January 2015
The two dogs we wrote about last month ended up going to Alaska. Although we had qualified people waiting, the owners elected to place the dogs themselves, so we crossed our fingers. Someone who had applied to us ended up with both of them and the placement seems to have been very good. He is on Facebook so we’re able to keep track.
Someone found a dog in Bellevue and posted online, so we wrote right away as we always do. There was no picture included on the Craigslist post and we were unsuccessful persuading the finder to work with us. The ad disappeared two days afterward so we hope for the best.
For the most part, December was quiet. We answer inquiries nearly every day, and applications arrive frequently, but except for paperwork and email not a lot happened. We are still waiting for the surgeon we want for Lily’s leg surgery to get back to us, and Jack needs some help with a skin condition. We treated him for a staph infection and now we’ll test thyroid levels.
Back in early 2007 we had a call from the Kent animal shelter telling us they had a Samoyed, and asking if we would pick her up. She had a terrible allergy and had chewed the hair completely off her back; her teeth were worn down to the gums from constantly biting herself. We guessed her age at about six or seven, and she was definitely a mix, but we said we would take her. Erin picked her up and brought her to us.
We delayed her spay because she came with kennel cough, and a week before the appointment we realized she was getting round. Bobbie came to look and estimated she had about five days before delivery. She was right on the money, and Katie presented us with three puppies. She was a good mother, and we placed all three pups to great homes. It was quite an experience. We tried to place her, but after several months we couldn’t find any takers and she ended up staying.
Katie has been declining in recent years, with frequent surgeries to remove growths, and mentally she has been failing. A few weeks ago she had a seizure and started wandering into corners and getting stuck. We could see the light in her eyes had gone out. She had another large growth on her neck, and we didn’t think we should put her under anesthesia again. Katie left us January 5th to join all the others who have gone before her.
More pictures of Katie are at http://nwsams.smugmug.com/family/katie