Chalky | Northwest Samoyed Rescue

June 2024 Rescue Report

Maureen Farrar on June 10, 2024

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.

Tessa and Alex — Tessa is getting to know her new owner.

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.

April 2024 Rescue Report

Maureen Farrar on April 10, 2024

This has been a busy month with many dogs coming into our care. In February, we were alerted to three dogs that needed to be rehomed. One of their previous owners had passed away, and the other needed to move into assisted living. After some back and forth with the owner’s son, it was determined that we would wait to take them until he sorted everything out with his mom. During that time, the dogs were moved into a boarding facility, where the change in food and location stressed them.

We were finally able to take the dogs in mid-March. Kaya, 12, Nika, 9, and Karma, 6, were all taken to Melissa’s house, where they could decompress and relax for a few days. It was not ideal, though, because, in addition to her own dogs, Melissa was also fostering 12-year-old Moko, whose owners surrendered her due to a move out of the country.

Fortunately, Karma met with a fantastic family who quickly fell in love and adopted her. Nika is currently being fostered in the Seattle area, and Kaya is now being fostered in North Idaho. All three dogs are getting health checks and grooming and are settling in.

Meanwhile, Moko is still with Melissa, and we are looking for a home for her. She is a sweet dog in excellent health with the energy levels of a dog half her age. Initially, we thought she would need to be the only dog in the home, but as she’s adjusted to her new environment, it turns out she’s opening up and engaging with other dogs. We have a couple of people interested in Moko, so we’re crossing our fingers.

Six-month-old Mochi, who was surrendered because she was too much puppy for her previous owner and her toddler, is still being fostered and is looking for her new home. She is getting comfortable with crate training and has a ton of young dog energy. She needs to be physically and mentally engaged, so she will do best in a home with another dog, particularly one who can show her the ropes and keep up with her energy. Her foster said she shows all the markers of being a good agility dog, so she’ll be a great match for someone interested in participating in dog sports.

We’re so excited that Judi has been adopted! This blue-eyed girl came a long way from being the dirty, flea-infested dog with seizures. Now her seizures are under control, and she is a happy girl.

There’s good news about Anna, the Seattle dog, who lived with an older woman with dementia. After she was seized by Animal Control and taken to the shelter, she landed in a foster home and was eventually adopted.

We took Sophie, Fena, and Tessa into rescue in February 2018. They were nearly feral and spent much of the first year hiding in the garage, eventually coming in the house. We found Fena a good home, but Sophie and Tessa were still so fearful that they were unadoptable. They became part of our pack, but only Kathy could get close to them.

Last year, Sophie developed a perianal fistula that made it hard for her to poop. We treated her with Cyclosporin and antibiotics and then a laxative. A couple of days ago, she became lethargic and quit eating. A trip to the ER vet showed her colon was remarkably full, and they said it was like a firehose trying to empty through a tiny hole. A stricture made it even worse. They tried enemas, which didn’t work, then gave her the liquid humans get before a colonoscopy. Surgery would have been impractical. Our only option to avoid a life of pain was to help her cross the bridge, so we went to be with her as she left us.

We are working with Tessa now, hoping she will improve now that she won’t feed off Sophie’s fear. She really is a nice dog who deserves a home with a woman since she is afraid of men.

Chalky has been in the rescue since August of last year. He has a skin problem we haven’t diagnosed yet; we requested at a veterinary dermatology clinic several months ago and were told to wait until they have a slot open. We’re still waiting. Meanwhile, a mobile vet visited and put him on Apoquel, which has been marginally effective. Steroids work well, but he can’t be on them for at least a month before he sees the dermatologist. In the past month, his rear legs have weakened, and he has trouble standing. He is at least 12 years old, possibly 13, and we took him as a hospice foster. Chalky is the kind of dog you wish you had his whole life. He is a truly special, friendly, loving dog.

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.

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.