Our History

About Our Unique Rescue

Grammy Rose is not just a dog rescue; it’s a very special place. No endlessly depressing rows of overcrowded cages and all the chaos that comes with that kind of place. Grammy Rose is a sanctuary, designed to mirror the feelings of HOME, because many of the otherwise highly adoptable dogs we rescue have never known one. We provide them with the rhythm of a safe, everyday life, superior care and immeasurable love. This is all thoughtfully done by our dedicated staff and volunteers so that when the dogs move on to their forever families, many into the first real homes they have ever known, they’ve already begun to find their footing and fewer things feel completely new. Grammy Rose is a waypoint, not a final stop. It’s a haven, a place of safety, where dogs can reset, heal and get ready to flourish in their next chapters.

Click the link below to watch a short video to see our imaginitive campus and learn more about our important mission.

A Legacy Of Love

The inspiration for building the rescue honors the lives of three individuals – a husband and wife whose local family ties date back to the American revolution, and a very special dog who was rescued in nearby Kennebunk and became the rescue’s iconic mascot.

Grammy Rose. The Rescue is named for “Grammy” Rose Kessler Wentworth who, along with her husband “Wicky” Ralph Wentworth, spent many summers in the 1800’s farmhouse just a short walk through the woods from the rescue. The farmhouse sits on land that has been in the same family since the Revolutionary War – in fact, one of the earliest settlers and a direct Wentworth antecedent was a member of George Washington’s elite body guard.

Wicky Ralph. Born in 1899, Ralph Wentworth served in France during World War I in Company E, 101st Regiment of the US Army Infantry where he was twice wounded in battle. Upon returning to the States after the war as a decorated hero, Ralph met Rose Kessler who was born in 1905, and the two married in 1922. Grammy Rose was an outdoorsy type who relished the natural beauty of southern Maine and loved all animals… especially dogs. Dogs were a constant part of their lives. Family legends include stories about her dogs having scrambled eggs for breakfast on Sundays.

The ice cream shop and mini-golf course on our campus are named after Ralph, who was a real “character” and a well-known ice cream lover in his day. It’s fitting that the rescue and the ice cream and mini-golf operations are married – proceeds from the ice cream and mini-golf support the rescue operations and both honor the legacy of this incredible couple.

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Sammie. If the dog in the pictures looks familiar, it’s because this dog’s silhouette became the Rescue’s logo. Meet Sammie, the four-legged “legend” that inspired us to build the rescue. Sammie was born in Tennessee somewhere around 2010. Hours before he was slated to be euthanized in a shelter there, he was rescued by our good friends at Lucky Pup Rescue in Kennebunk and brought to Maine. Out one summer evening with his rescue mom, Sammie happened upon Grammy Rose’s granddaughter and her husband, and jumped into her husband’s lap. Having just lost a dog weeks before, the couple asked about Sammie, learned he was available for adoption, and the rest is history.

Sammie passed away in September 2025. He was the epitome of a rescued “adoptable” dog – laid back, utterly loyal, got along with every soul he encountered and was just the nicest dog you ever met.