July 2022
Banjo, one of the young dogs Melissa has been fostering, has a new home. She brought him to Ron and Kathy’s house on June 11 to meet a couple in Lynnwood who already had a young female. They also have several cats, so Melissa checked him with a friend’s cat and he passed the test. When they arrived, Banjo went straight to them, and that’s what we always hope happens. From all reports, Banjo is happy in his new home.
Shadah, the eight year old girl also at Melissa’s house, has a new home now with a previous adopter in Portland. Our applicant had been waiting for another Samoyed for four years, and this was the right match. Shadah even looks remarkably like the first Samoyed she adopted from us many years ago. Placing an eight year old dog can be problematic, so this was an especially gratifying match.
Niko’s owner first contacted us because he didn’t get along with their cat. He agreed to keep Niko home in Kent until we found a new home, but it took a very long time, partly because of his age (six years old). We thought we had a good home lined up several times, but each of them fell through for one reason or another. We finally called a recent adopter in Albany who had recently lost another dog, and they met Niko halfway, in Vancouver. Niko is now a happy pup living in Oregon.
Bella is still doing well, despite her cancer, and she will be visiting our vet for a re-check on the 19th. She celebrated her 12th birthday on July 7, but with the thyroid medicine she is taking she acts more like a two-year-old. We wish Bella had been here for a lot longer, because she is a delightful old girl.
After more than 20 years, we decided to change the way we promote our foster dogs. In the past few months, it seemed like everybody on the waiting list had some reason not to adopt. Some already adopted a dog, some wanted to wait, and some just wouldn’t respond to our emails and calls. Our best luck recently has been with the newest applicants. That makes sense in a way, because the most recent people are actively looking for a dog right now. We decided to post each dog online, on our Facebook page and on Petfinder, and ask for applications for that dog. This is a new way of doing things and we will see what happens. Our first will be Luna, who has been with Melissa for several months. Because her primary breed is Siberian Husky, we think using Petfinder will be the most efficient way to get out the word. Although we haven’t used Petfinder for a dozen years, we kept the account active. If we haven’t seen good apps soon, we will also post her on other Facebook groups.
Tessa and Sophie have been enjoying the better weather, and since they have recently been more willing to come in the house when invited, we’re letting them out more. They do well when it’s just Kathy around them, and she has been able to work on grooming them recently.
