A recent dog-day afternoon unveiled a book and supported a local animal shelter

Ace was rescued from Arkansas in 2018 from a very unhealthy, dirty situation. We met him at a Mary’s Dogs softball game where he appeared to be anxious and stressed; we soon learned he had already been through five homes.

Ace was rescued from Arkansas in 2018 from a very unhealthy, dirty situation. We met him at a Mary’s Dogs softball game where he appeared to be anxious and stressed; we soon learned he had already been through five homes. Courtesy of Sandra McCarthy Photography

Lottie the Plottie was found tied up to a pole near the dumpsters at a truck stop down south in March of 2023. She was only eight weeks old. She came north to Mary's Dogs in June. We brought her home as a foster and we failed immediately. She is a sweet, smooshy, playful, lovable dog, and we are happy she joined our pack.

Lottie the Plottie was found tied up to a pole near the dumpsters at a truck stop down south in March of 2023. She was only eight weeks old. She came north to Mary's Dogs in June. We brought her home as a foster and we failed immediately. She is a sweet, smooshy, playful, lovable dog, and we are happy she joined our pack. COURTESY—Sandra McCarthy Photography

Erica Marino with Pepper (left) and Lilly.

Erica Marino with Pepper (left) and Lilly. Courtesy of Sandra McCarthy Photography

Jethro, Cynthia Thorell's dog.

Jethro, Cynthia Thorell's dog. COURTESY—Sandra McCarthy Photography

Rescued at the age of four months, Birdie (originally named Abby) came from a southern shelter. Today she is almost 12. She loved to hike but these days enjoys sitting on her perch in front of the window guarding the house and going on shorter neighborhood walks. She is a sweet gentle soul who engages in play with her two younger brothers on her terms.

Rescued at the age of four months, Birdie (originally named Abby) came from a southern shelter. Today she is almost 12. She loved to hike but these days enjoys sitting on her perch in front of the window guarding the house and going on shorter neighborhood walks. She is a sweet gentle soul who engages in play with her two younger brothers on her terms. Courtesy of Sandra McCarthy Photography

Rescued at the age of four months, Birdie (originally named Abby) came from a southern shelter. She caught my attention with her beautiful dual colored eyes. Today she is almost 12. She loved to hike but these days enjoys sitting on her perch in front of the window guarding the house and going on shorter neighborhood walks. She is a sweet gentle soul who engages in play with her two younger brothers on her terms.

Rescued at the age of four months, Birdie (originally named Abby) came from a southern shelter. She caught my attention with her beautiful dual colored eyes. Today she is almost 12. She loved to hike but these days enjoys sitting on her perch in front of the window guarding the house and going on shorter neighborhood walks. She is a sweet gentle soul who engages in play with her two younger brothers on her terms. COURTESY—Sandra McCarthy Photography

COURTESY—Sandra McCarthy Photography

COURTESY—Sandra McCarthy Photography

Pepper had a very rough start to life. She was found abandoned with her littermates on the side of the road in Mississippi. A rescue transported the litter to Maine. During the trip they contracted parvo and unfortunately two of her littermates passed away. I chose to take her at 13 weeks old, not knowing if she was also sick. The very next day I took her to the vet because she showed signs of parvo. She almost died twice and spent weeks at the vet. She eventually became strong enough to come home where I had to quarantine her in a bathroom. I hand fed her and gave her electrolytes and water through a syringe dropper. She could only have visitors that didn't have dogs at home and we put them in a protective suit so she could still get some human socialization. It was such a scary ordeal, but Pepper has become the most beautiful girl. She loves everyone, including people she's never met. She happily gives out hugs and kisses and LOVES going to the vet because she knows they saved her. She LOVES children too! She truly is a hound by nature. She loves hiking, running, and scent work. On hikes you can often find her rolling in her favorite smells. She loves swimming and chasing balls and is my happy girl. She got her name because she's like a sweet and spicy pepper. Similarly, Tilly was found abandoned in Mississippi and a rescue transported her to a Maine rescue where she stayed with an incredible foster family until I adopted her at 13 weeks. From the very first time she met Pepper, Tilly has been in love with her big sister. I named her Tilly, Mighty in Battle, because even as a small puppy she just loved to play hard. She has no off button and will play all day with anyone. She loves all dogs too! She loves chasing balls with her sister and even though she's not much of a swimmer, when we're out on hikes she insists on wading in the water. She also loves to run and do scent work. Even though she's not technically a hound, she LOVES searching for scents. She warms

Pepper had a very rough start to life. She was found abandoned with her littermates on the side of the road in Mississippi. A rescue transported the litter to Maine. During the trip they contracted parvo and unfortunately two of her littermates passed away. I chose to take her at 13 weeks old, not knowing if she was also sick. The very next day I took her to the vet because she showed signs of parvo. She almost died twice and spent weeks at the vet. She eventually became strong enough to come home where I had to quarantine her in a bathroom. I hand fed her and gave her electrolytes and water through a syringe dropper. She could only have visitors that didn't have dogs at home and we put them in a protective suit so she could still get some human socialization. It was such a scary ordeal, but Pepper has become the most beautiful girl. She loves everyone, including people she's never met. She happily gives out hugs and kisses and LOVES going to the vet because she knows they saved her. She LOVES children too! She truly is a hound by nature. She loves hiking, running, and scent work. On hikes you can often find her rolling in her favorite smells. She loves swimming and chasing balls and is my happy girl. She got her name because she's like a sweet and spicy pepper. Similarly, Tilly was found abandoned in Mississippi and a rescue transported her to a Maine rescue where she stayed with an incredible foster family until I adopted her at 13 weeks. From the very first time she met Pepper, Tilly has been in love with her big sister. I named her Tilly, Mighty in Battle, because even as a small puppy she just loved to play hard. She has no off button and will play all day with anyone. She loves all dogs too! She loves chasing balls with her sister and even though she's not much of a swimmer, when we're out on hikes she insists on wading in the water. She also loves to run and do scent work. Even though she's not technically a hound, she LOVES searching for scents. She warms COURTESY—Sandra McCarthy Photography

Dash came from a puppy mill. He has the scars of that early life both physically and emotionally. He is the bratty little brother that likes to steal toys and food and wants all of the attention. Dash has a way of crawling up in your lap and staring at you with those big brown eyes that just exudes love and gratitude. He is my shadow and my adventure buddy. Together we have built a bond and level of trust that humbles me.

Dash came from a puppy mill. He has the scars of that early life both physically and emotionally. He is the bratty little brother that likes to steal toys and food and wants all of the attention. Dash has a way of crawling up in your lap and staring at you with those big brown eyes that just exudes love and gratitude. He is my shadow and my adventure buddy. Together we have built a bond and level of trust that humbles me. COURTESY—Sandra McCarthy Photography

Dakota (left) was the first dog to join our family. Her pregnant mother was rescued and brought to Rye from a high-kill shelter in the south. She was born in Rye where we adopted her. When Dakota was 7, we rescued Ms. Gilly (7) from the Jackson Humane Society in Arkansas. Comet (2) joined our happy family in 2023.

Dakota (left) was the first dog to join our family. Her pregnant mother was rescued and brought to Rye from a high-kill shelter in the south. She was born in Rye where we adopted her. When Dakota was 7, we rescued Ms. Gilly (7) from the Jackson Humane Society in Arkansas. Comet (2) joined our happy family in 2023. Courtesy of Sandra McCarthy Photography

Raylee was featured by Mary's Dogs on Facebook. She came from Arkansas after being shot in the neck (a similar story to our beloved Beagle whom we had just lost). It was love at first sight and I messaged them right away and became her foster mom. We learned that she was afraid of large objects and things above her, like ceiling fans. We did our best to comfort and reassure her. We fell in love with her more and more every day. She had surgery and was adorable in her inflatable cone. It didn't keep her from getting into things as she tried to sneak additional kibble. Once the cone came off, she found her stride and we officially adopted her. She is no longer afraid and loves to go on Jeep rides. She is full of spunk, a picky eater, and sometimes looks like Dobby from Harry Potter. She loves other dogs, often tiring out younger pups.

Raylee was featured by Mary's Dogs on Facebook. She came from Arkansas after being shot in the neck (a similar story to our beloved Beagle whom we had just lost). It was love at first sight and I messaged them right away and became her foster mom. We learned that she was afraid of large objects and things above her, like ceiling fans. We did our best to comfort and reassure her. We fell in love with her more and more every day. She had surgery and was adorable in her inflatable cone. It didn't keep her from getting into things as she tried to sneak additional kibble. Once the cone came off, she found her stride and we officially adopted her. She is no longer afraid and loves to go on Jeep rides. She is full of spunk, a picky eater, and sometimes looks like Dobby from Harry Potter. She loves other dogs, often tiring out younger pups. COURTESY—Sandra McCarthy Photography

Sasha is an Australian Shepherd mix. She is energetic and loves to be outside doing agility or snuggling on the couch. She is a natural caregiver and Anna's emotional support dog. We are lucky to know where she came from and that she was loved by the family who sent her and her siblings north.

Sasha is an Australian Shepherd mix. She is energetic and loves to be outside doing agility or snuggling on the couch. She is a natural caregiver and Anna's emotional support dog. We are lucky to know where she came from and that she was loved by the family who sent her and her siblings north. COURTESY—Sandra McCarthy Photography

By RAY DUCKLER

Monitor columnist

Published: 12-05-2023 10:12 AM

Erica Marino of Fremont rolled the dice five years ago and won big.

She adopted a puppy that had been abandoned on the side of a Mississippi road, part of a litter that developed a deadly, infectious disease while being transported to Maine on a rescue mission. From Maine, Marino adopted 13-month-old Pepper, who might still have been infected when she first headed home.

“I had a feeling the rescue people could not afford to give her the care she might need,” Marino said. “So I took my chances and hoped she didn’t have it.”

Pepper, it turned out, was infected and nearly died. Three months later, however, she was playing and jumping, and today she’s on the cover – along with her BFF Tilly – of a book compiled by Sandy McCarthy of Litchfield.

Released last weekend, the book features photos of rescue dogs with brief narratives explaining the dogs’ sometimes harrowing experiences on the road to love and stability.

Each contributor paid a fee for entry into the book. Book sales were brisk. Tickets were sold for a silent auction. Photos were sold online.

In the end, in a fundraising project predicted to raise perhaps $5,000 to benefit Mary’s Dogs Rescue and Adoption in Northwood, a check for $15,557 was issued at Saturday’s event marking the end of the year-long campaign.

Traci Bisson, the owner of Golden Dog Adventure Company in Barrington, worked closely with McCarthy on the project. No one saw its earning potential coming.

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“This amount ended up being far higher than what I expected,” said McCarthy, an award-winning photographer who’s been in business for seven years. “This was a huge outpouring from the community.”

All the dogs had rough lives. Each had a tale to tell.

A photo of a brown dog with floppy ears sitting on a rock comes with this backstory: “Lottie the Plottie was found tied up to a pole near the dumpsters at a truck stop down south in March of 2023. She was only eight weeks old. She is a sweet, smooshy, playful, lovable dog.”

Or the poised stare of Dash, sitting on green grass with his ears up.

“Dash came from a puppy mill. He has the scars of that early life both physically and emotionally. He is the bratty little brother that likes to steal toys and food and wants all of the attention. Dash has a way of crawling up in your lap and staring at you with those big brown eyes that just exudes love and gratitude.”

Or patient Raylee with her purple collar looking right at you.

“Raylee came from Arkansas after being shot in the neck. We learned that she was afraid of large objects and things above her, like ceiling fans. She had surgery and was adorable in her inflatable cone. She is no longer afraid and loves to go on Jeep rides.”

Cindi Thorell of Pembroke says Jethro is a mix of pit and Jack Russell Terrier. Thorell is retired, and at 60 pounds, Jethro is twice the weight of her late, beloved dog, Cajun, and he has more energy than most living creatures.

In time, though, Jethro settled in and was right at home. “When he showed up, I called him Velcro dog because where I went, he went,” Thorell said. “He was way bigger and the opposite of what I was looking for, but he’s a great dog and I love him to bits. He’s still trouble, but he’s grown out of being a puppy.”

An online vote, each costing $5, determined that Marino’s dogs, Pepper and Tilly, would be on the front of McCarthy’s book.

They stand tall on a big tree stump, looking regal and mischievousness at the same time. Marino calls Pepper a “Great Pyrenees, Treeing Walker Coonhound and Black Lab.” Pepper’s ordeal and updates on her progress drew attention online.

Readers learned that she spent weeks away from home at the vet’s office, fighting for her life and twice nearly losing it. Strong enough to return home, but too weak to control her bowels, Pepper was quarantined in the bathroom and fed electrolytes by hand and water through a syringe dropper.

Visitors wore protective coverings when visiting to prevent spreading any infection to Pepper.

Those were dark days. Days when Pepper was close to death. These days are different.

Pepper is a kisser, a lover of people. She loves hiking and running and swimming and chasing balls. Marino says she named her Pepper because “she’s like a sweet and spicy pepper.”

“Pepper has had a huge following since being sick,” Marino said. “She’s always on social media with me. People are attached to my dogs.”