May 2022
Last month our new foster home had just taken Yeti, a young Samoyed surrendered because his family had a baby. Yeti has Ukrainian dogs in his pedigree, and came from a backyard breeder in Utah. We received continuous positive reports on him, and now Yeti has a new home in the Portland area. He will live with a Beagle in a great home with Samoyed experience, and we know his life will continue to be wonderful. We are indebted to Kris and Paul in Albany for fostering him at a time we truly needed some help.
The new kid on the block this month is Niko. Quite a few years ago, Ryann saw that Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue (SPDR) had no Samoyed representative, and asked if we would like her to volunteer so she could let us know about Samoyeds in need. Recently someone wrote that he has a Samoyed who didn’t get along with cats, and asked if SPDR could take him. Ryann went to visit Niko, and his owner is willing to keep him until we find the right home. We’re sorry to say he was recently shaved because he didn’t like being groomed, but he will be a great addition to a family without cats.
Bella is still with us, and doing very well. Her treatment for thyroid cancer is apparently working, and the thyroid meds have her acting like a puppy at times. We were told she is eleven, though we think she is slightly older, and is the age we love to foster. The senior dogs are something special.
Banjo is the nine-month-old boy we got from a Lake Stevens man a couple months ago, who is one of three dogs being fostered by Melissa. He was from the Mennonite puppy mill family in northern Idaho and is about nine months old. His hormones have begun kicking in, more than we have seen with other young dogs, so the decision was made to have him neutered. That will happen later this month, and then he will be available for adoption.
Luna is also with Melissa. She is the young pup whose leg was broken badly before we got her. Several vets have concurred that the break can’t be repaired, and the options were to either amputate a rear leg or let the scar tissue hold things in place. By the time Luna got to us, her leg was already stable. As one vet said, having three and a half legs is better than three, and since Luna is getting along fine this way, jumping up on the bed with ease, she will continue as she is. Luna is not a purebred Samoyed, but her personality and temperament are. She was just spayed and will be ready in a week or two.
Shadah came to us earlier this year. She has a food allergy, and it has taken Melissa some time to get it controlled, and now we know the right kind of food to keep her healthy. Recently she was spayed because we wanted to lessen the chances of mammary cancer, and during the spay the vet called to say they found a tumor. It was removed, and was benign. Shadah is a wonderful eight year old and will be available to just the right home.
Sophie and Tessa are still with us, and continue to be a challenge. Once outdoors, they prefer to stay there. The only two times we know they will come in is just before breakfast and just before bedtime. Kathy lets them out for a run when they wake up, and after they have breakfast they only go out on leashes until evening. After our dinner they go out again for a few hours, and come back in at bedtime. There was something in their past that scared them so badly that only women can get close. They have been here well past four years, and will likely be here the rest of their lives.
The past month has been a challenge because I spent 10 days in the hospital. It’s nothing serious, but it meant others had to step up – and they did. Erin has been handling Niko, the new boy, and working with Ryann. Hans stepped up to help with other rescue duties. Part of the eventual transition to new rescue management has begun, and we are confident NWSR will be in good hands.
