Category: Happy Tails

I wanted to give you guys an update on Aurora and send you photos of her life. She is doing great. She is best friends with our neighbors labradoodle, so we made a trap door between our fences to allow for play together pretty much every day.  She loves to hang out in our neighbor's yard in the afternoons and often takes naps with their cat, which was a surprise to see. She loves to play tag and fetch with our son. She has her own "toy box" with sticks, cardboard, balls and a fuzzy monster. Such a silly dog, she was deeply worried when our son started preschool, and waits by the window for his return every school day. Aurora has been camping in the cascades and OR. She even made her first international trip with us to Vancouver Island last Sept.   She is afraid of the dark, tall bridges and the garbage truck. The Coho Ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria was also scary for her, but she survived. She also doesn't seem to like riding in the car or wearing her halti, but she loves our adventures so she is learning to tolerate both. Her separation anxiety has lessened a lot in the last 2 years. I hope that in a year, as she matures, she will not have any worries at all if we pop out for pizza or something and she stays home. I know you guys might have felt you took a little gamble, adopting out to a family with a small child no matter our experience, but it has worked out well for us all. 

Bella, who is now (in September of 2024) four years old, is very large 120-pound female who is a mix of Malamute (two-thirds), Newfoundland (one-sixth), and Great Pyrenees (one-sixth). She combines in a single dog my three favorite breeds. She also combines in a single dog many of the traits of these three breeds that some families find difficult to manage. She has an extremely strong prey drive (common for both Malamutes and Great Pyrenees), aloofness (common for Malamutes), independence (common for all three breeds), a level of disobedience (especially common for Malamutes, but also common for the other two breeds), and a capacity for critical and independent thinking (essential for the survival of all three breeds). When she does respond to a command, she often likes to make it appear that it is her idea. After having been surrendered by her first two families, she has now found her permanent home, though the transition has not been an easy one for her.

Bella’s experience with her first family appears to have been a happy and even joyous one. She was adopted as a puppy, trained, loved, and cared for. She seems to have especially bonded with her family’s three young boys. (After I adopted her, she ran to the fence whenever a school bus passed by in the hope that her beloved boys would somehow appear.) Unfortunately, she began to exhibit a strong prey drive toward the family’s cats. Given a choice, the family chose their cats and surrendered Bella.

Her experience with her second family was not as good. Judging from a custom harness and high-quality bowls, her adoption seems to have gotten off to a good start, however I suspect that Bella was stored outside for long periods of time, and quite possibly all the time. When her family finally decided that they no longer wanted her, they complained of her prey drive, her digging, her being an escape artist, her aggression toward other dogs, and her unpredictable behavior toward people. Their evaluation depicted a horrible dog about whom there was virtually nothing to like. Who would even consider adopting a dog like this?

Of course, I adopted her. When I read her second family’s assessment, it struck me as an impressive piece of character assassination. There was sure to be some element of truth to it, but at the same time it was almost certainly an exaggeration, with many of the complaints about
Bella’s behavior clearly stemming from her being stashed outdoors and bored out of her mind. It also seemed clear to me that her second family had no idea of what to expect from and was totally unprepared to handle a Malamute/Newfoundland/Great Pyrenees mix. Bella deserved a new home and a third chance.

Bella’s experience – rejected by a loving home – left her little reason for hope. When Bella first arrived, she wouldn’t eat and barely drank any water. Nor was she at all interested in treats. She was defeated and had given up. When I placed her bowl in front of her, she fled. When I replaced her bowl with an ordinary soup bowl, she would eat only a small amount. To encourage her to eat, I fed her by hand, kibble by kibble. I slowly decreased the time spent hand-feeding her before I placed the soup bowl (which continues to be her bowl) in front of her so that she would eat by herself. After about a month, she began to eat without hand feeding. She also proved to be very treat-motivated.

There were (and continue to be) other behavioral problems, but Bella’s behavior immediately improved when my daughter adopted a year-old Black Lab mix. As a dominant female, having a submissive male to bond with helped her to locate herself within her human/canine pack. Her behavior also improved as we got to know one another, develop trust, and as I began to understand and honor Bella’s preferences. Bella wants to be outdoors during her alert time and for some play. But she wants to be indoors for meals, treats, pill time, naps, some play, and bedtime. She also likes to have the option of going to her indoor crate when she feels insecure. She’s an indoor dog who likes to be outdoors a lot. Finally, developing a regular routine, with Bella’s active participation, helped her adapt to her new home. As a dominant female, Bella determines our wakeup time; she likes to get her daily activities underway early. Time outside is followed by breakfast, followed by time outside, followed by pill time, followed by time outside, followed by a Greenie, followed by time outside, followed by a large beef Buffalo Blue bone, followed by nap time. Like most dogs, she thrives on regularity and predictability. Most important of all, though, are understanding breed-specific behaviors and looking beyond the undesirable behaviors of many rescues to who the dog really is as an individual. In her aloof way, Bella is loving, caring, considerate, and passionate. She is a dominating presence who fills the house with joy. And when she wakes me up, she reminds me to greet each morning as an enormous gift of God’s grace. When I met her, I thought that she would be the perfect dog for me; and indeed she is.

Last year on 20 February I drove from Portland up to Puyallup to meet Lucky. I fell in love & brought her home that day. She has become a wonderful friend and companion. She is very friendly with other humans (well, maybe sometimes a little over friendly at first) and has made many human friends in the neighborhood. We have been training on our walks this year, with some good help and classes. And so, have made great improvements.

We had guests to stay with us over the Christmas holidays and she was quite thrilled with all the attention she received. She was disarmingly sweet and well behaved. Amazing. Of course lots of photos were taken & I have attached one.

I wanted to thank everyone at WAMAL who helped me in the adoption process and also the Online support during the first few weeks she was with me. She will be nine years old next month and I am hoping for many more years with her.

I wanted to update you about Niko & Aurora, but they’re doing great!

We moved to Alaska and they’re right at home. 

Niko has really come out of his shell and has a super sweet, funny, and loving personality. He gets to spend time off leash these days because his recall is perfect (which was a huge surprise to us).

Aurora had some issues for the last year or so and we finally determined she has hypothyroidism. Our vet suspects her thyroid might have been nicked during her surgery to remove the cyst in her neck because her levels tested so low they couldn’t even read it. 

She’s now on medicine and better than ever. 

Fourth of July retraumatized Eli (formerly Metro) and I started having problems with the neighbors again because of his barking, and I figured the HOA board would flip out if I brought a second dog home, of any size, let alone a Mal. In retrospect I've realized it probably took him 7-8 weeks to get over the 4th.

New Year's Eve was hard for him too, even though there were only a couple of booms. He recovered after a week or two, which seems like a big improvement.

But what I wanted to let you all know is how fantastic he's been doing since then. He's started initiating play with other dogs, and will even keep at it for a minute or two. The fakeout/spin away is his favorite move. He approaches other people and will often let them pet him. A couple of times he's reached his muzzle up into someone's face. He's calm with little kids. He used to move behind me if anyone held out their hand to him. He's been able to completely relax when we visit my parents, and he used to stay really agitated the whole time we were there. He's startled by fewer external noises, and instead of running to the door and barking, if he reacts at all he just lifts his head and wuffs once. He stole half a cookie off the kitchen counter, and I was just thrilled that he felt safe enough to do that. It's happened once in 18 months. (No chocolate, I never leave that in reach.)

It doesn't seem like much when I read through it, but it feels huge for him.

It's funny - I chose him because of something in his eyes and I never realized how striking he is. But everyone else sure notices. I've had passengers yell at us out of car windows, drivers slow down, someone opened a third floor office window -- all to tell me how beautiful he is, how much they love my dog. Pretty much everyone we pass remarks on it. The whole neighborhood knows us, although I doubt they'd know me on my own. The bus drivers wave. So many people want to talk to me about my dog.

If the conversation goes on, he just sits down and waits patiently. If he's extra excited to get his harness on, he sits down. Sometimes I can't quite believe what a good dog he is. If I want to turn around before he's ready he also just sits down, quite calmly. Which is a bit odd, but very clear communication. I know everyone thinks this about their dog, but it sure feels like he understands complete sentences and responds to them.

I know I'm rambling on, but he's just so amazing. The other day he was sitting out on the deck, the afternoon sun on his back, the wind blowing all those good smells right into his face and he looked so happy... It brought tears to my eyes, and that's unusual for me. So I wanted to let you know.

Sora (formerly Sugarplum) has been quite a bit of work and in truth I constantly fought with my own doubts if she was the right dog and such. Especially her unknown reactivity to dogs and her separation anxiety. I was spoiled by my previous dog, Mizu who did not come with these issues and mostly was just very aloof and always did his own thing but always wanted to be at least in the same room.

I've come to realize it's almost impossible to find the perfect dog because these rescues are often fully grown and come with some bad habits with unknown history. Along with my still grieving process, I could only focus on Sora's negative aspects because they were the ones that gave me anxiety, so I fixated on her problems; and because I am still grieving I couldn't help but compare her to my previous dog despite how wrong it is. As I got more comfortable with her, got to know her triggers and us being more used to each other's quirks and strides, it's gotten better. What has helped most was when I introduced her to more family and friends who all adore her greatly. Seeing her play well with some dogs on a 1-on-1 basis also helped. These little things helped remind me of her positives and gave me a form of confirmation that she is indeed a good dog. I think all new relationships take work and we still have a long way to go but I am grateful to have her be so affectionate with myself and every person she's met.

These days, we mostly walk around my area and go to the dog park at night when no one else is around for her to have some zoomies and all in. We recently went snowshoeing for the first time over the new years and we also went off road camping together.

***Sora's adoption is dedicated to the memory of Mizu, who showed her adopter how amazing Northern Breeds can be.

Almost six months since he came to stay with me, and he's doing well. So much healthier than Zippo was.

I have only left him behind three times when I needed to go somewhere, and each time he escaped and wound up at a neighbor's. Since the third time I either find a dog-sitter or take him with me everywhere. Dogs are amazing creatures:  he knows when I change into good clothes that it means a trip someplace and starts howling.

I do volunteer drives for Island Senior Resources, taking people to medical appointments. He comes with us, and everyone falls in love with him. As I wait outside a clinic or office I've even had staff come out to ooh and aah over him -- and take photos! I have a supply of WAMAL bookmarks with him on them, and hopefully that creates some interest.

I went to the store him, including the Country Store in Freeland. It's one of the few places I feel ok bringing him in with me. As usual he was a big hit with customers and staff (so boring.) Happily he didn't pee on anything, but it was a mistake bringing him down the dog treat aisle.

The clerk at checkout took his photo and I gave her a bookmark since she said her daughter might be interested in getting a big dog.

He is dog #62 that I've adopted, and appears that he will wind up in my Top Ten favorite dogs if he keeps this up.

Thanks for helping me find him.

Today is Bust Out Day!

11 years ago, Oreo Yoyo and 160+ of her closest kin were saved from a Darwinian nightmare in Helena, MT. These dogs became known as the MT Mals and the overall effort was Operation Malamute. It was a nationwide effort to find every last dog* a loving home. Several came here to be placed by WAMAL: Oreo (Yoyo), McKinley, DJ Fuzzbutt McGillicuddy, Strider, Quinn, Sugar, Littlefoot, Spirit, Lola, and more whose names escape me at the moment.

It was a long process, but Miss Yo has blossomed into quite the adorable little monkey. She was 35 lbs when we brought her home and had the most tragic coat I've ever seen, it was dull and brittle and not quite what I would call fluffy. Every meal might be her last, so she ate it before anyone else had a chance to. I'm sure she remembers where she came from, if for no other reason than to understand why it will never be like that again.

I always wish for the day when rescues are shut down because there are no more irresponsible breeders and puppy mills. Until that day comes, WAMAL and our family of rescue groups will keep working to place every dog who needs us into homes like every one of yours.

Flint came to the same home that his brother Zippo was adopted into. Sadly, Zippo's health deteriorated and he only lived two months in his final home. Flint missed a reunion, but he probably was aware of Zippo's scents when he arrived. Flint is much healthier and doesn't show his 11 years as he runs around on our daily walk in my acres of woods, splashing in the creek and chasing squirrels.

Flint's one negative is his seeming separation anxiety and he cannot be left at home without trying to break out and go exploring. He likes to ride in the car, so he accompanies his new owner everyplace possible or gets to impress a babysitter when he can't come along. It seems he is enjoying his new life, and his frequent woo's emphasize that.

In March 2022 I lost two of my senior dogs. Only having three other dogs, I decided I could foster a younger dog through WAMAL. When I inquired about a two- or three-year old dog, I was told about 10 year old Zippo. He was in a foster home (not his first) but the family needed to get him a new place by mid-April. Not wanting to send him back to his kennel in Malley Valley, the foster coordinator told me about him and his foster brought him to my place for a visit to meet my current pack. It went well and a few days later the fosters brought him back, to stay, along with a box of his medications and supplements.

He was fine with my other dogs, and guests that came to stay for a few days. Overweight, he huffed and puffed on his walks, which became increasingly longer as he lost some ounces the first few weeks.

He turned out to be very affectionate and quickly picked up our routine, including a daily walk off-leash back in my woods in his new home on Whidbey Island. He is an expert counter-surfer, so some care needs to be taken in regards to leaving anything edible in his reach. (He even learned to open my refrigerator, so now the kitchen is off-limits and there is a bungee cord holding the door closed. And no, he did not get that piece of cake on the counter in the photo.)

One of his other former foster families visits him occasionally and seems happy to see him settled in a final home. His block in my greenhouse joins the many others, cementing his status as a permanent member of the pack. He is the 61st dog I've adopted; many were old or in poor health, so their time wasn't that long with us.

Zippo has many old-dog ails and his medications and supplements help keep his aging body comfortable during his retirement; his initial vet visit indicated he was "in good condition" for his size and age. As expected he howls when I leave the house, but I have understanding neighbors.

He may not be with us for many years, but he will have a comfortable place for as long as it's needed.

We did Haddie's TPLO surgery and she's had good results on that side. Keeping her on bed rest was impossible so I had to move her to my mom's house (away from her/our kids to whom she has a sworn duty to follow and protect, despite the cone on her head, sedatives, and wicked limp).

Now we've moved across the country and we'll have to do her other leg soon but at least we have more space and knowledge of the process, and hope that it is really an effective fix.

No big, and her medical update isn't why I'm writing. I wanted to thank you and your team for the emotional hand holding you did as we problem solved and fretted over Haddie's future with our family. It's been less than a year that we've had her and she is unequivocally the best dog we've ever had. She plays hide and seek with our toddler - even waiting for her to hide and being told to go look - no one taught her - she just knows how to play. And she plays chase with both our kids - army crawling behind our infant as she crawls away giggling. But she's also a saint and brings the kids their stuffed animals if they're crying, and she talks back to me if I'm being impatient with them, and she comes to get me if I'm doing housework and someone wakes up from nap (we seriously haven't had to use our baby monitor since we moved). And get this, SHE COMES WHEN SHE'S CALLED! Honestly, we never really trainer her, she just decided we were her pack and we're so lucky she did. She is basically nana from Peter Pan but really majestic.

We didn’t miss the opportunity to celebrate his gotcha day. He got a full grooming and a double helping of his favorite raw dinner! The last year has been an absolute joy with him. He and his brother Koa have bonded seamlessly, our kids absolutely adore him and he’s been the best addition to our family adventures!

Things we have learned and adore:- In the snow is Kane’s happy place. We had to quite literally carry him inside during that last snow storm, he would have lived out there all weekend if he could (haha). Lucky for him, our family loves the snow just as much as he does and we chase it all year round- It’s not often in our area but, when he hears emergency vehicles, he howls in an exact-matching tone as their sirens- He sleeps in uncomfortable looking positions, but must be in absolute comfort because he snores incredibly loud- He greets people into our home by tapping his front feet and lets out short bark/howls that sound like he’s saying “Hello, hello, hello”

Thanks so much for checking in with us, we’re grateful to have found you guys!

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!