NEW DATES FOR THE LOOT 4 MOOTS AUCTION
NEW DATES!! The Loot 4 Moots Virtual Online Auction is just around the corner! Well, actually it’s a little further than that. Due to the incredible generosity of donors, we received quite a few last-minute items and it’s taking us longer to upload and photograph them than we had originally allocated. It’s truly a great ‘problem’ to have!
So, the new dates for the auction are NOVEMBER 11th – 20th! We’re doing it a bit differently this year. To streamline the payment and shipping processes, we will be covering the shipping costs this year. This way we can get your items in the mail in plenty of time for the holidays!
 
Just wait until you see all the amazing treasures we have for you!! Get your bidding fingers ready!!
THE GORGEOUS WAMAL 2023 CALENDAR IS AVAILABLE FOR ORDERING!
This year's WAMAL Calendar features the top 13 Winners of the 2023 Pet Photo Calendar Contest, hosted by Marie Wulfram Photography. As a prize for each of the winners, Marie scheduled professional photo shoots in amazing outdoor settings and these are featured in the calendar. Also included are many photos that were submitted and appear in requested months that honor our beloved pets (birthdays, gotcha days, remembrance days). I just received my calendars, and they are WONDERFUL! You definitely won’t want to miss out so order before they are gone!

All proceeds from calendar sales go directly to WAMAL to help our mission of rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming Alaskan Malamutes. These make wonderful gifts for the holidays so be sure to get a few extra to help the Mals and tick off some of that holiday shopping, too!
AMAZON WISH LIST
With the kennel upgrades and having more Mal mouths to feed, we are running low on some supplies. We have recently updated our Amazon Wish List and would like to invite you to take a look HERE. If there’s something you’d like to order to help us out, we’d love it and so will the pups!

Remember to use your AmazonSmile account. AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support your favorite charitable organization (we’re hoping it’s WAMAL) every time you shop, at no cost to you. If you are not yet signed up with AmazonSmile, just click HERE to sign up and connect your account to benefit WAMAL (Washington Alaskan Malamute Adoption League). It couldn’t be easier! Thanks so much!
PHOTOS FROM THE
RAISE THE RWOOF! FUNDRAISER
I mentioned in last month’s newsletter that I hoped to have some photos of the upgrades at Malley Valley to share with you….and here they are!! The two new sheds got lovely coats of paint on the outside before the rains began and now we’re working on the insides to get them up to speed. The pups are loving their new easier to clean kennels! Thank you again for your generosity!
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
WAMAL rescue serves Washington and Oregon, but our largest presence is in Western Washington, where our kennel, Malley Valley, is located. Our network of volunteers stretches in all directions though, with some not only out of our service area but in different countries! The Spokane area in eastern Washington has an incredible group of dedicated volunteers and I’d like to introduce you to one of them: Darrel Nice. 
 
Darrel and his wife, Andrea, first became aware of WAMAL in 2009 when they adopted Kiro aka Wookie. Banjo was later adopted in 2019.  “He was a big boy at 130 lbs.!” Darrel shared. During the adoption process Darrel connected with Mary Orvik, WAMAL’s treasurer and Spokane Area coordinator at the time, and they kept in touch. Mary subsequently reached out to Darrel about fostering a pup who was struggling in the kennel environment, and Darrel took Stormy into foster and quickly became a member of the FFC (foster fail club) and wound up adopting her. WAMAL had been working with a Spokane area commercial kennel who housed our ‘overflow’ dogs when needed. Darrel saw the need for additional walking and socializing help with our rescues awaiting adoption, and he and Andrea joined the walkers pool. Sometimes lucky pups would find themselves visiting the Nice home, “just to give them some time away from the kennel and allow them to experience some down time in a home environment.” Then Darrel started making arrangements to bring dogs home for longer periods of time. They also became short-term medical fosters for spay/neuter recovery. In June of this year, the Spokane kennel was sold and our dogs needed to be moved. We were at capacity at Malley Valley so we scrambled to find fosters. Darrel stepped up, and 2 of the dogs took up foster residence.  
Sadly, Banjo’s health declined, and he recently passed away leaving one of those giant voids that these amazing creatures leave in their wake. But the quietness was soon eased with the arrival of 4 new male foster dogs. In mid-September, WAMAL was approached about helping with a group of 34 Malamutes who had been taken into rescue by the Oregon Humane Society. This was a big jump in responsibility for Darrel and Andrea, but Darrel is quick to point out that it’s not just the two of them. Other local volunteers have stepped up to assist. Vincent Belleci helped with the kennel set up, dog arrival and continues to help with walking and Brianna Garza, Sara Robinson, and Nancy Drinkard are also walkers. Mary Orvik helps in finding specialty supplies. It definitely takes a pack and if you are interested in joining and can commit to a regular block of time weekly, please reach out to me at malhappytails@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to connect you!

I asked Darrel what attracted him to the Malamute breed. After a bit of silence, he had to admit it was hard to put into words. “I got my first Mal in 1987. Their personality, fluffiness, looks are what I like the most. They can be real characters and stubborn but that doesn’t bother me. I like that they are a working breed and enjoy taking them hiking, biking and pulling.” And what about WAMAL? What drew Darrel to get involved with WAMAL? “I like that WAMAL focuses on the Malamute breed and has the best of the dog’s interest in mind like adopting to the right kinds of homes. The diversity of experience and interests of the volunteers brings an incredible ‘knowledge pool’ to the organization.”

Thank you, Darrel and Andrea, for your love of the breed and for having a real impact on the lives of these ‘real characters’! And thank you to all the amazing Spokane volunteers! We ARE making a difference-- with your help!
ADOPTABLE DOG SHOWCASE
Hi everyone! My name is AVA and I'm new here so I wanted to introduce myself! I'd been living life as a stray, but I realized street life isn't all it's cracked up to be. I've decided I'd be much happier with a home and family of my very own!

I'm a lovely young adult mal - I haven't kept track of how old I am but the nice vet techs guessed around 2 (they said I had nice teeth!).

I know a few basic commands already. I'm highly food motivated (stray life will do that to ya) so it should be simple to teach me more!

I'm a sweet, affectionate girl and I love to be petted all over. I have done well with adult humans, but it's not known if I've ever been around kids. I'm not really a huge fan of other dogs. I might do OK with a calm male that doesn't pester me but I'd be happiest as your one and only. I have a high prey drive so no cats or small critters please!

I walk nicely on leash but can be a bit stubborn about where to go (this is where that food motivation will come in handy). I am also SUPER well housetrained! I can sometimes get a bit nervous around things I'm not used to - like gardening tools - so I'd love it if you'd help gently socialize me to everyday human stuff.

So whaddya say - want to give this former stray a nice furever home - or even just a foster home for now? Please apply for me today!
Upright ears are overrated, don't you think? I'm ZEUS and with my adorable floppy ears and gorgeous almond eyes I'm pretty sure I must be the God Of Cuteness!

I'm done with Mt. Olympus and I'm now looking for a new place to call home - preferably somewhere that appreciates my goofy, playful, talkative energy! And at only 2 years old, energy is something I've got in spades! I may be on the smallish side but I'm super strong. I can give quite a pull on the leash when I start out - but just have some patience with me. I'll settle down in a minute once I burn off that initial burst of excitement!

As athletic as I am, I can be a bit of an escape artist. A sturdy fence is a must if I'm going to be off leash in the backyard! I can also be kind of mischievous (maybe they should have named me Loki?) so ideally I'd love an adventurous family who would take me jogging, hiking, snowshoeing, or on long walks to help tire me out. Crate training me would be great for both of us!

I'm very sweet to people and have done well around kids. I've been friendly with all the other dogs I've met - both male and female - and have even done OK with some cats, as long as they don't run away from me (but if they run I'll give chase!).

So if you are looking for an adventure buddy who will keep you on your toes look no further - please apply to adopt me ASAP!
If neither of these pups seem like a good fit for you please make sure to check out all the other wonderful dogs WAMAL has up for adoption right now!