Rescue

Thank you for your interest in the Samoyed Association of Canada – Samoyed Rescue!

Please read the content of this page to gain an understanding of the SAC rescue process.  If you decide that you would like to permanently adopt or foster a Samoyed, please fill an application form (links near bottom of page).  We currently have several Samoyeds in immediate need.  Their information can be found at

• Fostering (http://samoyed.ca/foster-homes-needed/)
• Adoption (http://samoyed.ca/available-for-adoption/)

Links to donate to Rescue or to provide toys for the rescue pups can be found at the bottom of this page.

We are a group of dedicated Samoyed breeders, exhibitors and fanciers who believe that Rescue work is a breed obligation. We promote Breed Rescue at dog shows and trials, demonstrations and other events, and on social media. As a group of private individuals, we rely on fund raising and donations as well as our volunteers to keep us running.

The Samoyed Association of Canada is accredited by the Canadian Kennel Club, and our Samoyed Rescue is part of our national club.  Our Rescue Representatives are spread out from coast to coast, and as such we do not have a central shelter facility.  Instead, we rely solely upon a network of kind and caring volunteers and foster homes to help Samoyeds in need transition from their previous life to the future loving home.

What we do….

Many of our Rescue dogs are adult Samoyeds which may have been surrendered at animal shelters, picked up as strays, or are posted online as needing a new home.  These dogs must be given up for any number of reasons: a family moves and is unable or unwilling to take the dog along, an owner dies, or gets divorced, the dog develops medical issues that are too financially burdensome, or perhaps the dog, no longer a cute puppy is perceived to be a nuisance and is simply abandoned to make its own way…. the list goes on and on.  

Behaviour problems and health issues are the two most common reasons for Samoyeds being surrendered to shelters or posted online for re-homing.  Usually, simple training techniques can be used to correct most behaviour problems, as experienced Samoyed owners will attest to.  Samoyeds with health issues may require testing and ongoing care and medication, which Adopters will need to commit to.

We rarely have puppies available, and we DO NOT pay for Samoyeds needing to be re-homed online.

Volunteers from the Samoyed Association of Canada – Samoyed Rescue team retrieve Samoyeds in need from shelters if required or will contact the person posting online about needing to re-home their dog to facilitate surrendering the Samoyed to our Rescue program.  We then arrange to have the dog picked up and ensure that the dogs are assessed by a veterinarian who checks the dog’s health and provides all necessary treatment, all inoculations, and spaying or neutering when necessary.

The Rescue Samoyed is then kept briefly for an initial assessment by one of our Rescue Representatives before being placed in a foster home. The volunteer foster family will keep the Samoyed for a minimum of 3 weeks and will continue to evaluate the dog – learning about its individual likes, dislikes, and habits (good and bad), along with starting any behaviour modifications necessary and/ or any medical treatments.  The Rescue Samoyed is also fully groomed during this time and spay/neutering is planned if required.

When we feel that we know enough about our Rescue Samoyed, a careful match is made with one of the screened, prospective adoptive owners on a waiting list.  Everything we know about our Rescue Samoyed is fully explained to the adopting family and if we have done our job right, the Rescue Samoyed and the new owners will be a “perfect match”, and thus begins a beautiful friendship! If for any reason whatsoever a placed Rescue Samoyed is not suitable or cannot be kept, the dog must be returned to the Samoyed Association of Canada – Samoyed Rescue.

To help cover the substantial cost of Rescue work we ask for a monetary donation from Adopting owners.  This adoption fee varies from Samoyed to Samoyed, depending on age, medical requirements, etc.  This is only a portion of our cost of rescuing Samoyeds, providing veterinary care including all vaccinations, tests, spaying or neutering, grooming, and care while the dog is in a foster home.

Rescue Stories

If you are interested in rescuing a Samoyed, please fill out an application form (Word, PDF, Online).   We will keep your application on file and be in touch if we know of Samoyeds needing a home.

If you are interested in making a donation to our rescue fund, you can use either e-transfer to payment@samoyed.ca (be sure to indicate the funds should be directed to rescue) or PayPal (button below).

For more information, contact rescue@samoyed.ca.

Donations to SAC Rescue are used for such things as vet exams, medical treatments, spay/neuter, and food and lodging until foster or adoption. The rescues can be hard on toys and other enrichment items and Rescue donations are not used to supply these.  We have set up a wish list on Amazon if you would like to supply these pups with some entertainment!  The items you order can be sent directly to the kennel (Pawtopia) that is housing the Ontario rescues.