February 2009
After this many years doing rescue work, there are dogs who stand out; dogs we remember because they were unique. Some have been beautiful purebred Samoyeds who might have won in the ring if they had the chance. Others had special personalities, while some have been through bad times. One of the special dogs is Rio, who found her home in January. Rio came to rescue from the Pasco area along with Honey, a Samoyed mix we think was probably her mother. Rio had only a little Sammy in her, if that, but was accepted because she came with Honey. Given the area she came from, she might even have been part Coyote. Rio is timid, slow to warm up to people, but also extremely affectionate after accepting someone. While she was here she loved to curl up on the sofa next to people, and is the only dog who thought lap time and nap time went well together. Fortunately she is a small dog.
After listing her on Petfinder, Rio was adopted along with another dog to a family in Edmonds. Unfortunately, a cat was killed by one of the dogs and both were returned. We listed her again, and we were contacted by a family who thought she might fit in well with them. They came to visit, Rio liked them, and the feeling was mutual. She now lives in the Redmond area and her new Mom has begun obedience class with her so they can bond even better. We’re told that she likes small cubbyholes, quiet places, and oddly she likes to snooze on the back of the sofa.
Kayla was with us since November, the result of a visit from a landlord to an apartment that “wasn’t supposed to have dogs.” She originally came from the Midwest at age six and had been with her owner for four years. We accepted her as a hospice dog because she had a number of medical problems, and truly we didn’t expect her to find a home of her own. That was OK with us because she was an exceptionally nice old girl. Then Celine called us and said she would like to talk about offering Kayla a home with her and China, a Samoyed she adopted a while back. Kathy drove Kayla to Portland where she met Cheri, who drove her to her new home in Coeur d’Alene. Senior Sammies make the most heartwarming adoption stories.
Around the first of the year, Melissa heard from a couple north of Seattle who wanted to find a new home for Diva. They said they didn’t have time to give her the attention she needed. It took about two weeks to put things together, and the people met Melissa at Ron and Kathy’s home to make the transfer. Diva was scheduled for a spay appointment later that week, and is now getting close to the time she can be placed. She is a small girl, the product of a puppy mill and pet store, but exuberant, loving and well mannered all at the same time. Several people have asked about adopting her and we’ve been busy getting home visits arranged.
More time and effort has been spent on a dog from southern Oregon than any recent rescue. The Jackson County Animal Shelter listed a beautiful purebred Samoyed, and the messages came pouring in from rescue friends all over the country. Paul Martin offered to go check on her, and he found the shelter preferred not to work with rescue groups because they wanted to place her themselves. A brief history of Blizzard shows she was surrendered because she couldn’t be kept in the yard. She was adopted to a family and picked up twice again as a stray, then placed with another family who thought she was safe off-leash 
after three days of training. Again she went back to the shelter. A family with a Samoyed tried to adopt her and was refused because they didn’t have a good yard. Another applicant was turned down because she wouldn’t bring her other dog, an elderly Chow, to the shelter to see if Blizzard would get along with him. His health was bad enough they couldn’t risk it. The people at the front desk labeled her a problem dog, but still refused to let her go to rescue.
Finally a friend went to the shelter and insisted on adopting her. She spent that night with Debbie, who brought her north to Hillsboro, and Rita kept her the second night. The next day Rita drove to meet Kathy, who brought her the rest of the way north and she is now happily in rescue. She is not an alpha, she gets along with all the other dogs (and the dogs in the homes where she stayed while en route), and doesn’t seem to be an escape risk. Admittedly she is a sneaky dog who would love to bolt out an open door, but that’s a Sammy trait we’re used to. This is a dog who didn’t deserve to spend most of a month in a shelter that doesn’t understand Samoyeds.
Melissa and Terry are fostering a dog from NW Washington while Ron and Kathy are fostering a dog from southern Oregon. Life isn’t always logical, but it proves how well it worked to combine Washington and Oregon rescues into Northwest Samoyed Rescue. It gives us the flexibility not only to work together, but to give each other breaks when needed. Next on the horizon are a couple dogs from eastern Oregon, which we have been told are probably going to be coming soon, although we don’t have details yet. We appreciate our volunteers and friends more with every passing month. Thanks to all who help!
Save the date! Our Rescue Picnic this year is July 11.