January 2019
Early last month Holley sent us a Craigslist post about an 18-month old Samoyed female in Puyallup. We tried to contact the poster, but had no answer. Four days later we got a message from a woman in Redmond who told us she just bought a dog through Craigslist and she wanted us to take her. She said she wasn’t equipped for a dog this young and active. Erin and Tom picked her up and delivered her to Kathy halfway between Redmond and here. She had no name and we were told the former owner wasn’t the original owner either, and he didn’t have a name for her. We decided to call her Annie.
Annie was as timid and fearful at the beginning as Sophie and Tessa, the two we have from the puppy mill. She even sat with them in the corner of the laundry room, and there is a remarkable similarity in faces. Fortunately, within a day or two she began warming up and playing with our other dogs. She was still slow to come to us, which makes us think she hadn’t been treated well in her young life. She definitely hasn’t been house trained, but we aren’t worrying about that until we ensure she doesn’t have a urinary infection or some physical problem. At this writing we are awaiting urine culture results. She was already on one antibiotic based on an un-sterile sample, so we are doing a culture on a good sample.
Although she was listed as a year and a half old, we’re pretty sure now Annie is closer to a year. She has the appearance of a dog not quite an adult yet. Her behavior is also very puppy-like. When we know she is healthy we will spay her, and then she can go to a new home. We have been talking to a former adopter who has another Samoyed girl already, which we think is important. Annie is much faster to pick up behaviors from another dog. She has settled in now and has turned into a sweet, well-tempered girl who just today decided she likes to be a lap dog.
Max is still with Melissa. Last month we mentioned we were waiting for the results of a DNA test, and now we have it. Although he has much in common with Samoyeds, he is actually 7/8 Siberian Husky. It’s easy to be fooled. He has the sweet temperament of a Sammy combined with the stubbornness of a Sibe. The people who were interested in him decided they will wait for a Samoyed, and we haven’t yet found anyone to take him. As Melissa says, his worst trait is stealing her side of the bed if she gets up during the night. If you’re reading this and would be interested in a nice dog, please contact Melissa.
We completed the cross fence in our back yard. It’s not beautiful, made of some cattle panels and an x-pen, but it works and that’s most important. Sophie and Tessa are getting time in their new area, but obviously are not comfortable there yet. They are getting to it through a different door, and it’s a frightening thing for their routine to change. When we are able to get them to use that door easily we will be able to put our cars in the garage again. They have been parked in the weather for almost exactly 11 months, since the girls arrived. It’s a long process.
Meanwhile, Fena is with Kathi and doing much, much better. She understands she is part of a family and is loved, and she is beginning to reciprocate that love. Fena is able to accept petting, even seeking it out now. She enjoys being with her new Mom and the other dogs, and is very close to accepting grooming. It’s what we hope for Sophie and Tessa, too.
The latest news from the Iowa puppy mill story is that the breeder requested she be allowed to keep nine Samoyeds and four cats, and the court ruled against her. The following is from a news report.
“On Monday, Judge Krull ruled the nine dogs and four cats were neglected by Kavars in that she failed to provide adequate food and water, left the animals in “horrid, filthy conditions,” and did not provide adequate shelter or veterinary care. Judge Krull also states he does not find Kavars testimony that she will stop breeding dogs “credible” and that she made statements which clearly indicate her desire to begin breeding animals again. Judge Krull rules the nine dogs and four cats qualify as “threatened animals” and says the Worth County Sheriff’s Office should appropriately care for them, up to and including delivering them to another owner. Criminal charges in this case are pending.”
Sad news this month. You probably recall Katie, the mix who surprised us with three puppies in March, 2007. One of them was named Sparkle, and she went to a very good family in Portland along with Cubby, the only male. We had word a few days ago that Sparkle began to decline, probably from stomach cancer, and they had to let her go. It sure doesn’t feel like twelve years.
