January 2016
Our month began when we heard of a blind Samoyed lost in King County, close to the Cedar River. We shared the details on our list and our Facebook page and it was forwarded many times. The owners did everything right, and a day later she was found safe and sound. During that time we exchanged a number of emails with the director of the Missing Pets Network and got some good ideas. The most important thing when a dog is missing is to tell everybody you know. If you make us part of the process we can help; our adopters are all over the northwest.
Since the last report we heard of four dogs, in Kalispell, Seattle, Moses Lake, and Palmer, Alaska. All were listed as either Samoyed or Sam mix, but none of them were either. We chase a lot of listings before we find one that’s really a Sammy. We appreciate the help Holley gives us as she checks all the Craigslist posts twice a day.
December is a month when people think about taxes, and we are grateful to have received quite a few donations this year. Our goal is to make Northwest Samoyed Rescue a self-supporting charity, well-funded enough we never have to worry about getting a dog with a major problem. We’re happy to say we are getting closer every year, and it is with the help of our rescue friends. Because we applied for and received our 501(c)3 status, your donations to rescue are tax-deductible. We thank you for your support over the years.
We were also contacted by two Sam-families doing estate planning. Both wanted to know if they could note in their wills that their dogs would go to Northwest Samoyed Rescue. On average this happens two or three times a year, and we always say yes. Planning ahead means your dogs are provided for and it’s not a worry for you or your family. In one case the people want us to be called, but they gave us a list of who we should call in return, and which family members would be good for the dogs. It’s always your choice what happens to your dogs.
Last Spring we took in an old girl named Princess. She had been put in the yard as a puppy and left there until they dropped her at the shelter eleven years later. She is a fearful dog, and because she bonded with Ron we decided to leave her where she is. We had some questions whether she was purebred because of her big round eyes, as well as the fearful temperament. A few weeks ago we bought a DNA test to satisfy our curiosity, and after waiting a couple weeks we have a definitive answer: Princess is undoubtedly a purebred Samoyed. If you are curious how the tests work, her test results are online at http://www.nwsams.com/princess-dna.pdf.
Because so many people who apply to rescue want puppies, something we don’t often have, many of them turn to breeders. We are lucky to have many great ones in the northwest; we also have a puppy mill and quite a few backyard breeders. After answering the same questions over and over, we finally put an article online for people to read. Could you spare a few minutes? Please review what we posted and let us know if there is anything you disagree with, or would add, or if you think we should change our advice. www.nwsams.com/breeders.htm We all work together for the dogs, so please write ron@nwsams.com with your suggestions. Thanks!