Our month began with lost dogs, which we try to help no matter where they are. The first one was a dog in California who was taken from a vehicle. The national network of rescuers, admittedly informal, really gets in gear when a dog is lost. We all notify everyone we can, and there were dozens of people looking for a Sammy named Freedom. He was found two days later and it looks like all the publicity made someone drop him off where he would soon be returned to his owner.

The second time it was two dogs of Josh and Norma’s, who were let out by a delivery person who left a gate open. After much detective work they found the dogs had wandered to a nearby apartment building. A man who was being evicted put them in his car when he left; since someone knew his name he was eventually tracked down to another apartment not far away. Norma and Josh went to confront him, and the dogs started barking when they heard the familiar voices. This turned out very well, especially considering how difficult it would have been without help from others at the first apartment.

A big part of the reason we hear of so many dogs, both lost and found, is the work Holley does online. She checks Craigslist and other online sources daily, without exception, and the results are sent to the national rescue secretary, who forwards dogs to the closest rescuer.  We have another opening for someone who wants to volunteer for rescue; it would also be a daily task and has the potential of helping many Sammies. If you think it sounds like something you could do, please ask Ron for more information.

On the first of February a Samoyed girl was listed on Craigslist in central Oregon. As always we responded to let them know who we are and offering to help, or send people to her who wanted a middle-aged female Samoyed. She asked for us to let one of our applicants know, and although that didn’t work out she was able to find someone local to her who adopted her girl.

Northwest Samoyed Rescue has had some extraordinarily generous donations recently, and we want to thank our supporters. We have enough on hand to ensure any dog who needs medical help will get it. We’re also pursuing an AKC grant for the future. This money lets us keep our adoption fee the same it has been for twenty years. At $150, we have the lowest adoption fee of any Samoyed rescue group in the country. Thank you!

We have been working with a rescue group in Oregon to find a home for Nita, a mix who recently went blind at seven years old. We think their description of her as a “Samoyed/Lab” mix is a bit optimistic, but she seems to be a very nice girl and we know blind dogs are easy keepers, especially at that age. When someone fills out one of our application forms there are check boxes for ‘purebred,’ ‘mix,’ or ‘either.’  We keep a list of all those who would consider a mixed breed dog, and when a dog like Nita comes along we send email to them. Over the years this has worked well, especially since we only take purebreds into rescue. Of course over those same years we’ve mistakenly taken many mixes in, but that’s part of rescue. Since reasonably priced DNA testing has come on the market we have learned how many ‘Samoyed mixes’ have little or no Sammy in them.

At year end we always get a few donations, but 2013 was a stellar year as many of our friends remembered donations to rescue are tax-deductible. We feel honored that so many people think Samoyed Rescue is a good place to donate. We can also provide what you need to talk to your attorney about estate planning, as some of our friends have.

How many of you routinely donate to the Humane Society of the United States? They have come under fire from people who say they aren’t really helping dogs. Well, I’m one who likes to do my own research and not take the word of others regarding how I spend my money. You know something? The detractors of HSUS are absolutely right. If you go to a website like guidestar.org you can investigate all charities (NWSR is included) and learn how they spend your donations. In the case of HSUS, they spend a great deal of money trying to make more money (fundraising expenses), and their officers are very well compensated. The greatest part of their spending is on lobbying, and their beliefs align very closely with other ‘animal rights’ groups like PETA. Less than one percent of their spending, actually closer to one half of one percent, is spent helping dogs. Their federal tax returns are online for all to see. A good site for more information is www.humanewatch.org.

This is a good time to remind you that we keep microchip records on all the dogs we place. Since we are a ‘chipping agency’ (that means we buy the chips and implant them here) we are usually the first place called when a lost dog is found and scanned. Do we have your most current information?  Ideally we should be able to locate you almost immediately, so we like to have home, work, and cell numbers, as well as neighbors’ phones and all the email and text addresses you have. Over the years we have had many successes returning dogs home quickly. If you’re a breeder whose litter we chipped, this would be a perfect time to ensure your puppy people have provided you recent information.

Several months ago someone in the Seattle area contacted us about taking his dog, who had separation anxiety and was tearing up his apartment. Upon talking to him we learned he didn’t really want to lose his Sammy, but he didn’t know what else to do. He sounded sincere so we asked for volunteers to work with him. Ryann responded and went for a visit. We all kept in touch with training suggestions, and just a few weeks ago his happy owner said training was the ticket. His dog is now reliable in the apartment alone, and is getting enough exercise. We don’t mention this often, but our first duty to a dog is to keep him in the home he already knows. Sometimes that’s impossible, but many cases turn out like this.

A Samoyed came into the SpokAnimal shelter in Spokane last month, and Cheri offered to take a look. He was a purebred, but would be held a few more days. Another check on him found he had an adopter, and Cheri asked them to give her name to the adopter in case they wanted any help with their new Samoyed. Having volunteers all over the northwest who are ready to jump to help makes rescue possible.

Another dog came into the Redmond, Oregon shelter. Ken offered to help and we called the shelter to make contact. Once again, the shelter had someone on the way to adopt, but they said they were glad to keep our contact information. We also gave them Ken’s number because he has helped with a number of dogs in the area.

It was the month of shelter dogs, and yet another ended up in the Blue Mountain shelter in LaGrande, Oregon. Cathie has always helped in that area so we called right away. She checked in and worked with them, and someone she knew (who had Sammies before) ended up adopting this one. In the process we learned we have yet another member in the area who also offered to help. And we also heard from a woman who helped with Georgia Samoyed Rescue who has moved to the northwest, who wanted to volunteer for rescue here. Our network of volunteers keeps getting larger and we appreciate it more than we can say.

We had an early Christmas present in the form of an update on Rikki (formerly Graham), who was rescued by North Texas Samoyed Rescue during the seizure a couple years ago. We worked with Christie to get him placed in a great home in British Columbia. His new mom’s name is Lorraine, and she is a senior with a terrific support network. She grooms him several times a week, walks him twice a day, and they have an incredible bond. You could even say they rescued each other, because he gives Lorraine a reason to get up in the morning. She still lives alone with Rikki at just over 100 years old.

On October 30 we had a call from Ryann, who signed up a couple years ago as the Samoyed representative for Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue. She had received a call from the Olympia shelter asking if she could pass along a message to us; apparently they couldn’t find our contact info. We called to find out they had just taken in a Samoyed as an owner-surrender, and did we want to pick him up? Since it’s our local shelter Kathy was there and back in just over an hour.

His owner gave a story about moving. His name is Jack, and he is about eight years old. His coat is terrible, with patches of bare skin, and he is grossly overweight. What wasn’t wrong is his personality, which is 100% Samoyed. This is one of the friendliest dogs we have ever seen. He loves everyone and behaves like a gentleman.

We were able to get him to the vet right away, where he weighed in at 116 pounds. Really. The vet thought his coat problem was a combination of poor nutrition and being shaved frequently; the name for that is “post-shave alopecia.” Jack immediately went on a diet, and after a day or two he had a bath. Within a few more days we could see hair growth, so we think the vet was right.

Jack got along with all our dogs, although Trent had the typical “last-in” response, telling us it wasn’t fair to add another dog. But he got over it and Jack settled in. We had an application from a couple in Graham willing to take a middle aged dog, so we set up a time and went to visit. Jack went along, and they thought he was wonderful. The question was whether their other family dog, a German Shepherd, would accept him. She had been abused in her former life and is paranoid about almost everything. Even though the dog belongs to their son, and they live in a separate home, they had to make the decision. We brought Jack back home so they could think about it, and on the 10th they came to visit Jack again. They felt their Shepherd would adapt, so Jack went home. First reports are all positive, and we think he has a terrific new home.

We are fast approaching the holiday season, and we hope you remember Northwest Samoyed Rescue benefits from your purchases at Amazon when you enter through our website. Your shopping experience is exactly the same, but when you start on our site we get a percentage of everything you buy. It’s a much-appreciated way to benefit rescue, and simple as it gets. Please bookmark www.nwsams.com/amazon and start there next time you go to Amazon. If you don’t remember the exact link, the link is on the front page of our website. Click the large “Amazon” logo and go from there. Thanks!

Rescue in the past two years has been feast or famine. Either we get many dogs at once or we don’t see any for months at a time. This past month has been slow. We have only Chip and Trent as fosters, and both are too old to place so we’re enjoying them while they are here. Our own pack is getting geriatric so the next year won’t be a lot of fun.

Back when we first took over rescue in 2002 we had a lot of help from long-time rescuers. Of course Cheryl was primarily the one we asked when we had questions, but several others volunteered advice and helped us find our own way of doing things. Danielle Buchheister of MidAtlantic Samoyed Rescue, Maria Kirylo of Playing Again Sams in Wisconsin, Alice Barz of Georgia Samoyed Rescue, Dorinda Lauer of Samoyed Rescue of Utah, and many others helped us. We listened to how everyone else ran their rescues and we established forms and procedures that have worked for us.

One of the central figures, and a real presence in Samoyed Rescue at the time, was Marietta Riley, who ran Buckeye Samoyed Rescue in Ohio. She began doing rescue officially in the 90’s, as far as we can find out, but she always helped dogs who needed it. She spent a lot of time coordinating donations of dog food for people who couldn’t afford it. She gave her time for dogs willingly but quietly. Her name wasn’t mentioned a lot outside Samoyed Rescue circles because she never cared if she got credit. She was on the oldest of the rescue lists, one for rescue coordinators, and when we asked for something we could count on Marietta offering to help. Over the last eleven years we corresponded frequently and we knew her as a generous and caring woman, an expert doing rescue, whose passion was our Samoyed breed.

Earlier this year she let a few friends know she had cancer, but she kept working to place Samoyeds. Over her rescue career she helped hundreds of dogs, all in good homes because she cared about the dogs. Those who were too old, too sick, or too unsocialized stayed with Marietta and her husband Carl.

Marietta passed away September 19, 2013, and rescue lost an Angel.

In April 2012 we heard about a dog in the Cle Elum area that had been seen many times, but nobody could catch her. We asked Kathy Thomas to help, and she drove over with her dog and a bunch of chicken snacks. Happily, she was successful and the dog got in the car with her. We named her Faith, a name thought up by one of the rescuers in the area who had been keeping people up to date with efforts to catch her. We think she is a husky mix, not a Samoyed, but we’ll always be grateful to Kathy for getting her for us.

Faith learned quickly she was safe and we placed her with Jill, who named her Stella. We’ve been getting entertaining updates ever since, like the time Stella jumped up on the stove to eat dinner off the back burner. One of the first things she learned was to pull a cart, and lately we hear stories about Stella trying to catch up with cars that passed her. It must be a wild ride for Jill, who has clocked Stella at more than 24 mph. This week we had an update with this picture of Stella (on the right) waiting for the green light so she could take off running. This is what a rescue success looks like.

Trent is the aging Malamute mix we took in the middle of July. We expected him not to be with us very long because he was so sick, just emerging from kidney failure and barely able to walk. Today you wouldn’t know he was the same dog. Although there’s no cure for old age, his kidneys are healed now and he has started to run, especially when there’s food involved. A couple weeks ago our vet suggested Duralactin, a new NSAID based on milk protein, and the difference in his mobility has been significant. Kathy has groomed him a few times, and last week was able to spend significant time combing (the picture shows him next to the hair combed out from only one side). He is looking great and has bonded to us like no previous foster.  We were told that’s a characteristic of Malamutes. We enjoy his company and expect he will live out his life here.

Twelve year old Chip is our other foster, and he has been here for nearly two years. Many years ago he had TPLO surgery and has had a pronounced limp since he arrived. Lately it’s getting worse and he is going to the vet soon to see if there is anything we can do.

This month we had a first; a woman wrote and asked if we would take her cat. We’re still shaking our heads about that one, but we recommended a cat rescue group close to her. Life gets more interesting every day.

As we get closer to the holiday shopping season, please remember you can help Northwest Samoyed Rescue at no cost to yourself. If you enter the Amazon website through our link, we automatically get a small percentage of what you spend. Go to www.nwsams.com and click the Amazon link. It’s simple and it really works.

July 20 was the 14th annual Samoyed Rescue Picnic, and the 10th held at our home. It’s an immense bit of work getting ready, but worth every second to see all the happy Sammies we have known over many years. We all get to sit and visit and catch up on things. It’s also impressive to see all these dogs in one place getting along with each other. We have an amazing breed.

The next time I say things are slow in rescue, would someone please kick me?

Early in July there was a call from a Seattle vet clinic asking about a microchip. Our records showed it was a dog we adopted to a great home (or so we thought) in 2008, named Sammy. In 2008 when we found him he was 94 pounds, and when he was found he weighed only 39. When I called the woman said she gave him away, so we voided her contract and informed her NWSR was taking custody. The two women who found Sammy refused to give him back because of his condition; they were concerned he would be returned to the owner who neglected him. After talking to their vet we believed their motives were good, so he stayed there as they nursed him back to health. We could have pressed the issue but our concern was for his welfare and he was getting excellent care.

A few weeks later they wrote to say he was doing well and they would like us to find him a home. We had one waiting, a couple from Kalama who adopted before and were looking for a dog just like Sammy. He came back to us for a few days for proper grooming (he had been clipped short but not combed out), and on July 31 he went home. His new name is Scooter and he jumped right into the motor home. Scooter will be with his humans 24/7 and get to see the world from his perch on the motor home sofa.

Brody is a nine month old Samoyed pup who was tearing up his apartment when his owner was out. Many times we try to counsel people to train their dog and keep it, but this was a case where we honestly believed someone was too dumb to have a dog. We talked to a vet in Salt Lake City, where he was purchased, and she told us the owner should be put on a “do not adopt list.” Brody was quickly adopted to one of our long time volunteers and friends in Portland, where the story got more involved. She called the next day to say he was sick and at the vet. Because there was a shaved spot on one leg we called the previous owner and she admitted he had “a bug from the dog park” and had been briefly at a Seattle vet hospital. On calling them we learned he had been treated for Parvovirus and the owner hadn’t told us about it. This is one of the most contagious diseases for dogs, often fatal in a puppy.

To make a long story shorter, Brody is fine now and there have been no signs of problems in our dogs. We also had a puppy here for a few hours while Brody was here, and that pup is also fine. All’s well that ends well but we simply can’t imagine how uncaring someone could be not to tell us about Parvo. There is no excuse.

Holley monitors Craigslist for any mention of Samoyeds and sends the listings to the national rescue address. Early on the morning of the 6th I opened a message about a dog in Lacey, and called the number. It was a woman who has cancer and wanted to find him a good home. Kathy was in town dropping off Shadow for an appointment so she continued on to meet the woman and her dog. His name is Jessie, he is 5 years old, and still really a puppy in behavior. When we got the paperwork we learned he was from a breeder friend so we called her. She had no idea what happened, but immediately offered to come get him. We told her about an applicant named Patty who has adopted three times before, who we thought would be perfect. It was arranged that the breeder and applicant would come at the same time to meet with Jessie, and it was so obvious Patty would be perfect that we were all thrilled at the match. Jessie now lives in Bothell.

We are now working with two people who want us to take their dogs. One is in Anacortes with a nine year old female named Denali and a shaky story about why she wants us to take her. The other is in downtown Seattle with someone who doesn’t want to let him go, but he is destructive. His name is Brolly and we will work with him to find a way for them to stay together.

Trent is the old Malamute mix we took in early July. His health has turned around; he is eating now and moving much better. He bonded to us as Mals sometimes do, and we will keep him here. He has a serious back problem and has had a few problems standing in the past few days, so we don’t know how long he will be here. We will enjoy him as long as he stays.

Pictures taken at the July 20, 2013 Rescue Picnic have been posted.
http://nwsams.smugmug.com/Rescue/2013picnic/

 

Three times in the past month there were dogs advertised on Craigslist we tried to help. One was in Beaverton; Jen and Rick were able to learn he came through a different breed rescue and advised them. They learned he would go back to them and tried to make contact, but weren’t able to get a reply. When they found he would be at an adoption event they went, only to find he had already been adopted. The second was a dog in British Columbia who was available, then not, then available, and finally the day he was supposed to come south they said he had been given away. The third was north of Billings, Montana, well out of our area. The dog was ultimately handled by Denver Samoyed Rescue when one of their volunteers picked him up during a holiday trip to Billings. Sometimes it just works out perfectly.

Then we heard of a dog just east of Moscow, Idaho whose owner had been killed in an auto accident. A rescuer there wrote to Sibe Rescue, who in turn called us in. The dog’s name is Trent, and he is ten years old. He was being kept with a neighbor who decided, without a vet, to put him on a huge dose of Prednisone. That so depressed his immune system that he developed a bad kidney infection and he is in the WSU vet hospital. The word at this writing is that Trent will be coming west in time to make an appearance at the rescue picnic. We hope his recovery continues.

On the 7th of July we had a call from a vet hospital in West Seattle asking about a microchip. Someone found a Sammy, wandering loose and in bad condition, and the chip said we knew who he was. It wasn’t one of the chips we implanted, but we had a record because we took him in rescue — and placed him — in early 2009. As far as we knew he went to a great home and was still doing well, but we were dismayed to learn he was now only 39 pounds and in terrible shape. This is a dog who came to us at the opposite extreme of 94 pounds. When we finally talked to the adopter we learned she gave him away a year ago, and claimed to have visited him often. And she wanted him back. After seeing pictures of this badly neglected, emaciated dog we did something that has never happened before. We notified her that under the terms of her contract we would refuse to return the dog to her. Poor Sammy was literally only a few pounds from dying. Now he is in a great foster home being nursed back to health. When we do have a special case like this we do everything possible to ensure his next home will be as perfect as humanly possible.

Our rescue picnic is July 20 at our home in Tenino. If you haven’t received your invitation, please let us know!

The 2013 Rescue Picnic is July 20 at Ron & Kathy’s home in Tenino. If you would like to attend and haven’t received an invitation, please contact Ron at rescue@nwsams.com.

While looking back through past reports, e-mails and other information to be sure we got all the past year’s adopters on the list of invitations, it was striking to realize we were only involved with four dogs since last July. This is an all-time record low, and from what we have heard it’s happening to many rescues nationwide. The economy is getting better, which may account for part of it. In recent years more people have used Craigslist to find new homes for dogs, but even there we haven’t seen an increase. There are volunteers checking all online listings and we seldom hear of Sammies in the northwest. Recently we asked all our applicants to reaffirm they wish to stay on the list, and at this writing we have thirteen families who are in line for a dog. Slow business in rescue is great for our breed, but not for people who are waiting.

At this writing we think we may have an eight year old Sammy girl coming, but we’re not sure yet. It’s another case where the husband says the dog has to go, to which we always reply “keep the dog and let the husband go.”  We’ll see what happens.