Northwest Samoyed Rescue Blog

February 2023 Rescue Report

NW Sams on February 11, 2023

Our newest dog, Kahlil, came from the Seattle Animal Control. Ryann let us know he was there, and she called to say we were interested. Since we worked with them before (Winston and others), they said we could pick him up. They neutered him the next morning and said he would be available in the afternoon. Hans and Holley picked him up and brought him here. Melissa arrived the next morning, and she will foster him at her home.

Kahlil is one of the biggest Samoyeds we have seen, and his head is immense. They say he is only nine months old, so we wonder how big he will eventually be. The story we heard was that he was found in a dog park, and they were able to find his owner, who said he has cancer and left Kahlil there out of desperation. He is a big goofball, not well trained but willing to listen. We need to wait for him to recover from his neuter surgery, but in the meantime we will be searching for the right home for him.

Five years ago this week, we took in three Samoyeds from a backyard breeder, Prairieland, in the Vancouver area. He had leased five pregnant bitches from White Fire, already pregnant. You may recall White Fire as the Iowa breeder that got in trouble for terrible conditions not long after that; the dogs were seized and given to the ASPCA. By the time all had been placed, the total number of dogs was over 300. Prairieland’s arrangement was to return all five to White Fire after they had their puppies, and split the money he made from selling the puppies. We were never told why, but he called us to take three of the girls, and delivered them to Melissa’s home. The next day she met Kathy and transferred them to us. Sophie and Fena were litter sisters, and cousin Tessa was a few months older. They were practically feral.

The three Iowa girls, just after they arrived. The colors on their foreheads were for identification.

We emptied our garage and gave them a place in one corner for beds, with pee pads on the other side of the garage. Kathy and I took turns sitting in the garage getting them used to us. We added a large x-pen so we could sit inside it with them. After a few months, we opened the door to our laundry room and let them come inside as they wanted. With a little more time they began coming into the kitchen. Eventually we closed the garage door and they lived inside.

Sophie and Tessa chilling in the dog yard.

Although we wanted to place these dogs, we decided any adopter much have a double fence so an escapee would still be contained. A friend and previous adopter, Kathy Bacon, came to visit and meet the girls. Together we decided Fena was the best candidate to adopt, and she has done spectacularly well there.

Sometime in the past a man must have treated them badly. They eventually accepted Kathy getting close, and petting and scratching them, but the only time I can touch them is when they are in their crates getting bedtime treats, or when they are in their “safe place,” a shower in the bathroom. Sophie has begun coming into the office when I am at my computer and taking treats from my hand. Tessa still hangs back. From time to time they wouldn’t come indoors after being in the yard, then just as abruptly would begin coming inside. Currently they currently refuse to enter; if they get outside they won’t come in, even for their dinner. Kathy has to walk them on a leash several times a day.

When they are nervous, Tessa and Sophie hide in the shower.

We need to find homes for them. They feed off each other’s fear, and we are sure if we split them they might do as well as Fena. The right home must have great security, so if a dog escapes through a door they are still secure. Because they are afraid of men, we also need a home where there are no men. Most of all, their adopters must have patience.

We are getting old and facing the fact we will need to move in the next few years, maybe sooner. If the two girls are still here, the only current option we have is to ship them to a sanctuary where they will live without people. If anyone has ideas, we would very much like to hear them.

We still think Harmony is younger than the 12 we were told by the shelter. The only evidence of age we can point to is her eyes, which are cloudy. Still, we have seen younger dogs with similar eyes. She has boundless energy, which she uses up by barking. She runs circles around the other dogs. She is the smallest purebred Samoyed we have had. Because of her age, or at least what we were told about her, she stays with us because we foster seniors. It’s very difficult to place a 12 year old dog. There is a new DNA test that promises to give nearly exact age, but as of February 10 it was taken off the market because it wasn’t working as well as promoted. The company, Embark, promises an update next month.

Bella was listed on the Beaverton Craigslist in 2014, and went to a family in Seattle. In August 2021 she was listed again, and we heard about her. She lived in an apartment and had to be walked, and her family had a new baby and no time for the walks. They said she was 11, based on what they were told when they got her, but we know info on Craigslist is often optimistic. She may have been older.

A few months later we had her at the vet for a check-up when they found a lump on her neck. An ultrasound showed it was probably a thyroid tumor, so we took her to a veterinary oncologist. The tumor was confirmed and they suggested a high dose of thyroid meds. There was no other treatment. Since then we watched the tumor get bigger, though her behavior didn’t change. Until recently it didn’t bother her. Her breathing got progressively louder, but she continued to be active and enjoying life. Last month it got worse and we waited for her to tell us it was time.

Wednesday morning she let us know. She didn’t want to eat, and her energy was gone. Kathy carried her in from the yard while I tried to reach our vet. I couldn’t get them to answer, but I called a vet who does home calls, and she said she would come the next morning. Bella slept well and even rallied a bit. She asked to go into the living room, where we helped her up on the sofa, her favorite place in the world. She stayed there, quietly, until the vet arrived. The end came peacefully.

Bella, on her last morning, in her favorite place.

Over 22 years of rescue we’ve been through this many times, almost once a year, because we foster the senior dogs. This one hit us hard. Bella was special. She loved people and everyone who met her loved her. Every night after dinner I went to my room to read for a half hour, and Bella always joined me. We really feel her loss.

Like the other dogs, Bella loved the snow.

January 2023 Rescue Report

NW Sams on January 11, 2023

Last month, we said Rosie had an adoption pending. She is now living happily in Lake Stevens with a great family. She has two kids, 13 and 11, for her very own. We are grateful to Jenna for fostering Rosie while we found exactly the right home for her.

Niko didn’t work out for his first placement, because he and their other male were incompatible. They tried hard but it wasn’t going to happen, so we made it a high priority to find a new home. That came in the form of a previous adopter we know well, and now Niko lives on the Oregon coast with a very experienced Sammy owner.

Cooper has been with Melissa for quite a while. He was originally one of the Spokane hoarder’s dogs, named Ghost. We don’t believe the ages we got on him and Harmony, and we think he was a bit older than the 7 months they told us last Summer. His hormones kicked in, so he was neutered before finding his new home. That came last month when he went to a home in Tacoma with two kids, 3 and 5, plus an Eskie brother who will definitely be alpha. Because his name is so similar to the Eskie, he will probably be renamed to Mocha.

Bella’s breathing is getting noisier and her appetite is decreasing. Our vet cut back her Thyroid to help with her weight, and we are feeding her pretty much whatever she wants. She is still one of the most loving senior dogs we have hosted, and that’s a large number.

Harmony, when she is quiet, is a lovely dog to have around. When she barks without pausing, she isn’t quite as much fun. We’ve been trying to work on her vocalization, which seems to come (a) whenever we talk to each other, and (b) when we have a meal at the table. We tried a sedative and it only helps a little bit. Bark collars, from beepers to spray to electric, have no effect. We’ll keep working on the problem.

Tessa and Sophie continue to make very small improvements. Sophie is now willing to take food directly from me, while Tessa still hangs back. Kathy has to walk them in the yard a couple times a day because they won’t come inside on their own unless it’s first thing in the morning (after their first outing) or at bedtime. Next month will mark five years since they arrived.

December 2022 Rescue Report

NW Sams on December 11, 2022

Our transition to the new board continues. New ways of doing things have to be found, and it’s not easy, considering how many dogs we worked with in the past few months. For some reason we’re taking in more dogs than most other groups in the country. Recently I talked to a rescuer in the Midwest who told me they only had one dog this year. We don’t know why we are so “lucky.”

Harmony is a great dog, somewhat smaller than most Sammies we see, which makes us think she came originally from the east coast. We were given two ages when we got her, ten years seven months, and twelve years old. The shelter put 12 on the paperwork, so that’s what we went with. She has cloudiness in both eyes, but her teeth look quite young. We are fostering her with us because we have always taken seniors, but we seriously question whether she is an old dog. Time will tell.

Bella, on the other hand, is definitely twelve years old, and she looks every day of it. She is the kind of dog that makes us wish we had her for her entire life. She is mellow, loving, and easy to have in our house. She is also a hospice dog who has precious little time left. Her thyroid tumor grows noticeably each month and she has begun to breathe noisily and eat slowly. A combination of the tumor and high dose of thyroid meds has made her lose weight. Kathy gets up and takes Bella outside once or twice every night now because she is so thirsty. Her appetite is sometimes small, and we now add canned dog food on her kibble to persuade her to eat. She is down to 39 pounds and you can feel each rib. We will continue giving her everything she will take, and try to make her final months happy.

Cooper is with Melissa, and was neutered a few days ago. She reports that he is doing well, but feeling sorry for himself and might be a little unhappy with her. He is ready now for his furever home. Cooper is one of the two dogs who came from the SpokAnimal shelter in Spokane, along with Harmony. They were both taken from a hoarder, so we will never have exact information on either dog.

Last June we placed Niko, a dog from Kent, with a family in Albany, Oregon. They are one of the best homes, and greatest adopters, we have had. They adopted Pono a year ago, and since another of their dogs passed in the time since, we asked if they could take Niko. They had a bit of a problem with the two males, but with training it looked like they would be okay. Recently they contacted us to say it’s no longer going to work. The two boys have decided to hate each other, and want to fight almost on sight. We know how that goes, having had Charlie and Shadow here together for nearly ten years. Even with constant fences and gates and a lot of care, they got together a few times with some awful results. So now we are looking for a home for Niko again. He is fine with other dogs, including those at doggie day care, and it is only Pono he can’t live with. We made this our highest priority, and we hope to do a home visit in a few days on a home that sounds great. Please cross your fingers.

Rosie has been in a foster home with Jenna and her family for several months. We found a great home for her, and she is due to move in the next few days. We are incredibly grateful to Jenna for stepping up when she did, probably saving Rosie from going to a shelter. It takes a lot of love to take a dog, knowing she will leave soon. Jenna, thank you!

Earlier this year we were asked to find a home for Gogi, and as we were trying to find one, we learned she had been taken by the owner’s brother. Recently he said he couldn’t keep her because she barked while he was gone. We were again asked to find her a home, and we published her on our Facebook rescue page. There were dozens of shares and many comments and reactions, and we had a good application come in. As we were getting ready to check on the home, the owner wrote to tell us a friend’s parents took her. Oh, well. It’s part of the job to spend a great deal of time working on finding a home for a dog, only to find out they made other arrangements.

Ordinarily we would have taken Gogi into a foster home, then looked for a home. We couldn’t do that because we don’t have any foster space. We have six dogs here; two are ours and four are fosters. Six dogs is too many, and for health reasons Kathy and I have had to say we will not foster any more. It’s critical to have a place to put new dogs, and we simply don’t. Earlier this year we had several offers; two fostered dogs for a while, one adopted a dog and doesn’t have room now, and one couldn’t foster when we asked. If you can foster a dog, or you know someone who can, we need to hear from you.

Thank you very much to SCWS, who this month sent us a sizeable donation, a large share of the proceeds from a recent agility trial. We are privileged to say that, despite being a separate entity, we will always be a part of the Samoyed Club of Washington State.

November 2022

NW Sams on November 11, 2022

We have been talking about this for years, but in October we finally began the official transition to new blood. Melissa and Terry have been doing rescue in Oregon for 25 years, and Kathy and I have been doing rescue in Washington and northern Idaho for 21 years. We combined to form Northwest Samoyed Rescue in 2008, and we have become old and tired. At a recent board meeting, Hans was elected President, Erin is now Secretary, and Ron is Treasurer. Board members are Holley, Tom, Ryann, Melissa, Terry, and Kathy. We decided that the position of “first responder” will rotate by month, and we will all take turns. That person will be responsible for answering email inquiries, people who want to surrender dogs, and all other tasks where urgency is required. We’re still looking for more foster homes because we have no space right now.

Cooper is with Melissa, and will soon be neutered. It’s sooner than we usually choose to neuter, but we are not positive of his age and his hormones are showing themselves. He is young, but unusually affectionate. He will make a family very happy someday.

Rosie is a one-year-old in a foster home in Snohomish. They report she gets along well with the other dogs and is a very sweet girl who is ready for her new family. We are processing a recent application that looks like it may be the one.

Harmony’s allergies went away two days after an injection of Cytopoint. Our vet said that means her allergies are environmental and not due to food. When we got Harmony, we were told she is 12 years old, but she behaves like a much younger dog. Her energy is still high, and she runs harder than our other dogs. She also loves barking above everything else. Because she is a senior we planned to keep her here, but time will tell if she is better suited for another home.

Tessa and Sophie are still with us, of course, and it is approaching the fifth anniversary of their arrival. They continue to be fearful and we still have trouble getting them to come inside. Fortunately, they never fail to come in at bedtime, so we walk them on leashes during the day and only let them out on their own in the evening.

Holley responds to all Craigslist ads, most recently when we read that two senior girls needed to be rehomed. There have been no answers to our emails, but we will continue to try to help any Samoyed in need.

If you have ever thought about fostering a dog, please let us hear from you. We really need help.

October 2022

NW Sams on October 11, 2022

Rosie is a one year old female in the Everett area who was put on Craigslist. Her owner wasn’t able to handle her energy, and after Holley wrote to enquire, the owner decided to let us help find a new home. Since we didn’t have a good home waiting for her, we ended up putting her with Jenna, a new foster mom in Snohomish. The consensus is that Rosie is a nice young dog who needs enough exercise to work off her extra energy.

Cooper is still with Melissa, and we are still looking for the right home for him. Cooper has proven a problem we have, which is that we don’t have enough applicants right now. Recently we decided each dog will be put online and we will ask for apps for that dog, rather than apps for dogs in general. We posted him on Facebook on our rescue page, as well as on a large Samoyed group, and have had almost no interest. We can’t understand why people continuously post how they are looking for a young dog, but don’t contact us when we have one. Now that we also have Rosie, we have two young dogs and no good applicants on file.

Harmony came along with Cooper, but we were told she is nearly 12 years old so we elected to keep her with us. We aren’t convinced now that she is an old dog, despite cataracts and stiff joints, because she runs like a puppy. Her mammary tumor was successfully removed, and her allergies are probably environmental. Our vet gave her a shot of Cytopoint, saying it would diagnose whether or not the allergy was to something in her environment, and three days later the scratching stopped. That rules out food. We’ll see how long it lasts.

Bella’s high dose of thyroid drugs have kept her active and she seems to feel good. The mass on her neck is noticeably larger each month, and her breathing is raspy, but so far she hasn’t had any negative reaction to her tumor. It’s impossible to know how long she will stick around with us. She is such a cool old dog we hope it’s a long time.

Meanwhile, Tessa and Sophie have spells where they will come indoors when called, and long periods of time when they only come in at bedtime. We’re having one of the latter again, and we hope when the rains come again they will decide it’s warmer indoors. We know if we could find a home with a woman that either of them would do well there. It’s something we just can’t find.

As of now, there is no more room at the inn. We are not able to take more dogs unless someone steps up to help.

September 2022

NW Sams on September 11, 2022

When Cooper and Harmony came into rescue, we were told he was seven or eight months old, and she was between ten and a half and twelve. We questioned both those ages at first because Cooper seemed older and Harmony seemed younger. Now, a month later, we think those ages may be pretty close.

Cooper is full of energy, but as loving as a dog who is older. He follows Melissa around the house, then runs out in the yard with her other dogs. Just like a puppy, when he crashes he really crashes. For now we have elected not to neuter him until he is older. His coat, which was shaved to the skin by the shelter because he was so dirty, is beginning to grow back nicely.

The clues to Harmony’s age are her eyes, which are slightly cloudy, and her rear legs, which seem quite stiff. Her face and size both remind us very much of our girl Sasha, the crippled dog we had so long. Pictures of their faces are remarkably similar. Since Harmony was a seizure from a hoarder we won’t ever know where she came from. She loves to follow us around. We took her along to a home visit and she was great in the car. The good news about her surgery is when the pathology report came back, it showed clear margins and a very low risk of recurrence. The bad news is that Harmony was able to lick the stitches out and had to return to Erin and Tom for a few days so she could get re-stitched by their vet. She is terribly itchy and wants to scratch and dig at herself. We switched her to a salmon-based kibble, but so far without change. She is on Benadryl several times daily and it helps. The itching and scratching mean she will continue to wear a cone until we figure things out. Without a local vet that’s difficult.

Bella is beginning to fade a little and her tumor is definitely growing. Our vet is leaving the clinic, and we have one more brief visit scheduled in a week. She is such a great old girl we are sorry to watch her decline. We tried to make the last year as good as possible for her.

There is little change in behavior for Sophie and Tessa. They have spells they won’t come indoors, and at other times they hop right in the door. Fortunately they always seem to come in at bedtime. In January we will have fostered them for five years.

August 2022

NW Sams on August 11, 2022

Harmony and Ghost were seized from a hoarder in the Spokane area, along with five dogs of other breeds. We were tagged in a Facebook group about them and I called the shelter right away. They said Ghost had been adopted by an older couple already, but Harmony was still there. Their records show she will be eleven years old later this year. Cheri and Darlene went to look at her, and we told the shelter we would take Harmony despite a mammary tumor. It was a Saturday and they said nobody who could make that decision would be in until Tuesday, August 2, so we waited. When they called us they said the shelter was at twice their capacity and they really wanted to transfer Harmony as soon as possible. Cheri and Darlene picked her up, and as they left they called to say Ghost had come back so they had him too. He was too active for the couple who took him. They each fostered the two, first Darlene and then Cheri, so the dogs would be closer as our daughter Kristina picked them up to bring to us. On August 7 they headed west.

Our vet has a wait of two months to see a dog, far too long for a dog with a tumor. We know two of their four vets are quitting at the end of this month, so we are, practically speaking, without vet care. Fortunately, Erin and Tom have a vet who could see them two days later, so Kristina met them on the way and transferred Harmony while Ghost came here. Two days later, Melissa picked him up and took him to her home to foster.

Harmony not only saw the vet, she had surgery to remove the mammary tumor and spay her. She is back for a short stay with Tom and Erin. We are waiting for the biopsy results, which should be ready in a few days. When she has healed enough to travel, we hope to take her here to foster.

Meanwhile, Ghost has been renamed Cooper and is awaiting his neuter surgery in about a month. He was described as seven or eight months old, but after having him a few days between us, we think is between one and two years old. Still young and puppy-like, but old enough to neuter. Cooper is a really sweet dog, but complete untrained. He counter-surfs, gets into everything, and isn’t housetrained yet. Knowing Melissa, he will be soon.

Luna is a Sibe/Sam/Mal mix who has been with Melissa since early March. She had a broken leg that wasn’t healed when she first was taken to a vet clinic after being found running. After several vets saw her, all of whom said her leg should be amputated, the surgery was delayed because of a UTI. When she finally went in again, they determined the scar tissue was holding things together so well she could keep her leg. As one of the vets said, she may not have full use of it, but three and a half legs are better than three. The woman who first tried to take her couldn’t handle her, so she came to rescue. In the intervening months, Luna has healed and runs and plays without problems. We also did a DNA test on her, and she is roughly half Siberian Husky and a quarter each Samoyed and Alaskan Malamute. We have been waiting for just the right home, and recently she went “on trial” to a previous adopter. So far, so good.

Bella celebrated her twelfth birthday last month. She recently went back to the vet for a re-check, and although her thyroid tumor is slightly larger, it is not growing very fast. The high dose of thyroid meds is working, and she will continue on them indefinitely. Her breathing has become a bit more raspy, but she seems to enjoy life and is running and playing with the other dogs. Time will tell what happens.

Tessa and Sophie have their ups and downs. For quite a while they would come back in the house whenever we let them out, but we had company recently and it spooked them somehow. On the day of this writing, we let them out in the morning and they wouldn’t even come in for their dinner. We hope they will come in at bedtime. We don’t know what is going on in those minds.

July 2022

NW Sams on July 11, 2022

Banjo, one of the young dogs Melissa has been fostering, has a new home. She brought him to Ron and Kathy’s house on June 11 to meet a couple in Lynnwood who already had a young female. They also have several cats, so Melissa checked him with a friend’s cat and he passed the test. When they arrived, Banjo went straight to them, and that’s what we always hope happens. From all reports, Banjo is happy in his new home.

Shadah, the eight year old girl also at Melissa’s house, has a new home now with a previous adopter in Portland. Our applicant had been waiting for another Samoyed for four years, and this was the right match. Shadah even looks remarkably like the first Samoyed she adopted from us many years ago. Placing an eight year old dog can be problematic, so this was an especially gratifying match.

Niko’s owner first contacted us because he didn’t get along with their cat. He agreed to keep Niko home in Kent until we found a new home, but it took a very long time, partly because of his age (six years old). We thought we had a good home lined up several times, but each of them fell through for one reason or another. We finally called a recent adopter in Albany who had recently lost another dog, and they met Niko halfway, in Vancouver. Niko is now a happy pup living in Oregon.

Bella is still doing well, despite her cancer, and she will be visiting our vet for a re-check on the 19th. She celebrated her 12th birthday on July 7, but with the thyroid medicine she is taking she acts more like a two-year-old. We wish Bella had been here for a lot longer, because she is a delightful old girl.

After more than 20 years, we decided to change the way we promote our foster dogs. In the past few months, it seemed like everybody on the waiting list had some reason not to adopt. Some already adopted a dog, some wanted to wait, and some just wouldn’t respond to our emails and calls. Our best luck recently has been with the newest applicants. That makes sense in a way, because the most recent people are actively looking for a dog right now. We decided to post each dog online, on our Facebook page and on Petfinder, and ask for applications for that dog. This is a new way of doing things and we will see what happens. Our first will be Luna, who has been with Melissa for several months. Because her primary breed is Siberian Husky, we think using Petfinder will be the most efficient way to get out the word. Although we haven’t used Petfinder for a dozen years, we kept the account active. If we haven’t seen good apps soon, we will also post her on other Facebook groups.

Tessa and Sophie have been enjoying the better weather, and since they have recently been more willing to come in the house when invited, we’re letting them out more. They do well when it’s just Kathy around them, and she has been able to work on grooming them recently.

June 2022

NW Sams on June 11, 2022

Rescue continues to be busy. We have as many dogs in foster homes right now as we’ve ever had, but fortunately it looks like at least two will be moving to new homes soon.

Banjo, who has been with Melissa since March, is going to meet a family about the time you read this, and we hope it means he will find a forever home. He was recently neutered and is ready for a new life.

Luna is also with Melissa, and has apparently recovered completely from a badly broken leg that was injured before we got her. The doctors decided to let the scar tissue hold things in place, and now Luna is running around the yard, playing hard with other dogs, and seemingly in no pain at all.

Shadah, who is about 8 years old, will hopefully meet one of our old friends and move to northeastern Oregon. We’re still in the process of setting up the meeting, but we think it will be in the next two weeks.

Niko is a four year old male still with his owner in Kent. We had two families strongly interested in him, but neither worked out. Now we’re talking to a great family in western Oregon and hoping he will find a home with them.

Tessa and Sophie are finally coming inside at times other than bedtime, even if only occasionally, although they are frightened of nearly everything. We are continuing to search for a trainer who is able to take one into their home and work with her.

Bella’s thyroid cancer is growing slowly, but she is still happy and acts young. When she first arrived, she was every bit of her twelve years of age, but the heavy dose of thyroid medicine has brought her back. We don’t know how long she has, but we’re enjoying every minute of our time together.

We had news of two dogs in the Arlington area who were caught and taken to the humane society there, but it turned out the animal control officer caught them and returned them to their owner. That’s the best news possible.

For the first time since we combined forces with Melissa and because Northwest Samoyed Rescue, we think we have adequate foster space. There are a number of people we can call on now, and that means when the founders retire, our successors can continue rescue.

Over the last two months we have encountered more and more applicants who are slow answering or who say they already have a dog. We decided this month to drop many of the names that have been on our waiting list for years, and will begin posting dogs online and asking for applications. Naturally, we will still keep names of previous adopters and people we have known over the years, but we have to change with the times.

May 2022

NW Sams on May 11, 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.