Northern Dreams Siberian Sanctuary

Northern Dreams Siberian Sanctuary

A haven for senior Siberian Huskies;
continuing the work of Jacques' Porter.

SNO lost a dedicated member and co-founder of our rescue team when Jacques’ Porter passed away on April 24, 2005 at her home in Sonora, Ca. Her tireless efforts to save Huskies in need were an inspiration to us all. Jacques’ frequently took in older abandoned dogs that other rescuers passed by. She had a gift for finding homes for these hard to place but worthy companions.

Jacques’ had been in the process of fulfilling a lifelong dream to move to the Pacific North West where she planned to continue her rescue work. In tribute to Jacques’, SNO has established the Northern Dreams Sanctuary.

Mission Statement:
The sanctuary was established to provide lifetime care for Siberians or Siberian mixes who are able to lead quality lives but due to advanced age, handicaps, chronic illness or other factors have been unable to find forever homes.

Meet the Sanctuary dogs:

All of the sanctuary dogs are given top quality nutrition and the best available veterinary care. Along with caring for their physical requirements all dogs have daily individual attention. Dogs are housed where they have interaction with other dogs unless illness or temperament issues require otherwise. A few of the sanctuary dogs are available for adoption to a home willing and able to care for a special needs dog.

TIMBER
Location: Northern Dreams Siberian Sanctuary
10 year old, Neutered Siberian Husky, Red/White, Amber Eyes

Timber's story:

Timber is a sweet boy, about 10 yrs old. He was adopted from a Seattle area shelter about 8 yrs ago, and the 1/2 thick paperwork that arrived in Rescue with him shows that he has been battling skin and coat issues for much of the past 6 yrs. The cost of his on-going vet visits, meds, and supplements, and the fact that none of it seemed to be helping finally forced his adopter to return him to the shelter. But the shelter workers really liked Timber and wanted to help him, so they called SNO. We accepted him into SNO's Sanctuary program the end of May 2009. We tried the special shampoo, sent with him, allowed him to finish his huge bottle of antibiotics and prednizone, and stabilized his diet with top quality kibble (all recommended by our vet). None of it worked and he continued to get even worse, with pink little skin eruptions, and itchiness that caused him to scratch and chew out large patches of fur in almost zero time.

Finally, again with the advice from our vet, we decided to totally change his food source, putting him on a special diet of fish and sweet potatoes. Along with the special food, our vet wanted to clean his slate completely, so he prescribed a run of more antibiotices, a fungicide, and prednizone...all at once. Taking him off the grains normally found in dog food (and perhaps the lamb or chicken, also very common) seem to have been the key for him. Even his treats are home-dehyrated yam slices! The fur began to grow back (see photo Timber-sum09), and now 2 months later, he has a thick coat over almost all his body. He still looks like patchwork, as it came in at different time-periods, is different colors and lengths. But, he is happy, very obviously feeling much better, has a twinkle in his eyes and a new "lady" to hang out with on the back porch: Nakita, age 13 who arrived a couple weeks ago.

Larger picture of Timber.

Donations towards Timber's care can be made through the PayPal link below.

NAKITA
Location: Northern Dreams Siberian Sanctuary
13 year old, Spayed Siberian Husky, Black/White, Blue Eyes

Nakita is 13 years YOUNG. She prances around the yard like a dog half her age, but we have her registration papers, and they show her birth date as 10/25/96. She was not a shelter dog. She was left in our care by her owner, a nice man with mobility problems and other life complications who could no longer take care of her. She is getting used to her new life as a SNO dog, eats well, has Siberian friends to hang out with, and enchants everyone she meets with her sparkling personality. More pictures of Nakita.

Donations towards Nakita's care can be made through the PayPal link below.

LUCY
Location: Northern Dreams Siberian Sanctuary
10 year old, Spayed Siberian Husky, White, Blue Eyes

You can't help but be happy when Lucy is around. After all she is extremely cute. She loves everyone and wants to be the center of attention.

Lucy has some medical issues that requires she remain a sanctuary dog. So far these issues are not affecting her quality of life. She is a happy little girl. Her buddy Sammie adores her and follows her everywhere.

Donations towards Lucy's care can be made through the PayPal link below.

	BATISTE Location: Northern Dreams Siberian Sanctuary 13-15 years old, Alaskan Husky, Brown Eyes
	Batiste is an Alaskan Husky. In her younger years she made a trip to the Iditarod. She spent many years as a leader for a tour business. No one has any idea how old she might be, 13 to 15 but doesn't show it. Everyone is convinced that she will live forever. She gets along with all our Sibes even though she pretends she doesn't speak a word of Siberian. Donations towards Batiste's care can be made through the PayPal link below.

	TIKA Location: Northern Dreams Siberian Sanctuary 13 years old, Siberian Husky, Blue Eyes
	Tika is a California girl who has traded her flipflops and sunshades for a parka and boots. She was found last July wandering in an intersection in 1000 Oakes California by a kind soul who didn't want to see her get hit in the traffic. She took the dog home, advertised her for a solid month, trying to find the owner who surely was missing this sweet old girl. In the meantime, she took the dog to her vet, had shots caught up to date, had a sore back problem diagnosed, and put her on pain killers. But time passed, and no one called to claim this nice senior girl. The "finder" tried to locate a Siberian rescue in CA that would take the dog, but none would. So she branched out and eventually found us up in WA State. When we told her we had room, she put the dog, she had nicknamed Sweetie in her car and drove her all the way up here. Sweetie seemed dazed by all the changes in her old age and didn't eat for a week, then she started to nibble a little and we figured she might live after all. She didn't show us much personality, and we wondered about her history, wishing she could talk and tell us. We changed her name to Tika, short for "mystique"--since she is our mystery girl. Tika has settled in, in her quiet, unassuming way. She has taken the bathroom as her private bedroom and doesn't really interact very much with the other dogs here, though she does seem to like Gibson, my own senior boy. They hang out on the front porch, in the sun, on their cushy dog beds when I go to work. Lately, we took in a lot of puppies from a puppymill situation. Five of the little rugrats are here, and Tika has viewed them as "the little whippersnappers" until recently. With the addition of SuperDog treats to her daily ration, she has gained a definite twinkle to her eye and a spring to her step, and now seems to enjoy interacting with the babies for short bursts of time! Donations towards Tika's care can be made through the PayPal link below.

	KIARA Location: Northern Dreams Siberian Sanctuary 3 years old, Siberian Husky, Blue Eyes
	Kiara and her sister Tavie arrived here as non-socialized frightened puppies. Their story can be found under the news and stories section of our website. They have made a lot of progress but are still extremely shy. Kiara and her sister will put her head on my lap if I am eating something that she is hoping will land her way but will not allow me to pet her. She and her sister love playing with each other and hanging out in the house. She is too shy to be adoptable but that is ok with us because they are both very happy dogs and we really enjoy their company. Donations towards Kiara's care can be made through the PayPal link below.

	TAVIE Location: Northern Dreams Siberian Sanctuary 3 years old, Siberian Husky, Blue Eyes
	Like her sister Kiara, Tavie is very happy to take treats from us and loves hanging out inside. If she is standing up we can't pet her but once she is settled on her dog bed she will allow us to pet her all over and seems to enjoy it. She will even allow us to brush her. Tavie has a favorite dog bed next to the TV and can be found curled up there every evening. Donations towards Tavie's care can be made through the PayPal link below.

	SAMMIE Location: Northern Dreams Siberian Sanctuary 14 years old, Siberian Husky, Black/White, Blue Eyes
	Sammie came to us when she was 11 years old. Jan 1 2008 she celebrated her 14th birthday. Sammie was bought by her original owner at 8 weeks and lived with them until she came to us. After 11 years they decided that, with another baby arriving, there was no room in their lives for Sammie. Sammie was tied to their back porch with no shelter from the rain and snow. Luckily for Sammie, they contacted a shelter. The shelter had no room for her but a kind hearted employee found SNO. Sammie enjoys walks in the woods, her dinner and a long afternoon nap on her cushy dog bed. Donations towards Sammie's care can be made through the PayPal link below.

Gone but not Forgotten

TASHA	SHANA