May 2011
Tundra, who came to us by way of the PAWS shelter in Snohomish County, was with us for a little over a month. That’s longer than usual lately; because she was mostly deaf we weren’t in a hurry to find her a new home. As it turned out she has a perfect new home. Her mom knew some sign language already because of her job, and is working with Tundra to find the best way to train her. The bit of hearing she has may be enough for clicker training, and that will be a great advantage. She has already established herself firmly as a part of the family, and she has an Eskie for a sister and they get along great.
In February there was a news story about the seizure of 35 dog from a breeder in Canby. It was Foxburrow Kennels, run by Diane and Rick Cheadle. They pleaded guilty to animal neglect charges on April 8 and were sentenced to jail, probation, community service, and for five years they cannot own any dogs. At the time of the seizure they had only one Samoyed, left over from the time they were breeding Sammies. The Oregon Humane Society kept the Samoyed while nursing her back to health, then put her in a foster home. Finally they called Melissa, who had been in touch regularly with OHS, and let her know the dog was ready for rescue. Her name is Fanci, and she is getting along very well at the Hopper Bed and Breakfast. Fanci should be a great addition to any home.
It seems like just the other day, but that one year old dog we adopted from Cheryl is already eleven. Charlie has had a weak ACL for some time, but a couple weeks ago it ruptured and last week he had surgery. The reason we mention this is because of a new type of ACL repair called “tightrope surgery.” Back in 2003 when we had Tasha’s surgery the cast was on for two weeks and we had to leash walk her for almost three months. With the new surgery the cast/bandage came off 24 hours after surgery and therapy began immediately. In seven days he was bearing half his weight on the leg. He will still be leash walked for a couple months, but that time will be easier for him. This is a common injury in Samoyeds, and if anyone else faces it please give Ron a call if you want more information.