February 2019
It’s been an exciting but somewhat distressing month for our puppy mill girls. Although Fena lives with Kathi now, this marks one full year Sophie and Tessa have been here. Although they have made progress it often feels like nothing has changed. We cleared out our garage and let them live there, giving them a small side yard accessible only from an outside door in the garage. Gradually we moved them into the house, giving them the laundry room during the day and the garage at night.
A month ago we installed a cross-fence across the yard so they would have a small area of the dog yard that included the outside door to the laundry (as well as the garage door). With a lot of conditioning they began to come in the other door most of the time. Kathy began with an x-pen on the deck, then a larger area, and finally that whole end of the yard. Changes come hard with a fearful dog, and each change was unsettling to them.
Finally we made the decision they needed to be in the house full time. Part of that was because they need to adapt, and part was because our cars have been outdoors for a full year; that includes Kathy’s 1970 Buick that should definitely be under cover. So, with the snow on its way, we got the laundry area modified, moved their beds inside, and put the cars back where they used to live. The reaction? Sophie and Tessa decided they didn’t want to come in that door, and when they saw the cars in the garage they were afraid of that door too. Kathy spent hours trying to coax them inside. We ended up using a spare gate, a “hog panel” and an x-pen to make a smaller area that included some grass. Now a few days into the new accommodations, we are able to get them in if they are wearing long leads made from clothesline rope. At least we can catch them when we run out of time. They are definitely getting better; another week or two and we think they will have adapted. Being indoors means I might be able to get closer to them; they are still much more afraid of men than women.
Fena is doing much better now that she is with Kathi. She has begun barking and poking Kathi for attention, and recently when something scared her outdoors she came running in to Kathi. She gives kisses when she wants to be petted. Kathi is working on restraining her for a few seconds at a time, getting her used to it, and teaching her to jump into a car. She recently learned how much fun a box of Kleenex can be, as shown in the photo. We can’t say enough for the patience and understanding Fena is getting from Kathi.
Annie is here, waiting for a spay appointment and getting a little bit of training. We think she is closer to one year old than two, and possibly less than a year old. She behaves like a totally untrained puppy with a mind of her own. When we fenced the yard, she quickly determined she could burrow under the deck and get from the big yard to the one used by Sophie and Tessa. There is only a five or six inch space she went under. To stop her we put a 16-foot board to block her path. She went to the other side of the steps and found another route that was more than 20 feet away from where she came out. More boards and she is again blocked. We’ll see what comes next. Annie is as sweet as a Sammy can be, but her next home will have to be with experienced people who have had Samoyed experience and have at least one other well-behaved dog, preferably another Samoyed. She takes her cues from our other dogs, and it’s going to be important to have a buddy for her to live with.
Max is living with Melissa and Terry. As Melissa has learned, there is a real difference between Sibes and Sams. He is as loving as other dogs we have had, but there is a strong streak of stubbornness. Melissa reports he is easily bribed with treats so training should come easy for him. Max is still a young boy, only a couple years old, and somebody will get a really great dog when they adopt him. Just keep in mind he is a bit of a bed hog.
Last month we were waiting for word on the Iowa puppy mill dogs. We’re still waiting. We know there are a large number of Samoyeds who will need new homes, but the courts and the ASPCA still control their destiny and they aren’t sharing anything.