Quinn | Northwest Samoyed Rescue

October 2023 Rescue Report

Ron Manor on October 21, 2023

Chalky was found as a stray in the Sultan area in early July, and was taken in by a woman in the area. She took him to her vet, where they found a microchip, but the vet reported not being able to connect with the owner of the chip, either by phone or email. He was in bad shape, with hair loss all over his body and a belly that was licked to the point the skin had turned almost black. Her vet ran a lot of tests, and determined the urgent problem was a staph infection. He went on an antibiotic, plus a thyroid supplement, but he was slow to respond. We contacted her then, but she wasn’t ready to surrender him. She wrote to us again at the end of August, asking about sending him here, and we started looking for a possible foster home. We knew it would be a hospice-type foster and he likely wouldn’t move again. Although we told our team we probably wouldn’t be able to take more dogs, Chalky ended up coming here. We have, unfortunately, a lot of experience with senior and hospice dogs in rescue.

On September 17, Tom and Erin transported Chalky south to us. He is a sweet old man who didn’t deserve being abandoned by his owner. The woman who found him tried very hard, but without Samoyed experience she didn’t know what to expect. Since coming here he has been able to live inside, and spends most of his time snoozing close to one of us. By luck, we had a vet appointment scheduled for the day after he got here, originally for Balto, who had been adopted. They ran more tests, without many new results, and we scheduled a follow-up two weeks later. His antibiotic was changed, and they cultured his skin to determine the best antibiotic. In the meantime, we put a cone on him so he couldn’t lick, and his skin began getting better. The culture came back showing Doxycycline would work best, so we switched to it, along with a Gentamycin spray to work on the fungal problem. Chalky is improving but probably has a way to go before his skin is better and his poor tail has hair. He has a lot of life left in him. When he comes out in the morning, he is literally prancing. The day of this writing, we added Prednisone to his meds and we’ll see how much it helps.

Quinn is still with Melissa and Terry. He is such a delightful dog that she says she would keep him there except for one problem. He just hates other males. Quinn and their boy Boomer have been in at least five fights, with each prompting new measures to keep them apart. Quinn is spending more time in a crate than anyone likes, and there is a door between them most of the time. It’s not easy to live that way. We have been trying to schedule home visits for applicants who don’t have other male dogs, but it’s slow going. Quinn would fit in wonderfully as an only dog or if there is only a female already there.

Tessa and Sophie have been here more than five and a half years. Kathy is able to approach them, and they seem to enjoy being petted by her, but only by her. In all this time, the only way I can get close is when they are confined. Their “safe place” is a shower in our bathroom. When they need sometime and I need to be close, we wait until they are there and close the door. Sophie accepts it, but Tessa shakes when I am too close. Kathy and I will have to downsize in the coming years, and we don’t have an option for the two girls. They need a home with no men, plus a super-secure yard. After they got here, we poured a concrete curb under our fence in the vulnerable spots, and we have an electric fence we can turn on if they begin testing things. If anyone knows a home that meets the necessities, we would sure love to hear from them.

September 2023 Rescue Report

NW Sams on September 11, 2023

It’s been another busy month, beginning with Mia’s adoption August 19. She came from the Humane Society of Skagit County, where she was living with four puppies about six months old. The people who found her tried calling the owner, but with no response, so they went to the shelter. The shelter tried again, and the owner came and reclaimed the two male pups, leaving Mia and two female pups there. The puppies were adopted quickly, leaving only Mia, and they transferred her to us. They thought she was about two years old, but beyond that we know almost nothing. She preferred to be with people, but got along with dogs and cats, and loved to go on walks. We found the right home, and Mia lives now with Angela and Nathaniel in Hillsboro, where she is the center of attention and happy as can be.

Balto has been waiting for a home with people who are prepared to have a jumper. We were told he could jump a six foot fence, but during the time since he came, he didn’t tried to jump over a fence once, and never even tested a baby gate in the house. We have to assume he needed more attention, and he is definitely a people oriented dog. Even when there wasn’t food involved, he stayed at the feet of one or the other of us, wanting attention. He loves to be scratched, and he even enjoys grooming. We contacted his breeder, but did not get an answer.

We said many times that if Balto was our last foster we’d be going out on top. We had a call a week and a half ago from Jen and Rick, past adopters who have come to us for Sammies in the past. It’s been a year since they lost Jinju, and they wanted to talk about dogs. We told them about his history of jumping, and they weren’t concerned. On September 10 they came to meet him, bringing along their dog Logan. Balto immediately went to them, and that’s what we always look for. He thought they were great people, and after a couple hours with him, Balto hopped in their car to begin his new life in Troutdale.

Quinn came from Bonner’s Ferry, Idaho, one of two Samoyeds who needed new homes. The female was placed by the owner. Darlene picked up Quinn and met Melissa in Hermiston, and she drove him home to foster with her. He is an exceptionally nice boy with one problem. He absolutely doesn’t like other boy dogs, and Melissa has to keep him separate from her male, Boomer. He is great with females, but he wants to be alpha male. In a home with no other dogs, or with just a female, he would be a perfect addition to a family. He came to Melissa looking like a dog who liked to roll in dirt, so Quinn went to a groomer and is clean and handsome again. He will soon be neutered and then he can move to his forever home.

In July we heard of a “young Samoyed” in the Index area. Kathleen corresponded with Jessie, the woman who found him, and was told he had a chip. The owner was contacted but didn’t answer after multiple attempts, so Jessie took care of him. His name is Chalkie. At the end of August, she wrote that she isn’t able to keep him because her landlord said no, and he is actually 12 years old. She sent photos that show a senior dog with serious skin problems. We haven’t taken him into rescue yet; for now we’re talking about where he would go.

For a while, at the beginning of the pandemic, we heard from a lot of people trying to find a Samoyed. Things have changed. We have lots of people who want us to help, and apps aren’t arriving as fast. I heard elsewhere that groups aren’t getting applications as fast as before, so apparently rescue work has shifted again. As long as we can find homes, we will be okay, but it points out our need for good foster homes. If you have room for an extra dog for a few weeks at a time, we would love to hear from you. It’s one of the most rewarding things you can ever do.