February, 2007

Applications continue to arrive, even though we haven’t seen many dogs in recent months. As Spring approaches and things heat up (as they always do this time of year), we’re going to need some home visits done. If you have a Samoyed then you already know what we need to look for, and we could use some more volunteers getting the visits done. It’s easy and a great way to meet people with the same interests you have. If you can help, please let us know. We promise not to work you too hard.

We decided to start introducing people to Precious, a year and a half old girl who has been with Lon & Mary for the last few months. She came from the Everett shelter as an owner surrender, and has been getting used to love and good care in Custer. The first family we introduced is from Redmond, and on February 10 she went home with them. Precious will be learning to live with two cats.

Oakley and Emily are still with us as we ponder the best homes for them. Emily came here first exactly two years ago as a puppy we thought was a sammy mix. She was first placed in Portland where she had too much energy for the home, then in Gig Harbor where her enthusiastic wagging kept knocking over the kids. As Emily grew (and grew and grew) she became less sammy in appearance and more like a collie/greyhound/something mix, but we committed to her when she first arrived and we’ll find the right place for her eventually. She needs a home where she can have a ton of exercise and an opportunity to show her love to her humans. Emily has a wonderfully sweet personality.

Oakley has gained weight and is almost where he should be now. When he arrived he weighed only 42 pounds, every rib prominent along his spine. We don’t know much about him except that he has been tied out for years, and he is learning what it is to be in a home where he gets regular meals and attention when he asks for it. His age is still a mystery, guessed at anything from 3 to 10 years. Our latest guess is 4 or 5. He and Emily play like pups and keep each other tired.

After a few years on the job, most rescuers seem to cover more territory and build contacts with other breed rescues, as well as people in their own breed. We’ve been lucky to meet people from all over the country who want to help, but more importantly all around the northwest. Recently we were alerted to someone advertising on Craigslist for a Samoyed, so we wrote to let them know we were here. They applied right away and we asked a volunteer down the street from them for a home visit. Although this happens frequently, in this case it was Eagle River, Alaska — 1500 miles away. Later when we had an application from Moses Lake we called an animal sanctuary there we helped a year ago. Working together, regionally and nationally, many more dogs are helped. Our volunteers are the lifeblood of rescue, and we thank all of you for your hard work.