STRATHAM, N.H. — Their names are Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda. No, they aren’t the famous fashionistas on a popular television series — they are four tiny rodents in search of their forever homes.
These four mice were among the more than 800 rodents that were surrendered to the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals last month in an unprecedented event that has strained the Seacoast shelter.
The shelter is hosting an adoption event this weekend, in the hope of finding homes for the approximately 250 rodents that remain in its care. The typical adoption fee will be waived during the event, and the shelter is giving out rodent starter kits to families who take some home, including a tank, bedding, and other essentials.
“They’re a less common pet, and so they’re going to be hard to place, which is why we want to do this weekend promotion to really draw some attention,” said Sheila Ryan, the director of development and marketing for the NHSPCA.
Advertisement
Get N.H. Morning Report
A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox.
In the month since the rodents arrived, the organization has leapt into action to care for the tiny creatures, which it has identified as a mix of fancy mice and African soft-furred rats. They are bred as pets, different from species like field mice that are found in the wild.
“They are friendly, sweet, and curious. They are highly social and prefer to live in groups or pairs,” said Lisa Dennison, executive director of the NHSPCA in a statement. “It’s so much fun to just watch them play on their wheels or with their toys, or just burrowing or eating a sweet treat.”
Advertisement
Staff members at the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have been staying up late and coming in on their day off to care for the rodents, said Sheila Ryan, the director of development and marketing for the NHSPCA.Steven Porter/Globe Staff
Ryan said there are 142 mice and 93 rats available for adoption this weekend.
All of the 800 rodents came from one Seacoast home, where shelter staff said they were allowed to reproduce in an uncontrolled manner. After arriving at the NHSPCA, the rodents were separated by sex. The females were placed on a pregnancy watch before they could be adopted. Meanwhile, some of the males have been neutered.
“Male mice don’t like to cohabitate with each other, but they are social,” said Ryan. “They would like to be with their girlfriends, but we don’t want more babies, so neutering the males allows us to send them home with the females.”
About 300 rodents have been transferred to other humane organizations around New England, according to the NHSPCA, while 117 rodents have already been adopted, and more than 100 have been euthanized due to illness or physical conditions. Ryan said some females remain on pregnancy watch and have not yet been cleared for adoption.
While some commentators on social media were quick to suggest that the rodents could be easily transformed into snake food, NHSPCA staff bristled at the suggestion, which runs counter to their vision statement of providing “A safe and loving home for every animal.” Ryan pointed out that these are companion animals meant to be pets, not pet food.
Advertisement
They’ve found other ways to tame the chaos of receiving 800 rodents. On Thursday, several people were hard at work doing a deep clean with the rodents that are ready for adoption. Four spaces in the shelter have been converted into rodent lodging, full of beady little eyes and scampering.
Every single rodent now has a name of its own, and the rodents that live together are often named according to a theme such as cereal, sports, or candy.
Ryan said staff members are logging long hours, staying up past midnight or coming in on their day off to care for the rodents, who need to be evaluated, named, and logged in a database that tracks their outcome. But she noted that the shelter has received less donations than they typically do for such an unusual rescue.
“In some ways it’s been crippling,” Ryan said. “In other ways, it’s been really a labor of love.”
The adoption center is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day except Wednesday. The adoption event runs from Friday through Sunday.
Advertisement
Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee. Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
Ed. Note: If this was you and you are interested, please email [email protected] so I can put you in touch with OP.
“Dear PoPville,
I was biking home from a doctor appointment a little before noon on Friday, and stopped at a red light on New Hampshire & L st nw. There was a woman across the street who was looking fine in her dark blue (I think they were) scrubs. I might be crazy, but it felt like we kept checking each other out. By the third time,
if we were in a romcom, one of us would have waved. Sorry I didn’t, but if you are reading this and date men, reach out to the Prince if you are interested in that man on the bike. Have a great weekend!”
Ed. Note: If this is you, please email [email protected] so I can put you in touch with OP. PoPville is not affiliated with either party, please proceed with any potential connection at your own risk using caution as you would any online encounter. For those curious about past missed connections, many have been made and when possible I’ll try to update when/if more are made.
A New Hampshire motorcyclist who had been missing since the Fourth of July was found dead in Shelburne late Thursday night.
State police say they received a request from the Berlin Police Department just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday for help locating 41-year-old Wesley Grondin — the Berlin man was last seen riding his motorcycle on Saturday, July 4, and had been reported missing.
Troopers received a call a couple of hours later, around 10:10 p.m. Thursday, from a concerned resident who had been out looking for Grondin along Route 2 in Shelburne. The person told police they had found Grondin dead, along with his Harley Davidson.
According to state police, a preliminary investigation determined that Grondin was riding his Harley on Route 2 westbound in Shelburne when, for reasons that remain under investigation, he crossed over into the opposing lane, struck a post, and came to a final rest in the wood line.
Advertisement
The crash is believed to have occurred just before midnight on July 4. At this time, police say there’s no indication that another vehicle or person was involved.
All aspects of the crash remain under investigation, however. Anyone with information that may assist investigators is asked to contact Trooper Hunter Newsham at Hunter.P.Newsham@dos.nh.gov.
KEENE, N.H. — A Nashua woman who had a town clerk falsely certify a marriage that never happened so she could claim her late partner’s property has been sentenced to seven days in jail, placed on probation and ordered to repay thousands to his estate.
Attorney General John Formella said Wendy Leedberg‑Snow, 60, turned to Winchester Town Clerk Jim Tetreault after the death of her longtime partner, Eric Leedberg — who was born in Lowell — using the falsified license to pose as his spouse and lay claim to property from his estate, an effort prosecutors describe as an attempt to rewrite the couple’s history for financial gain.
“This case involved a deliberate effort to manipulate official government records and exploit the death of a loved one for personal financial gain,” Formella said in a press release announcing the sentencing. “Our vital records system depends on honesty and integrity, and those who seek to corrupt that system will be held accountable. I want to thank the investigators and prosecutors whose work ensured justice for the victim’s family.”
According to Leedberg’s obituary, he was 53 when he died on Oct. 12, 2023, following a two‑year battle with cancer.
Advertisement
In the obituary, Leedberg-Snow is described as his “significant other.”
Prosecutors said Leedberg‑Snow moved quickly after his death, relying on Tetreault’s signature to fabricate a marriage that never occurred and position herself as Leedberg’s surviving spouse.
Tetreault, who was a New Hampshire justice of the peace at the time, falsely signed the marriage license claiming he had officiated the couple’s wedding. He later admitted he never performed any ceremony for Leedberg‑Snow and Leedberg and had no personal knowledge of them ever being married.
Leedberg‑Snow used the fraudulent certificate to obtain property from Leedberg’s estate, including a pickup truck and trailer, and later attempted to influence a witness connected to the scheme.
Leedberg‑Snow pleaded guilty in Cheshire County Superior Court in Keene to felony counts of solicitation to commit vital records fraud, title fraud, theft by misapplication of property and witness tampering.
Advertisement
In addition to her seven‑day jail term, she must serve two years of probation, pay $4,600 in restitution, return the truck and trailer to Leedberg’s estate and comply with a suspended three‑and‑a‑half‑ to seven‑year prison sentence, which means the sentence only takes effect if she violates the conditions of her probation.
Tetreault, who continues to serve as Winchester’s town clerk and “fully cooperated with the State’s investigation,” according to prosecutors, pleaded guilty in April to notarial misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor. As part of a negotiated plea, prosecutors dropped a felony charge of vital records fraud. He was sentenced to 90 days in the house of corrections, all suspended for two years on good behavior, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus a $240 penalty assessment.
He resigned his commissions as a justice of the peace and bail commissioner and agreed not to seek recommissioning as a justice of the peace or notary public during the two‑year suspension period.
Tetreault could not be reached for comment at his office number.
Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.
