August 2015
Early in July, Holley forwarded a Craigslist ad about a young dog in St. Helens named Andy. The owner was looking for a new home, so we called and talked to her. She was receptive because she has also done rescue, and after a long conversation we agreed to share one of the applicants on our waiting list. Her name is Carol and she lives on the Oregon coast. The owner took Andy to visit her, and the match was excellent. Sometimes we take in dogs to foster, and sometimes we play matchmaker. This was the first time someone decided to keep their old dogs and let the young, adoptable dog be placed. We are still marveling over that.
In February we worked with the owner of a young female Samoyed in Seattle, and the day we were ready to pick her up they changed their mind, something about getting permission from their landlord. A month ago we heard from the same person, who said his roommate (the owner) was moving back to southern China and their vet said it was too hot there for a Samoyed. Once again we arranged to get her, and this time it went smoothly. Bebe was only 13 months old and a ball of fire, as busy as any dog we have had in a dozen years. She was well behaved but almost frantic in her activity.
Bebe moved back to Seattle to join two other Sammies in a home that turned out to be as perfect as any we have had. Her new name is Holly. Her activity level perplexed them too, and after a day they decided to hold her down and check her entire body. What they found was a very thin mat of hair behind one ear they called almost undetectable, tight against the skin. When they touched it she was visibly hurt by the touch. With patience and a great deal of time they clipped out the mat in about fifty little bits, and the more they cut out the more she relaxed. From that day forward her whole personality changed. Even though it shows that we missed something while she was here, it’s one more thing to consider when your dog is acting oddly.
Another strange event is also worth mentioning here. We chipped a young dog a couple years ago; when he went to the vet recently they couldn’t find it. We use AVID chips specifically because it can be read by any reader of any age, so it definitely wasn’t in the dog. Chipping a Samoyed is an art because of all that long hair, and we have developed a procedure over the years. After chipping we comb the area and check again, then let the dog run for a while and comb and check again. More than once we found the chip was stuck in the hair because it hadn’t been placed correctly.
A week ago there was a conversation on a Facebook group and I learned there are many people who have Sammies whose chip is no longer found. Whether there was a fault in a reader, a chip not placed correctly, or a chip that was bad, we strongly suggest you periodically ask your vet to scan for a chip. Over the years we have recovered a number of dogs specifically because of the microchip, so it’s vital you know it works. If it’s a chip we implanted here, and your vet can’t find it, we will send you another one your vet can implant.
Princess is still here and will probably live the rest of her life with us. She is getting better but will always be a fearful dog. Spending eleven years in a back yard without people has affected her social skills. We’ve been making small breakthroughs, and she will come inside now when called. Just a few days ago she was in the far part of the yard when called, and she came running with her tail up and a big smile. Those are the days that make rescue worthwhile.
You may remember Chip and Ozzy, who came as a pair of senior Sammies four years ago. Their owner couldn’t keep them and had no money for vet care. They got what they needed here and Ozzy lived two more years, leaving us in 2013 at 15 years old. Chip has been a perfect gentleman during his tenure here, always polite and respectful of the other dogs. Back in February we thought he had reached the end, but a trip to the vet showed he wasn’t ready yet. We bought a carrying harness and have been picking him up when he wanted to move since then. A persistent cough earned another trip to the vet a week ago, and this time it was something we couldn’t fix. He was tired and ready this time, so Chip left us on August 6. He was 14½. It’s hard to believe what a large hole can be left by such a quiet dog.