Dog's Best Friend, LLC

09/17/2026

08/06/2026

August is a busy month for so many people. And that's true here at DBF, also. We have 5, I counted twice, 5 birthdays this month. So today we're celebrating. Join us in wishing these fine characters a happy birthday. We thank them all for bringing us both challenges and much joy this year. Happy birthday.

08/06/2026

Well, the day has come for us all to say Bon Voyage to Pancho. He has safely rejoined his family at their new home. We argued for him to just commute back for visits (frequent, daily?) but it was decided that 2000 miles was too long a drive each day. So, our dear Pancho is off with his family as they all start a new adventure.
Pancho joined our Dog’s Best Friend family in early 2018. He was an active part of our lives for nearly 8.5 years. He fit in immediately. Pancho was one who truly could say he never met a stranger. He was ready to be your best friend from the first introduction. Pancho was a founding member of the Chipmunk Busters. There was never a squeak that he and his trusty partners didn’t try to hunt down. Pancho, Willow and Shadow were determined and persistent to find each and every one of them, no matter what wall or hole the little critter was hiding in. How many times has Rob had to rebuild and repair a chipmunk bolt hole in his walls? Hmmm. (Secret: they only caught one chippie in all the years and Shadow released it into my care; unharmed and able to live out it’s natural life).
And there was no ignoring Pancho when he wanted to play ball. Inside, outside, anywhere. He’d bring the ball toward you. Ignore him? Impossible. If you tried, he would keep dropping the ball closer and closer until it would finally be on your foot. There.
Now I do have a confession. Pancho is one of the very few (and I mean count them on one hand few) who was allowed to sleep on the bed. I know, I know but come on, it was Pancho. And after 8 years he had finally learned to share and stay on his side of the bed.
Pancho was like a little human in a furry body. And he will be dearly missed by everyone who met him. But his family has been great. They have kept us up on his travel out to their new home and sent pictures of his first time at his new daycare as well as a copy of Pancho’s first report card. It seems that in both cases Pancho made us proud. Mom doesn’t start work right away and Dad will be working from home, so Pancho’ll have plenty of time to adjust to everything new with all his favorite people around. And he has his 3 best children with him to help him make new friends and see new places. This is a huge new adventure for all of them and we wish them well. We are so grateful for the friendship that grew from our time spent with Pancho and the memories that we’ll always treasure.

06/30/2026

Pancho ...Flying up onto the bed.

06/12/2026

Happy Birthday Reilly.
14 years young.

06/04/2026

Some of the dogs that come through our door are quiet and sweet, others are more challenging. Some stay for years and some seem to be gone in a flash. But each and every one of them leaves a piece of themselves in us. These 3 have each enriched our lives in their own unique way. We extend our condolences to their families and hope they know they will always be part of our Dog's Best Friend family.

06/04/2026

Many of our current DBF family have never had the pleasure of meeting Bandit. Bandit started coming to DBF in early 2015. For about a year, Bandit would come each week on an “as needed” basis. He was young, adorable, and lived in the neighborhood. His commute was short. If you were also coming here back then, Bandit’s Mom was the person who frequently reminded us all to slow down and drive carefully on this road. We were then and always will be grateful for those reminders. She was always right. DON’T SPEED. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long ago. Bandit was an active part of our family for about a year. Then circumstances changed as they do for so many, and Bandit was able to go to work with Mom.
What’s the first thing we recall about Bandit? There’s loyalty and love and devotion to owner and then there was Bandit’s display of affection. Each time Mom came to pick Bandit up, he’d p*e … on her feet … a lot. Bandit would get so excited to see her and so happy that he would squiggle and jump and just about do back flips… And p*e. And Mom never complained. That’s true love. Even though Bandit wasn’t here for very long, we did keep tabs on his life. Oh what a life he had. Bandit traveled all over the country, mountains & ocean. He went sailing and camping and just was always with his family. And, maybe most importantly, he helped raise a young boy to become a good man. Maybe that’s what some dogs are destined for.
We recently learned that Bandit has died earlier this year. His picture will go up on our Memory Wall and his memory will always be in our hearts. Our condolences go to his family and all those he touched during his life.

06/04/2026

Natty
June 2013 ~ May 2026

Bill and Linda have been bringing Natty here for nearly 11 of her 13 years. Natty wasn’t a daily or even a weekly dog but when she came, often for a month or more, she took over the house. Natty was recently here for about 7 weeks. As much as she said she liked us and being part of our pack, she was always overjoyed to see her family on pickup day. Recently we received a phone call from Bill and Linda saying that Natty had died. The sore on her back turned out to be a very aggressive form of cancer and took her within a few weeks.
Natty started coming here for extended vacations when she was about 2 years old. Initial observation was that this was a prim and proper young lady; feet tucked tightly to her body, posture straight and perfect (my mother would have been so proud). Well, honestly, that was about the only thing that was prim and proper about Natty. She ruled. When she was younger, she chose which bed to sleep on and if the covers weren’t to her standards, she’d rearrange them. My chair; was her’s now. Dogs? Sure, she liked being part of a pack but she wanted to be the leader of the pack. She’d race around, putting her nose where it might not have exactly belonged but always convincing others that, yup, she was the little dictator. One pickup time she managed to head to her car without her leash. It looked ok at first. Just when we all thought she’d behave and jump in, there was that burst of excitement and off she raced, out the driveway and up the hill. Oh dear, now what. But Natty got as far as Gunnar’s house, heard him bark and circled around to see what’s what. Out came Gunnar and Natty was captured. She just wanted to see her friend and give the rest of us a heart attack. As she got older there was less racing around during the day. More naps. Fewer stairs. More supervising rather than enforcing. Her favorite time was after supper, tho. Natty would chill during the day but after supper, wow!! She’d come in from her bathroom break and race around the house looking for balls and trouble. Keep the ball away, hide & seek, you can’t catch me. Truthfully, we couldn’t. Then it’d be apple snack time and quiet getting ready for bed time. Natty was a hoot. She was everyone’s friend, set her own agenda, was smart, beautiful and mischievously creative. Natty was always a challenge; one we would never trade for anything. Natty is survived by Bill & Linda and a large extended family and host of friends. I have no doubt that she’ll be remembered and missed forever. Natty was one of a kind; a very special kind.

06/04/2026

This is especially long but we wanted to include Shadow's 1st impressions from when he started here at DBF. Thunder - November 18, 2020
Good morning everyone. My name is Thunder and today is my 2nd day at DBF. Mom says I’m somewhere between 3-4 years old and you’ll notice that I’m a black lab. I just came to live with my new Mom a few weeks ago. Before that I lived in Texas with my brother. We needed a new home and no one could take both of us together so I came here. When I met Rob a couple weeks ago, I made a really good impression. As a matter of fact, he went home and told Colleen I was quite the calm, quiet, well-behaved gentleman. Well, that was in a quiet home with just my Mom but yesterday was another matter. I met so many new friends and was so excited to be here that I think I may have been a bit of a pain in the you know what. I think Danny’s going to be like a big brother to me, tho. He’s “reminded” me that some things I do are not ok with him so today I’m going to try to remember better. Yesterday there were so many dogs running and chasing the ball and just having a good time that I just didn’t know where to jump in. It was pretty overwhelming. At the end of the day Colleen told me to go home and get a good night sleep because we’d be starting all over again with more new friends today. What’s a Samantha? Well, Mom told Colleen this morning that I did get lots of sleep last night. Truth be told, I was really tired. So here I am, ready to make new friends and learn about NH; like I don’t know what snow is but I guess it’s coming. Bottom line is that Rob and Colleen say I’m smart and sweet, very good natured, do a great stay command, and am very likable. I just don’t have such good pack manners because there was always just my brother and me. I can be a pain in that place sometimes but I listen good to everyone. Big changes in my life but I’m ok with it. I hope I meet you and you give me a chance to show off my real self.
Thunder - June 03, 2026
Once upon a time there was a wonderful fellow named Thunder. Thunder!? DBF knew him as Shadow because he wasn’t a big, loud thunderstorm. He was a beautiful black shadow. You all knew him as Shadow. Good thing his family had a sense of humor because they understood.
Shadow was born in October 2016 and came to us in November 2020. At first glance you saw a big, beautiful black lab with the most glorious, clean, shiny fur and the softest eyes. He was funny and sweet and intuitive. He had a very active personal life away from DBF. He hiked and swam and, sometimes, was lucky enough to go to work with his Dad and charm the world. Work was a place to meet new people and get treats and help his Dad. Nursing homes were opportunities to visit family, comfort people and warm those hearts that carry sadness. We’d even take Shadow for a neighborhood walk so he could charm the elders. He was good at charming elders.
But don’t think that was all there was to this dear boy. Oh no. He could run and play and he did like the girls and his treats and Chloe’s bed. No big hikes here but he got his steps in. Shadow teamed up with Pancho to form the Chipmunk Eradication Team. No matter where the team was in the house, one squeak from a marauding chipmunk and they were off. How many times has Rob had to rebuild a stone wall because Shadow went searching for that dangerous chippie. In 5-1/2 years, Shadow only caught one chipmunk and he never did harm it. He kindly let me take it out of his mouth and relocate it to a better place. I guess it was the chase not the catching that he loved. Or he was just too sweet to actual kill it. And one lucky chippie lived to see another day. That was Shadow. He had a sweetness and a “I’m happy with my life” air about him.
Shadow/Thunder died suddenly on May 16, 2026, surrounded by love from his folks. He’s survived by Melissa and Keith and a whole world of people who have been touched by him. I guess some hearts are just too big live forever. But Shadow/Thunder will always be in our hearts especially when we hear that little chippie chirping and teasing.