December 2010
In mid-November Melissa received a call from a woman who wanted us to find a new home for her Sammy boy, Dakota. Her house had been foreclosed and she was moving in with her daughter, whose apartment did not permit dogs. Then she mentioned that he bit a child who was trick-or-treating on Halloween. Our policies are very firm on bites, and we can’t take a dog with a bite history. The dog was dropped off at the Troutdale shelter, where she gave a different story, then transferred to the Southwest Washington Humane Society in Vancouver. Both shelters contacted us, and both were told about the bite for the first time.
There is something we CAN do in a case like this, and it’s to contact each of the people who have applied to Samoyed Rescue wanting a dog of that gender and age. We gave them all the details, including the bite history, and one of them drove from Seattle to visit and subsequently adopt Dakota. They are dog-savvy people able to handle him, and it has turned into a win-win for all involved — especially Dakota.
At almost the same time we heard of Joshua in Eugene, a senior boy in the shelter there. Marjorie offered to do an assessment and let us know, and we also called an applicant in Waldport who went to see him. Unfortunately he had bitten a shelter volunteer, and it wasn’t trivial. During the mandatory vet check and isolation they discovered he was in kidney failure and in pain; the bite happened when the volunteer tried to pick him up and hurt him. He also had liver damage and they recommended he be euthanized. Sometimes it’s best for the dog and we reluctantly agreed.
A significant part of the month was spent dealing with an applicant we turned down. The people were nice, loving dog people who shared the home with someone who insisted dogs by nature don’t belong indoors. He represented himself as an expert, and wouldn’t listen to reason so we turned them down. That was in April and we have been unable to get the woman who filled out the application to understand why. This month she posted a negative message about us on Craigslist which resulted in many, many people contacting us to find out what it was about. Answering all of them was tedious, but all of them agreed with our decision. A number of people wrote to her on our behalf; we have some really great rescue friends and we thank them.
This was the third year WolfPacks donated calendars to Northwest Samoyed Rescue. It’s a significant source of income for us and we are grateful to have their support. This year they sold out in about a week, partly due to a public complaint on an e-mail list that there was a naked man on the December page. It was published as a joke, and the sled blocked the important parts; the publicity meant the remaining calendars sold out the same day. It confirms our experience that 99.9% of Samoyed owners have a good sense of humor and that Paul and Linda are firm rescue friends. Please support them at http://www.wolfpacks.com.
Several months back we were asked for help fostering a dog owned by a woman going through some tough times. For the second time, Danna stepped up to the plate and volunteered. She gets a Samoyed in the house for a few months and a woman who needed a friend found one. We can’t express how great a friend the breed has in Danna.
This month ended up with a remarkable success. Tara has been back with us for almost a month after her adoption didn’t work out. The root of the problem was a dad who was a first time dog owner and couldn’t quite “get it” that Tara needed strong alpha humans. He ended up a little afraid of her because she isn’t an easy dog to live with. Her personality is strong and she needs direction.
Fortunately we found someone who will be perfect for Tara. On the date of this writing we visited an applicant in Rainier and found a match for her. He is dog savvy, home most of the time, and his yard is enormous. He had two dogs for their whole lives and the second passed away earlier this year. He has been lonesome and Tara came along at a perfect time. Best of all, Tara told us she likes him. His name is Brad and we are making plans for her to move in with him. By the time you read this they should be a very happy couple. Tara had ACL surgery early this year and now her other leg needs fixing. Brad agreed to nurse her through recovery, and Northwest Samoyed Rescue will fund it. This is good for everyone, but most of all Tara. Her Christmas came a little bit early this year.