October 2020
The high point of our month was the adoption of Max, who is now named Sundance. He first arrived here in late January, an independent dog who needed a lot of socialization. Although Max was a nice boy, and from a good breeder, he was first sold to people who might have wanted a beautiful dog more than a companion. He was given to their daughter, then to the daughter’s boyfriend, and finally sold on Craigslist. The woman who bought him contacted us and we emailed back and forth for months before she decided he needed a new home. About two months after he got here he began to seek out affection, and finally turned into a wonderful dog. We knew all along he needed to live where he was dog number one, not number six as he was here. We got lucky when a couple from the Oregon coast came to visit. Max, who wasn’t always wild about new people, jumped up on both of them. That was the first time we saw that, so once again the dog picked the people. They agreed to take him to a veterinary ophthalmologist for his right eye problem, which our vet said was a clogged tear duct, but which turned out to be an allergy of some sort. There were a couple dogs in their neighborhood named Max, so they now call him Sundance. He just celebrated his third birthday in his new home. He is in wonderful hands now and happy as can be.
We heard of a dog in the Vancouver area who was tied out in the back yard and needed a new home. We were able to make contact with the sister of the owner, who said she would try to convince her brother to let us have him. Over the next few days her brother had a change of heart and asked her to take the dog. She wasn’t wild about the idea, but our understanding is that she did. What will happen in the future is unknown, but she has our contact information. We also heard of a dog in Goldendale and sent the Craigslist post to one of our applicants. He wrote back saying he was also looking at a female from a breeder and was wondering if he should get them both. He has had two or three Samoyeds at a time for most of his life and we said we couldn’t see a reason not to do it. Besides, we’re a backup if the two don’t work out, even though we think it will.
A woman in Seattle advertised on one of the many dog listing sites, and a family in Redmond ended up with a two year old male Samoyed named Casper. They thought he would be a good friend for their own young male, but after taking him the two young males began fighting. The first day there, Casper jumped out a second story window and broke his paw. For over two months they dealt with his recovery, keeping the two dogs apart, and then reached out to rescue. While we were arranging to have an applicant visit them, the vet tech they worked with found someone to take him. It sounds like it was a suitable new home.
Rory, the boy we talked about last month, ended up in a good home. Kim dropped by to check on things and reported his new people understand dogs and he is happy with them. He had quite a life, and he earned his place with a great family.
Nanuk, now called Nikkee, is still a foster living with John and Theresa in Kalama. He went through major surgery a few months ago, but has bounced back and still loves his long walks every day. He will have his 13th birthday soon and still looks great.
There’s not much to report about Sophie and Tessa. Their progress is still very slow. Kathy has been trying to get them out on leashes occasionally, and they behave fairly well though they aren’t wild about the idea. In the house it takes effort to catch them to attach a leash, and of course outdoors there isn’t a chance. There is an area of our deck that is usually out of the weather, and if they go outdoors they usually won’t return until it’s time for treats or dinner. The two girls will probably live out their lives here.