January 2017
Over the last fifteen years or so, Northwest Samoyed Rescue (and our founding groups, SCWS Rescue and Samoyed Rescue of Oregon) has been blessed to have some incredibly generous people who support our work. Back when we began, Cheri said we should work toward a goal of having a completely self-funded group, enough money in the bank for the interest to cover all our expenses. We thought that would take a whole different level of funding, even though interest rates were higher then. Today, as we look back, we are on the way; still a small percentage of what we would need, but definitely able to handle what comes our way.
Over those years we have helped some extraordinarily expensive Sammies. Right off the bat we had a couple cranial cruciate ligament repairs (usually called ACL repairs), and those were substantial. We have helped with leg repairs many times since. Two years ago we had Lily, who had a growth plate fracture that was never repaired. Our vet, who usually does our orthopedic work, said we needed a specialist because her leg healed abnormally. The fix was to re-break it, cut off the end of the bone, and re-attach it at a different angle. The specialist from Portland did it in our vet’s office and gave us a break on price for rescue; it ended up at only $4,900. Contrast that to the days when we had to get board approval to spend more than $200.
A few years back, we had Freya. She lived in a shed for several years and had entropion, a painful condition where the eyelashes grew against her eyes. She wasn’t the most expensive dog to go through rescue, but she was one of the most rewarding. Take a look at what happened to her life. She went from neglect to the lap of luxury and love.
Recently we were contacted by adopters who had gone through more than $10,000 with their Sammy. We were able to give a small grant directly to their vet, and we helped them through the application to SamUrgency, a wonderful charity that helps pay medical bills for Samoyeds.
Almost constantly we had many old dogs with all those senior ailments; ear-cleanings, growth-removals, and meds for sore joints. We have been able to cover all those because of your generosity, and we want you to know how much we appreciate it. It’s because of rescue that these dogs have a good life today, and it’s because of you that rescue could help them.
Thank you for your support. Words can’t express how grateful we are to our donors.