Fabio | Northwest Samoyed Rescue

March 2025 Rescue Report

Maureen Farrar on March 16, 2025

It’s been some time since our last rescue report, but not for a lack of rescue activity. The influx of Samoyeds in need has been keeping our volunteers busy. The latest updates:

Loki‘s journey to his forever home is truly heartwarming. This once timid and wary boy, suffering from hair loss and the stress of an uncertain situation, has blossomed into a beloved family member.

Loki’s dedicated foster family opened their hearts and homes to him, providing him with the love, care, and medical attention he desperately needed. Slowly but surely, Loki began to heal physically and emotionally. His fur grew back, his confidence increased, and his true personality emerged. He is now a sweet, gentle, and quirky dog who loves salmon, cheese, and car rides.

It wasn’t long before Loki’s foster family realized they couldn’t imagine life without him. They officially adopted him, making him a permanent part of their family. Thanks to the dedication of his amazing family, Loki’s future is bright, full of warmth, security, and endless cuddles.

Remember Nika, one of the three dogs surrendered last year? She was happily adopted last summer, but unfortunately, a recent health issue meant her adopter could no longer provide the care she needed. Thankfully, we found Nika the perfect new home — and it’s with a familiar face!

Alex, who adopted Tessa last year, welcomed Nika into her heart and home, and it’s a match made in heaven. Nika is thriving — she’s busy destroying stuffed toys, charming everyone with her fluffiness and Sammy smile, and keeping the conversation lively with her “opinionated” barks.

Nika brought out a playful spiciness in Tessa, who now excitedly joins her for walks. With Nika demanding walks every few hours, they’re both getting plenty of exercise and enjoying their new life together.

We’re thrilled to share that Kodak, who needed a new home when his family moved out of the country, is living his best life – and it’s a “foster fail” success story!

Kodak’s reactivity toward other dogs meant we needed to find him a special home with a family prepared to meet his needs. Fortunately, we found an incredible foster who gave him space to run around and the opportunity to socialize safely with other dogs. It was a match made in heaven! Kodak’s foster family fell head over heels for him and decided to make him a permanent part of their family.

Now, Kodak is thriving in Oregon, enjoying plenty of space to run and play. He’s even learning to get along with other dogs and loves going on car rides with his new family. We’re so happy that Kodak found the perfect forever home where he can continue to blossom.

We’re delighted to share that Fabio has also found his forever home—with the wonderful family who fostered him!

Fabio’s journey began in October when his owner contacted us, needing to rehome him due to changing circumstances. Serendipitously, we had an approved foster home nearby, and Fabio quickly settled in with his new foster family.

Fabio had his own plan because he wasted no time charming his foster family. They fell head over heels for his sweet personality and decided to make him a permanent part of their lives. We’re overjoyed that Fabio found the perfect forever home where he’s loved and cherished.

But wait there’s more. We had another Samoyed (also named Loki) become available in Wenatchee, WA, when his family concluded that recent life changes meant he would thrive best in a new environment. His first potential adopter met him and his family online and considered it deeply, but felt the match wasn’t quite right. A great match for Loki was right around the corner though: an owner who had recently lost her dog to old age, and was ready to adopt again. We arranged a meeting and now Loki is living large with his new family in Oregon.

All this activity showcases a couple elements of rescue dynamics that are worth noting:

When we arrange a meeting between a potential adopter and an available dog, we strongly encourage the adopter to look past all the good hopes and intentions to also consider the possibility that it’s not the right fit. This often means that the perfect match for both dog and adopter is just around the corner.
You may have noticed that Loki (the first Loki mentioned) and Fabio never appeared on our “Available Samoyeds” list, heading right to “Success Stories” post adoption. That’s because both were “foster fails,” our affectionate term for when a Samoyed charms his foster family into making the foster home a permanent home. We deeply appreciate our fosters, who are among our most valuable resources in rescue, and committing to fostering can be a route to welcoming a Samoyed into your home more quickly. It does entail its own challenges, uncertainty, and demands, however, so is not to be taken lightly. If you would like to join our list of available fosters, please fill out a foster application form, and we’ll be in touch right away.

November 2024 Rescue Report

Maureen Farrar on December 1, 2024

November was a busy month for the rescue. We saw a significant influx of surrender requests after a relatively quiet few months.

Kodak’s owner reached out to us to help her find him a new home. His family was moving out of the country before the Thanksgiving holiday and needed to place him quickly. Due to Kodak’s reactivity towards other dogs, we needed to find a special home for him – one without other animals and with a family prepared to manage his needs. Fortunately, we found an incredible foster, who is bringing out the best in Kodak. Kodak has space to run around and has even played well with another dog. We’re so excited to watch him thrive.

You may remember Nika, one of the three dogs who was surrendered earlier this year when their owner went into Assisted Living. She was adopted this summer and has been living an amazing life. Unfortunately, she has developed a health condition that requires more care than her owner can manage. We are taking Nika back into our care and have lined up a foster for her until we can find a new home for her.

We also received a request to help rehome Finley, a young, energetic 13-month-old Samoyed. His family was heartbroken to make this decision, but Finley’s exuberance proved to be a bit much for the other dogs in their home. Fortunately, they were able to find a solution within their family, with the owner’s son offering to take one of the other dogs into his home. This change in dynamics allowed Finley to stay put.

We were contacted about rehoming Powder, a sweet 4-year-old Samoyed whose owner had already moved out of the country. Powder was living with a friend of his owner, and their young children had quickly fallen in love with him. While it seemed like caring for Powder alongside their busy family life might be challenging, they ultimately decided to make him a permanent part of their family.

Back in October, Fabio‘s owner contacted us about the possibility of surrendering him. Her circumstances had changed, impacting both her finances and the time she could dedicate to Fabio’s care. While she initially expressed interest in rehoming him through our rescue, we unfortunately lost touch. This month, however, Fabio’s owner reached out again, ready to place him in our care. As luck would have it, we had an approved foster home blocks away from Fabio. He’s now settled in with his new foster family, and we’re happy to report that things are going smoothly.