January 2009

NW Sams on January 11, 2009

“The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men, Gang aft agley…”
– Robert Burns

Last month we were happy to have found a home for Nanook and Rio together, two young dogs who enjoyed being together. They were settling in well, but two weeks into their stay one of the resident cats was found dead outside. It happened many hours earlier and it couldn’t be determined which dog was responsible, so both of them had to come back to rescue. This wasn’t the fault of the dogs, but of circumstances. The adopters asked us to keep the adoption fee because they want to support rescue.

Fortunately for Nanook, he found a terrific home in Vancouver and has great parents and a new canine brother. For him this is probably an even better home than he found before. He gets exercise and companionship with a young family. They understand that he still has muscle strains from incorrect exercise in a previous home, and they will work with him to take care of the problem.

Rio is still here, waiting for her home. We admit if she had not arrived with Honey as part of a pair we probably wouldn’t have her in rescue now. We believe Honey is her mother, and if she is a mix then Rio is not more than a quarter Samoyed. She is smaller than the average Sammy and more active. She is also timid and slow to trust people. Even after a month we have to be careful not to frighten her although that’s getting better by the day. She asks for affection and her most relaxed moments are sprawled across a lap getting petted. She is as overtly affectionate as a dog can be, frequently sitting next to a chair and reminding you she is there. In the right home she could be a once in a lifetime dog.

Honey, our three-legged dog, healed beautifully after her amputation. We listed her on Petfinder and received a large number of inquiries and applications. After looking through them we went to visit an older couple in Centralia; the man had a recent stroke and his wife thought his recovery would be faster with a dog. Although still relatively young, Honey will do well in a home where she is not pushed too hard physically, and she is a dog who prefers curling up on the sofa next to a human. When she was introduced she went immediately to the man and sat with him, telling us she agreed it was the right home. We are thankful to Erin and Tom, who fostered her since November and through two surgeries.

When we heard of a Samoyed named Sophie at the Seattle Animal Shelter we asked for help because of the driving conditions, and Doug & Michelle Manis said they could pick her up and keep her for a few days. We arranged for her to be spayed the next day by the shelter, but when they called to see if she was ready she hadn’t been spayed. In fact she couldn’t be spayed because she was a very rotund neutered male. The somewhat embarrassed people at the shelter said he was ready to go and they picked him up. The day after Christmas he came to Ron & Kathy’s house.

We originally planned for Melissa to foster him, but we had an applicant in Tacoma who was very interested and was planning to see him soon. Despite having three fosters in the house already it seemed better to keep him close. What we got was a 96 pound boy, as round as he is tall, who has a handsome bear face. We tried the usual names and he instantly answered to Sammy. We checked his microchip and found he came from a puppy mill that uses chips as a sort of inventory control, but doesn’t register them. That made it impossible to trace him. Lucky for Sammy, he found someone who sees him for the wonderful companion he is, and he now lives in Tacoma with another Sammy who also came from the Seattle Animal Shelter about five years ago. Many thanks to Michelle and Doug for getting him to us.

Kayla is still with us, waiting for a ride to Coeur d’Alene to live with Celine and her other Sammy girl China. Kayla recently had minor surgery to deep clean her right ear, which has a chronic yeast infection that narrowed the ear canal so much it couldn’t be cleaned normally. Kayla thinks that was a great idea and no longer feels like shaking her head constantly. She is definitely a senior dog but in great shape, and yesterday actually chased her own tail for three or four turns. If we mention food she jumps up on her hind legs like a puppy.

Twice this past month we had requests to take owner-surrender dogs, but one was placed privately and the other still is in limbo. A third dog will probably be coming from central Oregon and Melissa is working on that. After listing three dogs on Petfinder recently we’ve been swamped with applications and trying to keep track of everybody. People who apply wanting to be on the waiting list tend to stick around, but if they want a certain dog and it’s not available they disappear. That makes it harder to keep track of our waiting list.
Our fundraiser is over for the holidays and it looks like we earned a good amount for rescue. Sales were definitely less this year because of the economy, but for the first time we offered t-shirts as well as sweatshirts and that helped. We also have calendars from Wolfpacks (thanks, Paul!) and they are still available on our website: http://www.nwsams.com/.

You don’t have to be crazy to do rescue, but it helps.
Eleven dogs at once, indoors, during the heavy snow.

December 2009

NW Sams on December 11, 2008

This was a successful month, with the placement of two dogs and the promise of another finding a home soon. Honey and Rio, known formerly as Pogo and Cedar, were picked up in Pasco by animal control and taken to the shelter. The people there saw Honey had only three legs, but didn’t realize it was a relatively fresh injury. She received no medical care, and by the time she entered rescue she had quite a lot of infection. Erin and Tom, foster parents of Honey and Rio, made sure she was put on antibiotics immediately. Our vet in Tumwater did a proper amputation, and most of the rest of her leg had to be removed. Through all of this, Honey has been nothing but a sweetheart who seems to know how much better her life will be.

The same day Honey had her surgery, Rio was spayed. We believe Rio might be Honey’s daughter, though it’s impossible to tell because she is definitely a mix. Rio is probably about a year and a half old, while Honey is three or four. Two weeks after surgery, Erin and Tom were going out of town so they brought the dogs to Ron and Kathy’s house over Thanksgiving weekend. We combined the visit with Honey’s spay, something that couldn’t be done earlier because the first surgery was so long.

Nanook came to rescue from a family in Oregon who were told he had two bad ACLs and needed expensive surgery on both legs. Our vet disagreed, and after a full set of x-rays and tests it was determined he had iliopsoas muscle strains. Those are the muscles that go from the lumbar spine to the back legs, and were strained because he was confined up to 10 hours at a time and released to run hard. At 18 months old, it was too much for him. With some committed physical therapy he will heal and be fine.

While Honey and Rio were here, we had a visit from a couple who wanted to meet Nanook and thought they might also want a female as a companion. Originally they had Honey in mind, but while here they saw how well Nanook and Rio played together. Both are about the same age and temperament, willing to play and enjoyed being together. Update: Nanook and Rio were adopted together, but one of the resident cats was killed and they were both returned. There was no indication which one was involved (or even IF one was involved). They are once again available for adoption.

Kayla has been through two rounds of tests trying to find out what causes her chronic cough. She had two courses of antibiotics and one of Prednisone, and last week was sedated and samples were taken of the fluids in her lungs. As this is written we’re waiting for the results, which should finally be definitive. Kayla also has a bump on her nose that is growing and we fear it might be a fibro-sarcoma. If that is the case, her time with us will be determined by its growth. If not, she has a home. Celine, who previously adopted Makita and China (both older females) has asked that she get Kayla. We can’t imagine a better home, or one in which Kayla would be more loved. Tentative plans are to move Kayla to Celine in Coeur d’Alene just after Christmas.

This is the month of our annual fundraiser, and we have been busy taking orders and printing sweatshirts and t-shirts. Every year Holley out-does herself with new designs. We’re featuring “Samoyed Country,” “Got Squirrels?” and “Café Samoyed,” all of which are selling briskly. This year we also have beautiful calendars courtesy of Wolfpacks. For several years Paul has been extremely generous to rescue with donations of his calendars. We continue to provide White Pine collars and leads, and many people this year have combined shirts with calendars and collars. You can see all of them at http://www.nwsams.com/fundraiser.htm. We are blessed to have committed friends like Holley and Hans doing designs and Paul and Linda donating calendars to help our dogs.

In November and December this year rescue has had expenses of over $2,600 on just four dogs. This is exactly why fundraisers and donations are important to us. It’s what lets us help so many dogs.

Do you buy at Amazon.com? We just added a way for you to buy as usual while generating donations for Northwest Samoyed Rescue. Simply go to http://www.nwsams.com/amazon.htm and enter the product you’re looking for. It will cost you no more and Amazon will donate a percentage back to us. It’s a win-win for everybody!

November 2008

NW Sams on November 11, 2008

In November we usually have some nasty weather and the usual phrase is “it’s raining cats and dogs.” Well, no matter what the weather does this month we can say it’s raining dogs. Since we started rescue we’ve never had a Fall with this much activity.

First the good news. Esau, the 12 year old in Oregon who needed a new home because his owner is now working nights, has the home he needed. His vet found a place for him with someone looking for an old dog. Also, I forgot last month to give a report on Nikki, the young Sammy girl in Centralia. Her family thought they weren’t able to give her the time and exercise she needed, but then the son, his wife, and two grandkids moved back into the house. Nikki has all the stimulation she needs now and everybody loves her so she will stay where she is.

Jasmine was in the Kalispell shelter in Montana when we heard of her. Sandy Nelson came to the rescue by picking her up and fostering her until we worked out transportation. Sandy gave her a ride to Coeur d’Alene and Kathy picked her up there. We arranged a meeting in North Bend with an adopter from Snohomish. Kim Leslie had done a home visit and thought it would be a good place for a rescue dog. The meeting went well and the whole family fell for Jasmine on first sight. We’ve had a couple updates and everything is working out perfectly for her.

Ky and Lola are a Samoyed and Chihuahua in the Bend area whose elderly owner passed away. A family friend was trying to place them and asked us for assistance. Our first step was to publish a group of pictures on the NW Sams website and begin writing to people. We got in touch with one of the adopters on our waiting list, and just before he went to visit the Sammy the two dogs were placed together by the friend.

Button and Kayla came into rescue within days of each other but from different circumstances. Early this year Melissa was approached by a woman who wanted us to take her dog because she was sick and they couldn’t afford treatment. We offered to pay the vet directly so she could keep Kayla, and she took the offer. Kayla has a slightly enlarged heart and a cough we were told they couldn’t diagnose. In October we heard from the woman again, telling us her landlord was coming to visit and she wasn’t supposed to have a dog. This time we took Kayla to prevent her from being dumped at a shelter, and immediately saw her as a hospice dog. She is about ten years old, overweight, and her nails were so long they stuck out to the sides; it obviously hurt her to walk and we trimmed a half inch from some of them. She had large areas of skin problems. We still don’t know her exact ailments, but after weeks on an antibiotic and Prednisone she seems to feel much better and her cough has decreased 90%. She is getting downright bouncy. When all the meds are completed we will reassess her condition, and whether she will live out her days here or get a new home of her own. She is a joy to have in the house.

Button was found as a stray near Warrenton, Oregon, and taken to the Clatsop County shelter. Her breeding looked good, and since that’s an area with many tourists we thought she might have been lost on vacation. Unfortunately for Button nobody came looking, a post on Show Sams brought no results, so Joy made the trip to the beach to get her. That was the day before Melissa picked up Kayla, so she brought Kayla to Ron and Kathy to foster and brought Button along for pictures. That was on October 18, and on the first of the month Button went to her new home with Daphne and Matthew, who had given a wonderful home to Bella until she passed away early this year.

Two female Samoyeds popped up in the shelter in Pasco on October 28. They appear to be mother and daughter and the mother is purebred; she is also missing one leg. Sarah and Paul Tragesser went to the shelter quickly and took some pictures for us and we looked for a foster home. On the morning of the 8th they picked up the dogs and drove them to meet Erin and Tom Sitterley, who will foster them for us. Their new names are Pogo and Cedar. On the 10th they went to the vet, where it was determined that Pogo’s missing leg was likely due to an accident while they were strays. It looks like the result of a snare, a trap, or perhaps someone tied something around her leg. The leg is now infected and she is on antibiotics. They are both intact and we’re looking into a low cost spay clinic in the Seattle area. The two dogs are tightly bonded because of the experiences they went through together, and we are going to give them time away from each other to let their personalities develop. Pogo is about three years old and Cedar appears to be around nine months old.

Nanook is in the Eugene area, purchased from a pet store, and at 18 months old he has torn ACLs in both back legs. He is lame, in pain, and his owner can’t afford surgery. We are exploring options to get surgery done and get him through recovery, but because his owner is gone 11 hours a day and living in a second floor apartment, she will have to surrender him to rescue first. We think we have funding for the surgery but what we don’t have is a place for him to recover. This surgery means confinement and walking carefully on a leash for several months. So far nobody has stepped forward to help.

October 2008

NW Sams on October 12, 2008

This was a great month for Samoyed Rescue. Cody and Samson, both in rescue since May, are now in their forever homes. Jasmine, who is still in a foster home, has a home ready for her when we can get her to western Washington.

Samson came from The Dalles, where the shelter shaved him because of the severity of the mats all over his body. He spent several months with Melissa where he discovered the kindness of humans. Reports are that he was tied out for many years before he got there, so it must have been quite a revelation to him. Samson was also “bad with cats” until Melissa taught him they could be part of his family. We had an application from a family in Brier looking for an adult dog, and when they met each other it was a great match. We all had a scare a week ago when Samson was found on the bed, seemingly paralyzed in his back legs. After a trip to the ER and an overnight stay, he was diagnosed with a sore back; he had simply chosen not to stand and put weight on all four legs. It was probably hard play with his new brother Prince that caused it. With something for pain and swelling he is now back to normal and they are limiting his activity.

Cody spent his first few days with Melissa and then came to Ron & Kathy. He is the dog who killed part of a litter of piglets and was taken to the shelter as part of the settlement. Cody will probably always be remembered as a dog with unlimited energy, an ability to jump, and (fortunately for us) the only true Samoyed retriever we have known. He chased tennis balls – and brought them back every time – until his tongue was hanging so far we thought he would trip on it. A few days ago he went along with Kathy on a home visit where the people thought he was perfect. They were willing to handle his need for exercise and he thought they were great. They report now that they are taking him for a run three days a week and a bicycle trip around the neighborhood on the other days. He has settled in without any problem and loves to go for car rides with them.

Jasmine was in a shelter in Kalispell when we called Sandy Nelson to ask if she could look at her. Sandy picked her up and took her home to foster, and recently gave her a good grooming and a bath. Jasmine is a beautiful dog, probably a Samoyed/Sibe mix, with one brown eye and one blue eye. We have an applicant in Snohomish who would like to adopt her, and we’re trying to work out the transportation for her to her new home.

We are also listing Esau, a senior dog in Oregon whose family would like to find him a new home. At 12 years old he has started having accidents in the house and they think it’s because their work hours have changed and he has to be left home alone. Esau will stay there until someone is willing to adopt him. He is a handsome old boy and deserves to be with someone who understands he needs a little love and understanding in his old age.

Gloria, a mostly Samoyed girl, is another old dog looking for a home. She is in rescue at Old Dog Haven, a wonderful group of people in Arlington, and in a foster home in Kent. If you would like to consider a senior dog in your home you’ll be rewarded beyond anything you could expect. She is listed at http://www.olddoghaven.org/ and we put her pictures on our website.

We had an experience two weeks ago that worked out better than it might have. Holley checks Craigslist every day for Samoyeds, and she forwarded a listing from someone who wanted to place a young Sammy. We routinely do a search on rescue e-mail when we get the name of someone with a dog, especially in this case because it sounded familiar. It turned out to be a former applicant who had written back to us to say she was getting a puppy, and told us who the breeder was. That enabled us to make an immediate call to let the breeder know, and despite her being in Kansas for the National the story ended well.

September 2008

NW Sams on October 12, 2008

There was no newsletter published in August, so last month’s report was combined with this addendum in the Aug/Sept newsletter.

New on the rescue scene is Nikki, a 7 month old female in Centralia. Her owner acknowledges that this is a wonderful puppy who is the wrong fit for her family. They need a laid back, quiet dog and this girl is way too energetic. Nikki is good with kids, cats, and other dogs, and we’re going through our applications already on hand to find a good fit. She will continue to live with her current family until we find her a new home, to minimize the disruption in her life. We don’t think it will take very long.

August 2008

NW Sams on August 11, 2008

For the past few months we’ve been hearing adoption agencies say the economy is affecting adoptions. Perhaps that is the reason we still have two extremely adoptable dogs in rescue now, and for much longer than usual. We feel fortunate we haven’t experienced the other side of the coin, which is dogs being surrendered because people can’t afford them. We’re also lucky it has been a fairly quiet summer.

Cody first arrived in late May, an untrained two year old fully in the middle of his teen years. He was dropped off at a shelter as part of a settlement with a neighbor after he jumped his fence and killed several piglets in a litter next door. Melissa and Kaye got him out and he was transferred to Ron & Kathy’s home for fostering. As time has gone by Cody has become calmer and much easier to handle, understanding from the other dogs what is expected. The best thing that happened to him is that we found out he is a retriever; Cody will chase and return a tennis ball time after time, with one little piece of kibble as a reward. It’s easy to take the edge off his energy now. He is crate trained, microchipped, up to date on shots, and we know he is going to be a really special member of a lucky family.

Samson came on the scene about the same time from the Humane Society in The Dalles. He is six years old and had probably been tied out for at least the last three years. His coat was completely matted and he had to be shaved because it hurt him to be touched and he couldn’t be combed. Now that he has spent time with Melissa and Terry he loves to be brushed and he understands how nice people can be. He even does a funny little dance when you scratch his lower back. Samson gets along with other dogs, is easy going and mellow, and will make someone very happy.

July 2008

NW Sams on July 15, 2008

Cody has been here a month, and we still think he is one of those once in a lifetime dogs that will fit perfectly into a lucky family. With his energy level he would be a perfect candidate for agility or sledding. He wants to please, is completely and reliably housetrained, and doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body. Cody came to rescue via the shelter in McMinnville, Oregon, where he was taken after escaping his yard and killing several piglets of a neighbor’s litter. We were told he had jumped a six foot fence to get out, and we can affirm he has no trouble with a four foot fence. On the other hand he is a quick learner and now has lots of respect for an electric fence.

Over the last few weeks Cody has been wearing himself out playing with Igloo, a seven month old Samoyed from the Oregon Humane Society. They adopted him to a family but he was returned because of his energy — and because he has had no training at all. Iggy is a smart little boy, totally housetrained in three days and taught to come in less than a day. We talked about him and agreed that if we ever decided to keep a puppy for ourselves this would be the one. Fortunately we came to our senses. Carole and Bill Gainor came to the rescue picnic to meet Cody, Igloo, and Samson, and left with Igloo. He joins another rescue Sammy and a Sibe and we know he will do well there.

Samson’s hair is beginning to grow back and you can see the handsome boy he will be again. The shelter shaved him because he was so matted, and now after a month he has a thick coat of fuzz. Samson is around six years old, gets along with other dogs, and would love to have his own family. He is being fostered by Melissa and Terry.

We are working our way through some applications received for Cody and Samson, and will be calling for help with home visits. As always, we appreciate all your help.

Rescue Picnic – July 12, 2008

NW Sams on July 15, 2008

The 2008 Rescue Picnic was held on July 12, and it was the most attended picnic to date. Even with a sign-in sheet and pictures to look at, we can only estimate the number of dogs and people. The best guess is 48 dogs and just about the same number of people. With the current price of gas, and the hundreds of miles some of them drove, that is astonishing.

To all those who came, we offer our heartfelt thanks for letting us visit with you and all the dogs we have known over the years. From the comments we heard we know it’s a big part of your summer, too. In addition to the pictures here, many of the pictures Jeff took are posted now at http://nwsams.smugmug.com/rescue.

Some of the dogs Cheryl and Steve rescued were at the picnic, as well as the first Samoyed we placed and the first we ever fostered. Many of the Sammies were repeats this year (and every year), and some were here for the first time. It was our first combined Oregon/Washington picnic and we hope many more will follow.

As rescuers, this is both the best and most frustrating day all year. We can’t tell you how much enjoyment we get from seeing all the dogs again, but how much we wish we had time to sit down with each and every one of you and get caught up on your dogs’ lives. We’re sorry we didn’t get a chance to talk to each of you a lot more. We always appreciate updates and pictures during the year.

Thanks to all of you who were able to come join us. Mark your calendars for the 10th Annual Samoyed Rescue Picnic on July 11, 2009!

June 2008

NW Sams on June 11, 2008

Our Rescue Picnic is July 12 at Ron & Kathy’s home. Details are at http://www.samoyedclubwa.org/picnic.htm (please RSVP).

Several weeks ago Kaye Sawyer heard about Cody, a Samoyed in the McMinnville shelter. He jumped a six-foot fence to get to a litter of piglets and killed them all; as a consequence the court ordered his family to find him a new home. He went to the shelter, where they kept him for a while, and then he was neutered and turned over to Kaye, who took him to Melissa.

Meanwhile, Samson was listed by a group in The Dalles. He had been chained most of his eight year life and was so matted they shaved him. Melissa called to offer help and let them know who we are. Two weeks later, a few days after Cody arrived, the people in The Dalles called and said they hadn’t been able to adopt Samson yet and asked if we could take him. That would have given Melissa two male dogs, one intact and one recently neutered, so she asked if Ron and Kathy could take Cody. His prey drive was under control, but with cats in the house there was a concern for their safety. On June 7th Melissa drove to The Dalles to get Samson, and on June 8th took Cody to Ron and Kathy. Samson went along for the ride so we could get some pictures to list him. Samson will be available after neutering and Cody is ready for his home right now. Pictures of rescue dogs are posted at http://nwsams.smugmug.com/rescue.

This year when we sent picnic invitations to our adopters we also asked for an update on their dogs. That yielded news of the passing of some of our rescue dogs, like Yukie (his story is included in this newsletter). If you have been following rescue for many years you’ll probably remember the story of Parker, who needed expensive eye surgery that was funded by Sammy Angels; we’re sorry to say he died earlier this year. Chilly was one of the last dogs Cheryl and Steve placed, and news came of his passing earlier this year. These dogs all had wonderful lives, and we celebrate the people who took them into their homes and showed them how loving humans can be.

Some heartwarming mail also arrived, like this from Mary in Idaho who adopted Kenai, a special Sammy with one crooked ear. We placed Kenai in early 2003 and have heard nothing but wonderful reports ever since. This is what Mary wrote, along with the picture she sent:

“The first time I saw Kenai he was getting out of the van and I knew right away he belonged here. The first night I slept on the floor next to him and we immediately bonded. How could you not love and cherish this sweet bent eared cutie! I have had Kenai for 4 years and he is family and my dear friend. He now loves to run out on the 20 acres on the ranch but comes right home to be in the house. Sometimes I think he thinks he is a human, and so do I. After all, he talks more than I do! Thank you Samoyed Rescue for bringing me this very special little spirit to share my life with.”

Please join us at the picnic on July 12! We hope to see you there.


May 2008

NW Sams on May 11, 2008

We are happy to report this month that Eddie has a home of his own. He was adopted April 26 and lives with his new family in the Troutdale area. Eddie is the dog we found in northern Idaho and rescued the day after he was scheduled to be put to sleep. The area he was picked up has no animal control so a vet keeps the dogs for five days; if not claimed, they are euthanized. We are grateful to the people of animal control who agreed to stretch his time until Kristina could pick him up. She and Jim fostered Eddie for two weeks, getting him neutered and ready for adoption. He moved to our home and was here about three more weeks before his family found him. They originally came to look at Katie, who has a striking resemblance to their Samoyed mix “Sam,” when they met Eddie. After talking it over for a week they came back for Eddie.

That means Katie is still with us, as she has been for 14 months. Although she is a delight to have around, she is definitely not a purebred Samoyed; we’re not even sure how much Samoyed is in the mix. This is one of the problems we have with shelter identifications, especially when we are trying to cultivate a relationship with them. There is always a fine line between building a reputation so they will call us and taking dogs we shouldn’t. Undoubtedly we will err on the side of a mix again someday, but for now we have added a policy of requesting pictures before we will talk about taking a dog.

For now we think the best thing for Katie is to remove her listing from Petfinder (and also from the Northwest Samoyed Rescue website). We’ll give it a rest for a month, then add her as a new listing and see if that generates any interest. Although there are about 200 people a week looking at her picture and description, only a handful have made inquiries. It’s too bad, because she is a sweet dog who loves people. Her allergies are a thing of the past and her coat is long again (and shedding again).

A female Samoyed popped up at the shelter in Silverdale, the same place we found Finnegan three years ago. This time her owner came to pick her up, so there was no need for us to get her. Another mix is listed in Tacoma and one was in LaGrande, but in both cases they were definitely not Samoyeds.

The flurry of dogs we traditionally see in the first month of May hasn’t happened yet this year. Let’s keep our fingers crossed this is the start of a new tradition.