September, 2007
This month saw an upgrade to our electric fencing. Katie is the only foster we ever hosted who went over the fence, and last month we had to turn on the juice to the wire around the top of the fence. A few weeks ago she didn’t come when called and we found a large hole under a fence.
Those who know our property know it’s difficult to find a dog when she escapes, so we were fortunate she went exploring at the home of our closest neighbor a quarter mile away. When I called to ask them to keep their eyes open they said there were two dogs at their house and one might be ours. As I went out the door Katie came running back in, so we went to check with the neighbor to see who was there. To our surprise, Oakley was there making new friends. There are now additional wires a foot off the ground, all the way around all the yards.
The biggest surprise about Katie is her energy level. She expends a lot of energy running along the fence, protecting us from all the dangerous rabbits she knows are there. She and Braun love to play, running circles and jumping on each other. We know she isn’t a young dog, but she acts 
like one. She had a visit from a disabled woman looking for a Samoyed, but we decided together that Katie is too much dog for her.
Braun’s grooming is going slowly and he hasn’t had his bath yet, but we have shown him to two prospective adopters. The first hasn’t called back, and the second decided to pass when we asked them to neuter the male they already have. Braun is a big teddy bear of a dog, an oversize puppy learning to play and to be a dog. He acts like it is a relief to have a normal life after being tied out since he was a puppy. At three and a half, he is a perfect age to join an active family.
New this month is Cody, who came from the Shelton shelter. We picked him up just after the Specialty, and were told he was about three years old and his owners were tired of bailing him out. With some detective work we learned he had only been in Shelton for two weeks after being given away by someone at Fort Lewis. We suspected a testicular tumor, and when he was neutered we were unfortunately correct. Our vet believes she got all the tumor and that it hasn’t spread. The good news is this is a very slow growing tumor; the bad news is that it doesn’t happen in young dogs. The estimate of his age is now 8-10 years old, and he is also partly deaf. His recovery has been slow because of the size of the incision (the tumor was the size of a lemon) but he is nearly healed now. We are looking for a home where he can hang out with a human and they can just enjoy each other’s company. He would be perfect for the disabled woman who looked at Katie, but she wants a female.
On the horizon is a five year old girl in the Olympia area. We are attempting to get pictures of her to determine if she is a Sammy, since the description of her is small and fearful. She sounds like an Eskie, although she was purchased from a backyard breeder who claimed she is a Samoyed; the people got her free because of her temperament. In cases like this we ask them to prove the breed before we do much more.
Summer is usually a quiet time in rescue but this year has been unusually busy. We have three fosters here, the first time we have done that, and with seven dogs in the house we feel like we are bulging at the seams. Cody has been a special challenge because he was not housebroken (we have gone through a lot of carpet shampoo). Any more dogs needing help will have to go somewhere else, so if you’re willing to take a dog in need we would really appreciate hearing from you.
Remember, we are now selling WHITE PINE COLLARS as a rescue fundraiser.
Details and ordering information are at http://www.nwsams.com/whitepine.