November 2020
In December 2017 we picked up a senior dog named Nanuk, surrendered by a woman in Sultan. She sent us a few photos showing how beautiful he was. Kathy met her half way, and the owner pushed out a dog from her car, covered in filth and matted to the skin. Kathy did her magic and got him cleaned up nicely, and we found him to be as wonderful as only a Senior Sammy can be. From what we could determine he was kept out in a muddy yard.
Once he was ready to adopt we called John and Theresa, who had recently lost another rescue boy named Scooter. They hesitated to adopt another old dog because Scooter had been so expensive at the end, so we worked out a deal. They took Nanuk as a foster dog and we took care of costs. It didn’t take long for him to worm his way into their hearts, and they gave him a life that made up for anything that happened in his early years. He had his own place in their RV, a fenced yard with all the toys he wanted, and at least one walk each day along the river. They named him Nikkee and he had everything he could ask for, but most of all a loving home.
In July, they let us know Nikkee wasn’t feeling well and they were taking him to their vet, who immediately referred them to an emergency clinic where it was determined Nikkee was bleeding internally from a tumor on his spleen. It was removed, but the report said cancer was likely to return in a few months. They brought him here in August so we could visit with him once more, and he was doing quite well. Then last month, as we knew would happen, he began to decline fast and they had to let him go. In a breed where we have many favorite dogs, Nikkee was one of those we will always remember, just as we will remember the love and great care John and Theresa gave him. Nikkee was 13 years old.
I don’t know how many times we have reported “slow progress” with Sophie and Tessa, but probably most of the rescue reports since February 2018 said something like that. When you compare them today with what we had then, they are considerably changed, but changes are still glacially slow. Kathy has begun walking them around the yard and they are doing surprisingly well on leashes. They are still slow to come through the door into the kitchen; unless there is food in the offing they usually decline, so we don’t let them out as often as they would like. Sophie will take food from my hand, but not Tessa. Kathy is able to pet them both, at least sometimes, but I’m not. The one exception is bedtime, when I give each some kibble in their crates, when I can reach in and pet them. Recently Sophie came into the office next to me and actually laid down, the first time that has happened.
Sophie’s sister Fena is still with Kathi, and she has turned into a much better adjusted dog. Kathi sent this photo recently showing Fena’s first trip into Mud Bay. Congratulations, Fena!
This past month we have seen two Craigslist advertisements for Samoyeds. We always write and let the people know who we are and try to get information. Advertisers remain anonymous unless they choose to give us name or numbers, so that’s about all we can do. We know that one wanted $1500 and the other wanted $400. Both of the listings disappeared so we can only hope the dogs went to good homes. Just a week ago we had an email from a woman who wanted to surrender her two and a half year old male. I wrote back asking for photos, but heard nothing. Since we have her email address I’ll check back again. There’s a fine line between helping and pushing too hard.