04/15/03
Thanks for checking in. Kayla is doing great. We decided to name her Ataani [Taani for short] which is Inuit for "underneath" as she seems to prefer being under desks and tables when she is feeling anxious.             
I am amazed at how quickly she has come around. I had some serious doubts at the beginning, but she has amazed me during the past week or so. She comes to work with me daily and is getting much more comfortable around people. She's still a bit skittish around cars and trains when we walk downtown but she is making remarkable progress. At home she spends most of her time hanging out with us or following us around. She wags her tail a lot now and comes to us about 75% of the time when we call her. She absolutely loves going on walks with Louie. I feel like I am walking a sled dog team with the two of them!                                              
So, the short answer is that Taani has quickly become a part of our family and we adore her. You can consider us her forever family. I couldn't imagine parting with her - she is such a sweetie.  It is obvious that you have done an incredible job in preparing her for a permanent home. Tom and I are very grateful for all of your hard work. We will take wonderful care of her. Best of luck with your new foster doggie. I'm sure that you will work miracles.    

4/3/03
How have you been, lately? How is life in Leavenworth these days - has spring arrived there yet? How is the malamute rescue work treating you? It looks like there are still several mals available on the WAMAL website, and I'm sure you would just prefer there be none, since that means those dogs are not in permanent homes. I don't know if you remember me, but my fiancée (who is now my wife!), Kris and I adopted Tela in September of 2001. I've been real lazy about letting you know how she's doing, and I think the last update I sent you was about a year ago. Since I'm finally getting around to e-mailing you, I do want to let you know that Tela is still a very important part of our family, and she is still doing very well.
I know I mentioned in my last e-mail that we were looking for a house to buy. Well, we didn't actually find one until the end of last December. We looked for nearly a year and just didn't find any houses we really liked. We finally found a house that fit us well and moved into it about a month and a half ago. After an initial adjustment period, Tela seems to like the new house just fine. She now has (finally!) a nice-sized backyard to run around in off-lead. The house was still in the process of being built when we bought it, and the builder was nice enough to construct a six foot fence around the backyard. That was especially nice because it allowed Tela to immediately use the backyard while we all got settled in. So now she still goes on at least two walks per day and also goes in the backyard for a little while each day. We've had fun exploring some of the trails near the new house on our walks, and she's already met several of the other dogs in the neighborhood. Our next door neighbors have a male Golden Retriever and Tela enjoys talking to him through the fence and playing with him in the backyard. One of the nicest things about the new house is that it is pretty close to Mt. Hood National Forest, and we've already snuck out between rain showers to tackle some of its trails.
All in all, everything is just great with Tela. We've grown a lot closer to her, and she is a wonderful companion. Although she's very friendly with everyone and loves the attention she gets when meeting new people, we can tell she's partial to us and knows that we're the two people who will always take care of her. I think she considers us a part of her pack now! She is well-behaved but still not afraid to challenge the boundaries we've set. That's just part of her character as a Malamute and a trait we've grown to understand and love. I know the pictures I attached in my last e-mail were a little difficult for you to open because of the format they were saved in. We have since bought a digital camera, so I attached a couple recent pictures that should be in JPG format. We just bought the camera during the holidays last year, and we're still learning all of its uses and features. So, I only have two pictures to send you right now, but I promise to send more as we take them and get them uploaded to our computer. The pictures happen to be from our wedding, which took place December 22, 2002 at Tryon Creek State Park in SW Portland. Tela was of course there, and these are my two favorite pictures of her taken at the wedding. If you can't open these either or have trouble viewing them, let me know and I will make adjustments for you. I hope everything is going well for you, Cindy. Thank You for all that you do for these dogs as the time and work you put in is invaluable. Take care of yourself, and I will talk to you later.

12/31/02
I just wanted to tell you about Moab's first day with us. First of all, my wife and kids absolutely love him and he is totally loving all the attention.  When we let him inside, he lies in the middle of the living room unless someone is cooking, then he'll sit and politely beg. When I came home today he was sound asleep on his bed you gave me, I think the bed really made him feel comfortable.  Right now he's laying with the family like he's been here forever.

12/09/01
Kodi who was Alex...
Things are going great! He has chewed his fair share of our stuff but he now has his toys and lots of them so he does not get bored. Our girls love him and so do we. He is SO friendly and lovey. He was the perfect addition to our family!

10/31/01
She is GREAT. Just like our other dog. Well behaved, quiet, and isn't even interested in the Ferrets! She is becoming one of our pack, and seems to be having fun - playing outside, eating boney's, bagging rays - you know typical dog stuff. We are very happy to have her, and are enjoying her immensely. Thanks for helping orchestrate this!!! I'm glad we could finally find a match! Just took Sasha to the groomers and she is looking especially lovely. Thought you might enjoy seeing a couple of pictures. She is adjusting well, and she and Herk get along famously. Enjoy!