Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

Although I promised myself I would stop opening with a weather comment, I have to say that this afternoon was the perfect Oregon fall day for dog walking. When the winter rains come and I am sloshing through the walking trail puddles with a dog, I’ll recall this day fondly!

Our adoptions last week included older dogs who have been at the shelter for awhile, as well as some recent arrivals. Here are the Blog Dogs who went to their new homes. I was especially happy about eleven-year-old Gus getting a new family.

Play Group Chatter

Sunday’s play group was on the damp side, but that didn’t bother the many dogs romping around the yard one bit. Everyone had a great time. Here is what I overheard.

Maybe Suzannah had a feeling her new people were coming for her that day, so was resting up for their arrival.

Nina, the water dog, lived up to her name once again.

Nina, Jasmine, and Gia enjoyed hanging out with each other.

Ever the optimist, Gia took some time alone for wishing, while sitting up on the ramp.

I’m new here and a little nervous, I’d really like to go to a home!

There are currently many dogs waiting for adoption at WHS, so we walkers have been busy lately making sure they all got some outdoor time. Here are Sunday volunteers Gracie and Jessica with Milkbone, a three-year-old Chihuahua/Terrier mix. Milkbone is a little nervous in new situations and would do best in a quiet home. She enjoys her walks and treats. She needs a little time and patience to learn to relax.

My name is Jolson and I’m a START dog from California!

Jolson is a two-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix whom I met for the first time last week. He is another rescued California dog who had a rough start to his life, but his forgiving nature makes him a happy boy. Here he is with Sarah. Jolson is quite stressed in the kennel setting and is hoping his forever Oregon family will find him soon and take him home where he can relax and be a new best friend.

Some people think I’m a water dog because I love being sprayed!

Volunteer Joan took Nina out this afternoon for a run in a yard. Nina has become one of our long-termers, as she’s been at the shelter since September 21. She is a two-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix who lives to play outdoors. She gets along great with other dogs in play group and enjoys rousing games of fetch with people. Nina hasn’t had a lot of leash-walk training, so would be a great candidate for our WHS training classes. She’s a good girl and knows how to sit and lie down. She is anxious to learn how to walk more politely on leash. And as you saw in the chatter above, what Nina loves more than anything else is to try to catch water spurting out of a hose!

Small, polite dog looking for a new family to love!

Volunteer Marla spent some relaxing time with new arrival, Holly, another of our START dogs from California. Holly walks well on leash and likes to be with both other dogs and people. She is currently sharing a kennel with another START dog and doing great. She’ll be a wonderful family dog.

Need a dog to find your lost tennis balls? I’m it!

This is Mohave, a two-year-old Shepherd mix whom Joan took out to a yard to play ball, and play ball she did! When I first met Mohave a couple of weeks ago, she was shy, nervous, and quiet…not anymore! She has become a happy and energetic girl looking for an active family of her own.

What a great face!

Meet Sam, a ten-year-old Golden Retriever mix who is pretty much the perfect dog. He loves everyone and everything, including car rides, big and little people, other dogs, cats, you name it. And to top it all off, look at that face! Someone will be very lucky when they adopt Sam.

Here he is with Richard today. And yes, Richard fell in love with him as we all have!

I may have a cone, but I’m keeping my spirits up!

Emelynn and I took Missy out for a walk and some quiet time sitting on one of the new ramps. Missy is a two-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix who is about as sweet as they come. Despite having to deal with the pesky cone, Missy walks well on leash, takes treats gently, and is always in a happy mood. She is a sweetheart, even smiling for my camera!

Hey…anyone looking for a best friend? Need someone to chase tennis balls for you? Pick me! Pick me!

This is Charlie, a one-year-old Rottweiler/Lab mix who is one active guy! If you’re looking for a dog who will race after a tennis ball and drop it at your feet, this may be your match. Charlie is still a puppy at heart, so is a very—shall we say enthusiastic—boy? He’ll need some training (think WHS training classes) but will be such a great best friend. Joan had a fun time throwing tennis balls for him today.

Emelynn’s Pick of the Week!

I’m very sad to say that this was Emelynn’s last day volunteering at WHS. Her family is moving to the coast and I am losing my sidekick. When I asked her whom she was going to choose for her pick this week, Emelynn chose Gia, a friend she has gotten to know and love over the weeks that Gia has been at WHS. Neither of us can understand why this sweet girl has not found her forever people. Gia is a two-year-old Pit Bull Terrier/Beagle mix. She gets along with other dogs, enjoys play group, loves to hang out with people and is very polite. She walks well on leash, takes treats gently and is simply a great dog. We’re both hoping that she’ll finally find her home soon. And on a personal note, I’m really going to miss Emelynn.

A current favorite of ours!

Brooke has been featured in my posts for quite some time. She has been in play group chatter, posing with volunteers and by herself. She was adopted once, but the new family had cats and discovered that Brooke has a strong dislike of felines, and they returned her. If you don’t have a cat, this could be your perfect match. Brooke will make a wonderful house dog. She walks very well on leash, loves to play, knows several commands, listens, and is gentle. Below are a few pictures that help to show her personality. She’s really not as serious as she appears in the first picture! Sarah and I love her.

I’m not feeling my best at the moment, but give me a few days to get over my cold and I’ll be a great dog to adopt!

Another START dog from California is this sweet girl,Taffy, a six-year-old Pointer/Basset Hound mix. At the moment, she is in the ISO kennels due to a cold, but will be well soon. Sarah and I spent some time with her today and both of us instantly liked her. She is gentle, affectionate, and very ladylike in her manners. We’re sure she will be a terrific family dog.

Yep, Tido here. Again.

Tido is becoming a regular fixture in my posts. Each week I spend some quality time with this boy and hope that by the following week he will have found a new family. Today was no different. He was happy to see me and we headed out to the big yard for our usual game of fetch. Tido lives to play fetch. He races after the tennis ball, then races back to me and after a little encouragement drops it and backs up to be ready for my next throw. He also will leap into the air to catch a fly ball. Every so often he will take a quick dip in the pool to cool off, then race after another ball. Tido is a seven-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix. Maybe his perfect match will come THIS week!

Yes, these are puppies…

Usually I don’t feature puppies, as they get adopted so quickly. But today I needed to take pictures of two Dachshund mix pups for the WHS website, and couldn’t resist putting them on my post. Here is Emelynn with Bingo and Sarah with Bambi. Yep, they are amazingly cute!

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Also, 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.