Hero Pups

09/03/2026

🐾 ONE CLASS GRADUATES… AND ANOTHER IS READY TO REPORT FOR DUTY! 🐾
Tomorrow we’ll be celebrating the graduation of our latest class of MC-DOC Pups! 🎓🐶 We couldn’t be more proud of how much these pups—and their inmate handlers—have learned and accomplished together.
But you know what graduation means around here…

It’s time for the next class to clock in! 🐾

Next week, a brand-new crew of furry recruits will be heading into the program, ready to learn, grow, work hard, and probably steal a few hearts along the way. ❤️

We’ll be introducing the newest members of the Jail Pups soon, so stay tuned!

One class graduates.�Another begins.�And the teamwork continues. 💙🐾
Welcome to the Hero Pups family, newest recruits! We can’t wait to watch you grow.

09/03/2026

As we head into the long weekend, we’ve been thinking about just how thankful we are for the incredible variety of people, organizations, and communities that stand with Hero Pups. ❤️🐾
One of those amazing supporters is the Sutton Police Department, who organized a fundraiser with other local police and collected donations for our pups.
And WOW… were we surprised by how much they collected! 😳🐶 The generosity of their community was truly incredible, and we are so grateful for every single person who donated, participated, and helped make it happen.
Our supporters come from all walks of life—and that’s what makes this journey so special. From police departments and businesses to families, volunteers, and dog lovers… it really does take a community to help both ends of the leash.
Thank you, Sutton PD, for thinking of the pups and for being part of the Hero Pups family! We are incredibly grateful. 🇺🇸🐾
Sutton Police Department
Sutton Massachusetts

09/01/2026

08/30/2026

🎉 WE HAVE A BUILDING ! 🎉

Phase 1 of the Hero Pups Healing Barn is officially COMPLETE after 4 full days of an amazing team working from sun up to sunset.

What started as a vision is now standing right in front of us—and we couldn’t be more excited. The building is up, and that means we are one giant step closer to creating a place where healing, connection, and animal-assisted therapy can happen for our veterans, first responders, and community.

And now… Phase 2 begins! 💙

We have some amazing volunteer teams already lined up to come help us start transforming this building into the Healing Barn we’ve dreamed about. From the inside work to the spaces where people and animals will connect, there is still A LOT to do.

But volunteers can only take us so far—we need the funds to purchase the materials and get the basic necessities and supplies to keep the momentum going.

Every donation, every volunteer hour, every share, and every person who helps spread the word brings us closer to opening these doors.

08/27/2026

🥊🐾 A FIRST FOR HERO PUPS! 🐾🥊

What an incredible first for the Hero Pups team and our pups! We were honored to attend Combat Zone 93 as their charitable partner—and let’s just say, our pups quickly discovered that fight night is about a whole lot more than punches and knockouts! 😂🐶

From meeting fighters, fans and the SNHU Arena staff to experiencing the excitement, lights, sounds, and energy of fight night, our pups took it all in stride. It was an amazing opportunity to introduce Hero Pups to a whole new group of people 👏 The pups were well fitted with special new carriers, introduced to ear protection, took lots of breaks but enjoyed the VIP area most cuz they had the best snacks!

We are incredibly grateful to the Combat Zone 93 team for welcoming us, supporting our mission, and giving our pups another chance to learn, socialize, and make new friends.

Who knows…maybe next time we’ll have to add a little “pup walkout” to the fight card! 🐾🥊😂

Thank you, Calvin and the Combat Zone MMA team, for an unforgettable first!

08/25/2026

🐾🏛️ DOGS INVADED THE STATE HOUSE! 🏛️🐾
Yesterday, the Hero Pups crew, Service Dogs NH, other orgs and a few very important four-legged guests headed to the State House to witness something pretty special — the Governor’s proclamation declaring September 2026 as Service Dog Awareness Month!🐕‍🦺📜❤️
Our pups were on their best behavior… mostly. 😉 After all, they had an important job to do: represent the countless service dogs whose dedication, loyalty, and hard work help change lives every single day.
We are grateful to Governor Kelly Ayotte for recognizing the incredible impact of service dogs and the need for public education about them. It was an honor to be there, and we may have left the State House with a few extra tail wags, puppy kisses, and smiles along the way. 🐾
September is Service Dog Awareness Month — and we couldn’t think of a better way to kick it off than with our friends from WMUR-TV! 🇺🇸
🐶

08/24/2026

🚧🎉 THE HEALING BARN IS REALLY HAPPENING! 🎉🚧

Phase 1 of the Healing Barn is nearing completion, and we’ve officially reached one of the most exciting parts — the start of the actual building! 🏗️🐾

The crew arrived around 9 AM Monday morning, and by 5:30 they had already unloaded ALL the materials, dug all the MANY holes, framed the walls and started setting trusses…Talk about not wasting any time! 😳👏

And here’s the really exciting part…

By this time next week, we expect to have an enclosed building with the entire frame, roofing, windows, doors and walls up! 🎉

Watching this vision turn into something tangible is incredibly exciting, but we know this didn’t happen overnight — and it certainly didn’t happen because of one person.

❤️ Thank you to every volunteer, grantor, donor, fundraiser, and supporter who has helped us get here. Your belief in Hero Pups allows us to keep finding innovative ways to serve and support our community.

This building represents so much more than four walls. It represents possibility, healing, connection, and new ways to help people and animals.

We’re just getting started!

Stay tuned… this is going to be fun to watch! 🐾🏗️🎉

08/24/2026

Justin Forza did something pretty incredible — he ran across Connecticut to raise money for Hero Pups! ❤️💙

Why? Because he believes in our mission and wants to help us continue changing lives, one end of the leash at a time. 🐕‍🦺🇺🇸 And cuz he’s just an awesomely cool dude 😎

We were absolutely thrilled to have Justin stop by and meet some of the Hero Pups… both kinds! 😂🐶

It takes amazing people like Justin — people willing to put in the miles, sweat, and determination — to help spread the word and support the work we do for veterans and first responders.

Justin, we are so grateful that you chose to put your feet to work for our paws! 👣🐾

Keep it up, Justin! We’ll be cheering you on every step of the way! ❤️

08/21/2026

🐾 JAIL PUP-DATE! 🐾

Our jail pups have been learning SO much, and they’re getting ready for their weekend furlough!

Our inmates and the staff are doing an AMAZING job helping these pups build their skills every day. But those weekends with our wonderful volunteer puppy raisers are just as important! They give the pups a chance to experience a whole different world—stores, fairs, crowds, children, other dogs, horses, and animals of ALL sizes. 🐕🐎🐐

It’s all about learning how to stay calm, confident and focused no matter what life throws their way.

Different people. Different places. Different experiences. One team working toward the same goal. ❤️
Merrimack County Department of Corrections