Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

It’s been another busy adoption week at Willamette Humane Society! The last week of Junior Trainer’s Camp ended with several of the camp dogs on hold until camp finished. The following Blog Dogs (and one Blog Cat) were among the many recent adoptions.

There were 19 dogs in Sunday’s play group and everyone had a great time. Here are some of the comments I overheard during the romps.

During a particularly active game of chase…

Ferris has been at the shelter since August 4th. He’s anxious to be found by a new family.Kim found herself quite popular sitting on the bench!

I’m a laid-back kind of guy…

You may have noticed that Teddy, the Lhasa Apso mix, was not on his usual chair watching the action. That’s because he has been spending a couple of weeks in volunteer Krystal’s home. He’ll be returning to WHS tomorrow, having had a wonderful relaxing respite and sporting a brand-new haircut. Krystal sent the following report about Teddy’s visit and some pictures.

“Teddy is doing wonderfully living in our home.  He loves putting his paws up and looking out the window to see who is coming down the street and he also loves hanging out in our other office chair while I work.  We have 4 other dogs in our home and he gets along great with all of them and they range in size from a Chihuahua to a Lab.  He goes outside with all of the other dogs to go potty and sleeps through the night in a recliner in our room.  He travels well in the backseat of the car and doesn’t get up to move around, he just stays put.  Food is not a big concern for Teddy and he likes to take his time.  He doesn’t get excited or upset about anything and is a very laid back companion.   If you’re looking for a dog who just wants to hang out by your side, Teddy just may be your guy.”

Most people probably aren’t aware that Teddy also makes a great office mate!

After a busy day at the office, time to hit the hay.

We’re all hoping that someone who wants a gentle companion will find Teddy very soon.

I’m Delilah

On Sunday I happened to walk into the exam room when a new dog was being processed. Her name is Delilah and her smile immediately caught my attention and my heart. It was then that BJ, Adoption Lead, read the letter that had come with her from California. I asked for a copy so I could share it with you.

“Hi, I’m Delilah. I was abandoned on the street by my former guardians. Then I was brought to the Los Angeles Animal Shelter on 3/31/12. I didn’t do very well there because I was very depressed and got sick in the shelter right away. The kind people there kept trying to cheer me up and get me well, but I kept getting sick. Volunteers and staff loved me, so they put out a plea to the rescues to come and get me out. I was so thin and ill they were afraid I might die. One day a lady came and got me. She took me to the doctor and they were so nice and made me well. I gained weight and everyone said how pretty I was. Then something really great happened! In May a man came to meet me at the hospital and said he wanted to give me a home of my own. The lady who saved me took me to him and we also had a trainer who taught me all kinds of commands and I did really well. I’m very smart! Now I am sad again. My new dad is very, very sick. The nice lady told me that I need to find a new home. The people at WHS said they would help me. I miss my dad so much. We were all we had in the world. He had no other family but me. He said he wants what’s best for me and is glad that there are kind people like WHS and START to help me. Thank you for reading my story. I’m a good girl. Everybody says so. My dad packed my toys for me to take along so I’ll have familiar things of the time we had together.”

I was anxious to see her again today. Volunteer Kathy took her out for a walk and I snapped these pictures. Delilah is a two-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix.

At the end of our shift, after all the dogs had been walked, Emelynn, Sarah and I took her out again to the big yard. There we discovered that she is a ball dog through and through. She loved chasing and returning the tennis ball over and over again.

Want a dog who loves to swim? That’s ME!

Another new dog I met on Sunday was Alma, a four-year-old Pit Bull Terrier/Lab mix who came to us from California. She is an eager, happy girl with lots of energy and would do great in a family that wants an active dog to go on adventures. She loves to play fetch and returns the ball well. Here she is today with Emelynn.

On Sunday, volunteer Andrew discovered that Alma has quite the sense of humor…at least SHE thinks her jokes are funny…Andrew not so much.

Did I mention she likes to swim? Here is a picture from her foster’s home in California.

She really does have a great smile! Diane and Andrew enjoyed getting to know her.

My name is Bambi and I’m a shy, gentle soul.

Meet Bambi, an Australian Cattle Dog/Border Collie mix who is two years old. I first met her on Sunday and was struck by her pensive face. Here she is with Sarah and Diane.

Bambi seems a little shy at first, but warms up and really enjoys being with people. Sarah spent some quality time with her today. Bambi would make a great jogging partner.

I like to learn stuff! Will you teach me?

This is Kayley, a four-year-old Rottweiler mix who spent time with Richard today. She is eager to please, and sits on command, but would like to learn more things. She’d be a great candidate for our WHS training classes. She loved my hot dog bits, so would be easy to motivate.

She has such a sincere face. With some additional training, she’ll make a great family dog.

You want me to what?

I get this look a lot. It’s when, camera in hand, I explain to the dog that I want him to pose for me. This is Barthalamew, a one-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix. Today Sarah and Emelynn had a fun time with him. He is remarkably calm and well-behaved for such a young boy and we enjoyed our time with him, as you’ll see in the pictures.

He is very affectionate and knows several commands.

Sarah really likes me; you will, too!

Sarah was anxious for me to take her picture with Gracie, a three-year-old Hound mix. Sarah absolutely loves the way Gracie is such a well-behaved girl who knows several commands and likes to play or just hang out with people. She is polite not only with people but other dogs, as well. She didn’t mind at all posing for my camera.

I don’t understand why I’m not adopted yet.

Both Ferris and I are baffled why he is still at the shelter. I wonder if it’s his kennel presentation. He can seem shy and nervous at first and sometimes barks when in his kennel. But this isn’t the boy he really is. Ferris is affectionate and playful. He loves to cuddle and is good with other dogs in play group. He just needs someone to take a little time to get to know him and they will realize what a gem he really is. Ferris is a Chihuahua mix and is four years old. Here he is with Kathy today.

Emelynn’s Pick of the Week!

Yep, Cassie is still waiting at the shelter for her new family to find her. You’ll remember last week that volunteer Lisa wrote a wonderful report on how great Cassie did on a respite at her house. I made a special flyer for her kennel to show prospective adopters what a great girl she is. And she’s been working on her kennel presentation. She comes eagerly to the front of her kennel, tail wagging. But still she has not found a home. Perhaps it is because she needs to be an only dog, at least at first.

Today Emelynn and I took her out to the big yard and gave her some quality play time. We played the “Come” game and she loved dashing back and forth to us, screeching to a stop and sitting for a hot dog bit.

She also enjoyed running through the pool.

All of Cassie’s fans, of which there are many, are hoping she’ll get the loving home she deserves very soon.

Update!

Sarah had a wonderful surprise at WHS on Sunday afternoon. We were taking pictures of newly arrived dogs, when a car pulled up and Heidi, Echo’s adopter, stepped out of the car and said someone would like to visit Sarah. You’ll remember that Echo was a very shy Pit Bull Terrier who did not do well in the shelter environment, so Sarah took her home to foster. I’ll never forget when Heidi met Echo and decided to adopt her, but was concerned about Sarah’s feelings. “Will you be OK?” she asked. Sarah assured Heidi she’d be fine, gave Echo a long hug and wished her a happy life. You can imagine the joy of their reunion. It was so thoughtful of Heidi to stop by WHS to visit. As always, it’s wonderful to know that “our” dogs are living happy lives with their own people.

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.