October 2010
Every time we think a dog is too old or too sick to be adopted we are pleasantly surprised. There are a lot of good people who can see past a current problem and see what a dog will be. That’s the case with Kenai, the mix we got from the Tacoma Humane Society two months ago. After testing he was diagnosed with Cushing’s Disease, and began on a strong chemo drug. After five days he completely lost his appetite; it took a change of medication and seven days before he wanted to eat again. About that time we got a call from Michael, who adopted Braun from us three years ago. He had seen Kenai’s story and wanted to meet him so we invited him to visit.
Let’s flash back to 2003 and the first dog we fostered, Mori. We witnessed something unique back then when Mori went to Hans and Holley the instant they came through the door. He stayed close to them and totally ignored us, telling us in effect “these are my humans.” Seven years later, Kenai showed us the same thing when Michael walked in. Kenai went to him immediately and stayed at his feet while we visited. Then he hopped up on the sofa so he could put his head in Michael’s lap. It’s a magical thing when it happens, and brings home the saying “the dog chooses the people.” They left together, and Michael promised to continue Kenai’s treatment with the same vet.
A month or two ago one of our volunteers did a home visit on a family in Eugene and found a great home for a rescue dog. All we needed was a Sammy for them. Late last month we had a call from a woman who said she had only a few days before her home was foreclosed and she needed a home for her dog. It turned out she was just south of Eugene, so we arranged a meeting and Eddie went to his new home. This is a perfect example why we ask for help with home visits; having a family ready for a dog meant life was much simpler for a dog who needed help.
A special thanks goes out this month to the great folks who frequently donate to Northwest Samoyed Rescue. Kenai’s medical bills were almost $2,000, but we were able to take care of him because we had the money in the bank. Maybe it goes without saying that we appreciate our friends, but we’ll say it anyway. Thank you!
Here’s a great way to help: Do you buy things from Amazon? If you go to our website first and enter through our Amazon link, we automatically get a small percentage of what you purchase and it costs you nothing! We’ve been getting $20-$40 monthly from just a small number of people using our link. Just think what you could do for rescue if everyone you know went to http://www.nwsams.com/amazon before buying from Amazon.