Northwest Samoyed Rescue

Looming over rescue this month is the situation with Iowa dogs. 130 White Fire dogs were placed by the North Iowa Humane Society, working with San Francisco Samoyed Rescue, and 40 (30 puppies and 10 breeding females) were sold to the Pennsylvania Amish in September. Over 160 were still there when the sheriff and ASPCA showed up with a warrant to seize them. By now you have heard about the horrible conditions the dogs were living in. The ASPCA has direct control of the dogs and the court will determine when they will be released for adoption. It’s frustrating that we can’t learn much about them right now, but we expect in another two or three months the rescues around the country will all be asked to take some, probably on short notice. Because we have three in rescue already we’re not sure what we will be able to do, but all of us have to step up and help when it happens. We have a few people lined up who can foster short term, but we’re looking for more. If you can help, please contact Ron.

Sophie and Tessa are still here, both learning to be indoor dogs. Although they still go through the garage to their outdoor area they now live in the house all day; their beds are in the garage but not for much longer. We have extended their outdoor area slightly, and will soon install another section of fence so they can go outdoors from our laundry room. At that point, they will stay in the house night and day. They’re getting used to us walking through their area. Progress is painfully slow, but it’s progress.

Fena is doing much better now that she is with Kathi. She acts more and more like a normal Samoyed and has recovered from her overnight escape. Lately she has begun barking to demand her meals, which shows an improvement in her comfort level. She hangs out with the other two dogs, takes her cues from them, and is rapidly changing into the kind of Samoyed she deserves to be. We love getting updates.

Max was in the Clackamas County shelter. Staff contacted SPDR, and Ryann emailed us asking if we knew about him. As it happened, Laura Brice heard about him too, and went to meet him. The pictures she sent showed he is probably a mix, but with a typical Sammy personality. Laura picked him up and took him to Melissa, where he has lived since. We decided to do a DNA test on him and it should be back in a couple weeks. Meanwhile, Melissa found someone interested in adopting him who came for a meet and greet and decided they want him. They are moving in a week or two, and we’re waiting till that happens so Melissa can take care of the home visit. Max loves everybody and everything except for Santa and a Snowman, the Christmas decorations out in the yard. Video is HERE.

Over the past couple months we have been bringing Sophie and Tessa into the house more hours each week. Living in the garage means they would never be integrated into a pack, and that’s the goal. Since their outdoor area is on the far side of the garage from the rest of the house, Kathy reconfigured the x-pens so they would have a path back and forth, but during the day they are now in our laundry room with access to the kitchen. They have both regressed around me, but Kathy is able to feed both of them from her hand. That’s a big deal. They will probably never be adjusted to men because I’m not able to get down on the floor to work with them, but as long as Kathy is able to work with them we’ll take what we can get. Before they moved into the house, Kathy was able to sit and pet them inside an x-pen, but we haven’t forced the issue after the move. That’s coming soon, we hope. We have to get our garage back and bring our cars under cover. Kathy’s baby, her 1970 Buick (which she got brand new), is parked out in the weather full time.

The thing we worried about most, an escaping puppy mill girl, happened this month. Fena was able to dash out the door unexpectedly at Kathi’s home and ran into the woods and hid. Kathi called animal control, who brought a live trap, and after a night out Fena was captured. We’re all breathing easier now. So far it sounds as it she isn’t any worse for the experience, and she continues to improve under Kathi’s care. We decided to order a live trap to have on hand, both for rescue dogs and to loan to our rescue friends in an emergency.

Sadly, we lost Herbie a couple weeks ago. He was obviously not feeling well, panting with pain (we don’t know from what), and not willing to leave the deck to do his business in the yard. We gave him a lot of Tramadol his last week, hoping he would improve, but we finally had to bow to necessity and let him go. Herbie came to us on the fourth of July two years ago when a woman called to say she heard a car in her driveway and went out to find him. Erin and Tom left a holiday party to pick him up and bring him to us, and he wasn’t in very good shape. It was obvious he had been outdoors for a long time; we found a microchip that yielded us his age (he was 13), but the people on the registration had moved and not updated the chip information. He improved over time and we quickly decided he was such a love bug his name should be Herbie. Over the two years we had him, the only thing he asked for was a scratch and an soft pillow to doze on. When he left us he was 15 years, 3 months old, and we’re glad we could make his final years good ones.

We first met Dennis and Terry Jeppesen soon after we began doing rescue in 2001. At the time, our biggest backyard breeder in the northwest was a woman in Forks, who asked us to pick up a hemophiliac dog. We said yes, and quickly learned the problem was bad teeth, a condition called enamel hypoplasia. That was Jade, and we met Dennis and Terry when they came to adopt her. They already had a dog named Sonoma they got from Cheryl. Over the years we saw them a lot, and there was never a question how much they loved Samoyeds. Dennis passed away last month, and in his obituary (https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/everett-wa/dennis-jeppesen-8005522) Northwest Samoyed Rescue was listed as a place to send donations. We heard from many of his friends, and we deeply appreciate their caring.

This report will necessarily be short for two reasons. First, it was a slow month; second, Ron spent most of it either in the hospital or recovering.

Fena has been with Kathi Bacon for a while now, and she is coming along wonderfully. She allows herself to be touched and petted and she is getting used to hanging with two well-adjusted dogs. Being in the right pack has made a huge difference. Truly, if we had one more foster home with someone like Kathi, so we could split up the last two puppy mill girls, they would all be doing a lot better.

Sophie and Tessa are also coming along, but much more slowly. Kathy has been sitting with them several times a day, sometimes passing out some high value treats, and they are used to her presence. When possible, we close them in an x-pen with her so she can put leashes on them. They still aren’t wild about it, but are becoming more accepting. Time has been short this month but they are still making progress.
 

It has been a month since Fena moved in with Kathi, and she is doing wonderfully, making small but significant steps toward being a less fearful dog. Initially she lived in an “apartment” in part of the living room, but during the month she decided to come out and explore the house. She even goes up and down steps now, which is a big deal. Fena began going outdoors and learned it can also be a good place to explore. We are fortunate Fena was the curious one; she follows her new sister Katie, who has been teaching her how a normal dog gets around. We know she couldn’t be in a better place. Kathi has patience and is willing to do what she needs to make Fena comfortable. We expect soon to hear that Fena can be petted, which will be a huge step in her recovery. Here’s a picture of Fena in the bed she “found” and sleeps in.

With only two girls remaining here, Sophie and Tessa, we are also making a little progress. Kathy began sitting with them in an x-pen a couple times a day, feeding them treats. At first they shivered and huddled in the corner, but over the weeks they accepted her and she has been able to pet and scratch Sophie. Tessa still hangs back even though she is getting comfortable with Kathy’s proximity. Lately she has been putting leashes on them, and when they are comfortable with it we will try taking them into the back yard. For now they have a small outdoor area outside the garage, so when they can use the back yard without worrying about them coming back in (or escaping), life will be a bit easier. When we are able to move them permanently to the laundry room, and from there the house, we’ll be able to put our cars back in the garage. They have been here seven months, and we’re hoping by their one year anniversary they will be house dogs. This picture shows Tessa and Sophie with Sasha, who went to the garage to hang out with them.

Once in a while we work with other rescue groups. This month we were asked by Samoyed Rescue of Utah to do a home visit in Redmond. They are fostering five of the Iowa puppy mill dogs, and someone up here applied for one. Thanks to Hans and Holley for taking care of the visit; they were able to report that it seems to be a good home. We’ll be looking forward to hearing how the adoption goes. We would also like to take some of the puppies, but with the girls we have we just don’t have room, and the transportation service they are using won’t come this far.

Nanuk is loving life with John and Theresa. He has gotten into a routine with them, taking regular walks along the river, and even playing fetch with a ball in the yard. We get regular updates and they are always positive. Nanuk is a lucky boy, and will soon go south with them for the winter.

At 15 years and 2 months, Herbie is slowing down even more, and we don’t know how much longer he will be with us. His day is usually spent moving from pillow to pillow, with short breaks to have meals and wander the yard. We’re waiting for him to tell us when he is ready, but until then he is welcome to stick around. He is one of the sweetest dogs we have had the privilege of fostering.

Our 18th annual Rescue Picnic was July 21, and it was one of the best ever. The adopters who came have been at picnics many times before and most of them knew each other already. The weather was perfect and the dogs all got along. We had a chance to see many of the dogs we know well and visit with some very good friends. The picnic is one of the high points of our year and this one was special. You can see more photos at https://nwsams.smugmug.com/Rescue/2018-Rescue-Picnic/.

2018 Rescue Picnic

Nanuk on one of his walks.

Theresa and John lost their boy Scooter in 2017, but they came anyway because they love the dogs. We asked them to hang onto Nanuk for the afternoon to keep him separated from Rowdy; the two have had issues in past months. He obviously liked them and was happy all afternoon. They came to us at the end of the picnic and asked if they could foster him. First we had to contact someone else we were already talking to about fostering, and when that was done we called and said yes. Nanuk is living with them in Kalama now and he’s a happy boy. They go for long walks, exactly what he needs. Meanwhile our lives are so much more peaceful and we don’t have to keep all the gates closed. You can see by the pictures how well this is working.

It has been six long months since we picked up the three Iowa puppy mill girls from Prairieland, a backyard breeder in Brush Prairie. Only in the past month have they truly begun relaxing; they are still fearful of nearly everything, but now they take food from us. Last week Fena actually tolerated getting scratched on her neck. It’s a mark of their past lives, and what was done to them, that it has taken so long.

Tessa, Fena, & Sophie

We have been talking to Kathi Bacon for the last two months about the possibility of her fostering one of the girls. Joy stopped by to evaluate the dogs and we concluded Fena would have the best chance if separated from the others. Sophie has been the leader and Fena is willing to be led, so placing her in a home with two other well-behaved dogs may be exactly what she needs. Kathi spent a lot of time during the wait getting ready, beefing up her fencing, and setting up a very secure area in her home.

Fena, ready to go live with Kathi.

We have said from the beginning that the number one requirement for one of the girls would be a secure yard with double fencing; if any one of these girls escaped, she would never, ever return to a human. Kathi’s home, her care of dogs, her understanding, and her timing is totally what we needed for Fena. We think she is one in a million. Kathi picked up Fena on August 11. She tolerated the move, and Sophie and Tessa accepted the change here. We will accelerate training and desensitization for the two of them as much as we can.

Emily at 13.

Back in 2005 we heard about a Sammy pup in the shelter in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Our daughter Kristina picked her up for us and we brought her across the state. We could see Emily was a mix, but she was young, cute and adoptable. We placed her with a family in Portland who decided she had so much energy they put her out in the yard. She was bored and ate the wiring out from under a travel trailer, and they returned her to us. Shortly after that we took in a young male, and the people who came to see him decided they wanted two dogs, so we adopted both to them. She continued as an active young dog, and along with the boy they ripped out a water feature in their yard. So Emily came back to us a second time, and a dog who comes back twice gets to stay.

Shortly after this happened, Kristina’s husband Jim called and told us he would like to surprise Kristina by coming over and adopting Emily. She has lived with them ever since. Emily has been joined by four children and she has been a perfect family dog. Emily is getting old now and slowing down, but is still a big part of their family. We had a chance to visit with them recently and Emily is every bit as wonderful as ever.

Northwest Samoyed Rescue is happy to announce the addition of four new board members who will help us move into the future. Joining Ron, Kathy, Melissa, Terry, and Joy will be Erin & Tom Sitterley, Holley Irvine, and Hans Bjordahl. These four have been helping us as volunteers for many years, and as board members they will help us transition to new leadership when the founders turn over the Rescue reins. Meanwhile we’ll all work together to make that eventual transition as seamless as we can.

Nanuk, the frog dog

We decided a month ago that we should find a home for Nanuk, who has been here since December. Because he is 10½ years old, we kept him with us because it’s difficult to place Seniors and he played so well with Rowdy. Unfortunately he has decided he wants to be pack alpha and keeps picking fights with Rowdy. It doesn’t matter that Nanuk loses every single time, he keeps trying. Sometimes he gets back up from losing and tries again. It’s not fair to Rowdy, whose personality has begun changing because he is always waiting for another fight, and he obviously hates it. We are again having to use the gates we used for Charlie and Shadow. Within a few days of this report we expect a former adopter to come and meet Nanuk, and if it works out she will foster him indefinitely. That will relieve her from the worries of senior dog medical bills, since he will still be a rescue dog, and will give Nanuk a great home where he would be number one boy.

Fena (blue), Tessa (in back), and Sophie (red)

The three girls are still here, and the Prozac seems finally to be helping. Sophie, Fena, and Tessa are getting to be a little less nervous. Lately they have all been coming into the house from the garage, especially at meal times, and sometimes the twins (Sophie and Fena) will get close enough to take treats from our hands; they still won’t let us touch them. Keep your fingers crossed, because we think we found a foster home for one of them. We’ll talk more about that next month.

Herbie turned 15 years old on July 10, and he probably won’t be around much longer. He’s such a sweet old dog we will do everything we can for him until he tells us it’s time to go. Charlie is with Melissa, and continues to act like a young dog despite also being a senior.

Herbie

We are getting ready for the rescue picnic on the 21st. This year, considering the extra workload of the girls, things may not be quite as ready as in the past, but we’re looking forward to seeing our friends. If you plan to attend, please don’t forget to RSVP to Ron. We need to know how many will be here so we can plan ahead.

Joshua

When we were helping a dozen dogs a year, we used to say that May brought us the majority of them. Not true today, but we did have two dogs enter rescue last month. First was a four year old male named Joshua, who came from Falling Cedar Farm and lived in Gig Harbor. His owner didn’t have time to care for him properly, especially not time to exercise him enough. He got a couple walks a day but he still had too much energy. While the owner said he was trained, that mean he could do a couple tricks. He definitely needed obedience training. We had an applicant who had been on the waiting list for quite a while who we knew would be good for Joshua. Because we’re so limited on space with the puppy mill girls here, we arranged to get him on a Sunday and she came to visit him the next day; we only had Joshua overnight. He was a very nice boy and we know he will do well in his new home where there is the structure he needs. His new mom and dad think he is a good fit for their lives, and we agree.

Joshua meets the pack.

Yuki

In early April we heard about a puppy in the Seattle shelter. We called to let them know we would like her, but first they wanted to do surgery on her leg, which was broken when she was found. They already had a number of names of people who wanted her and said they would call us if needed. We heard about her again last month, this time from the woman who adopted her and was taking care of her after surgery to put pins in the leg. She was pregnant and realized a puppy wasn’t a good fit, so she called us to help. The pup was named Bailey, and today she is about seven months old. Tom and Erin went to Mercer Island to pick her up for us, and Melissa came north to Ron and Kathy’s house to take her to her house, where Bailey’s new name became Yuki. After she was fostered a couple weeks the vet gave her a release to use her leg carefully, and we called an applicant in Idaho who has been waiting quite a while. She made the trip to Melissa and Terry’s home on June 11. Yuki is now an Idaho dog and doing very well. She has a large fenced yard and her new sister is a 2½ year old Golden Retriever.

Yuki, Tessa, Sophie, Fena

Yuki’s new Mom stopped by on her way back to Idaho so we could see Yuki with our three White Fire girls. Melissa believes there is a good chance Yuki is one of the puppies born to them at Prairieland last November, and we wanted to see them together. We still don’t know, and probably never will, but it gave us a chance to meet our adopter in person and see Yuki again.

Sophie, Fena, and Tessa have been here since February, and a little more than a month ago we began giving them Prozac. We hope it will make them more approachable; so far it has helped marginally but we understand it may be six weeks or more to really work. We have been trying hard for months to find a suitable foster home for two of them, but the woman we expected to help has been unavailable because of family matters. We were promised help from another person, but haven’t heard anything from her either. We have an offer from a volunteer and friend who is working on a double fence around her yard; that’s a requirement because of the flight risk. Undoubtedly we’ll resolve this problem eventually, but in the meantime our lives are revolving around these three dogs.

Herbie

Next month Herbie will be 15 years old, and on July 4 we will have had him for two years. He shows his age a little more every month but just keeps going. He is such a joy to have around that we will be happy to have him around until he decides it’s his time to go.

We also still have Nanuk, who is 10 years old, but we decided recently he needs a home where he will be dog number one. He continues to challenge Rowdy for the top spot in our pack, even though Rowdy takes him down every time it happens. The stress of watching for signs the boys might fight, on top of caring for the three girls, is taking a toll. Nanuk is a friendly boy with literally the energy of a three year old, and he will be a great companion for someone.

Nanuk

Rescue continues to center around the three Iowa puppy mill girls we have had for three months. On April 13, Sophie was not eating and we became worried enough to take her to the vet. An x-ray showed little bits of something in her stomach and intestines, and our vet suggested we get surgery immediately. She went to the ER clinic and had surgery about midnight. They found sharp pieces of plastic, which we since identified as pieces of a string trimmer reel. It’s been a chore to keep everything away from these dogs because they have to live in the garage, and having fencing panels and disassembled x-pens in front of shelves wasn’t enough. Two weeks later we removed 33 staples from the incision, and Sophie has recovered now.

Fena tested heart worm positive and x-rays showed mature worms in the arteries of her heart. The treatment began with a month of Doxycycline and a shot of Diroban. One month later she received two more shots of Diroban on consecutive days; the 3rd and 4th of May. Each time we had to herd the three girls into a corner using an x-pen, then catch Fena and hold her on a table. Doing this to an extremely fearful dog is not good, though we had no choice, and as a result all three dogs regressed almost to the time we got them three months ago. It has been discouraging to spend hours a day without much result.

A week ago we asked our vet to prescribe Prozac for all three, hoping it will dull the fear they are experiencing. They were already getting small doses of Trazodone. Giving pills is another problem because they huddle together most of the time. We worked it out that if we sit in a spot close to them, but just far enough away, that two would get up and leave. That meant we could wrap a pill in something desirable for the nearest dog, then wait till the other two were farther away and toss the wrapped pills to them when they moved apart. Life has become a real circus. It will be about three weeks before we know whether the Prozac has worked.

We explored programs at the state prisons, where inmates work closely training a single dog each. It sounded good until they pointed out the noise level; that wouldn’t work for these dogs. Our vet recommended a local trainer, but they haven’t returned the call. We first looked for a trainer two months ago and gave up because of cost. If we could place two of the girls, one would be relatively easy to work with. The problem is finding a home with very specific requirements. They must have a double fence, so if a dog escapes she is still enclosed by a second fence. If one of these dogs escaped it would be a death sentence because she would never come to a human. The foster home must understand these dogs can’t be touched yet and won’t tolerate a leash. Persuading them humans are good might take months, possibly years. Until we get help, we will not be able to take any more foster dogs. It means putting a hold on the work we have done for 17 years.

Last month we mentioned the rescue picnic is scheduled for July 21. If we still have all three fosters we probably will have to cancel the picnic because we won’t have time to get ready for it.

Tessa in rear, Sophie under her, and Fena on the bed.

Our view as we have dinner

Our lives have been consumed with the care of the three puppy mill girls. We take turns sitting with them in the garage, which has been converted to their home, trying to get them used to human presence. Getting them close enough to touch, and then actually putting hands on them, has been a huge challenge. Sophie is the bravest and will take food from our hands almost all the time. Fena has finally begun taking food, while we can’t get Tessa near enough even for the best treats. The progress in the past month has been measured in tiny bits. We understand this is going to be a project that takes at least a year, and we’re not positive we’re up to the task.

In the days before this report, Kathy was finally able to pet Fena while she was on her bed snoozing. It’s a big accomplishment for such a fearful dog. There is no question the girls have been mistreated by a man at some point in their

Sophie and Fena

lives. Kathy can stand close, and sit even closer, and is the one who makes the breakthroughs. I can sit within five feet while they sleep, and hand food to Sophie (nearly always), Fena (once a day at best), but must toss it to Tessa.

On March 27 we loaded Fena into a crate for a trip to the vet for her chest x-ray. It showed the heartworms are a little worse than we thought, and she received her first heartworm shot. The experience was not a good one for her. The evening before we gave her a double dose of Trazodone, followed by the same dose three hours before the appointment. Fena did not react well and was sedated for nearly 48 hours afterward. We have to repeat the shot the last week of this month, with the third shot one day later. Those who have been through this treatment warned us there is a real possibility of her not making it through this, since the heartworms can die and go into her lungs.

Tessa

Tessa has a heart murmur. When she is able to be handled we’ll take her to a cardiac vet for an echo cardiogram. We know the White Fire dogs have cardiac problems and we have to find out how severe it is before we can consider placing her in a new home.

We would like very much to find foster homes for two of the three dogs. We feel confident if they were split up and put into well-socialized packs that they would do much better. Here they feed off each other’s fear. The problem is finding a qualified home. It must be with someone who has Samoyed experience, knows how to work with a fearful dog, and has absolute security with a double fence. We already had one escape when they dug under their fence, and if we didn’t have a second fence they would have been gone forever. If they escape there is nobody who could ever catch them. The foster home must also have at least one other well-socialized dog.

The rescue picnic is planned this year for July 21.

Sophie, Fena, and Tessa have been here for a month now, living in the garage. Progress has been slow and we have come to realize this will be a very long term project. We moved the cars out, picked up a lot of junk, and put opened x-pens around the perimeter so they couldn’t chew on things like the furnace wiring and gas line (call us cautious). When we built, we insulated the garage so a small portable heater, raised to the top of a metal cabinet and lashed to the wall, is keeping it warm. That means we can leave the door open to the house so they can come in and explore the laundry room as they get braver. There is a gate between it and the kitchen that lets them get even closer and experience normal noises in the house.

At first, all three girls were nearly feral and afraid of their own shadows. They seem to have never experienced human contact, or at least positive human contact. At two years old, and having had litters last November, they were totally unsocialized. We took turns sitting with them in the garage, just being there so they would see us as benign, and offering treats. Within a week or so, Sophie was willing to cautiously approach to take pieces of cracker. Fena has occasionally come close enough to take something, while Tessa hangs back.

The girls escaped once by going under a fence, but it was from one yard to another so they didn’t get completely away. It happened the first week when they were still terribly afraid of everything. We herded one back into the garage, and the other two hid under a trailer. Kathy crawled under and got leashes clipped to them. While we were getting one out, the other ran back into the garage and we shut that gate. It was a real adventure for both dogs and people. Since then we added panels of hog fencing to the area we have given them, and they only have access when we are monitoring them.

We asked our vet to do a house call, which happened late in February. Each girl donated blood samples, and two gave up fecal samples because they were so scared. The results showed they had roundworms, and Fena has heartworms. This is our first experience with heartworms, and we have begun a month of Doxycycline in preparation for the heartworm meds. Sometime soon we will take her for a chest x-ray so we can determine the severity of her heartworm problem. These are turning into very expensive dogs.

Recently Kathy was able to sit next to their beds with a jar of peanut butter, doling it out until Sophie began to accept some petting. The others dozed next to her, so we considered it a breakthrough. There will be good days and bad days for months to come.

We still have Nanuk. He would be good in the right home, but at ten years old we had no inquiries and we ended up keeping him. At this point he has settled in so perfectly, and plays so well with Rowdy, we’ll keep him here for the rest of his life. Herbie is going on 15, still the sweet old man he has been since we got him at 13. Both Nanuk and Herbie went through surgery to remove sebaceous cysts, and both have healed up well.