June 2011
Last month we heard about a Samoyed in Ocean Shores. She had been found as a stray and nobody looked for her. Unfortunately, it happens all too often. When we touched base with the shelter they told us she was matted and they were planning to shave her. We talked it over, and Kathy said she would go to the shelter and spend the afternoon grooming her to prevent that from happening.
Along with all the grooming tools, Kathy took our microchip scanner just in case. They already told us she didn’t have a chip, but experience tells us not to trust shelters. This time we were glad we checked because she had a newer style chip their old scanner couldn’t read. Kathy called with the chip number and I started making phone calls. The microchip company gave us the name of the breeder, who died a couple years ago. Because she had been in Arizona I called Bobbie, hoping she could find the name of the breeder’s daughter. She checked in with people who might know, and her friend Susan thought the dog might have been co-owned by Sakura, right here in western Washington. A quick call confirmed it was one of her dogs, and her name is Christina. She had been trying to locate the owner who had moved at least once and changed her phone number. She called Kathy directly, and Kathy paid the shelter fees and brought her home. The next day Sakura and Tasha were here to reimburse rescue and retrieve Christina. All’s well that ends well, except for the part where Sakura had to pay the highest shelter fee we’ve ever seen and spent several more days grooming Christina.
We always tell people to be sure their dogs are microchipped in case something like this happens. Now that the last two dogs we rescued had chips the shelter missed, we need to amend that. Be sure chips are the older style, not ISO, because small shelters don’t always have modern scanners. Eventually they will, but that hasn’t happened yet despite chip company promises. More importantly, collars with tags are the best identification possible.
You should also know that if you had your dog chipped by Banfield in the past few years you may not be as safe as you think. They were the first organization to use ISO chips and there have been some real horror stories. If you want to know the difference between chips, head to Wikipedia where there is an excellent article discussing the types of chips. To be absolutely safe, take your dog to the closest shelter and ask them to check the chip.
The girl we got from the Foxburrow puppy mill bust has a new home. We had email from Dorinda of Utah Samoyed Rescue asking about an application she received from someone in Portland, and Melissa visited their home. Dorinda didn’t have any dogs available but this home looked just right for Fanci; she moved in and her new name is Pip. She has some issues because of her past; she is a fearful dog who will need a lot of TLC to show her the world isn’t as bad as she thinks. It’s going to take a great amount of patience. Melissa went back for a follow-up visit to help with training.
On the day of this newsletter’s deadline we heard of a dog in southwest Montana at a Humane Society. We contacted a group that provides transportation for rescue & shelter dogs and they are in the process of working something out. We expect it will cost quite a bit with the cost of gas these days, but we’re fortunate to have so many great supporters and donors. That means another Montana dog will find a good home.
Picnic invitations have been sent by email, so if you haven’t received yours please contact Ron as soon as possible. We expect a great turnout this year and we always have a ton of fun.