Author: wamalrescue

Kubo is doing so great and seems really happy with his brother Cargo. He's getting a lot better with his recall too, which is exciting.

We absolutely love Snowy!! She is so affectionate which has helped us heal from having to say goodbye to our previous rescue dogs (a Mal who crossed the rainbow bridge a year ago in August and then the following month our Akita-GSD cross--cancer sucks). Snowy loves to cuddle in the evenings and sleeps in our room at night. She's most playful in the mornings (before 10am) and then sometimes again mid-evening, having several squeaky toys that we toss around the house for her to fetch or play chase (you can do a circle through our entry-kitchen-dining-living rooms--at least until you or her get dizzy). We are still working on anxiety during car rides and acknowledge that she might not fully get over that (Sato, our Akita-GSD never did) and that's okay. We put seats down so she can get close to the front and I just found the natural calming treats we tried with Sato so we'll try that next time.

She loves people but we watch her with young children because she makes a low rumbling sound (we call it purring) when she is happy, but then it can make it hard to tell when she has had enough and wants you to stop. Our eldest (who was studying abroad in South Korea when we got Snowy) established a new procedure when we aren't sure if Snowy's still okay with the petting--we stop petting her, pull back a little bit, and ask her for her paw. Petting resumes after she gives you her paw. We've also been working on her "using her words" (a bark rather than rumbles). She wasn't very talkative when we first got her (unlike Rainey, our last Mal). I can guess why, her voice is more ear splitting than our prior Mal, but we think it's important for a Mal to feel free to Woo.

She still has a pretty high prey drive, but we are used to that from our previous dogs (I grew up with GSDs). We back up to a green space with squirrels who are pretty wiley so that gives her some entertainment but mostly she prefers to be indoors which is just fine with us. Our back yard is on a hill and she loves racing around--even after a morning walk. She is not a fan of the rain but she's really good inside the house. We had to have child locks on the cabinet with the garbage with our last Mal. She is very content being the only dog and we are more than happy with that arrangement, too. When people tell me we spoil her I say, "absolutely!" We still set boundaries that we enforce, but there's a reason she knows the sound of the cheese drawer opening.

Does anyone else ever get so moved by the progress their rescue malamute shows?

Been thinking about this a lot lately. Before we found Malick's heart issue and having to deal with his previous home's issues - it was a struggle. He was an undernourished, resource guarding, fear aggressive, people wary, house eating monster with several bites on his record.

But we put in the time. We left no stone unturned to find and correct his physical ailments. We worked with trainers on his behavioral issues. We patiently showed him we were forever and we wouldn't give up.

We now have a happy, people loving, outing confident, well behaved beautiful boy.

Just want to remind everyone that it's not always easy having a rescue. But if you put in the work you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.

Fonzi was "love in the rough" As in--yes, some triggering that came from some random, seemingly innocuous response to a Fonzi behavior, but we (adopters) paid attention and learned what not to do (I have an example). And yes, adopters gave him a routine and LOTS of exercise, and he embellished on the routine and now has lady friends that he insists on visiting/flirting with during his walks. He's come a long way, and it was in large part because his adopters are willing to take the time and have the insight/patience to get "learn" who He is, what HE needs/wants, and work with that. They never looked back, only worked for the Fonz.

From his Adopters: 
One year ago today Fonz bounded into our lives, and we, into his. 
He's happy and hilarious and spooky smart and we love him.....
He's learned to swim in the ocean.......chasing low-flying seagulls.  He has a girlfriend.  She's much older than he is, and they play together.  She lives a mile or so away, and her owners say they haven't seen her like this for years......like a puppy.  If she's not outside when Michael and Fonzi walk by........Fonz stops, and plants himself till she's let outside.  He has another girlfriend just up the hill from us.  Sometimes she just wants to sit and be nuzzled.  (she's much smaller than he is).  But her owner comes out to put Fonzi whenever she sees him...........and as his walks are kinda predictable, that's most days.  
Most folk out here have dogs, some of which are ill-mannered yappers.  Even when the big ones bellow out barks, all he does is glance at them. In his mind I suspect he's saying, "Dumb dog".  Their barking doesn't rattle him in the least. 
His girlfriend's owner says if Michael and I drop dead, he wants the Fonz.  
In other words, he's a goof, and a social butterfly, adorable and sweet.  You can't have him back.....

She had a life before us. Somehow she was a stray and left to her own devices ... she still looks for food in any crumpled paper she finds. On a very bad day in her young little life she was in an accident that crushed the back stifle joint of her leg. She was found and taken to a shelter but there were no funds for surgery or treatment. She waited week after week becoming ill with infection from the untreated break. By some amazing grace WAMAL found her and rescued her. She has gone from being hurt on the street to being the three-legged furry love of our family. Thank you so much WAMAL!

Just wanted to share these pictures of Luna, our mal-shepherd furbaby, who we adopted about two months ago from WAMAL. She is doing really well. She just did a 3.6 mile hike and enjoyed the view of the vibrant Diablo Lake.

Thanks to hubby Stan for this lovely capture, two days ago. Tana turns 4 years old, today the 24th of August. A huge thanks to Wamal's work, that joined us with this special, sweet girl 1 1/2 yrs ago..

Kevin and I are still smitten with him!  Kai has now met all three of our grandchildren.  Our 13 year old grandson grew up with Kaiya and still misses her so.  He was a bit unsure at first, but Kai would have none of that!  Cameron warmed up to him after a few.  Jade, our almost four year old granddaughter, immediately started to cry tears of joy as soon as she met Kai.  Kai loved her up and Jade thoroughly enjoyed it!  Our ten month old granddaughter didn't care much because, you know, she's only ten months old.  Kai follows the girls all over the house. Kai had his first nail trim with us.  He did great until the dremel was turned on.  He immediately, in one smooth movement, backed up on to the outdoor couch and wrapped himself around Kevin.  After we stopped laughing, we decided that the nail buffing will have to wait until next time. 
We have gone on many walks and Kai hasn't pulled much at all. Kai and Moto play all the time!  So much so that sometimes we have to take them outside before they break something in the house!  Kai has fit right in with our family and we are loving him to pieces!! Our lives and hearts are full!

Chewy has been a great addition to the family and adjusted very well.

Chewy visits the lake: We wanted to see how Chewy does in outdoor parks and near water bodies. We thought he would not like water and lunge at other dogs in the park but to our surprise he was not afraid to go in water and have a little splash and cool himself.

Chewy and Bruce: We were told that Chewy would be aggressive to other dogs especially of his size but we introduced him to our neighbors dog (Bruce) and he did quite well. They now call each other across the fence and have become best buddies:).

Chewy loves kids: Chewy loves kids and is very friendly with them. Every morning my 8 year old daughter loves to get slobbered by his licking and kissing and some times Chewy will give a nice hug or nap on you:)

The dogs have more than just "settled in," they've become totally integral parts of our family. At first their reactions were somewhat tentative, and that may have been slightly exacerbated when our old lab-mix, Raven, passed about a week after they came home with us. But I think that they very quickly came to understand that they were in a safe place, how loved they were, and that this was absolutely going to be their Fur-ever home.

They've settled into their daily routine here quite nicely - to the extent that they're now coming to us to remind us that it's time to go for evening walkies. It's also been fascinating to watch their individual personalities gradually emerge as they became increasingly comfortable with their new home: Neeko's a big goofy cuddle monster (who's surprisingly far more interested in getting pats and brushed than he is in getting treats), while Koko's a bit of a diva who seems to delight in ignoring you until she demands your full attention. Generally speaking, they're about as wonderful a pair of pups as we could ever have hoped for!

The pair are rapidly becoming accustomed to the house, learning boundaries, and generally fitting in nicely. Turns out that Koko is a bit of a howler (not a problem, but unexpected as none of the reports mentioned that), while Neeko just can't seem get enough cuddles and spends most of the day going from one human to the next demanding attention. Great additions to our family!

Sadly, our beloved Raven -- passed away quietly on the Thursday after we brought the pair home with us. We are, of course, grieving for her, but to be honest if one had to script the perfect end for a perfect dog, she had it -- a day of happy play with her new friends, lots of pats and cuddles with her family, treats and favorite food for supper... and then she just passed away quietly in her sleep, no pain or discomfort.
Neeko & Koko have been a delight and seem to have already settled in with an implicit understanding that this will be their new forever home. We're so happy to have them in our family now, and their presence has helped ease our pain from losing Raven as well.

Hi my name is Bobby and I wanted to share a story with WAMAL. This big boy is Kanoosh. He was left tied to a trailhead in Snohomish County and he made his way to WAMAL. My Dad and I adopted this 18-month-old crazy dog in 2013. He was so awesome! He howled all the time…..he is a talker. My Dad and him were inseparable. They were best of friends living in Ocean Shores, WA. My Dad passed away in 2016 and my wife actually saw tears in Noosh’s eyes. We were at a loss because Noosh was staying in this family no matter what, but our snag was that I had a male Malamute named Dakota as well and we all knew that was going to be a problem. My Mom said she would take Noosh. We ended up having to fly him to Indiana where he is now getting the love. My oldest brother has been Noosh’s best friend—they go everywhere together. He takes almost better care of him than my Dad if that were even possible!
I just wanted to share an amazing story how 1 dog has changed so many lives. He is very much still alive and he is living the most unbelievable life ever. Thank you for the awesome work WAMAL does…Mals are amazing!!

After recently losing our big fluffy husky, we knew we needed a new fluff ball to fill the house. After hearing what a calm, sweet, goofy boy Chili was, we knew he fit the bill!
In the week prior to meeting Chili, his foster mom and I had about 50 email exchanges—she shared everything she knew about the pup and gave us so many tips to have a successful transition home! When we finally got to meet in person, Chili happily laid in front of us and enjoyed some of his favorite belly rubs. We were in love!
Since arriving home we have encountered challenges we weren't quite familiar with—primarily resource guarding and guarding of areas of the house. These behavioral issues were fairly stressful at first, however we have received so much support from WAMAL and other trainers that we now feel comfortable working through the problems.
Chili's big smile and friendly personality makes him the talk of anywhere we go. I don't know how many times I've heard "I can't believe he's a rescue!" This goober is truly one of the sweetest, cutest, and one of the hungriest boys I've ever met.
Despite giving us a little run for our money at times, we could not be happier with Chili joining our family!

Good morning,
It’s me, Leia, but I get called by my first and middle name mostly, Leia No. I’m really goofy and always trying to get my brothers to play with me. I am fully vaccinated, and I am getting spayed on July 10th. My mom says she can’t wait, whatever that means!
I love digging, jumping onto everything and giving kisses. I love walks, but I get car sick going for a ride. My brothers think going for a ride is so cool, I just get nauseated. But we are working on it.
My humans just started my invisible fence training which I find hysterical. My dumb brothers buy into it, but I am bold and fearless, and I laugh at their attempts to keep me back from the fence line. I did hear my humans say it’s a good thing the trainer is coming back out a few more times.
At puppy class I was more interested in ignoring my humans so I could stare at all the other puppies in class. Now I have to do video chat training by myself and my humans have to give super high value treats for my cooperation.
I throw epic tantrums when I first go into my crate and my favorite place to lay is the coffee table. It’s a throne fit for a princess. You will see a picture of me laying there! I also am showing you a picture of the baby gate the humans use to keep us in the living room....jokes on them, I jump over that and laugh at my brothers just standing there waiting for the gate to magically open!!!
My mom is a WAMAL volunteer and I have been doing a good job reminding her of important skills necessary for training strong willed, confident, goofy dogs. She loves WAMAL and I am keeping her on her toes, and she understands the need for good volunteers, fosters, and adopters. She says “oh Lord, give me more patience than Leia has”!
I hope all my litter mates and their families are healthy and happy. We love updates and wish you the best during these crazy times!
Stay Safe,
Leia and Family

Hi WAMAL,
Thank you for taking such good care of me, nursing me through losing boy parts and helping me grow strong and healthy. I love my new people. They take me on walks in the park where I get to say hi to other dogs out walking their people. I have a big yard to run around in, and the gentle slope makes my ball roll really good and the soft dirt is nice on my bones. I miss you but I like it here a lot and am grateful you found me good people.
Love,
Yukon

1 year ago this past Monday (20 April) I brought Blue home for his adoption trial. I had planned on getting a 2nd dog & naming it Blue because of the velociraptor named Blue in Jurassic World (I grew up on Jurassic park movies & they're probably my favourite movies not to mention their memes comparing puppies to them are very accurate lol). So when I saw Blue on here I figured it was a sign. It took me a while to decide if I could handle 2 Malamute/husky mixes, but he was still available so I guess it was meant to be. There's nothing I've wanted more in life than to have 2  huskies or malamutes, 1 red & 1 black, & possibly 1 with different colored eyes. & it happened! Thank you to his amazing foster parents Mikaila & Mike. I love this boys smooshy fluffy face & his adorable black snoot! Happy adoption birthday Blue! I didn't need 2 weeks to know you were going to be part of my tiny family.

Here are some pictures of Nuka from our quarantine days. He has readily adopted us as part of his pack and we couldn’t be happier!

She came to live with me 9 weeks ago. In that short time she quickly got use to her new name, has learned new commands and tricks, walks well on a leash (now) and seems to be happy. She still counter surfs (but not as much), is still reactive to squirrels, bunnies, chipmunks and small dogs (but is improving), and has figured out that birds are just too fast for her. Her 'job' is keeping critters out of her backyard. She walks the fence line everyday, chases squirrels and even alerted me to 2 raccoons in a tree. Socializing with other dogs took some time, but within the last week or two, we've turned a corner. She's actually made some (medium or large) doggo friends! She is definitely silly and because of that there's a lot more laughter in my world!! I know I'm happier with her in my life!

Thank you WAMAL for all your support through this long foster! I am SO grateful to be a part of such a wonderful and caring rescue organization.
Troy: "Foot Soldier"
He's our foot soldier now! A great protector and loyal friend and a wonderful buddy to Kuma and Meeko.
Details of his story:
Date of birth 01/15/2015
Abandoned at shelter 01/12/17. Tied to a sign-post, NO WATER and MUZZLED!
WAMAL contacted me (Thank you Jaime Lemke Perez) and asked if I would be able to foster a dog that was scheduled to be euthanized due to aggressiveness and a bite history (due to his intense fear and inexperienced handlers).
So, the day I met Troy: The Shelter Coordinator transported Troy to me and I sat down in the quiet parking lot as Troy lunged at me. No barking. As I sat there quiet and hands on lap, Troy came up to me, licked my ears, crawled into my lap, and the rest is history.
After 19 months of fostering this scared and fearful LOYAL "Foot Soldier" called Troy--many adoption applications turned down because people like how cute he is but learn of his troubled past and don't want to give him a chance--is now forever part of our pack.
Troy: 70lbs of love and loyalty, Meeko: 50lbs and 3 legs, and Kuma: 140lbs of pure 4 paw power who loves to sleep.

Crimson came to WAMAL as an Owner Surrender and quickly went into a wonderful Foster home. Her Foster family was concerned because Crimson was panting a lot and had abdominal swelling so they took her to the vet. They—and we—got quite the surprise…she was pregnant! Just a few days later Crimson gave birth to 8 beautiful and healthy puppies.
But wait…these didn’t look like Malamute puppies so what’s a Rescue to do? Wisdom Health DNA to the Rescue (pardon the pun)!! We’re all so grateful to this Wooonderful company for donating two DNA kits. Drumroll… results were 50% Malamute & 50% Akita. Wisdom Health’s multi page detailed report provided breed histories, traits, family tree, and several health screenings.
This story ends quite happily. Crimson got her forever home with her Foster Family and all her puppies are living large in their new forever homes. Please support @wisdomhealth for your DNA testing needs. Support those companies who support WAMAL!!

Ludo (formerly Vikas) is an amazing, goofy and incredibly loving soul. He is everywhere you go, just to be in the presence of his humans is pure joy for him (and us). After bringing him home, there were a few kinks (house training, jumping, and counter surfing) but we've got those things all worked out, with the occasional jump/hug every now and then to show love or excitement, but they are far more gentle. He loves exercise, and we were finding that even walking 5 miles a day sometimes wasn't doing the trick, so we found a dog camp he runs 2 days a week with his "pack" there, and it seems to do the trick.
As for the news, after watching the movie Togo (Ludo was paying rapt attention) we were shocked at his resemblance to both the dog in the film and the historical photos of the Seppula Huskies, we decided to do a DNA test. The results came in this morning, and are really interesting.
LUDO IS:
50% Alaskan Husky
25% Alaskan Malamute
12.5% German Shepherd
12.5% Rottweiler!!!
His 25% Mal definitely comes out in his personality, and we thank you for posting the story about the dog DNA test, who would have known you could do such a thing??
We appreciate every thing you have done to bring Ludo into our lives, and to help so many others like him.

I received your holiday newsletter, and after recovering from the guilt of not having written my own, I thought I’d at least take a few minutes to send you a thank you note.
Yogi came to live with us almost 2 years ago, through your amazing efforts. I contacted you in an attempt to locate my next Mal, as my best buddy Kenai was approaching his last days.
WAMAL first impressed me with your thorough screening process which demonstrated a level of diligence and love for these dogs. I was also impressed with your patience and willingness to work with me to find the right dog for our home. It took several months to find Yogi, but he’s turned out to be the perfect addition to our family.
Thank you so much for all you do. I wish could offer more than thanks, including contributions, time, and taking in additional dogs either as a foster or an adoptive home. Unfortunately, my budget and schedule doesn’t allow for that, so I can only offer my gratitude and appreciation, and these two pics of the footwarmer that resides under my desk as I type this.
Merry Christmas from our house!

Everything is going well with Yeti. We had the family of 10 people over on Thanksgiving and it was their first time meeting Yeti. When he was in the house we took turns standing guard at the entrance of the kitchen. During my guard duty he quietly snuck up beside me and took a big bite out of the cheesecake! The counter surfing is something I am not use to because our last 2 mals never did it. I am not sure how to break Yeti of it other than saying No every time he tries.
Yeti is also not very good at coming when he’s called. He doesn't seem to know his name. Or he is very good at tuning you out. Today I had him walking around with me while I took out the trash and scooped up his poop. There is a lot of snow here right now so we have the gate to our driveway open (it cannot operate in the snow). Yeti walked into the driveway, I called him, he ignored me. I called again as he edged further away. He looked over at me then put his head down and ran fast down the driveway out the gate and down the road! When I finally go to the road I saw him about 300 yards up the road sniffing bushes. I was calling him the whole time. Finally he turned and looked at me and he ran fast back to me and right on by me attempting to make a break the opposite direction. I caught him and he then walked all casual back through the gate and to the house. He is definitely a typical mal with what I call cat like attitude.
He is sleeping in the house more at night which we are trying to encourage with the very cold nights. He is getting better about relaxing in the house during the day too. Before he would never lay down and just pace. Now he will lay down for about 30 minutes before wanting back out.

Our sweet new family member is settling in to our home wonderfully. This is my new fur baby Arrow. Thank you WAMAL for rescuing her and entrusting us with providing her a love filled happy home. Arrow had been injured when WAMAL rescued her. Unfortunately she had to have surgery and WAMAL stepped in and brought her back to health! She is a happy healthy tripawd now ... but don't tell her she hasn't noticed. Thank you WAMAL for the wonderful work you do. This Thanksgiving when I make my gratitude list your organization and volunteers are at the top!

Here's Tana! Isn’t she beautiful?
She has been with her new family for a few weeks, and is reported to be a smart, loving, appreciative, and confident young gal. She shows her excitement by being squirmy, trying to be everywhere at once, to get pets, to sniff… just a girl in motion! Tana is fascinated (and excited!) by the deer and the elk she gazes at through the glass door of her new house. She has not yet discovered the wild bunnies that live there too—watch out!
Tana gets to be an only girl to soak up the love of a couple that lost their other malamute on New Years Eve day to cancer, and couldn’t bear the house without a malamute, which has been their favorite breed for a good many years.

Tana’s people say they’ve known about WAMAL since they lost their second malamute about 8 years ago and are pleased to adopt a rescue. They also want to express their deepest appreciation for the speed in getting their home check completed to make meeting Tana possible. It was a big effort with several moving parts, but Tana is HOME.
Tana’s take:
“I love to stretch out between my people in their bed in the morning and at night, my face next to theirs, for chin and belly rubs. They feel so good--please don’t stop! This is delicious!
My new people are patient and kind and when I have an accident in the house, they understand it’s the stress of so much that’s ‘new.’ Whew! I’m trying, and I will start to eat better too, as I get more familiar with my new home.
Also, squeaky.toys.are.the.BEST!!!”