September 2017
Earlier this year we heard about two Samoyeds listed online in an Eastern Washington shelter. They were brother and sister, and after a day or two their listings disappeared. We called and were told they ran away from home and their owners came for them. A month later we saw their listings and pictures again, and the story was repeated. Then, last month, they appeared once again. Same shelter, same pictures, and the shelter seemed to think the people might not come back for them again.
This is a shelter we’ve worked with before, and they had our paperwork on file, but their policy is to put a dog out for adoption for a few days before letting rescue have a chance. We offered to pay regular adoption fees for both dogs but they declined, citing policy. Well, when a shelter is stubborn or unreasonable we try to find someone who is willing to go adopt the dogs. Liz and Ken came to our aid, and enlisted a friend to go along with them. At one minute past the expiration of the stray hold they drew straws to decide who got which dog, and they took the male while their friend took the female.
Both dogs are young, only nine months old. Their friend decided she would like to keep the female, so Ken and Liz loaded up Milo, the male, and took him to Enumclaw where they met Kathy; she brought him here to be fostered. What we found was that he was incredibly mellow and laid back for his age. He fit into our pack after a brief disagreement with our boy Rowdy, so we started looking for a home.
It is rare that we find a young dog in rescue; in fact we explain to applicants we almost never have any. When we do take in a very young foster we approach adoption very differently. Over the years we have met some special people who go above and beyond the care we expect. Some spend a great amount on medical bills. Some enrich their dog’s life more than we could expect. All have proven themselves to be deserving of special consideration. This is the case with Holley and Hans, who have adopted twice before. Both dogs, Mori and Nicky, lived lives filled with love and extra special caring. Nicky passed away a few months ago, and we called to ask if they would be interested. They said they would come and visit.
Let’s digress for a moment. The first dog we ever fostered, back when Cheryl ran rescue, was Mori. He was a big boy we later discovered was part Malamute. When the first applicant came to visit, Mori was friendly but didn’t get too close. Instead, he turned his back and played with another dog. She eventually decided he would be too much for her, but Mori’s lack of response had something to do with it. A few days later, Hans and Holley came to visit Mori. When they walked in the door, Mori went to them and didn’t leave their sides; he ended up going home and he was the perfect dog for them.
When they came to visit Milo, exactly the same thing happened. He went to them when they walked in and he stayed with them the entire visit. They were concerned initially because they have a vacation planned, but Milo was such a perfect gentleman while he was here that we offered to keep him while they are gone. Our boy Rowdy is going to love it because the boys had just begun to play.
Celine continues to improve. When Kathy does barn chores, Celine now joins the other dogs who always go with her. Celine has been exploring, and recently even started running in the yard. The NSAID, the painkiller, and the Adequan are all working on her and she obviously feels much better.
Denver rescue has been working with two dogs in Montana. One of the dogs, who needed advanced training, went to Dorinda at Samoyed Rescue of Utah, where she is learning to get along with other dogs. The other had some leg surgery and is recovering well. They think they have an adopter lined up. We enjoy working with other rescue groups, especially when they are as professionally run as Denver and Utah.