Blossom Tasha, the Shy Samoyed-Adopted

Blossom Tasha comes to us from Karen Gaston, Auburn, Alabama. Karen writes:

Gisele,

Are you SURE you’re closed for intake? Look at this pretty girl we’ve got in our Auburn shelter. This beauty is about 1-2 years old, HW neg, vaccinated for parvo, bordatella and distemper. She is sweet-natured but a little shy and skittish in handling at first. So they don’t think she’ll do well in the kennels. I’ve called her a shepherd mix in the picture file names, but now I think she’s a samoyed mix. Could you post her on your FB page to see if you get any interest in her?

Thanks,
Karen

I took one look at this pups face and thought I was going to fall out of my chair! She is VERY shy and timid, we’re working on it! I will have updates soon.

Here is a photo of Blossom with Callahan. They’re buddies!

When I forwarded the photos to Holly, she responded:

Gisele: Those ears are very samoyed. How long have they had her? I wonder if she has been clipped. If her tail curls and her lips are black, I think she is almost pure samoyed, maybe a touch of shepherd. Her coat does not have to be pure white ~ the breed has shades of vanilla in it. ~Holly

Update: Blossom is very shy. She has not been socialized whatsoever. She will gain self-confidence by being with other dogs like her, and Callahan is a very soft dog. Eventually, with treats, encouragement, patience and attention, she will…. blossom! It’s like Shy Shannon (now Hannah Banana) revisited!

Holly’s description reads: Beautiful, isn’t she? I used to live in Alaska and have come to love Samoyeds. White with dark, almond shaped eyes and a permanent smile on their faces, they just speak to my soul! So how did this six-month-old find herself in a kill shelter? I have no idea. Neither does she. Blossom came to us rather shy, perhaps because of that experience, but she is quickly blooming (pun intended) under the care of her foster and the other dogs in the pack. You can read more about her on her personal blog, http://thedogliberator.blogspot.com/2010/05/blossom-shy-samoyed.html, or on the Dog Liberator Facebook site.

Oh, and about the name…. I go off-line for a couple of days and Gisele names a Samoyed “Blossom”! After I gagged, I told her that Samoyeds, Huskies and Malamutes are traditionally given Russian or Alaskan names such as Kiska, Sitka, Denali, Tasha,…. She said, “She is so shy, she needs time to Blossom.” *gag* OK, I’ll just pretend that this is just a wink and a nod to my favorite Bambi character, Flower the shy skunk….

It is always tempting to fall in love with a dog based on its looks, and that is certainly the danger with the beautiful Samoyeds. But before you let your heart get ahead of your brain, do a little breed research to make sure that this is a breed that will meld into your lifestyle. To get you started, here is some information from www.dogbreedinfo.com:

Samoyeds are gentle dogs. Very devoted, easy-going, friendly and quite playful, they love everyone. They will gladly be friendly to all, including intruders. They are too friendly to be of much use as a watchdog, although its bark will alert you to the presence of strangers. It willingly adapts to family life and gets along well with children. They are highly intelligent, and will respond to firm, patient training, which should be started at an early age. Make sure you are this dogs firm, confident, consistent pack leader to avoid potential behavior issues such as, but not limited to, obsessive barking. The Sammy is accustomed to working in teams, and shows outstanding qualities. When this dog is given what he needs to be a stable minded dog, i.e. enough mental and physical exercise, along with clear leadership, it proves itself to be outstanding, good-natured, lively, and sociable. It never seeks trouble but can handle an adversary if necessary. They have a reputation of being chewers. If the Sammy is lacking in leadership and or exercise they become very destructive if left alone for many hours at a stretch. Samoyed’s should not be trusted with small non-canine pets, however there are plenty of them that live and get along with family cats.

Samoyeds are an ancient working breed. They have lived in Siberia with hunters and fishermen known as Samoyeds, hence where the breed received it’s name. The Samoyed people used the dogs to pull their sleds, guard their property and for herding reindeer. Their gene pool is closely related to the primitive dog with no wolf or fox mixed in. The dogs slept with the people to keep them warm. Robert Scott, an explorer brought the dogs to England in 1889. It was in England that the breed was further developed and from there they spread throughout the rest of the world. They were recognized by the AKC in 1906.

Grooming is needed. They are seasonal shedders. The fluffy double coat needs brushing, but tends to stay white without bathing. They have a life expectancy of 12-15 years.

Blossom Tabitha was adopted today. I’m anxious to get adoption updates! I hesitated at first, because she needs a lot of work, but the gentleness and patience that the Huviuus’ showed was perfect. They had the confidence in the breed, and Blossom felt it. Within minutes she was not leaving Neil’s side, and leaning on him. I couldn’t get her close to me with a hot dog! I guess she felt their energy, and it was a match. Because of her shyness, we’re going to give this new family a few days to gel, and because I will not stress her out, we have scheduled the remainder of her vetting and spay for June 1st. This will give Blossom the much needed time to bond with her new family, get socialized and over come her self-esteem issues before she is traumatized at the vet’s office.

Blossom is a keeper! We’ll be getting her vetted shortly, it appears that she has settled in nicely, and has a new best friend!