June 2010
Last month we talked about Kota, the dog in southern Oregon, and the problems we had with the Jackson County shelter. They steadfastly refuse to work with rescue groups because they want to place the dogs themselves. We contacted a county commissioner but could not convince him it’s in the best interests of dogs to allow breed rescue groups to help them. Kota was subsequently adopted to someone locally.
The new adopter contacted us the first week in June asking if we could take Kota. He is often out of town and Kota is too much for his very small yard. Even though the shelter visited and did a home visit, they didn’t understand the needs of a Samoyed. By the time you read this we hope we will have Kota safe in rescue, and perhaps he will already have a new home. We guarantee it will be one where the people understand the challenges of a 15 month male Samoyed and are prepared to deal with him.
NWSR was contacted about a female Samoyed named Mya in Great Falls, Montana. That’s usually out of our area, but we were able to offer some assistance. Samoyed Rescue of Utah is actually the closest rescue group, and after an exchange of e-mails they were ready to take her. As things developed, she will stay in Great Falls. The group helping Mya put her in a temporary foster home that quickly became a permanent forever home. Imagine that!
The largest association of breed rescues in the northwest is Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue (SPDR), which has been without a Samoyed representative for many years. The most recent rep was listed for a while, but gave up because she hadn’t received any referrals (people usually call us first). We’re happy to report that Ryann Grady will now be the SPDR Samoyed breed representative, and we’ll work with her when anyone needs help. We are also now listed on the SCA website, and the first inquiry we can tie to that listing came recently.
Tara has had an inquiry that looks good from a family in Yakima. There will be a delay of a week or so before we will know for sure, but it looks positive.
We are not planning to list Hope because she needs a very special home. Hope came to us almost feral, with no previous contact with humans. She is comfortable now but will always be timid so she needs someone patient and understanding. She needs to live with other dogs because she takes her cues from them. She usually won’t approach a human alone, but if another dog is getting attention she wants her share. In the right home she is going to be a once in a lifetime dog. If you’re reading this and interested in her, please contact Ron.
The 2010 Rescue Picnic is July 10 at Ron and Kathy’s house.
The picnic will be the same as in previous years, except instead of hamburgers and hot dogs we will have deli sandwiches. We love to visit with our adopters and the dogs we’ve placed, but we can’t do that standing at a grill. We’ll also have a couple assistants hired for the day to take care of t-shirt sales and odds and ends that come up during the picnic. We’re looking forward to visiting with our friends. Remember, the picnic is open to all club members as well as adopters.