April 2009

Cody and Sierra are two Samoyeds who came together from eastern Oregon. Their former owner, who thought he could get rich breeding dogs, stopped trying a couple years ago and these two were his last two Sammies. They were seized when he was taken to jail for shooting a neighbor, and animal control called Cathie to turn them over to rescue. They were a real mess after spending years in an outdoor pen; Sierra was terribly overweight at 95 pounds and Cody was timid for lack of human companionship. Sierra was put on a strict diet (and had two baths) and both were shown the luxuries of indoor living. They gradually built up muscle tone and got comfortable with people, and on March 29 they were visited by a couple guys from the Renton area who offered to give them a new home. The two dogs were able to remain together and their new dads will get the satisfaction of seeing them blossom and really come out of their shells.

Lola was found as a stray in the LaCenter area just north of Vancouver. The finder put an ad on Craigslist and we contacted her to suggest she take them to the shelter in Vancouver where Melissa has a good relationship with the management. Lola spent three days there but nobody came looking, so the first morning her stray hold was up, Melissa was there to pick her up. That was the day of a pet expo in Portland, so Lola was company to Melissa, Kathy, and Jim at a table showing off our breed. She was a great Sambassador and made lots of friends.

As Melissa fostered her she became more and more convinced Lola was less than a year old. She was taught how to be civil to the feline population (by the cats as well as Melissa) and she settled in. Then, on April 9, another ad appeared on Craigslist, this time for a lost Samoyed. After checking it was determined this was the same girl being fostered by Melissa. We have a policy already in place for a case like this, which involves checking out the former owner before automatically returning a dog. In all things to do with Samoyed Rescue, the welfare of the dog is most important. In this case, Lola was an outdoor dog not allowed in the house; there was no fence and it was a week before they decided to look for her after she ran off chasing a car that was leaving the house. We feel this is a home where people simply don’t understand our breed, and Melissa is planning a home visit. Even if they build a fence and promise to keep her indoors the fact remains that they took a week before they began looking for her. As you can see, rescue isn’t always a simple thing.

Nicky’s first owner wrote to us to thank us for caring for him. You may remember from last month’s report that he was given away, then ran away, and we can’t account for his life for the last three years. He was found in the Buckley area and no amount of checking, by us or the shelter, could learn anything about him. Because he was chipped the finder was able to find his first owner and tell her what happened. She was unable to take him but said she appreciated knowing he is OK.

We all know how mellow a Samoyed can be, and how friendly and easygoing they are. Even so, it’s rare to see a dog with all the good traits and a great personality but none of the problems we can encounter. He is submissive to other males but not intimidated, and automatically respects females. Even our alpha male Charlie has accepted him completely and he coexists with the pack like he always lived here. We’ve been slow to place him because we are frankly enjoying having him around. There is a home lined up for him and if he can be shown to be safe with cats he will get to go there. He seemed fine with the vet’s cats but a veterinary office isn’t a true test because all dogs are a bit stressed there. If anyone knows of a home with cats in the Olympia area that would allow us to test him, please let us know.

Our big event this past month was the return of the puppies! Two years ago we picked up a Samoyed mix named Katie from the Seattle shelter. She looked pathetic, with her entire back bare from digging at herself as a result of a severe allergy. She also had kennel cough which delayed her spay appointment, and only a few days before she would be spayed we found out she was pregnant. Five days later she delivered four puppies by c-section, three of which survived. We would have been lost without the help of Bobbie LaFortune, who loaned us all her whelping supplies and gave the advice and support we needed so badly.

We found homes for all three puppies; one with Sue and two with Laura and Bill and their boys. We nursed Katie back to health and after a year of trying to find her a home we decided she already had one. A month ago Sue wrote about the possibility of bringing her puppy back for a visit for her second birthday, and we were able to arrange for ALL the puppies to be here at the same time. It is striking how identical the two girls are, and how much the boy looks like Katie. We all had a great time.