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BROOKSIDE RESIDENT RESCUES SAMOYEDS
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Suzan Filipek
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SHOW DOGS were Barbara Arnaud’s forte before rescues.
Barbara Arnaud remembers when she was first struck by the beauty and personality of a Samoyed. She was at a park with her husband where they encountered the friendly, furry white dog. “I fell in love,” she says.
She got her own “Sammie” in 1974 and eventually became interested in showing dogs and even garnered awards, including placing best in the state in an all-breed show. The winning dog, Mindy, was spotted by advertising types at the former Carnation Co. on Wilshire Blvd. and starred in a dog food campaign. Barbara holds a framed photo of the young dog atop a Rolls Royce, a reminder from the photo shoot, recalls Barbara in her Brookside home.
Her role as president of the Samoyed Rescue of Southern California is maybe less glamorous, but probably more rewarding. She helped found the non-profit in 1990, when “I started to recognize they were in shelters,” she said, and joined a handful of other like-minded souls who have found homes for close to 1,000 dogs.
One lucky pup is Mogul. A severely abused puppy, he was recently dumped at a Lancaster shelter. Following $3,000 in medical bills, a lot of TLC, vitamins and a heavy dose of sea kelp, Mogul is recuperating and available for adoption, Barbara smiles.
She raises funds, calling companies to sponsor the group, such as Ralphs and Disney. She has acquired Dodgers and Lakers tickets for raffles at yearly picnics and all-breed agility events.
She’s part of a network of volunteers who track the breed in shelters from Santa Barbara to San Diego. Volunteers pick up the dogs and drive them to foster homes throughout the region, where they are bathed, trained and otherwise spruced up for adoption.
Applicants are screened and home checks ensure the sociable pets are placed in a responsible home, and not forced into a life of isolation in a yard, says Barbara.
She stays in touch with Best Friends and other rescue groups including the San Francisco and national Samoyed organizations, and she writes for the group’s quarterly newsletter, “The Recycled Sam.”
She is from a long line of Angelenos—her grandfather published the area’s Blue Book in 1931, and artistically inclined, she designed her home’s stained glass windows, as well as the rescue group’s sweatshirts and pins with images of the breed.
While beautiful with dark eyes and snowy faces, they are hardy, working dogs. Sammies are extremely affectionate, people dogs, she says. They are also hypo-allergenic. Their cotton-like under coat is shed yearly, and can be spun into gloves and throws.
Originally from Siberia, they were bred by nomadic reindeer herders as sled dogs and also kept them warm at night.
In spite of their heavy coats, they do well in Southern California, once they have a family to live with.
“We really need help,” says Barbara.
For more information on adopting or to volunteer, call 714-956-6180, or visit socalsamoyedrescue.org |
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