March 2015
In August last year we had word of two Sammy girls in Montana, Sophie and Diva, who needed a home. Their owners both had dementia and the dogs had been boarded for a long time with a vet, who thought it was time for them to go. With a great deal of help from the couple’s daughter we found someone willing to take them both, where they joined a Sammy already there. Flash forward to last month, when the woman who had them was diagnosed with brain cancer. She had the foresight to give a friend power of attorney, so that friend (and a woman we worked with last year) contacted us. The older of the two dogs passed away late last year, but the other one – along with the woman’s previous dog – needed a new home. They wanted to wait until the owner no longer recognized them because the dogs were going for visits, but sadly that was only another two days. We had a family on our waiting list who specifically wanted two female Samoyeds together so we checked with them.
About the time they said yes, we received an email saying the dogs were placed locally and no longer needed our help. We are glad they will stay together and live in the same area, though we had to contact our applicants again and tell them the dogs weren’t coming after all. We try to stick to our rule of not informing an adopter about a dog until we have it here, but broke the rule this time. After the dozens of hours we spent working with these dogs, we’re not likely to break the rule next time.
Bruce was contacted recently about a dog needing help. He referred them to us, and we offered to help. The guy’s roommate had a young Samoyed, but had to move out of the country and couldn’t take the dog. The landlord discovered the dog and gave him till the end of the week to move or be kicked out. Because we need a release signed by the owner, they agreed his roommate would give the dog to him so he could be surrendered to us. Everything was scheduled so Kathy would pick up the dog the next morning, when we received another email saying the roommate was renegotiating the lease so the dog could stay. Once again, lots of time spent but no dog to place.
In late January we heard from Deb, an adopter and volunteer at the Seattle Animal Shelter, saying they had a Samoyed. With her assistance and access as a volunteer, we got in contact with an animal control officer there. They knew who the owner was, and said he came in but couldn’t afford the fees. He promised to come in a few days later, which they didn’t believe but agreed to hold the dog a little longer. We’ve worked with them before, but this time they wanted to place him themselves “because they had so few dogs.” When we asked if we could send people to put their names on him, they said yes, so we called someone close we thought would provide a good home. They immediately went to the shelter, and when he became available they were standing there waiting to adopt him. This one wasn’t on the report last month because we were promised pictures, but we’re still waiting. It’s discouraging for volunteers to spend so much time and have the adopters ignore us afterward. But as long as the dogs get good homes, we’ll continue. In this day and age it’s what we expect. Major thanks go to Deb, who did the majority of the work with this dog.
As this is written, there is a Samoyed in a nearby shelter. It’s one we have worked with at least a dozen times, so we checked in when they opened on the day after the listing appeared. Because the dog has a microchip they must make an effort to contact the registered owner, and that takes 3-5 days. If the owner responds the dog goes back home (after paying the fees); otherwise we hope to get her.
Lily’s recovery from surgery is coming along beautifully. She is a little unhappy with the confinement but walking 20-30 minutes two or three times a day. We expect the check-up with x-rays in another four weeks will show excellent healing.
Remember, you can help fund rescue by shopping at Amazon or Fred Meyer. If you use the link on our web page for Amazon, or sign up with Fred Meyer to benefit Northwest Samoyed Rescue, we get a small cut of your purchase and it costs you nothing. We only have a few people participating, but we get almost a hundred dollars a month. Imagine how many dogs would benefit if you joined too.
http://www.nwsams.com