Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

WOW! It’s been an incredibly busy week at Willamette Humane Society. There have been so many adoptions and among them have been fourteen Blog Dogs!

Chatter

While there have been lots of adoptions, there have also been many new arrivals both from local and overcrowded California shelters. With the high turnover we are having, play groups have been especially fun and exciting as dogs who have been confined get to stretch their legs and meet new friends. One such case is Brady, a four-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix who spent the past ten months at a California shelter hoping to be adopted. He was a favorite of the volunteers there and they are watching and hoping that he will finally find a forever home in Oregon. When I brought him out to play group on Sunday morning, he could scarcely believe his eyes. Dogs were racing around the yard and Brady took a moment to stop and just watch. He was a little shy upon entering the yard, but it wasn’t long before he joined in the romps. He quickly developed a crush on a three-legged Hound mix who belongs to one of the WHS staff.

Brady’s joy was not only noticed by Orbit, but by Teddy, as well, who was helping staff member Kim make notes about dog activity.

Another new arrival is Sadie, a very shy girl, ten months old, who is very nervous in her kennel, but once outside relaxes and has fun. She, too, enjoyed play group, though not the pool.

The Thirteen Puppies Story

In late May, WHS got an urgent request from California to accept a Pit Bull Terrier mother named Coco and her 13 newborn puppies who were in great need of care. WHS contacted foster volunteer Krystal and asked if she was up to taking on this needy family. Krystal took a deep breath and agreed. For the next several weeks, Krystal threw herself into caring for the family…doing endless loads of laundry of bedding, making sure all puppies were warm, clean, and fed, and encouraging and supporting the exhausted Coco. When Krystal had to be gone three days, she asked if I could puppy-sit and I jumped at the opportunity. Camera in hand, I quickly learned what a responsibility, and how exhausting and time-consuming, puppy care is! In between loads of puppy laundry, I filmed the youngsters’ antics. As they grew, I made three short movies of them. I couldn’t publish them until the pups were old enough to be adopted, but now I can. I hope you enjoy seeing these amazing little characters develop. Some have been adopted and more are coming to the shelter from foster homes soon.

Two of the thirteen puppies are currently at WHS waiting to be adopted. They are Xena and Lucy. They have grown a lot since the videos as you can see from the pictures I took of them today. Here is Xena.

And here is Lucy.

Sarah decided little Lucy needed a picture with her!

It’s so much fun to see these little characters growing up and being adopted into their forever homes!

A Quiet Lady

While WHS has received many new dogs, there are some old friends who are still waiting for the right family to find them. Among them is Daphney, an eleven-year-old Border Collie mix who has been at the shelter since July 8. She still has a lot of pep and yet is happy to relax with a person, too. Here she is last Sunday with Sarah.

She loves to be petted!

I’m a sweet mix!

One of our new arrivals is Lucy, a Great Pyrenees/Golden Retriever mix who is two years old. She is a gentle, calm dog who won the hearts of Emelynn and Traci in record time. She will make a terrific family dog. She sits and lies down on command.

She took an instant liking to Emelynn!

Here she is just enjoying being outside.

I’m part Portuguese Water Dog, but I’m not so sure about the water part!

Another newbie is Sadie, and yes, she is a Portuguese Water Dog mix who is ten months old. Sadie is at first very shy in her kennel, but don’t let that fool you. She loves being taken outside and hanging out with volunteers. She had a great time in play group and Sarah has totally fallen in love with her. She is indeed a sweetheart.

I may be big, but I’m a gentle giant!

This is Dakota, a seven-year-old Australian Shepherd/Great Pyrenees mix. When he arrived at the shelter last Sunday, he was very stressed and didn’t understand why he was there. Today, happily, he was much more relaxed and excited to be out with  Sarah for some yard time. Dakota likes kids and is treat-motivated, so is easy to train. He is affectionate and smart, too. He really is a gentle giant!

I love this picture of him today. Yes, he does have two different colored eyes.

My name is Brady and I’ve been waiting for almost a year for a forever family!

Remember Brady, the four-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix who had such a great time in play group on Sunday at the beginning of this post? Here is his “formal” picture on our website. He took the photo session very seriously and I couldn’t get him to smile.

Brady’s story and his wonderful personality have won the hearts of many volunteers, including Beth’s. So I wasn’t surprised when Beth told me that she was taking Brady home for a respite. Here is her report.

“Well, you brought home another sweetheart.” That’s what my husband, Brian, said to me yesterday after getting to know Brady. I thought Brady would like a few days away from the shelter at “Camp Cooley” as we are calling it. What a thoroughly awesome dog! He has had a great time exploring the ivy in the backyard, playing with my 2 dogs and just cozying up to watch the Olympics. Today my friend Ron stopped by and we walked the dogs to Orchard Heights Park. Brady loved experiencing the trails and trees. We must have tuckered him out because he promptly took a nap when we returned home. This sweet boy is very mellow and attentive. Brady has spent an awfully long time waiting for an awesome family to notice him. I hope they come soon and scoop this bundle of joy up!”

And here are the pictures from Brady’s experiences at Camp Cooley.

Relaxing

Exploring the yard

Watching the Olympics (sort of)

Making himself at home

Brady had a wonderful time at Beth’s house. The only thing better would be for him to have a real home of his own.

Updates

The Boys

For all of the fans of The Boys (the two bonded brothers who spent their first three years mostly in a small crate), I was thrilled to get an update and pictures from their new person, Ashlee. She writes: “So happy to report that BOTH boys now run around like nothing ever happened to them. They are the best pals I could ever ask for. I thank everyone for all the comments and love! It means so much! Also they got new names with their new lives and fresh start. They needed far more classy names to match them. They are now Dolce and Gabbana. Sato is now Dolce, and Elvis is now Gabbana.”

And she sent along some pictures, too!

Daisy

I got this great note from a person who adopted a Beagle named Bisbee. She was a dog who was adopted before I got a chance to meet her and take her picture. But I was excited to get this update about one of our alumni.

“This is Daisy, she came from WHS to us last year on the 5th of November.  Daisy who had the name Bisbee at the shelter, was not the mature dog we thought we wanted but she is our beagle dog and we love her very much. She had been surrendered and then returned after her first adoption, she is in her forever home now! Joey, her cousin, (daughter’s dog) in one of the pics is also a rescue dog.“

This brings up the age-old question…do we choose the dog or does the dog choose us?

Remember! Saturday, August 4, will be an exciting day for everyone at WHS. It’s the first WillaMutt Strut! There is still time to take part in the run/walk/games. The Strut will start at Riverfront Park at 8:30 a.m. You’ll choose one of three options: “a non-competitive 5K fun run, 5K walk, or 1.5K walk. You’ll strut across the Union Street Railroad Bridge, around Wallace Marine Park and back. And because we’re Willamette Humane Society, your dog is welcome to strut too! Participate as an individual or form a pack (team) of friends and family. There is a $25/person registration fee, and you can register online in advance or on the day of the event. Once you’ve finished the walk or run, stick around.  We’ll have contests and games for you and your four-legged friend plus vendor booths and door prizes.  Maybe your dog will be this year’s WillaMutt!”
I’ll be there taking pictures so I hope to see you on Saturday!

Also remember, if you see a dog on my blog whom you are interested in meeting, try to make arrangements to get to the Willamette Humane Society soon. Some dogs are adopted more quickly than you might think.