|
|
|
The pictures and stories on this page are those of rescued Samoyeds that have been helped by North Texas Samoyed Rescue, Inc. Their "happily ever after" tales are the reason we do what we do, and why it is such a worthwhile effort. Won't you consider adopting a rescued Sam and adding yet another "Happily Ever After" tale to our collection?
Special
Delivery From Santa:
A few months later came the most remarkable part of Stormy's story: In an event unprecedented in our history, NTSRI was contacted by Santa himself! A little girl on his list was asking for a Sammy for Christmas, and Stormy would fit the bill to a tee. Arrangements were made for Santa to make a stop to pick Stormy up from his foster mom and deliver him on Christmas morning. Perhaps the rest of the story is is best told by the lucky little girl's dad: "Everybody but Sara was wide-awake, and Stormy was beginning to make himself at home. We led him into the room were she was sleeping, and he jumped up on the bed and started playing with her. " 'What the heck! Is that a dog?' she said. When she knew she wasn’t dreaming, she came unglued. 'He is the best present ever!' "Trouble was, the tree was full of gifts and all of the other stuff that Santa had dropped off. She had a hard time getting excited about anything else.
"Thanks to all of you who rescued this precious little man."
So...You can draw your own
conclusion: Did Santa fulfill a good little girl's Christmas wish, or was Stormy
the lucky recipient of the special Christmas gift of a loving, forever
home? We think it was both!!!
Another Roadside Rescue:
It wasn't long before Dakota was
spotted on our website, and it was love at first sight. Since his
middle-of-the-night rescue and subsequent adoption, Dakota and his new forever
dad have become inseparable.
Reunited, And It Feels So Good!
The timing of her call to NTSRI couldn't have been more perfect -- not only for the humans, but also for two very deserving Samoyeds. It happened that NTSRI president Lynn Sluder had been contacted that very day by a man who was ill and could no longer keep his two Sams. Since the man lived fairly close to the Mom, Lynn put her directly in touch with him. Says Mom, "We went over that night, and he only wanted a home for the female. She did not look like a Sammy to me...She was gray and matted - scrawny, too - but she jumped in our car. We took her home and left our phone number in case he changed his mind about the male. "As soon as we got home, we bathed Sophie, and she miraculously turned white! She immediately jumped in bed with our son, and we had one happy boy and one happy Sammy.
"Now, we need a bed that is bigger than king-size. Two Sammies (78 pounds each) and Mom and Dad -- I am not sure we all fit!" Like we said, sometimes fate steps
in...
From Hard Luck To Lucky: Delilah's Story
NTSRI successfully
rescued Delilah and her family and got everyone over the kennel cough.
Next came Delilah's spay surgery. Complications ensued, and Delilah nearly
bled to death! Fortunately, a second, emergency, surgery saved her
life, and she is now fine and in a loving, forever home. All of the puppies also
found homes with families, most with children, who adore them. It's a very
happy ending that could well have been a tragedy instead.
From Puppy Mill To Country Club: Snow's Story
But Harley's troubles weren't over
yet! In addition to his generally poor condition from the traumatic
experience he'd just survived, he was also exhibiting strange symptoms that
mimicked some type of brain damage. For example, he could take only a few
steps before he'd simply fall over! Extensive testing was done, and Harley
was diagnosed -- not with the brain tumor we had at first feared, but rather
with erlichia, a disease that is transmitted by ticks.
Harley was adopted by a loving
family and now lives with Barker, another NTSRI rescue success story.
At Long Last, Love: Tasha's Story
At first, she was terrified of the other dogs in her foster home, cowering in the farthest corner of her crate whenever they came anywhere near her. Eventually, however, the patience of her foster "mom" paid off, as Tasha realized that she had nothing to fear. Over the course of several weeks, she was gradually introduced to the other dogs in the household. Eventually, Tasha went from "wallflower" to "social butterfly," as she and her "roommates" became fast friends and enjoyed energetic romps together.
We Want Your Sammy Tales!!! To know a Samoyed is to LOVE a Samoyed, and that's especially true when it comes to rescued ones! The stories about how they have enriched the lives of those who cared enough to adopt them are testament to this. We'd love to feature YOUR Samoyed rescue story on this page. If you would like to share with us and the rest of the Samoyed-loving community about your "fur baby," please e-mail us at ntsri@netzero.com. Pictures are much appreciated! We'd like to have as many "Sammy Tales" as possible, to rotate on and off of this page. Thanks so much for your contributions!
|
|
Send mail to
ntsri@netzero.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
This Christmas story
actually starts in the middle of a blistering summer. Stormy's former owners
were moving cross-country in an un-air-conditioned van so packed with stuff that
Stormy could not even sit or lie down. Stormy had the misfortune to become
heat- and car-sick, and he found himself summarily jettisoned - like an empty
soda can or a crumpled candy wrapper - at the halfway point of his family's
journey. Unknown to him at the time was the fact that he did have the tiny
sliver of luck to be dumped in one of the five states where NTSRI actively
rescues Samoyeds! Before his abandonment probably even had time to sink
in, NTSRI volunteers were on the road, making the hours-long trip to rescue him
and get him into foster care.
"Stormy was instantly a
part of the family. He sleeps on Sara’s bed or at least in her room at night,
and he stays crated during the day when nobody’s home. We have had a few
incidents when he has reminded us that we were not putting things away. But he
hasn’t had a single accident in the house, and he doesn’t bark unless he needs
his belly rubbed. He plays wonderfully and is an excellent talker. 
It's a testament to the
dedication of NTSRI volunteers that, when the phone call came late one Sunday
night that a Samoyed needed help near Waco, Texas, the volunteer didn't blink an
eye before jumping in the car to go to his aid. When she arrived, she found
Dakota and his owner on the side of the road. The owner's girlfriend was a
long-haul truck driver who had kicked man and dog out, pretty much in the middle
of nowhere. Although the owner did not want to give him up, there was no
way for him to return to his out-of-state home with Dakota, so tearful good-byes
were said. Although NTSRI tried to work with the owner to return Dakota to
him when he was financially able to take him back, that sadly did not
materialize, and Dakota found himself up for adoption.
When "dad" and his
fiancée were recently interviewed on television as contestants in a wedding
giveaway contest, the photogenic Dakota was right there with them. The
couple won the contest, which includes such prizes as the wedding dress,
flowers, rings -- and photography. The photographer has already told the
groom-to-be, Dakota's proud "dad," that he wants to include Dakota in the
engagement photograph. So, it looks as if Dakota has not only found a loving
forever home, but he's also become a "media darling" as well!
We're convinced that
sometimes fate steps in to help our rescued Sams. A few years ago, a
loving mother contacted NTSRI. She was trying desperately to find a
Samoyed for her son. Their beloved Sammy had recently passed away from
cancer, and Mom had been unsuccessful in finding a Samoyed puppy to help ease
her son's inconsolable grief over the loss. She spotted our website just as she
was about to give up hope.
"Six weeks later, the man
called to come and get the male, and Sophie was reunited with her brother,
Fritz. The dogs made themselves at home. We took them to the vet for
their first-ever shots. With proper nutrition, their coats grew in shiny
and white.
Delilah and her four
ten-week-old puppies, products of a "backyard breeder," ended up in a
shelter, because they managed to escape their yard once too often. When
NTSRI learned of their plight, some of the puppies were already exhibiting
symptoms of Bordatella, also known as "kennel cough." In the shelter world, a sick puppy isn't
treated; it's put down! So, time was of the essence to get Delilah and her
babies out of there as quickly as possible.
Sasha was
rescued from an animal shelter. When the NTSRI volunteer went to pick him
up, the shelter employee just "happened" to mention that he had a tumor on
his neck. The volunteer noticed that the "tumor" was bleeding profusely,
and the dog emitted a very strong, unpleasant smell. An immediate trip to
the vet was definitely in orde
Harley's happy ending almost didn't
happen! Some juvenile delinquents in Harlingen, Texas put him in a sewer
and abandoned him there. We're not quite sure how long he languished in
that horrible place, but fortunately, someone finally discovered his plight and
rescued him. He eventually came to NTSRI.
It literally took
months of antibiotic treatment to cure Harley of this disease, but at last he
made a full recovery.
Before coming into
North Texas Samoyed Rescue, Inc.'s program, Nellie (now Tasha) had spent the previous three
years of her life in an outdoor kennel run. During transport to her foster
home, she discovered for the first time the pure ecstasy of air-conditioning; she planted her nose
in the nearest A/C vent and kept it there for the entire journey!
Tasha found her
"forever" family in a very loving couple who had previous experience in being
owned by a Samoyed. In her new home, she has discovered the tiled entryway
with the A/C vent that blows directly on it, and this is "her" special spot.
Her best buddy (besides her humans, of course) is the cat that shares her home.
Daily walks and practice with obedience commands have replaced the lonely hours
in a kennel run, and Tasha is blossoming, her Samoyed spirit fully restored
thanks to the love of her new family.