Adopt a Samoyed: What to Know
First, we really want to help you find a Samoyed. If we didn’t think this is the best breed on earth we wouldn’t be doing rescue work.
Northwest Samoyed Rescue places dogs in homes in Washington, Oregon, and northern Idaho. If you live outside our area, please visit https://www.samoyed.org/rescontacts/
In recent years Northwest Samoyed Rescue has placed on average about 1 dog per month. That’s an average, however, and our typical pattern is to see dogs become available in surges (even if from different sources), meaning an adoption application can be on file for several months or even over a year before there’s a match.
If you’re looking for a puppy or young dog, it’s unlikely we will be able to help you as young dogs are seldom in rescue. Many people set on a puppy will look to Samoyed breeders for their next dog (and we have some resources on finding the right Samoyed breeder). If you have room in your heart for a senior dog, or even a middle-aged dog, we really want to hear from you because those are the dogs who need homes.
Based on our experience with the breed and the rescue / placement process, we give preference to potential adoption environments that match these criteria:
- Adopters experienced with the breed
- Homes with fenced yards (note that “invisible fences” do not qualify)
- Condos / townhomes / apartments with ready access to exercise and elimination areas
- Environments where the dog’s “home alone” time will be minimized
Note that you must agree to a home visit in advance of adoption so one of our volunteers can verify whether it will be a good environment for a rescue Samoyed, and better match the right dog with the right environment. While a specific dog on our available dogs page often catalyzes an adoption application and home visit, we are unable to promise prospective adopters any specific dog in advance.
On adoption, we ask for an adoption donation of $500, which is quite a lot less than the costs of an average rescue dog. If a dog has had extraordinary costs we may ask for a higher donation. Our goal is to break even. We also require a signed adoption agreement.
If you’re not quite ready to add a Samoyed to your household on a permanent basis, you may want to consider fostering a rescue Samoyed (more about fostering here). Fosters are among the most valuable resources in rescue, and another great way to help Samoyeds find their forever homes.
Regardless of the path you take, we do ask that you consider your level of commitment in advance of applying, and discuss the prospect with your family / significant other / housemates / incumbent Samoyeds in advance. Vetting potential adopters is a significant investment on the part of rescue, and while we recognize that “life happens,” stability is an essential component of ensuring we can connect our Samoyeds to the best possible forever homes.
If, with that information in hand, you’d like to apply to adopt, we’d love to hear from you.
Ready to adopt?