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!

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!!!”

I first heard about Yukon (previously Tucker) from the WAMAL home visitor, who helped me find the right dog. Yukon was of course a bit wild at the kennel, but his description sounded like he had a good side hidden in there somewhere so I was excited to meet him. This turned out to be the case as soon as he got out of the kennel and went for a walk. He turned into a whole new dog, and with his ‘you can't say no to me’ face, I had to give him a home.
He has quickly taken to hiking and trail running, and these have become his favorite things to do. He just gets so excited when we pull into the trailhead parking lots. His daily routine is a morning walk, play in the yard while dad is at work, then an afternoon run or hike.
He sits and waits for permission to eat his food, has learned paw, other paw, roll over, and many other tricks. He is currently working on beg and fetch. Fetch is going to be the hardest because he just refuses to chase anything that doesn't move by itself. He loves to cuddle on the couch in the evening and often decides to take a nap on dad's lap.
He loves the dog park and makes lots of new friends. Everyone always comments about how cute he is and tries to pet him, but he is always more interested in playing with the other dogs and often gives a cold shoulder (except to dad). He just started training with his new backpack and will be going on some fun multi-day snowshoeing trips this winter. He really looks forward to becoming a true mountain dog, as long as he isn't too busy begging for belly scratches.
WAMAL is a great organization with great volunteers. I definitely recommend WAMAL if anyone is interested in adopting a malamute. Maybe someday Yukon will need to train a new mountain dog and WAMAL will be called again.

Hi WALMAL,
Update on Molly adopted last May. This summer we took a 45 day road trip to our new home in Florida. We were very worried how Molly would travel by car and in numerous hotels, but we came to find out she’s one great traveler. She loved standing up in the back of the car looking out at everything wagging her tail like crazy. Her personality has blossomed. She now climbs stairs and tries to sneak on furniture. She absolutely loves walks to the river or a drive to the beach.
Thanks for sharing Molly with us!

I honestly can’t believe that this is the SAME dog.... he went from sad old man, to happy young buck in just a couple of weeks! Dean has helped me smile every day since I’ve had him. I feel very thankful.

Rescuing these noble and hysterically funny dogs is one of the great joys of my life. Mahina is so different in looks (Cindy told me not to try to 'find' Lishka again!) and her wooly coat is a daily challenge. She is so dear...recent hip x-rays show arthritis, but buffered aspirin keeps her going. She was running with me tonight for short distances.
She is gloriously beautiful...stops traffic where ever we go. Our walks are not as long as they once were, but she finds such joy in going outside. She does love the river and is so happy now that the days are getting much cooler. The lower the temperature the more 'happy feet' she gets.
Here's a great part of our story. Her kitties, Bruddah and Sistah, go on all the neighborhood walks with us. Sistah came first as a young kitten and scolded her scairdy cat brother for whining when we left his area. She soon talked him into joining us and now we are the neighborhood story. We look like a bad Walt Disney movie...Mahina walking her cats each day and night! They also ride in the car with her for trips to the vet! In the beginning it was a real challenge to teach her these little fur balls were NOT yummy treats. However, now they belong to her. One late night walk not long ago a big dog on the loose chased the cats up a tree and Mahina went after him...bad hips and all!
We love you all who work so unceasingly for these wonderful snow dogs.

I would like to submit some pictures for the calendar fundraiser. These are all recent pictures of Darwin (formerly Saturn), we adopted him on January 31st. He is now 10 mos old and close to 90lbs, he has really taken to swimming, sleeping, eating and keep away.

I just wanted to Thank everyone, we just love Crooner. He is such a good dog, he loves our grandchildren. They have so much fun together. He is so well behaved when he comes in the house. He likes to go for long walks and rides as well.

Again thanks for everything. Please tell Cindy Thank You

Cooper has been sleeping in his dug hole for the last two day's, with out being on the cable run. When I want to drive some where I tell him to get in the car and he goes to the van and wait's for me to get there and open the door so he can get in the van. Pretty cool huh. When I want him in the house I just call him and he run's up the stair's and then wait's for me to brush him and then he goes into the house, and run's to my room so I can give him some treat's. Kieku and I both want to thank you for getting him for me. Many thanks.

Cooper is a traveler and wants to know everyone.  He expects to be in the passenger seat of my van, (Oh brother!) Cooper isn't a 'back seat' kind of dog.  Because of his size, I had to put a milk crate covered with a blanket on the floor of the front passenger side.  You see, Cooper's Shetland Pony sized feet kept falling off the front seat onto the floor and he couldn't see out the window.  Seeing out the window is pretty important to Cooper.  He's a little vain and likes the general public to acknowledge his existence, his beauty and his resilience.  I brush Cooper daily and can't believe his former owners thought that his normal shedding was something that made him a 'bad dog'.  I was excited when Cooper dug his first hole this week....that was something that also made him a 'bad dog' in the past.  Unfortunately, his first hole is right in front of my mothers car and now she can't get out.  It's his favorite hole, so we're working on a compromise.

Cooper is great on the leash when he meets other dogs and people.  He wants to meet anyone and everyone. Maybe kind of making up for his alone time in the past.  Cooper is one great dog.. He will never again suffer abuse at the hands of a human.  He won't be seen needing a home again.

Well another year has gone by and Dakota's doing great. The salivary gland problem has sped up though but our Vet has found some literature saying Tetracycline may slow it down or stop it, it seems to be helping and we want to exhaust all noninvasive options first. His weight is hovering between 85 and 90lbs, which is what the vet wanted to see him at after his first weigh in was 72 lbs when we got him. He still does just fine with Alkan, if anything Alkan is the dominant one at times, LOL. He has figured out how to knock him down by sneaking around from behind, little punk :). Anyway we just wanted to drop a little update and say thanks once again, I'm not sure we can remember life without his antics.

Talk about success stories, this is it. We heard about Tucker and the unhappiness he and his owners were experiencing from a WAMAL volunteer. Something about his story moved us to give him a chance for a new and happier life. He was so shy when we met him that he would urinate when you touched him. Within hours of arriving home, that ceased. He has really relaxed and is coming out of his shell. We are delighted with his progress. Our two cats, Paddy and Poof have accepted him as part of the family as well. So now he comes in for visits with "the boys". He has really done well adapting to being an outside dog. Our big yard has become his comfort zone. He is curious, mischievous, loves to tease, and with time and training, will be another special friend in our lives. We are grateful to all the WAMAL people who made this possible.

Sorry its been so long. The "Bug" has been awful. We continue to make progress. The only person Tuck is still nervous with is Doug's Mom. We are not sure why, but he has his own timing, and we cont. to be patient. Everything else is good. He is successfully visiting in the house the past three days. No major upsets with the boys. Poof slapped him in the face the first time, but all he did was jerk his head back and then came to me. Paddy seems to really like him. He snuffled him good, and lets Tucker nose him and snuffle without any fluffing. I think Poof would like to play, he's just sooo big. They are both mischievous characters, so I won't be surprised if they develop a game or two. As Tuck gets more comfy, there have been a few naughty behaviors. A little chewing on a lawn chair after a reprimand, Ran over to the neighbors yard when I was putting the van in the yard to unload groceries. He doesn't bother when Doug does it. I'm the buddy, He's the Boss. He did come to me after I got his leash, and went after him. There really hasn't been anything significant that he has done wrong. Adjustments of the magnitude he is going through are not easy. But he is doing splendidly, all things considered. I cont. to make progress with his grooming. He can be testy, but nothing scary. He has snapped, but not with intent to bite, only letting me know that wasn't comfortable. It can be anywhere, on any given day. I Just reassure him, pet a little, and go back to it. He sighs, and relaxes again. So just a little perseverance, and he will go along with it. I feel very safe with him. Just need to work on discipline. He is very smart, and we hope, with time, will cont. to relax and feel better and more confident. That time in is the key. As you can tell, we are very happy with Tucker, and again, thank you for making all of this possible. Are their any more formalities to go through to finalize the adoption? Monday will be the beginning of the third week, and I can't see any reason to make any changes. We love our Tucker! I hope to have new pics. again soon, if you would like me to cont. sharing.

I am pleased to say that things are progressing very positively here. Tug seemed to enjoy the ride home. Our kennel is a cage type, so he got to smell and see, and he was calmer than I expected. He Ran the yard, and marked the edges. Stayed away from us for a while, though you could tell he wanted to make contact. Poor honey was so shy. By the time he had been here three hours, he ate some food from my hand and then scarfed the rest in his bowl. The Polley's had told us he probably wouldn't eat for days! He had a good night outside. No barking or whining or any worrisome behaviors. I checked on him a couple of times after bathroom trips, and he was sleeping all laid out on his side in the middle of the yard.

This morning he was chasing a crow, and looking very free and easy. He was leery of me at first, but it didn't take long for him to come for a pet. He loves it when I massage his rump. It was off and on all day. He would be friendly without hesitation, and the next time I went out, he would stay out of reach. Doug was away getting a sleep study done for apnea, so I have had the most contact. He let me groom on him this afternoon for over an hour. He let me work on his rear area without a quibble. As a matter of fact he napped through most of it!

Other than the first few minutes he was here, and all our neighborhood kids showed up to greet him, He has not been doing any urinating when he is touched. The one 10 yr. old boy was getting his face kissed before the end of the evening last night. And he ran to greet him this morning when he returned to visit Tug

Cindy, I am so thrilled with the changes Tug has made since we took him out of the Polley's. Most of the things they warned us about have not happened. He is not pining for them. We haven't brought him in the house yet. The kitties are not entirely thrilled yet, and we are letting them adjust to his presence at the slider. There was a couple of tousles when he bumped the screen trying to sniff at them. They are the ones who were aggressive. Not Tug. He had been whining to them earlier the same as he does to the dogs next door that he can visit with through the fence. I felt he wanted to be pals. He did lunge at the screen after Poof attacked, and Paddy joined in. But he didn't look vicious, more like he was playing. Nick, the ten yr. old, called him away, and he did without any hesitation.

He was leery of Doug when he came home, but with a little coaxing, he let him pet him. So now that I've written the novel of Tug's first day in his new life. You can rest easy, that things are going very well indeed. He seems to be adjusting very well for the insecure mess we first met. The Polleys were amazed we got near him, let alone how well it went. I feel a strong connection with him, and since I will be spending the most time with him, it’s a thrill. I will be happy to keep you updated every few days if you like. The big test will be when he is ready to come in the house, which he was showing signs this evening that he would like to. If the boys don't get with the program, we will put them in a room when Tug is in. I really think that they will adapt, Paddy showed a lot of interest, and only fluffed if Poof did. So there are more adventures to come.

Thanks to you and all the volunteers who made this possible. We are delighted with Tug.

Just want to drop a line letting WAMAL know that Shyla is doing really good and we love her a lot. She is a hand full but she is learning fast, very fast. She is just now starting to talk to Carole and I, she doesn't jump as much as she did. The trouble that we had with her and other dogs is getting much better, we have really been working on that one. Thank you all very much

They're best buddies. We went to the ocean. Below are two links to the photos. I've just about broke him of the swiping at me with those paws. Actually, Jasper has learned to give kisses, because he sees Nakiya doing it. Nakiya kisses Jasper too, when I'm rubbing Jasper's neck.

Right now we're concentrating on pulling on the leash when he sees squirrels or cats. He's mastered, sit, stay, lay down and shake. Boy what a talker. No more screaming, but he has some opinions.  

Bandit is great! I love him and we have just so much fun together! We go hiking all the time and I walk him like three times a day I'll send pictures soon!

Hi. I just wanted to send a note to thank you for allowing me to adopt Kayak. He is fitting in perfectly. He is such a happy boy, he practically bounces off the walls. He's fast getting used to being part of our pack and eats with everyone and sits together with my dogs at night for his bedtime cookie. He ignored my goats and bunnies at first, but now that he is more comfortable he is doing a little chasing.. but it's clearly play not prey so I'm confident I can teach him not to. My cats actually love him.
He has taken his first ride in the convertible. He hugged the floorboards for the first 10 minutes but eventually came up on the seat and looked around. He had a cough/sneeze when I picked him up and my vet says his lungs are kinda raspy so he is on antibiotics and seems to be getting better. After not eating for the first couple of days, he is now eating like a big dog. He is an absolute joy.
I have named him OhBoy, inspired by the Buddy Holly song of the same name, which he loves to dance to:

All of my love
All of my kissin'
You don't know what you've been a-missin'
Oh boy, when you're with me
Oh boy, the world can see
That you, were meant, for me

Also.. Sandy was sooo nice and helpful. I really appreciate all the time and effort she gave me and the good care she gave OhBoy.

Attached are pictures of Nakiya and Japser. I adopted Jasper a few years ago, and Nakiya has recently joined our pack.
Nakiya is a happy boy who loves Jasper and myself. He wakes us with big sloppy kisses and follows me everywhere. He's still learning the ropes and watches both of us closely. He's learning fast and shows progress every day. His energy is way down from when I first met Nakiya - though he has his moments. We all wrestle in the backyard and go for walks every day. He loves the dog park and going for rides.
We are all very happy that Nakiya has comes to live with us.

Lexie and Charlie have been playing, not as much as he would like I think, but she has started chasing with him.  She gets a little testy when Charlie puts his big paw on her back to get her attention, but that's understandable.  The kids and Charlie get along great, he usually sleeps in my oldest girls room or in the hall between all of the rooms.

His vet check-up went well.  The vet did say he is very underweight (which we know), she says he could stand to gain 30 - 50 pounds so we've been feeding him 2x a day.  He is slowly learning that he is not allowed in the kitchen and that the girls stuffed animals are not chew toys. all in all things are going well.

Sorry to be replying so late. Things are going pretty well with Princess. We are still working on getting her to ignore the cats and she is a runner. Off the lead and she is gone like the wind. Inside she has been very good with only a couple of accidents. She sleeps beside the bed next to me, the male (Scooby) is on the other side next to my wife. We are nearly complete with a � to � acre fenced area for them to have the run of the back property. Currently they are in a 30 x 60 pen while we are away. She is a great playmate for the male although she is into the dominance game with him. He tolerates this for some time and then will assert himself. HE outweighs her by 40 pounds but she is back for more at the drop of a hat. There is no quit in that girl.

All and all things are working out extremely well and we are pleased.

We selected Rider (our 90-lb malamute) since he played so well with Hans (our 70-lb Siberian Husky) at Malamute Rescue Shelter. We have been the proud owners of Rider for 5 months now. Hans is high-energy and plays all the time and needed another dog that could handle that level of playing. Rider was the perfect fit for him. They enjoy playing together in the house or in the backyard. When they are done playing, they like to curl up next each other. They are very sweet to one another and give each other kisses all the time. It is so cute to see them both like this. Hans loves having Rider as a brother. Rider is such a happy, cheerful, friendly dog and loves everybody. We feel so fortunate to have him and can't imagine our lives without him. He is sweet, very well mannered and gentle. It seems that someone spent a lot of time training him since he knows a lot of commands. Very smart, a good listener and learns very fast. Rider does not dig or chew on things which is a nice touch. He loves to cuddle with us too. He let's us know if he needs more attention, by putting a paw on our arm. We take Rider and Hans every morning on a walk around our neighborhood and they say hi to other dogs and people. On the weekends, we go on longer walks in the park or around Green Lake. This is one of Rider's favorite things to do. He wags his tail and does the WOOOO enjoying every minute of it. We take both the dogs over to my sister's house for dinner once a week. Rider is very gentle and sweet around her kids. He loves the attention. Pete and I go to the Wamal website at least twice a week to check the dogs. If I had more room, I would definitely adopt another one from Wamal. I am just thankful that Wamal exists and that they are able to take in these wonderful dogs and are able to place them in loving homes.

We wanted to update you on our girl Khira. She has settled into her new home amazingly fast! She is all diva here in her new home. She has a new purple set of leashes and harnesses, her microchip has been registered to us, she has her own crate to sleep in (not crazy about that but for a treat...) she is on a little diet and some regular exercise which she needed badly. Khira is very loving to the our girls and wants to be pet all the time. Our first mal Rocky is adjusting to having a sister/friend that does not go home. He has been very protective of his mooching spot in the kitchen, of his kids that pet him, of his daddy that always takes him on a walk, of his mommy that gives him belly rubs...you get the drift. However he is doing very well. I would say that we are her forever home for sure!!!!

We have been so inspired by this organization that we want to volunteer, so we are getting our applications to you all. Who knows, we may want another malpal in the future!

We love our mals just like our kids!

Jack is doing great.  He's a big softy.  The first couple of days he was very protective around the food bowls and had issues with Koah eating when he ate.  But now it doesn't bother him at all.   No matter what Koah does he never gets bothered.  Oh, and we thought Koah was the most attention crazy dog...we were wrong.  Anytime you move Jack likes to follow, and if you stop for a sec he rolls over by your feet and starts scratching you tell you rub his belly.

Jack is a great friend to Koah.  We couldn't be happier.  Thanks again. 

This morning Colleen met Juneau at Centennial and it was love at first sight! Colleen has owned a mal before - her "Pancake" died one year ago and she is more than ready to open her heart and home to another fur kid. She is the kind of person that really dotes on her animals and treats them as part of the family. Juneau will have a nice big yard to run around in but best of all Colleen will have lots of time for him as she is only gone about 4 hours per day. I told Juneau this morning that he had really hit the jackpot in finding his new home. He must have agreed because as soon as Colleen opened up the car door to get her purse, he was inside! And there he stayed until all the paperwork was taken care of.
Mary

Hi all you friends of Sampson:

I wanted to update you on Sampson’s adjustment to his new home. He is doing well and finally does not need a muzzle when he interacts with his doggy brothers. He is getting the hang of where to go potty, although sometimes I wonder why he doesn’t tell me just a wee bit sooner, it’s usually a quick run to the door, sigh. Oh, well.

He is eating well and has had his first bath. We are happy with him and he is happy here.
Thanks for your support.

Subject: To Bailey
This is an e-mail from Strider (now Kodi) to one of my dogs.
(ed note: Donna was Strider's foster mom)
Donna

-----Original Message-----
Dear Bailey,
Just thought I'd let you know that things are going well with me here in Zillah. I found out that jumping into the pickup is not hard and we get to go to interesting places. Sometimes I get a corn dog when he goes to pick up parts, and sometimes I get to help Dad change sprinklers and stuff. I also get to run with the 3-wheeler through the orchards, now that's fun! I know I could beat Dad but I let him keep up with me. I really do miss you, though.
Mom taught me a couple of new things called stay and come. I humor her because she gives me treats. Mom says to tell Donna hi.
Kodi

Dad's typing this for me (my paws are all thumbs 😉 ), but I wanted to let you know that I'm settling in here pretty well. I was pretty grumpy for the first few days, and I think I kind of had Mom and Dad worried that I might try to bite someone so they had me wear a muzzle whenever I was around Mauja and Siku. I have to admit I still think all the dog food belongs to me, but I'm trying to be good. In fact, I've been so good that I'm not wearing the muzzle much anymore.

My new Mom said that I had to write an email to let you know how I’m doing and to reassure you that I’m okay.
Yesterday, when I climbed into my new family’s car, I tried to settle in the middle of the back seat. My new Dad crawled in after me and tried to push me over to make more room. I grumbled, a lot, because I didn’t want to move. Once we were all in and on the road, I laid across Dad’s lap. Then he grumbled, a lot. He said something about my using the WHOLE seat and not just his half. I grumbled back and he let me stay where I was, on his half of the seat, with him.
I was really scared when we drove away from the kennel and I grumbled some more. But my Dad hugged me close and protected me from the other dogs. My heart hurt so much. I think my Mom was right, a quick break was best.
It was a really long trip, so I know that I am far away from you all. When we reached my new home in Portland, Mom and Dad put Mauja and Siku (my new brothers) into the house and then took me to the pet store. It was fun to smell all the new smells, have lots of people smile at me, and intimidate a little white Shih Tzu and a baby Daschund. They bought me a new collar, a lead, water and food bowls, a muzzle, and best of all - a name tag of my very own. It says Sam Bedell on it. Cool huh?
When we got back home, Dad put the muzzle on me. I didn’t mind much since Mom explained that it was only temporary, just until I got used to my brothers. She said that biting them would be a bad thing and since I was so scared, wearing it was best. Do moms always know what’s best? I think maybe so. Anyhow, I spent the evening getting acquainted with my brothers and checking out the new house. I learned real quickly that Mom hates it when I pee on her roses. Won’t do that again! After supper, we watched TV and Dad sat with me and brushed out some of my tangles. Oh! It felt so good to be brushed. Mom keeps saying something about a bath, not sure I’m going to like that much, but so far she says, “in a week or so.” How long is a week?
Anyhow, I’ll worry about that one later.
I spent the night on a blanket in my Mom and Dad’s room. Mom said that I must have been really tired because I was quiet all night. Except for that one time at 4AM when I put my face in her face. I was just checking to see if she was still there. She petted my nose and cuddled me for a minute and then I went right back to sleep.
In the morning we went outside. I still can’t figure out where they want me to pee. Mom keeps saying, “Pee on the rocks,” but I want to go on the plants. However, when I do pee on the rock pathways, she praises me, so maybe I’ll think about doing that next time.
This morning I ate my breakfast and spent a lot of time grumbling at my brothers. Mom and Dad said it was okay to grumble, but not growl. When I really growled and snapped at Siku, Dad rolled me over and laid on top of me. Guess I’ll try to remember to only grumble from now on. Mauja is an okay dog, I can get used to him. Siku may take a bit more time. He wants to play and I don’t. He’ll eventually learn.
Everyone around here calls me a grumpy old bear, is that a good thing? Must be, because they cuddle me right after they say it.
I think I’m going to like it here. It’s only my second day, but somehow I don’t know, I just have this feeling. And Mom and Dad keep saying that this is my forever home. Maybe I’ll relax and trust them. Maybe.
Well, I’ve rambled on long enough. Mom typed this message for me since we quickly realized that my paws are too big for the keyboard.
I’m tired now and it’s time for a nap. I’ll write again soon.
Love to you all---
Sampson, a.k.a. Sam Bedell

03/27/05
Hi Sam! It is so good to hear from you and learn about your new home. I know you were apprehensive when you climbed up into that strange car but you did it willingly so I knew you were going to be OK. I remember how you like to curl up on one side of the car seat even though you have the whole seat to stretch out on, as you did that many a time in my car!
I bet that trip to the pet store was a lot of fun. Even humans are in awe of you - you are such an imposing figure. I can only imagine what the Shih Tsu and Dachshund thought!
Your new family sounds like just what the Dr. ordered! Sam, you don't need to worry about being shuttled around anymore - your new mom and dad really love you and are committed to giving you your forever home. You are going to love having mom around all day to give you pets and hugs when you need them. Please try real hard to get along with your new brothers - it will make life a lot easier and will make your mom and dad really happy.
You have a wonderful adventure ahead of you Sam. I'm sure gonna miss you, but I'm very happy that you have a new home. I won't ever forget you, big boy!
Love, Mary

The adopters came to Centennial this morning with their dogs to meet Sampson. When Jane called this morning she said "this is Sampson's new mom" so they were committed to taking him home sight unseen!

We introduced one dog at a time and Sampson seemed to get along with their dominant dog just fine.  Sampson did get a bit snarly with the other dog - both of their dogs are males.  After initial meetings and walking around and smelling each other we took them to one of the enclosed areas.  Sampson was still on leash but the other dogs were off leash.  They pretty much just ignored Sampson as they were only interested in all the smells in there.  I think I was a distraction to Sampson as he seemed to want to be by me.  I left to go to the office to get an adoption agreement and was gone for a few minutes.  When I returned the Bedell's said Sampson did much better when I wasn't there!  He is just so possessive and jealous when anyone else gets attention.  They seem to think that all will go fine when they get him home. Unfortunately, they were in such a hurry to leave the house this morning that they forgot to get the divider thing that separates the back end of the vehicle from the back seat.  So when they left Mr. Bedell was in the back passenger seat with Sampson to referee any doggy disagreements that may arise.  It was very bitter-sweet for me to see him ride off with them!  I know he deserves to be in a good home and I am very happy for him but I had become very attached to the old boy.

It's been a while so I thought I would drop you a line. We can't thank you enough for bringing Silver into our lives. He is simply the best match we could have ever asked for. I quite honestly feel that he thinks Mackenzie is his daughter instead of mine. He has fit perfectly into the pack. I'm on cable now so here is a couple of pictures.

We wanted to let you know that Cheyenne has been a great girl. She has gotten along with Sitka (our male Siberian Husky) perfect. They love to play, and she has been very sweet with him. She keeps him in line without being over aggressive. She acts as though she has known us for awhile. Her and Sitka enjoy sleeping on the bed with us...that doesn't leave much room for Li and I :-). The cats are used to dogs and go about their business as usual. Cheyenne definitely has a high prey drive...she loves to search/dig for gophers, etc...and stares at our cats and ferret. They don't mind and have done everything except climb on her. Even though she has been fairly good with the cats, we know not to trust her yet. We have been taking the dogs to "Chimney Park" and Cheyenne has gotten along with everybody (dogs, kids, etc...), we have even met Donna and her pack a couple of times. Cheyenne, Sitka, and Teton got along great with each other. We look forward to more interactions. We were also brave enough to take Cheyenne and Sitka rollerblading. Needless to say we had a lot of laughs, and were careful.

Tia is doing very well. She has made herself right at home. We noticed a small abscess on her belly, but we took her to the vet and got it taken care of. She has a lot of love to give and wants to please whoever she is around. She gets lots of attention and gets a bit excited when Bonnie comes home at 7:00 pm. Try telling a dog no running in the house when they are overly excited. She is actually sleeping in front of the tv right now. She behaves well in the house (except for the above mentioned episode). She is such a good dog. We are glad we chose her. Had a funny thing happen last week when Bonnie went to put her outside to go to bed. She jumped up on the bed, put her head on the pillow and was ready for bed. Just like she belonged there. She gives lots of kisses and receives lots of hugs and kisses. She is well trained and knows "no" when she is told no. We can't say enough things about her. We love this dog. We hope she knows she is here to stay.

Hey ladies, My wife and I want to known what we have to do to keep this little puppy forever? We think she will turn out great with a little work on her. We took her to our Vet on 17th and every thing looks really good for her, we did get a Rabies because of the squirrels that live around us. She is really pickings up from us, we all most have it where she will not jump up at this point. She get ahead of her self and then she will jump up to kiss us and to greets us, but then we will tell her no jumper and point to the floor and then she will sit. She is OK with the cats, our cats have been staying away from her, the first 2 day she would try and take off and try to chase them and we would tell her "No cats" and last night 1 of the cats came in and she went to get up and I pointed my finger to the ground and she just lie right back down. I think she is getting use to them?? Only time will tell and we are wanting to put that time in to her. she been though to much all ready and she need to have a home!
Let us known what we need to do?
Thank You

Shyla is doing great and she is starting to fit right in. "Boy, she as energy to BURN" :-), but our puppy is taken care of that. I think that they played for 32 hours straight before they went to bed. So far so as been really listening to me and my wife, and we are working with her. Carole took 45 min. out working with her in the front yard with out Tacaani around, it going to take a little time but I think she will come along great. Hey my wife and I have noticed some thing about her, it seems that her hearing is not very good?? or she is just hard headed?? it seems that when we call her she does turn to us until we get louder with her name. We are going to take her too our vet. so he can check her, but don't worry if she is its some thing that we have to live with. She is doing good with the cats, just got to remind her "no cats" but she is a fast learner. Well for now I will let you go. again Thanks a lot for her

Hello Planet Parents, Darwin (Saturn) is doing quite well and seemingly getting bigger every day!? He just went to the vet for his rabies shot and he weighs 41lbs.? He is very loving and listens well.? We had some initial trouble with the potty training but he seems like he is starting to get it. He seems to be very happy here and comfortable with his surroundings.? He is still getting used to his large paws... so he is a bit clumsy.? He has lost a couple of teeth and just keeps growing!

Jules,
I thank you also, he is so wonderful, I know that he and Keyote are meant to be bud's.
Well they are sure a pair.  My foster dad who lives with us is half blind and can't tell them apart.  Dad and Ranger gelled very well.

We sat outside in the yard and let the boys run.  They played well and ranger has marked his boundary. Every tree and corner post in the yard. Keyote showed Ranger the ropes.  I think that Ranger is going to attach himself to my sister Kathy who lives with me.  He has been following her around and loves the sound of her voice.  This is ok with me, but we aren't sure how her cat is gonna like it yet LOL. No prob tho. She is the oldest in the house and knows how to bring about peace and is a good welcoming committee.  Our Lil Bit  (toy pom) has set him straight and he not only appreciates it but is more than willing to accept her as the mistress of the house.

So for a first day we are doing quite well.  Ranger did try to charge Keyote's dish as he was eating his dinner, but a well placed rolled up magazine smacked on the counter between them had Ranger thinking that he wasn't supposed to do that.  I also must tell you he took his pills for me with out a hitch.  He love peanut butter, and the pill sticks to it 😉  What was that old saying about a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down?  Well I think they should have said Peanut butter.

And he was willing to share the peanut butter spoon with Keyote after he got the pill down.. One lick for Ranger and one lick for Keyote. Strange how that helped him learn to share.  So all in all I think it was a very good start to a very long family relationship.
Thanks again
Sj

From: Jules (The foster parents for Ranger)
You will be happy to know that the meeting between Ranger and Keyote was a smashing success and I had no concerns at all about letting Sally Jo take him with her today.  I am confident that Sally Jo is more than capable of handling the integration process once she gets Ranger home.  Ranger was somewhat reticent upon the initial meeting, but Keyote broke him down with his playful antics and soon the two of them were romping and wrestling together.  Ranger left us sporting a beautiful new purple halter and jumped easily into Sally's SUV where he and Keyote hung their heads out the same window as they drove away.  Ranger is such a love bug and I am so pleased that he has found a forever home that will provide the companionship that he craves and the acreage that will accommodate his high energy!
Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help...
Jules

We adopted Charon now Maggie... she is 29lbs, and is adjusting to our home well. We took her to Stevens to play in the snow a couple of weeks ago and she LOVED it!

This is Jupiter (now named Kobuk). His adopters report he is house trained and is going through the big CHEW stage, but they have lost only one slipper so far! He weighs 35 lbs.

Hi All-- This is very exciting! We adopted Mars - kept the name because we couldn’t agree on one, and anyway, “Men are from mars”. The funny thing is that my husband has a pair of Marvin the Martian slippers and Mars won’t leave them alone no matter where we “hide” them he finds them. He is huge, at 13 weeks he weighed 30 lbs. and today is his next vet visit, my guess is he’ll weigh in at about 40 lbs, he has grown a lot since then. I am amazed at how obedient he is, didn’t expect that from his Mal side, but he did come to us with some basic training, one night right after we got him my husband said it’s time for bed, we both went off to get ready and then we couldn’t find Mars anywhere. After looking everywhere else in the house we finally found him in his crate, we figured whoever trained him called it a “bed”. He seems to be a very smart boy! He’s house trained and knows sit, come, outside and leash. He is very cuddly and lovable and the only thing we are seriously working on now is biting, if he doesn’t get his way he tends to grab our hand with his mouth, not really a “bite” just a gesture of control, got any good ideas on how to stop this behavior?

We adopted Mercury and he is now Buster.  He is doing very well and we love him lots.  He still has moments with the potty training (and believe me, it only takes a moment).  And there's the small issue of his landscaping and bringing bushes, root ball and all, into the house via the doggie door.  But I ended up with a new steam cleaner and we're working on it.

Buster and his brother, Darwin (Saturn) spent yesterday together.  They spend time together just about every week.  But yesterday they went to the vet. Buster weighs in at about 33 lbs. while Darwin is up to 40.  He's huge.  They played the entire day together and Buster was exhausted last night.  He was still kind of slow this morning.

Buster and his brother, Darwin (Saturn) spent yesterday together. They spend time together just about every week. But yesterday they went to the vet. Buster weighs in at about 33 lbs. while Darwin is up to 40. He's huge. They played the entire day together and Buster was exhausted last night. He was still kind of slow this morning.

We adopted Venus (now Bella) and we love her. I wanted to find out how her litter mates are doing and what size they are at currently. They are now 16 weeks old and Bella is 30pds. We wanted to see if she was normal for the litter and how her size compares to a full bred malamute of this age. I am attaching a picture from a recent ski trip. Bella loved the snow and was great at the hut. Any information will be great and we are loving our little girl.

We have had Boots for 10 days now and I think he is beginning to calm down and feel at home. Sometimes he runs back and forth along the llama fence trying to get them to run with him. We have a very good guard llama, and he runs back and forth on the other side trying to stomp on Boots. Boots thinks this is great fun. He still has not made any attempt to go over the fence, so I am really glad about that. He is very sweet and very much like our Bear Dog. My husband and I both slip and call him Bear sometimes. The saddest thing about Boots so far is that yesterday we bought him a rope to play keep away and tug of war, and he had no idea what to do with it. Within minutes he got the idea, but I couldn't believe the neglect he has had. I'll see if I can send a picture of him.

Just wanted to let you know Willard is happy as a clam here.  I think he figures he died and went to heaven.  He is the sweetest old guy and smart too.  He is so funny...wants to be petted all the time and paws me to get petted and if I ignore him he starts pawing my foot...smart!  Definitely not a picky pooch....feet, hands, whatever, just pet me!!

I'm just amazed his owner did not keep him with her as he is a great house dog, minds, sleeps a lot, wants to be petted, loves whatever you give him to munch, etc.  He would have been a great companion and comfort for her after her husband's death.  On the flip side...he certainly enriches my life as well as Ellen's.

I just thought I'd let you know we have all survived our 1st 24 hours.  Last night was like having a new baby.  Boots woke me up at least 3 times to check on me??  Around 2 am the heat come on for the 1st time and I could hear him going from room to room checking all of the heat vents.  Then in the morning here was a stuffed bear face down in the middle of the bedroom where he had been sleeping.  The last I knew, that bear was in my office.  That was kinda cute.

He is leery of the llamas and they feel the same about him, so I wouldn't trust them together without someone being present.  He'll just have to stay in the dog run for a few hours each day when we're gone.   So far he has been running free with the front gate shut and has not made any attempt to get in with the llamas.  He's more concerned about where Dave & I are at all times.  He seems a bit insecure, and with good reason I would think. He is pooping cowpies today, which is either the cat food or nerves, so I got him Science Diet for Adults (dry), and was wondering what you feed your dogs.

So that's the update.  I'll keep you informed.

Sorry it's been so long since I gave you an update but we've been busy here getting an abandoned dog into rescue. Cola is doing great. She no longer snaps at us at all and only gives us warning looks once in a while. Her obedience classes are going really well also and we are going to put her and Dawson in Agility at the end of Mar. We have started using a gentle leaded when we walk her and she no longer pulls. She's not crazy about the leader collar but she has only used it one day. It's kinda like a puppy with and a first time collar- they fight it but as soon as something is more interesting they don't remember they are wearing it. How's Scout and his new friend. I bet he was happy to have a new buddy. Hopefully they get along as well as he did with Cola. They were pretty good together. Here are some pics of her-enjoy!

She is doing very well, loves her hikes! She has made the house hers, and has added some extra warmth to my bed where she loves to lay out and sleep. She is a funny dog and talks at me when I stop to rest while we hike and she is ready for more, its very funny the look she gives me lol. The kids adore her and they play a lot outside. Currently we are working on crate training her some because she likes to use the front room at weird times to go to the bathroom. All shots are now current, and as far as I can tell all is well.

So far things are going well.  He really acts like he has been here forever...just made himself right at home.
He is a funny guy and will go outside with me, but within a few minutes runs back in the house thru the dog door, lays on the quilts on the living room floor and waits for me to come back in.  It will take him a bit to realize there is no chain here.

He also smells to high heaven.  I have brushed him some and tomorrow will make a beauty parlor appointment ASAP.  My friend came over last evening and walked into the house and immediately said...What is that smell!  Too funny.

I appreciate your offer to help if I run into problems.  As far as I can tell, he is a sweet pooch and I should be able to handle what comes up.  I think Ellen will too as she has politely snarled at him when he is too excited and he immediately put his head down and walked away.

Hi Tina,
Well not only does she like plastic, she has gone through 5 of Chico's stuffed animals. ha ha!!!!!  They are all totally disembowled. She is still food aggressive and we hope to get her over that but if not that's ok she's not too bad with it. She is very protective with the toys too, she doesn't like to share much. Her and Chico are best friends.  They love to go bye bye.  Nakita is so funny, when I'm on the computer or doing something and she wants attention, she puts her nose under my arm and lifts it so it lands around her neck and she will keep doing it until I acknowledge her presence.  We are having a blast.  She is well loved and a permanent part of this family.

Tina I wrote:
I am so glad she's getting along.  I was hoping you guys were able to deal with her food aggression.  She's so weird about food that I actually found it kind of funny, in a "I hope she doesn't actually take my arm off" way.  Didn't I warn you about the plastic?  She was always trying to chew on my son's plastic toys.  Not any of the other ones (most other dogs want to go after his stuffed animals), just the plastic.  And she chewed the nub off of my pooper scooper right after I washed it off and put it away!  🙂  She is such an imp. I really am glad for you guys. We loved her too, but weren't interested in adopting right now.  Please continue to keep us updated and feel free to send pictures!  🙂  By the way, you're welcome.  She is an awesome dog.

-------------- Original message --------------
HI TINA,
NAKITA IS DOING WELL, WE LOVE HER TO DEATH.  SHE WILL EAT SNACKS OUT OF YOUR HAND BUT DOES NOT LIKE ANYONE AROUND HER WHEN SHE IS NEAR FOOD.  SHE LIKES TO EAT OUT OF CHICO'S DISH INSTEAD OF HER OWN SO WE WILL PROBABLY BE SWITCHING THEM FOOD BOWLS, WE FEED THEM BOTH IN SEPARATE ROOMS SO THERE WILL BE NO FIGHTING.  SHE'S FITTING IN HERE GREAT. HOPEFULLY WE WILL GET HER TO BE DOING BETTER WITH HER FOOD AGGRESSION, AND IF NOT, WELL THINGS WILL STAY AS THEY ARE.  SHE SLEEPS ON CHEYENNES BED WITH HER AND THEY BOTH GO TO SCHOOL WITH ME.  ONE THING ABOUT HER, SHE IS FASCINATED WITH PLASTIC AND LIKES TO TEAR IT APART IF GIVEN THE SLIGHTEST CHANCE.  WELL KEEP IN TOUCH AND WE WILL WRITE MORE LATER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HER. 

Tina I Wrote:
As Niki's former foster mom, I just wanted to say hi and see how she's settling in. I don't know if any of the board members have contacted you since I'm not privy to that information, so I wanted to send you a note myself. I hope you guys are enjoying her as much as we did, and getting along ok with her food issues.   
What does Chico think of his new sister? I hope all is well, please write back.

We have adopted Mars and he is absolutely wonderful!  We love him so much that we couldn’t imagine our life without him.  Our vet says he is in perfect health and we think he is the “perfect puppy” too!  He comes when he’s called, he can sit, leave it, and tell us when he has to go out (most of the time). He sleeps through the night, he knows “bed” is his crate and he seems to like being in there when we are not able to keep an eye on him.  When we walk with him on a leash he walks behind us and leaves the leash loose.  He’s lovable and fun and way more than we had hoped for in a puppy - all we were going for from his picture was “cute”!  So happy that we were able to adopt him!

So far so good. Bear got home and loved the back yard. Princess was interested in him, but wasn't quite sure. Bear showed a lot of interest in her, as if he wanted to play. We have just kept everybody their distance and used the crate. We let Bear out of the crate in the living room on a leash and played with him a bit, he was having a blast. We took some pictures of the very happy boy. We took Bear and Princess for a short walk this evening they enjoyed each others company but didn't try to challenge the rules of one dog on one side and  the other on the other side. They were really, really good. Just with the little we have done with Bear on a leash today, there has been a large improvement since even this morning. So far so good, but we are taking baby steps. 

Everything will fall into place in time.

I can't believe in June it will be two years since I picked Sierra up in Maple Valley.  She is such a joy in my life, and I just adore her.

She is doing great, and I thought I would just send some updated photos to WAMAL to let you folks know that she's doing very well.  The two emails I'm sending are a little outdated in text, but the pictures of Sierra (or "boo-boo" when she's being extra cute) are great.  The one attached to this email I find particularly funny.  The picture was taken at her doggy daycare for the fourth of July, and the photographer laughingly said that Sierra loved the camera, and having all eyes on her.  She really hammed it up!

The other email I'll send has pictures of me, my boyfriend, Erik, and his Siberian named Kobi.  It took some adjustment (Kobi is 8, and has been an only dog all his life), but things are fine with both of them.  At home, they just act like the other isn't there, but at the dog park they seem to "rediscover" one another, and have a wonderful time playing tag together.

I think WAMAL is a great organization, and it inspires me to someday want to have more resources so that I can adopt another mal., or even foster.

That is funny you emailed me, I was thinking about emailing everyone. Joshua is doing great. Had a few small issues at first; He ripped down my molding to my door and he likes to sneak off with food from the pantry, but that is so minor 🙂 Otherwise, all is great. I did take him to the groomer at the kennel and he freaked out! But I sat with him and he was a little calmer. Boy, he looks so handsome!!! He has been digging at himself to where he has patches of skin showing. Is this normal? He seems to leave our cat alone. He is interested at first when Zazu comes around, but never approaches him. We walk a lot and play all the time. He enjoys car rides and has done real well when other dogs are around. I did notice that he seems very protective of us. If he feels any one of us are in danger, he howls and barks. My son tells me everyday how much he loves his new puppy! I think it was well worth the wait to find Josh, he is truly a perfect fit for our family. Thank You!!! 🙂

I know that it has been over my two-week trial period, and I wanted to say that....Chobi (aka: Ty is the best dog ever. really. Ever, in the history of the world.... and you can never have him back. 🙂

Anyway, i really wanted to thank everyone that came out to centennial and helped me with my choice. Chobi (choe-bee) seems pretty happy here in the Tri-Cities. He has two good friends next door that he is always eager to play with. He is always quiet, unless he believes he's going to go on a run. He has a new doghouse that he never uses, but he is not keen on escaping or digging either - so everybody is happy. He seems to know most commands already and has even come with shaking hands and catching biscuits installed. 🙂

I ended up going went with a different name since he had only been named Ty for a week. I mulled over a few other names, including Tyger, but went with Chobi (Bengali for Photograph) in the end.

Cola is doing great. We haven't had any more snapping issues and she is really starting to relax. Her and Dawson are a lot happier since the weather has gotten warmer and they can stay out all day. We have started obedience class and she is doing well. She doesn't pull as hard on leash as she use to but on her Extend-a-lead she still pulls quite a bit. She should come around as the class progresses. How's Scout-does he have a new friend yet?

We are going to the park today so I'll try and get some more pics. Here are some pics of her doing one of the things she likes to do most.

Cola's fit into the family very well. Her and Dawson, our other mal, adore each other. She also thinks our three cats are ok. And the horses-new best friends. Her favorite past time is chasing the horses from her side of the fence. She runs with them as run past the yard, she thinks she's part of the herd. Out of the yard, she only goes in the pasture if we are there then runs back into the yard so she can run with the horses. I think she knows they can't chase her when she's in the yard.

Daily long walks help burn some of the abundant energy she has and boy she has lots. She is fascinated by all the wildlife scents (deer, moose, coyote) on our walks. 10 year old Dawson tries to keep up to her but in the end just lets her spin hoping one day he will finally catch her-no way!

Xmas went great. We took them both to my mom's place in Calgary, about 7 hours away. Cola was very calm and comfortable away from home. She seems to know she has found Home.    

Hi WAMAL Folks!
Cody has now been in his permanent home with us for 10 months. He's finally coming into his own as far knowing where he belongs and that he gets to stay forever. He has made two new friends - a husky/aussie mix and an American Bulldog. They come for play dates and he loves them. The bulldog thinks Cody is wonderful and follows him around trying to do malamute things - ever hear a bulldog wooooooooo? With those lips????
Anyway, here are a couple of our Christmas pictures, just for fun. Thanks again WAMAL.

Akiya now Mahina looks nothing like when she came into rescue. Her new owner, Momi is taking the best care of her and in turn, Mahina is restoring Momi's spirit after her loss of Lishka to cancer not long ago. Momi also adopted Lishka through us about 5 years ago.

I'M SHEBA & I WAS ADOPTED EARLIER THIS YEAR BY THE PELUSO'S. I JUST TURNED TWO YEARS OLD & HAVE GROWN TO BE A BIG GIRL I'M STILL A SLIM NINETY THREE POUNDS. I HAVE BEEN THROUGH OBEDIENCE SCHOOL & GRADUATED. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY I HAD TO GO BUT JOE SAID THAT GAYLENE NEEDED THE TRAINING. I GET TO WALK EVERY DAY & MEET OTHER DOGS & JOGGERS. I REALLY DON'T LIKE SMALL DOGS THAT BARK AT US. I HAVE A BIG YARD WITH A KIO POND THAT I HAVE TO STAY AWAY FROM SINCE THE SECOND TIME I JUMPED IN. I HAVE CHASED RACCOONS & OTHER INTRUDERS OUT OF MY YARD & KNOW THAT'S MY JOB.I HAVE A NICE HOUSE & GREAT ROOMMATES THAT LOVE ME AS MUCH AS PEOPLE CAN. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR RESCUING ME & MATCHING ME UP WITH JOE & GAYLENE. YOUR A GREAT GROUP & DO SUCH A GOOD JOB. THANKS FOR FINDING ME A PLACE TO LIVE & HOMES FOR MY CLOSE FRIENDS.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
SHEBA

Well it's week 3 and Cola is fitting in great. She likes all her new friends especially Dawson our other Mal. She is even becoming good friends with our colt Dancer. She is a little scared of him yet but she keeps trying to get up the courage to get a little closer. He is quite interested in her but every time he moves closer she scurries her butt under the fence. She loves her daily walks and enjoys the nightly "on the bed visits" before bedtime. (ok she's spoiled) She has little problems with the cats as long as they don't take our attention away from her. She is going to obedience class in Jan and then we're going to try Agility with her-can't wait. Xmas is coming and she and Dawson are going to Calgary with us. She loves car rides. Cola is a loved member of our family and she has found her forever home!!

SugarNSpice, now known as Bella, is settling right into her new family.  Our first day home was interesting, as she ran around at a hundred miles an hour, checking out everything in sight.  She and Kuma, our 5 month-old Mal pup, are doing great together.  Bella is also doing really well with our cats.  She wants to check them out, but doesn't show any intention to hurt or harm them.  They avoid her, simply because she moves so fast.  She has found that being inside the house is pretty neat!  I found her curled up in my recliner this morning.  I also had to go let the two clowns out of the kennel at 4 this morning....it was snowing and they were like 2 kids in a candy store.  They couldn't wait to be turned loose in the yard!  We frequently catch Bella standing in the middle of the patio table....for what reason, we have no clue. 

Bella loves to go for rides, as Vicki said!  She's enjoyed going to the office with me when I have to work.  If someone listened to her when she is playing, and didn't watch her body language, you would think she is the meanest dog in the world!  She has a vicious sounding growl but her lips aren't curled, her tail is wagging, and her ears are up.  Is this just an way of playing?  Is it a sign of under-socialization?  Her body language says play, but that growl sounds like it should come out of a dog 3 times her size.  If any of you have experiences with that, I'd love to hear them.

So far it looks like everything is working out just fine.  Bella is such a truly sweet dog, and she is a having a lot of fun with Kuma.

Bet your dying for an update. First things first, I have to break the news to you we changed Lola's name to Cola. Sorry but everytime we look at her color and her bubbly energetic personality we think of a bottle of Coca Cola and Cola is close to Lola so she answered to it right away. I hope you like it. Cola is adapting well. Her and Dawson are getting along better and can be in close quarters with each other now. We still don't leave them in the yard alone together unsupervised yet as they are still figuring each other out. Cola responds fairly well off leash in the pasture by our house(lots of good smells) and her and Dawson are fine with each other out there. On leash is another story. She is registered for an obedience class in January and I am thinking about doing Agility with her. She has so much energy and wants to please so badly that I think she'll love running the course.

We have noticed that she is scared of small narrow spaces such as basement stairs and bathrooms. We have been working with her and she is now willing to go into the bathroom but not downstairs in the house. Outside is fine. As far as her touchiness around her back end- she is fine. I think trust is an issue with her. She is also fine if I hold her food bowl and she eats out of it, but if I am not holding the bowl and try and touch it while she is eating she definitely isn't happy about it. But we're working on that.

Cola is an awesome girl and is as cuddly as you said, which is good because Brenda and I give lots of hugs. Here are some pics of her in the yard and on one of our walks. I will also send in something to the Happy Trails probably next week.
This is my favorite.
Next update will be Happy Trails.

Kodiak is doing great, and has finally settled into things completely. I didn't realize he hadn't until he did, if that makes sense. He finally has stopped finding easy places to sneak out and socialize with all the neighborhood dogs (who he gets along with, each one!) after only about a dozen or so separate fence repairs on my part! Life is pretty good and fun with the dogs, hope you are well too and have a good Thanksgiving!

Dave - I was just in process of ordering a harness for Micah that we adopted through you last June and happened to pull up this old email. Thought I'd send you an update how well Micah is doing here.

His weight went from 63 pounds last June to 87 pounds. He is now healthy and energetic - acts like a puppy half the time. He's doing great. His favorite spot is to sleep on our bed with his head on my wife's pillow, whenever she is not at home. Humorously the dogs broke into our food cabinet last Friday and between then split about 10-12 pounds of dry food. Pretty funny - we went ahead and put food out for everyone that evening and everyone ate except for Micah – he just looked at his food bowl with this look on his face that said, "I don't think I could eat another kibble..."

We also adopted a Siberian Husky from Adoptahusky in late summer. All 4 dogs are doing great - everyone goes on hikes, walks and jogs a lot. He has even been camping with us in August.

Season's Greetings from Rocky and Liberty
We thought we would let you all know things are still going well with our Rocky and Liberty.  As you know the day after we brought Rocky home Jim had him out for a walk of several miles.  Everyday since the 3 of them, Jim, Rocky and Liberty put in 2 walks a day anywhere from 2-5 miles each walk. As a result Jim’s arms are now 6 feet long. So far Rocky is not showing any signs of discomfort or wanting to quit.  He is very eager to go all the time.  He appears to be a perfectly healthy fellow.  I have read some of the notes from the vet in Bellevue Animal Shelter and I am not sure why he felt Rocky had hip problems because he sure it not showing us any problems.  What you don't know is they take their walks down on the Interurban trail her in Kent.  Soon after we got Rocky Jim felt the cab of his truck even though it has a little extension was to small for these giant mals so he modified it by taking out the passenger seat.  Now there is plenty of room for the three of them and none for me.  Oh well don't say we don't pamper our pets.
As you heard two weeks ago they did get into a fight in the middle of the night with Liberty getting a little bit of the short end.  She did have her vet appointment already scheduled that day so they looked over her wounds which were a few little puncture marks and we have been giving her antibiotics since then.  She is doing well and does not seem to be scared of Rocky in any way as a result.  Since we were asleep we are not sure what caused to fight but I thought it might be over a toy since Liberty had a stuffed animal and Rocky had been eyeing it.  So off to Value Village I went and got a bag full of stuffed animals.  Now we make sure there is always two toys out.  However the other day Rocky figured out how to carry both in his mouth at the same time.  Later Liberty walked by and without stopping grabbed the animal out of Rocky's mouth and kept on going.  Smooth move that girl of mine has.
Liberty and Buddy used to play on the back deck, running back and forth having a great time.  She had tried to get Rocky to do the same but so far she had not had much luck.  I tried a few times and I get him going for a few seconds but that it.  Hopefully he will catch on to the running and wrestling thing because she likes it and it is fun to watch them play.
Rocky is a real love.  He looks so goofy with those floppy ears.  Does not look like the mals but he sure does have their sweet temper.  WAMALS website is correct they are not good watchdogs.  The other day the mailman brought me two packages and I thought this would be a problem since they were in the house.  Not at all those two lazy guys were laying on the living room floor with the front door open as if nothing was going on.  They could care less.  I guess if we do get robbed those two will probably show the thief where the good stuff in hidden.
Everyone enjoy the holidays