July, 2007
Our puppy stories conclude this month with the adoption into permanent homes of Sadie, Sparkle, and Cubby. The experience we gained whelping a litter gives us a great insight into the work involved, and appreciation for the people who happily bring quality puppies into the world. We will be forever glad it’s them and not us. For movies and lots of pictures of puppies, look at http://www.nwsams.com/katie.
Sadie, who was “Big Girl,” was adopted by Sue Yim. Sue previously adopted Biscotti and has a girl named Gracie, and Sadie is working into their family nicely. Sue and Sadie loved each other at first sight on their first visit. We kept her here while Sue prepared her home, and on June 15 Sadie went home.
Sparkle and Cubby, formerly “Little Girl” and “White Boy,” found their homes when a family from Gresham, Oregon came to visit them on June 30. Their new dad went through 4-H obedience for ten years as a youth, and the family now has two boys, 8 and 10 years old, who want to do the same. We were impressed with the maturity of the boys and the commitment of their parents, and the puppies liked them right away. Every report we’ve had of all three puppies confirms they are in the correct homes and will have great lives.
Katie, the puppies’ mother, is still with us while we search for the right home for her. She has changed so much we decided not to place her in the home we originally chose. When Katie came here she was a tired old dog with allergies and worn teeth who plodded around the yard. Now, although nearly naked after shedding her coat, she runs in the yard like a young dog and her coat is growing back nicely. She acts years younger, and her activity level is so high we can’t place her with the older couple whose home we thought would be right for her. Katie is, unbelievably, the first dog we ever fostered who jumped over our fence and got loose because she wanted to chase a rabbit. Fortunately one thing hasn’t changed, her desire to lean on a human and be scratched.
We told you about Harley last month, the dog who has been in a shelter four times. Different excuses were given, but it was probably because of his barking. What we found was an enthusiastic boy who wanted SO badly to be your friend that he couldn’t help telling you so. He is an intelligent dog who understood within a day what we meant when we asked him not to bark. An application came from the Lake Stevens area from a family with three dogs, two of whom are too old to play with the young one. His name is Chief, and when they came to visit it seemed Harley and Chief would do well together. Best of all is that they understand Samoyeds (and dogs in general) and see no problem with Harley’s barking because they know he can be trained. Kim did the visit and has been working with the family grooming him.
Holly was fostered by Jeff Bienstadt, who hosted a visit by a couple from Monroe who already have a Samoyed named Cloudy. Holly and Shawna, who has become her new Mom, were attracted immediately to each other and Cloudy approved. There have been some barking issues, which we understand to be actually neighbor issues. No news is good news, and it seems the problem has been addressed successfully.
We’re working with Samoyed Rescue of Oregon, who just got a male through Malamute Rescue from the Medford area. Their vet isn’t able to neuter him for several weeks, so we are moving Topper here for a few days for our vet to do it, then on Saturday at the Rescue Picnic he can go back with Melissa. She has a home arranged for Topper with people from Corvallis.
Finnegan came to us from the Bremerton area in May, 2005. The director of the shelter knew his coat needed grooming, and when she called she urged us to come pick him up “before some fool on the staff shaves him.” We always laughed about that. Kathy spent days grooming, pulling out dead hair, and at the end we had a good looking dog. Finnegan was mostly deaf and he walked like his back hurt, but it looked like a lot of love was left in him so we listed him for adoption.
Twice we invited applicants to look at Finnegan. The first time someone came he saw them, turned, and walked to the bedroom and hid. The second time he had visitors we closed the gate in the hallway, so he walked into a corner and pretended they weren’t there. That’s when we gave up and listened to him, and he stayed with us as a family member. Finn was always mellow and happy with a huge smile, and didn’t have an aggressive bone in his body. A few months ago he began having serious problems getting around. X-rays showed a great looking spine, and the diagnosis was neurological problems. He became more incontinent and finally reached the point he couldn’t stand without help. We helped him cross the bridge and he said good bye quietly. He was a special boy, one of the dogs whose memory will always remind us why we do rescue. In his memory, we told Oakley he now has a permanent home with us.