Judi

Judi had been through a lot when she arrived in our care in November. A previous owner had considered surrendering her to Northwest Samoyed Rescue in July, but ended up sending her to a new home instead that turned out to be an animal hoarder situation. The animals were seized, and by the time Judi made it to the Jackson County, Oregon, animal shelter, she was severely overweight, manifesting seizures and had growled at the vet. It wasn’t clear that she could be saved.

One of the harder lessons of rescue is that you can’t save every dog, but we decided to take a chance on Judi. A couple days and 450 miles later, she was in foster care in the Seattle area, where we discovered she was also dirty, matted, flea-infested, physically atrophied, and infected with mycoplasma and canine coronavirus. A fresh round of seizures and emergency room visits ensued, and once again it wasn’t clear that she could be saved.

But then Judi started to turn the corner. She got cleaned up. Brushed out. Flea-treated. With dedicated care from the vet and her foster family, she got treated for her infections and got her seizures under control. The mental shock of her ordeal started to abate, and her personality started to emerge.

The “real Judi,” it turns out, loves walks, and hikes and toys and treats and comfy beds and being near her people. She gets along well with her two Samoyed roomates at the foster home, even though sometimes it takes her some extra time to figure out what game is being played. Did we mention she loves walks? She’ll go on strike if you try to turn around on a walk, sitting down and not budging, so her walkers have learned to take her on a long loop route instead. She’s getting wise to that though, meaning she’s a quick learner and also clearly likes variety. Her foster people describe her as an athletic dog trapped in a disabled dog’s body, but her body’s starting to catch up, losing weight and gaining strength with every walk and play session. 

Judi’s just 7 years old. She has a lot of vibrant life ahead of her. All she needs is the right forever home. 

Not just any forever home will work, however. Her seizures are a lifelong condition and require a strict twice-a-day medication regimen to keep under control. She likes dogs and people in general, but a head pat from behind or a reach for her high value treat can still elicit a growl. Her new home will require structure, patience and presence. We think the ideal would be a two (or more) person household, a retirement or work-from-home situation, and a rock solid option for Judi’s care during trips away. And of course walks. Lots and lots of walks.