POORLY DRAWN PETS—CALL FOR ARTISTS!
WILLING SKILLED AND UNSKILLED ‘ARTISTS’ NEEDED FOR POORLY DRAWN PETS FUNDRAISER!!
Do you have a talent for drawing poorly? Or maybe you're an artistic prodigy? Well, guess what? We need BOTH types of ‘artists’ for our 3rd Annual Poorly Drawn Pets Fundraiser! Starting May 2nd and continuing through May 5th this event promises to be another fantastically fun adventure!!

Want to be part of our creative team? Here's the scoop: People submit a photo of their beloved pet(s) and then it's up to you to channel your inner artist, whether it's with a pencil, paints, crayons or even digitally. We'll text or email you the photo, you create your masterpiece and send us back a photo or scan. You keep the original so there’s no mailing or delivery involved. We'll handle all the boring coordination details; you just focus on unleashing your creative genius! We’re not looking for perfection here, just a fanciful interpretation of their pup, cat, fish…whatever they call a pet!!

We understand you have a busy schedule, so no need to stress about dedicating tons of time. Simply inform us of your schedule and availability, and we'll accommodate accordingly. With a bunch of eager 'artists' on board, we'll have a blast covering all four days of the fundraiser.

If you're as excited as we are about this creative extravaganza, send an email to Courtney at wamalwoo@gmail.com to join our ‘artistic’ team!  Thank you!
BUT…. if you’re not comfortable offering your creative skills, would you be willing to help with the coordination during the event? We would LOVE to have another volunteer or two to play the proverbial wizard behind the curtain. Contact Courtney at wamalwoo@gmail.com if you want more information on being a PDP Traffic Director. It can be a little hectic at times, but you get to see the drawings before everyone else, which is a heckuva payoff!
MALLEY VALLEY WORK PARTY
THIS SATURDAY APRIL 13 10AM-2PM
PLEASE RSVP
🌿🐾 We need help this Saturday for a kennel work party!! Calling all superheroes of sprucing, champions of cleanliness, and canine enthusiasts!

It's time to roll up those sleeves, grab your cleanup gear, and join us for a day of fun-filled yard, property, and dog chores at MV! 🎉 Whether you're a seasoned MV volunteer or a newcomer ready to dive in, we welcome all willing and able parties to join our mission of making MV shine brighter than ever! 💫

But here's the best part – the more hands we have on deck, the less work there is to go around, and the more we can accomplish together! And hey, if you're not a regular MV volunteer, no worries! You can sign a waiver onsite and jump right into the action! 📝

Join us for a day of laughter, camaraderie, and meaningful work at MV! Let's make memories, make a difference, and make MV the best it can be – together! 🌳🐶 #MVcleanupcrew

Please email Melissa at melissa@wamal.com to RSVP!
UPCOMING FUNDRAISER MAY 2-5!
3rd ANNUAL POORLY DRAWN PETS!!
We are happy to once again be offering our POORLY DRAWN PETS fundraiser!! If you participated last year, you know how entertaining it was, and if you didn’t you are in for a real treat!

What is Poorly Drawn Pets? It’s a way to raise some much-needed donations for our rescue pups and have some FUN too! We have dedicated volunteers standing by, eager to turn a photo of your pet into a timeless work of art, or at least make you laugh!! Here’s the deal: If you donate $20 to our rescue pups, we’ll draw your pet. But be warned! Some of us are a whole lot better at caring for animals than we are at drawing them. You *might* get one of our super talented artists or you might get one of us with, well, talents in other areas. Last year some of our most entertaining creations were done by some willing 1st graders! 
WAMAL works in Washington and Oregon to help lost or surrendered Malamutes find their furever homes and we rely on donations to make that work but hey, who says we can't have a howlin' good time while we're at it?

Mark your calendars, put a reminder in your phone, stick a note on your refrigerator, but don’t miss out! We’ll be ready Thursday May 2 to start receiving your pics so get ‘em ready!! 

Ps. Look for a special edition of the MUSE with links and more info on May 2nd….
WAMAL’S EVENT SEASON OPENS
WITH PETPALOOZA!
Come join WAMAL at Auburn's Petpalooza on Saturday, May 18 from 10am - 5pm at Game Farm Park, 3030 R Street SE, Auburn, WA (Dog Trot at 9:30am). Stop by our booth to say hello and get some one-on-one time with our wonderful Ambassadogs! Petpalooza features animal entertainment, live music, children's attractions, pig races, pet contests, a food court and beer garden and TONS MORE! Leashed, licensed and well-behaved pets are welcome too! Find all the details at www.auburnwa.gov/petpalooza 🐾❤️
WAMAL VOLUNTEER PICNIC & OPEN HOUSE
JUNE 8th TIME TBD
Join us at Malley Valley for a fun-filled day! 🐶 All WAMAL volunteers, board members, and interested loved ones are invited. Well behaved and leashed personal pups welcome also!! Stay tuned for more details! 🎉 #VolunteerBBQ
FUNDRAISING HELP NEEDED!
While our search continues for a new Fundraising Coordinator, we could surely use some help with finding and implementing creative ways to raise some bucks!! Would you be willing to take on one project? It could be a garage sale, lemonade stand, online fundraiser, virtual 5-k, silent auction, pot luck…..you name it! We have volunteers to help but just need a few ‘pack leaders’ to make it happen! 
Got ideas?! Email fundraising@wamal.com and let the ‘fun’draising begin!!
ADOPTED AND ADORED—TITAN’S INCREDIBLE LAST MINUTE RESCUE JOURNEY!
Titan’s story is significant because it highlights the heart, energy, and resources that go into bringing a dog into rescue. His story is unique in some ways, but textbook in that it highlights what the committed volunteers on our Intake Team face almost daily. We thank them for their never-ending hard work and dedication to rescuing!
Titan was a 1 ½ YO male Malamute mix who spent nearly half of his life in a shelter. He had been adopted but was returned because the resident dog turned out to be reactive to him. So, after a week of freedom, he was relegated to the back of the shelter in a small kennel without any exercise. At some point the shelter determined he was to be euthanized on a very short timeline.

But thanks to the unwavering commitment of individuals like Vaia, Krista, Rae, and countless others, Titan's tale took a turn for the better. Vaia, Titan’s previous adopter, driven by love, embarked on a hundred-mile journey to ensure Titan's safety. Krista, a shelter volunteer touched by Titan's spirit, reached out to WAMAL in a plea for help. And Rae, one of WAMAL’s incredible Intake Coordinators, was the beacon of hope in the midst of urgency, and orchestrated a rescue mission with remarkable speed and efficiency by making all the stars align in the nick of time to prevent Titan’s scheduled euthanasia. The shelter gave no grace for its euthanasia deadline, so the urgency was real and incredibly stressful.
Titan’s journey north to Malley Valley Kennel

Titan’s freedom ride from southern Oregon began with Vaia and Krista who drove the first 100-mile leg of the trip to a cold and rainy parking lot where they meet up with Heidi (WAMAL Board President) who continued the next leg of the transport to Portland. This included a sleep over and wild romp with Heidi’s resident pups!

As told by Heidi, “Titan spent the night with us at our house in Corvallis. Out of the car after the 2-hour drive, he’s bonkers! He meets our pup Dexter….bonkers squared! He is SO strong for a 55 lb. dog. Remember he’s been cooped up with no socialization or ability to run. So of course, he wants to play and RUN.

Titan makes it to the backyard and he and one of our resident dogs, Dexter, have at it for the ½ hour of daylight left. Inside, Dexter becomes Titan’s chew toy, Titan pulling on Dexter’s ruff, cheeks, legs. Mounting—THAT got him yelled at by the humans, repeatedly. Dexter and Titan spent most of the evening prone, mutually mouthing. Dexter eventually emitted corrective growls, but obviously not enough to deter a dog newly introduced to a huge world.

Luna, my 9 YO mal, whined and wooed to meet this new home invader. When they finally are allowed to meet, Titan promptly wants to mount and is immediately corrected by a supremely self-confident elder. He learns quickly that she didn’t need to growl, but a mere lip lift served as an effective warning. As if to underscore her supremacy, she walks over and plops down on Titan’s bed. He gave her a wide berth the duration of his overnight.

The next morning after a short neighborhood stroll, we took off North again. Titan chewed on his rawhide, snuggled with his shark binky, and was calm for 1½ hours to Portland, where we meet up with Chris for the final leg of the journey to Puyallup. Titan milled around for a few minutes, refused a drink of water, didn’t want a potty break, but when Chris said, “Load up!” Titan jumped into the backseat of the crew cab with zero hesitation. Did he know he was on his way to a better life, or did he just know that the past 30 hours were immeasurably better than anything he had yet experienced in his past life?”
Titan's Adoption 

So, what happened once Titan came into rescue? Heidi continues, “Hoo Boy! This 55-lb love bug broke records. He came in on January 14th and was adopted just 7 days later! His new family hasn't looked back. Titan now plays with his ‘sister’, Dose, a similarly aged mal-husky mix. The first week he was there, his humans felt it necessary to give them breaks from their constant play/zoomies/wrestling, so they didn't simply collapse. Quite the pair! The humans are avid hikers and spend time in the snow and on the beach. Also ski- and bike-joring, dog daycare and dog parks. Titan is perfect for this lifestyle. Oh, and his new name is Shadow. ‘Titan’ fits his personality but not his size. Definitely a BIG personality. But Shadow it is!”

It definitely does take a pack of dedicated volunteers to save a pup! As the saying goes, “Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, his world will change forever”!
THANKS TO OUR PUP READERS!
In the last issue of the MUSE we asked for volunteers to come and read to our shy pups as a way to start socializing with them to be comfy around humans. Thank you for the great response!! Here’s some cute pics to enjoy!