-​Poo because your 1100 Sq Ft. Apartment doesn’t have in a fenced in back yard» or «Sorry the English bulldog you’re interested in is too high energy for your living arrangements» its a bulldog. not a Jack Russel!)
I found Forever Home Rescue. I think the trick was answering the question: «What would you do if your adopted pet needed (expensive) medical attention?» with my answer: «I think I’d pay for it considering my history of paying $ 100 to save a $ 1.99 Betta fish from an ick infection.» true story, I couldn’t bear for it to die in my care.
Anywho back to Forever Home. They were absolutely fan-​tabulous! The initial interviewer was very friendly, helpful with questions I had about the adoption process and adopting a shelter dog in genera. And she was realistic about city living and yes, turns out a dog can live in a apartment, (surprise!), and be happy.
The initial contacts were by email, then a phone call from the screener and I had to send pictures of my living spaces and yard. Sometimes if they have a volunteer in the area they’ll ask to visit your home. Some people find this too intrusive but I was completely open to it. I got the okay for my dog of choice Rosie, and was told I could go meet her at an open-​house. I had to scramble to make it to the open house because i really wanted the Rosie and apparently once you’re approved you can swoop into an open house and adopt anyone. Soo ffwd 48 hrs 45 mins after approval and to Medfield, MA… The facility was nice, clean, and there were soo many friendly helpful staff on site at the open-​house. It was a bit crowded in the kennel area, but they have this nice big open room you can take your potential fuzz-​pet too for some quiet time and how-​do-​you-​dos.
I took Rosie home, I was too excited! She’s super sweet and chill. My biggest problem with her personality, she’s a kisser, and I’m not into PDA. Because I was too excited I don’t think I asked the questions I should have about Rosie’s health status, but when I called emailed, they got back to me with quick responses and even put me in touch with the foster mom in TN who was super helpful and friendly.
FFW a few weeks and our first vet visit. The vet said it was odd that Rosie only got 1 distemper shot. Rosie’s missing a few premolars, which apparently happens, but was also missing a canine which is odd, I missed this somehow…
The worst of the worst, she had a fractured leg. Why did I adopt a dog with a fractured leg? well I didn’t know and neither did the shelter. They told me she was bit by a dog in TN before she came but she was healing and the swelling in the leg was probably just inflammation of the ligaments. I got extra xrays at my vet because at this point it’d been 3 weeks and the swelling hadn’t gone down at all. So woe the surgery is expensive and I’m broke.
Enter Forever Home Rescue! again, they were completely supportive and offered to cover all expenses since they missed this and adopted Rosie with this «pre-​existing condition» I could go on and on about how they’re my heros because the whole finding out the dog needed surgery thing was traumatizing and came after a whole slew of unfortunate events in succession.
So Long story short:
These guys have been awesome, supportive, friendly, and just the all around best!

I searched for several months for a dog to adopt using
. After a few disappointments from other shelters I found a great Aussie Mix, Brittany, who was listed with Forever Home Rescue. Their interview process to approve adopters is thorough but very helpful when taking on a big responsibility like bringing home a dog. They were very responsive with my emails and questions, they sent a volunteer to my home to meet me and see where the dog would live and spent a good amount of time with me at the time of adoption. They never pushed me to make a decision and where very honest about the personality of the dog.
They continue to check in to see if I have any questions and I keep in touch with Brittany’s former foster mom. I am so proud to have adopted a rescue and be a part of the FHRNE family.
If you are considering bringing a dog into your home, please think adoption first and Forever Home Rescue New England.

Our family adopted a great little ‘mutt’ a couple of years ago with Forever Home Rescue. They were wonderful to work with, making sure to do a background check, which I think is very important.
Little Moxie was transported with her brothers and sisters from Tennessee to Medfield.
She now has a very happy home with lots of space to run & play! I wish I could rescue more :)

As first time pet adopters, were very skeptical about a lot of the shelters that we researched. The organizations that ship the dogs up from the South and charged before we even met the potential pet didn’t seem like a good idea. I had looked at some dogs that were available through Forever Home, but was still a little skeptical because they didn’t have an adoption facility (all of the dogs are brought to foster homes until they are adopted). Luckily, a friend recommended Forever Home, as she had adopted two dogs from them. We found a dog that we thought would be a good fit for us and our fears were put to rest when I spoke with Joanne, one of the foster «moms.» She was kind, knowledgeable, patient, and obviously loves being a foster parent! She was sure to address all of my concerns and even «tested» the dog to see how she would adjust to city living & being an only pet by seeing how she did on a leash and isolating her from the other foster dogs for a few hours. We adopted Ivy in March and couldn’t be happier with her. Joanne and Forever Home exceeded our expectations in every way. Joanne even cut Ivy’s nails for us before we left (something I still can’t do)!
So, if there are any first time adopters out there who were as weary as we were in choosing a rescue organization, I strongly recommend Forever Home Rescue!