First off, no we did not go get her in Columbus.
We officially started our dog search about a month ago. It went quite quickly – adoption application, meet and greet at the foster’s home, a virtual home visit (which we passed with flying colors), more paper work. Took our Columbus trip, got home last Monday and picked her up on Wednesday!
She is one of five siblings who were “breeder release” dogs from Missouri. There are a couple of scenarios for this. Some BR dogs have been over-bred and the breeders don’t want them anymore. Then apparently many breeders quickly get in over their heads, especially if they get too many puppies around the same time or they just have other issues that keep them from getting their dogs adopted out. We think she is this latter category of “overwhelmed” as she clearly has not had puppies. The rescue organization (which is actually in Wisconsin) goes to breeder release events and purchases dogs which they then adopt out.
She came up as “Olga” on the rescue website. The foster mom said that they just make up the names – theses siblings came with just twine around their necks and little hand written tags. Olga’s said “37”. That was it. Apparently most of her 18 months have been spent in a kennel.
On the way to the meet & greet, YA and I decided we did NOT want Olga as a name so we came up with a short list. Isolde and Jorinda were completely shot down by YA immediately. We also added Arwen and Galadriel from Lord of the Rings. YA wasn’t crazy about these either but she didn’t rule them out. This lead me to Freya, Norse goddess of love. YA grudgingly thought this was OK.
As we entered the house to meet the dog, the foster mom said “she responds better to Freya than to Olga”. YA and I looked at each other and smiled – was there ever a better omen?
She is about average height for a female Sammy, although she is skinny at this point. Hard to tell with all that fur. She is extremely skittish and shy but she adapts well. After the first couple of airplanes overhead, she is now ignoring them although low-flyers that cast a shadow still bug her). She is very very curious and has already shown a passion for standing on her back legs and looking out the windows. The cat has decided she isn’t a threat but Freya doesn’t feel that way about the cat yet. She loves other dogs, so in a few more days, we may introduce her to some of the other canines in the neighborhood.
The rescue organization has some strict rules about adoption; they prefer to still have “ownership” of the dogs until their medical exams and spay/neuters happen. So right now we as “fostering to adopt” and the adoption will be finalized three days after the spay, which will most likely be towards the end of July.
We are ecstatic – she is very sweet and we already adore her. Now the race is on to find an Irish Setter to complete our little household!
What happens after it rains cats and dogs?
Trail Baboon 
Everything gets wet.
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There’s a lot of pooper-scoopers needed for clean-up!
Great to hear some good news, VS. Curious – what was involved in the virtual home visit? What were they looking for?
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It was just a Zoom call so I walked around the house holding the phone out. I’m pretty sure the thing that they’re most interested in is to check that we’ve told the truth when we say we have a fenced backyard. That’s what seems the most critical to the rescue organizations I’ve worked with in the past. The whole thing took maybe 10 minutes. And she sent the email off to her cohorts less than five minutes later saying that we had passed!
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My place was screened on a video call for bird adoption. The okay was given but I decided not to add to the flock.
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After a rain of cats and dogs, there are hairy poodles everywhere.
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Welcome, Freya! I feel the same about low flying aircraft.
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Rise and Pet the Dog, Baboons,
VS, you had been so scarce on the TB that I wondered if there was a new dog coming. Congratulatons! What a beautiful dog. Let me know when Freya is ready for a corgi play date. I have hearing aid batteries for you, as well.
What happens after it rains cats and dogs? Mosquitos hatching out of standing water, of course. Or is that too literal?
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Between our Columbus trip and then Freya, it’s been a very busy few weeks!
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Are you thinking of a male or female setter?
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Female would be first choice….
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I only asked because I would never get two female terriers. Terrier bitch fights are awful. I guess setters and samoyds are different.
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Throughout my life, I’ve had all kinds of girl/girl, boy/boy, boy/girl combinations. Never had any trouble.
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In Springfield, according to Trumpists, Haitians will be having a feast.
I know it’s a sick joke but everything about 47 is sickening. And now gets worse for the innocent.
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Yes. And the juxtaposition with the 250th anniversary is jolting.
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Congratulations on the addition to your happy family, VS. Good luck with Freya, it’s a name I’ll have no trouble remembering. One of my high school classmates, who remains a friend to this day, is named Freya. The other names you considered would have been a tough sell for me, and except for Isolde, I would not have been able to remember any of them.
I’m wondering how you come up with pet names? Do you consider the breed of the animal? Where it originated? Personality or some other individual characteristic? Obviously many of the names you pick are inspired by your reading.
I can’t help but wonder how a Samoyed, with all that fur, manages through the intense heat of the last few days?
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I’m fond of star-crossed lover names (Scarlett, Tristan, Sorcha, Guinevere, Nimue). Rhiannon (Welsh goddess) came with that name and we liked it. Zorro also kept his Petsmart name because he had such a perfect mask. Baron also came with his name- he was four (retired show dog) so we didn’t mess with that. We named Thorin after Thorin Oakenshield-Lord of the Rings. (A lot of Russian/Scandinavian names don’t roll off the tongue.) Jorinda is my front-runner for the next pet, from a fairy tale book I had as a kid- with the full understanding that “Jori” will probably the nickname most used… even by me.
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What kind of dog was Baron?
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Baron was a Samoyed. He was an American/Canadian champion but his folks thought that his heart just wasn’t in it and he would be happier as a pet. He was huge… big even for a male Sammie and he had the best temperament of all my dogs. He also wasn’t the brightest bulb on the tree.
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I look forward to meeting Freya.
After it rains cats and dogs, out comes a rainbow-wow.
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That’s a much better answer than mine (you step in poodles…)
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Has Freya experienced neighborhood fireworks yet?
My neighbors started in on theirs Monday night.
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Nothing close by so far, but she’s heard a few in the distance. She perked up her head and listened, but they weren’t close enough. I’m pretty sure she won’t be a big fan.
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congrats vs
happy dog day
have you guys discussed what happend in 10 years when ya gets married and wants the good dog and wants you to take the evil one?
freya looks wonderful. hope you luck out either way the setter too
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We did talk about the future—YA agreed that she takes all pets if anything happens to me. If she marries or moves out, animals are all mine this time around.
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