August 2023 Rescue Report
When we tell people we almost never have puppies, that’s true. But every once in a while, out of the blue, we get one dropped in our lap. That happened at the end of July when we were contacted about an 8-week old puppy who was advertised as a giveaway. The woman who told us went immediately to pick him up, not knowing what to expect, and found a family that got him from a friend and simply didn’t want a puppy. When she got home she contacted us again to let us know she was turning him over to rescue. We have been posting recently that we needed more applications, and one of those we received was a great match. Only three days later, Yeti went to his fur-ever home. We are grateful to Alysha, the friend of rescue who jumped in to get him for us.
Balto has been on our radar for four or five months. His family told us he can jump a six foot fence, so they had to keep him on a long rope all the time. They have a toddler and a baby on the way in the next couple weeks, and they were worried the rope would eventually snag and injure a child. Balto visited us a month ago so we could meet him, and early this month he came to be fostered. We spent some time refreshing the electric fence line around the top of our dog yard, so if he jumps up he will be discouraged from doing it again. What we found was that Balto isn’t all that interested in jumping when he has people who want him indoors. We have been either walking him on a leash or monitoring him closely when out in the yard. The day of this report, he went through a gate that wasn’t chained tightly, and ran for our chickens. Fortunately for them, we have enough experience with Samoyeds that the chicken yard has three fences. They kept him busy while Kathy got a leash. I followed with another, and the two of us got him into the house again. He is a very strong boy with no training. We will be looking for a home that has a VERY strong fence. Balto is mellow with people and other dogs, and as loving as can be. We are trying to get time to bathe him because he is still brown with dirt. Someone is going to be lucky to get him.
Polar was with Melissa until two weeks ago. He has a back story you can read about in last month’s report. Melissa visited a family in Clatskanie, Oregon, and they came to meet Polar. They decided on the spot they didn’t need to visit any other dogs, and after Polar healed from his neuter surgery he went to his new home. He now has his own family and even his own human boy to play with.
Mia came from the Skagit Humane Society. She was there with puppies, who were adopted out by the shelter. She didn’t have a name, and Kathleen decided Mia sounded right for her. She is still at Kathleen’s home being fostered, with a potential home on the horizon. She is a timid girl, but really sweet. Someone is going to get a wonderful dog.
A month ago we heard of a dog in the Index area. This month there are two dogs in Snohomish, and one looks the same. We think they are repeat escapees whose owner isn’t able to contain them. We’ll keep on top of the reports and may eventually need to take them into rescue.
This month Cheri is handling rescue inquiries and dogs who need help. She is being helped by Darlene, who recently visited a pair of Sammies in Bonner’s Ferry, Idaho. It looks at this writing like they have made arrangements for the female, but we will probably get the male. Time will tell. If we get him, he will be sent to Melissa to be fostered. Her husband recently said he misses having seven dogs. We think he had his tongue planted in his cheek when he said that.
More than a year ago the Secretary of State made a mistake and our rescue was officially dissolved. We have been fighting for reinstatement since then, and both Erin and I did battle with them unsuccessfully. Recently Hans took the baton in hand and we are now reinstated. Our team is growing and we are heading in the right direction to help as many Samoyeds as we can find. Last month, new board member Kathleen successfully handled the single busiest month we had in the last 23 years. In addition to our board members, our volunteer community is also robust and helps us find dogs who need us. Most shelters around the northwest know who we are, and that makes it easier to do our job. These are not the parts of rescue we usually write about, but they are real tasks that keep things going. Thanks to everyone!
