A Montana sanctuary for blind, deaf and maimed animals is moving to New Hampshire.  The owners of Rolling Dog Ranch in Ovando say they will start moving horses, dogs and cats to a 120-acre ranch in Lancaster, N.H., on May 24.  Steve Smith and Alayne Marker founded Rolling Dog Ranch 10 years ago after leaving jobs with Boeing in Seattle. They said on their website that the 160-acre Montana ranch will be put up for sale. They have posted photos of the new ranch on their blog.  The Rolling Dog Ranch last Christmas won a $20,000 first-place prize in a national online contest called Shelter Challenge (ASPCA) for its work in caring for disabled animals.  But the couple said rising gas prices and hour-plus drives to the closest cities of Missoula and Helena are some of the reasons for the move. They also expect to find a larger number of job seekers and volunteers in New Hampshire.  "It was always a major problem for us to hire employees here, because most people did not want to move to such a remote area," Smith wrote on the website. "And of the few who were willing to move out here, most quickly tired of living so far out."  Smith wrote that the New Hampshire property was purchased for $663,000, and includes a pond, spring, three-story barn and a large equipment shed.  The blog also mentions that a larger house in New Hampshire will allow all the dogs inside their home rather than in home-like shelters in Montana.  To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor  . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to  . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
Rolling Dog Ranch is rolling on to a new home - Paw Print Post: A community for Dog, Cat, and Pet Owners - USATODAY.com