June 2024 Rescue Report
Last month, we forgot to mention that Nika was adopted! She is one of the three dogs who came in to rescue together when their owner had to go into an assisted living facility (the other two were Kaya and Karma). Nika found a new home after a short stay with a foster family in Seattle. She’s now splitting the duties with another dog (her new best friend) as the official greeter at a massage therapy practice. She’s also benefiting from plenty of doggie massages herself!
Early in May, a woman contacted us about surrendering her 3-year-old Samoyed, Harry. Harry was having some behavioral issues like resource guarding, and they weren’t having a lot of luck changing the behavior. The situation was complicated by the fact that her son had some health issues, and he needed to be the priority. She reached out to us to see what help we could offer, and after putting her together with a behaviorist, it was determined that the best course of action would be to rehome Harry. We thought he would be a challenge to place, so we decided that a foster home might be a good option while we evaluated his behaviors and gave him a quiet place to land temporarily. The couple we reached out to (who are previous adopters from NWSR) didn’t hesitate to take him in. In fact, they immediately committed to adopting him instead of fostering him. “Happy,” as he is now known, is living the good life in Oregon with lots of land to run around on and four feline siblings.
Stella came to us in early June. This 7-year-old girl was the center of her owner’s universe until she had a special needs child 18 months ago and could no longer give Stella the attention she deserved. A few months back, her owner’s brother transported her across the country to step in and help, but that situation hasn’t worked out as well as he hoped. She is a sweet, snuggly girl, but she loves being outside, chasing squirrels and whatever else grabs her attention. If she’s bored, she’ll try to entertain herself by digging or barking, so she’s going to need a home that knows how to keep her engaged. Stella is currently being fostered in Oregon and is looking forward to finding her perfect (and permanent) home.
One of our volunteers found a listing on Petfinder for Suzie-Q. According to the shelter manager, this sweet puppy is only about 7 months old and was bought at a flea market. They needed help placing her, so we picked her up, and she went to her foster home this weekend. Unfortunately, she’s not housetrained yet, and the strain and stress of her situation have made her a little wild. We’re hoping that she starts to feel safe and settles in so we can get a better sense of her personality. We will also get a DNA test on her because we’re not sure she’s 100% Samoyed. We will share more about her soon.
The great news is that Tessa has a new home! Our former “Iowa dog,” who has been generally fearful, found that unique person, who is undaunted by her challenges. She had a meet-and-greet with a woman who has experience with a dog like Tessa. Her other dog used to be so afraid of men that he’d cower and urinate, and she “brought him out of his shell to be a happy and talky dog,” according to one of our board members, who supervised the visit. Tessa and her new owner sat together for a couple of hours, allowing Tessa to get increasingly comfortable. She also walked Tessa and her new dog together, and that went well. We are so excited for their future together.
Chalky, however, is still looking for his new home. With his skin condition under control, this sweet old dog just wants someone to love on him for the rest of his days. He is affectionate and energetic and doesn’t require much more than some snuggles and good belly rubs.
If you see a dog you are interested in fostering or adopting, please fill out an application. You can also drop us a note at rescue@nwsams.org if you have questions.
And if you would like to donate, you can do so here.