Events – Current & Pupcoming
The 2026 CALENDARS are here! The wall calendar – A beautifully curated calendar, where each month unfolds with a delightful collection of heartwarming dog portraits, capturing the joy and charm of man’s best friend in every season. The desk calendar – One great photo each month sits on your desk giving an easy overview of the month. Buy in bundles and save! Add 2+ calendars to your cart to see a discount.
Update: MAESSR’s 2026 wall and desk calendars are selling quickly!!! Our desk version is almost sold out. Buy more and save on package deals. They make great gifts for the Springer lovers in your life.
Featured Dogs
Our program, SENIORS FOR SENIORS, charges a $75 adoption fee for adopters aged 60 and over who adopt dogs nine years old and older or special needs dogs. If interested in one of our senior/special needs dogs, contact Candi Lynn here.
Fund$ for Foster$
Beginning January 1, 2026, adoption fees will be adjusted as follows: Puppy up thru six months – $600; 7 months thru 8 years – $450; 9 yo or special needs – $150; Seniors for Seniors (9 yo or special needs) – $75
We can earn money through WOOFTRAX just by walking our dogs – in fact you don’t even need a dog, just a smartphone & good walking shoes! Download the app on your phone & follow the directions. (If Wooftrax doesn’t come up, try Walk For A Dog.) When asked to pick a shelter/rescue (ask to change if it shows the closest to your home) pick VA as the site, scroll to the M’s & select MAESSR. You will then be asked to verify email address. Keep following directions & the app will appear on your phone. When you tap it, enter your dog’s info & start walking. It is a simple process each time you go for a walk. Currently we have 28 active walkers. Spread the word – make your walks count!
DOGWISE is another MAESSR affiliate whose mission is to bring humane, understandable & scientifically sound information to people who enrich their lives by working with, playing with & loving dogs. Many of the books, including the booklets, in the MAESSR library can be found at Dogwise.com. You can support MAESSR & get great training advice by shopping. They also sell some training products. Look for the $5 books on sale while you are there!
The Marketplace
The MAESSR MARKETPLACE is open 24/7 for purchases. We’ve also got cool toys for man’s best friend and companion. The MAESSR store and website are in transition – thanks so much for your understanding while we make improvements to the store and website.
Training Library
The MAESSR Training Library has over 300 titles of ACTUAL DVDs, CDs, and books, both fiction and non-fiction, to lend out. You can BORROW items directly from the Training Library by simply adding them to the shopping cart and checking out. The material will be mailed to you and is due back in three weeks; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR RETURN POSTAGE.
Library Wish Lists
The TRAINING LIBRARY has TWO Wish Lists. New or used titles can be purchased from the Amazon list; Dogwise has new books and DVDs. Purchases can be shipped directly to the library. Pretty quick and easy way to help out MAESSR as well as educate adopters!
Featured Library Titles
HE’S ONLY PLAYING: MEETING, GREETING AND PLAY BETWEEN DOGS. WHAT’S OKAY, WHAT’S NOT (17 pages) by Sara Whitehead. He’s Only Playing! Why? Because as a dog behavior specialist, this is one of Sarah’s LEAST favorite expressions! He’s Only Playing is what people say when they have no clue what’s really going on with their dog when it meets another dog. It covers the good, the bad and the downright inappropriate: a multitude of doggie sins and rudeness. Everything from one dog placing his paws on another dog without invitation, to another sniffing underneath just too intently. And this can lead to problems, cross words between dogs, and owners, or embarrassing situations where one dog gets how shall we say- over-excited – and then the humans are left trying to regain control. Donated by Cathy Moyer.
LESSONS FROM TARA: LIFE ADVICE FROM THE WORLD’S MOST BRILLIANT DOG (227 pages) by David Rosenfelt. David Rosenfelt’s loyal readers of the Andy Carpenter series are familiar with Tara, the golden retriever sidekick. Many also got to know Tara from Dogtripping, David’s nonfiction book about becoming a slightly nutty dog rescuer and the dog that started it all. Here, finally, is a book all about the inspirational canine who taught David everything he knows. Well, he did know how to tie his shoes before he met and came to love Tara, but that’s about it. Through Tara, David learned about dating, about being able to share his emotions, and also about everyday stuff like who gets to use the pillow if several dogs are sleeping in your bed (clue: it’s not the human), and why random barking can never be eliminated. Lessons from Tara is infused with David’s trademark wry and self-deprecating sense of humor, and will move readers to tears and laughter. Donated by Pam Nealer.
Did You Know?
If any volunteers wish to promote MAESSR and the work we do at an event in their community, please email Vicki Phillips. These are marketing events only to hand out information.
If you need to contact MAESSR, please click on & read our CONTACT page to avoid your message going to the wrong place. The CONTACT button is immediately to the left of the MAESSR logo on the website homepage.
IF YOU SEE A SPRINGER NEEDING RESCUE: For a springer being re-homed in an ad on social media or in a newspaper, please email the relinquishment team. For a springer in a shelter, please email the shelter dog team. In your email include contact info such as links to the online post, shelter name, state, and phone number.
Did you move? Did you change your email address? ADDRESS CHANGES should be emailed here. On the new website you can also set up an account under the Shop tab so that MAESSR can keep track of your mailing address; your email can also be changed under Your Account in the top right-hand corner with Edit Profile.
If you need advice regarding behavioral issues, certified and credentialed trainers that use positive methods only to help guide people to the correct resources can be found at CCPDT and IAABC.
Gentle Nudges
RAINBOW BRIDGE CROSSINGS are shared on a monthly basis. If you want your MAESSR dog included, send your name, dog’s MAESSR name if different than the post-adoption name, year of adoption, and a PHOTO to updates email. Feel free to include who fostered and a little background info about your dog. To have the information posted on our Facebook page, send it (including photos) to the social media team.
When you send your notes about events or requests for help, please cc: updates email to help ensure that all events are mentioned in the Weekly Pupdate.
Mistakes happen! Corrections or omissions to the Weekly Pupdate can be sent to the updates email.
Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!
To share pics, videos, and/or articles about your MAESSR dog to our social media team. Videos for adoption pages & YouTube channel get sent here. Be sure to include dog’s MAESSR name including number, if one, and adoption year.
Pup-ulation Report
Total dogs in our care: 19
Permanent fosters: 5
Dogs pending foster home: 0
Moving to foster home:
Moxie to John Broven
Moving to furever homes:
Grizzly 3 (Olly) and Honey Bear (Cooper) to Franzen/Gotwald
Woo-woo-woo!
Submitted by volunteer Cathy Moyer with thanks to those who contributed submissions/info.
PO Box 807 Goochland VA 23063 – Phone (804)774-6730
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