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animals, dogs, fellow dog lovers, humane society, pit bull terrier, shelter dogs, willamette humane society
Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,
Happy New Year! Here’s hoping that many more shelter dogs find their happy forever homes in 2013 and that we move a step closer to no more homeless pets.
Even with the busy-ness of Christmas and New Year’s, some people still came to the shelter to adopt a new family member. Here are the Blog Dogs who were adopted during the last week.
You’ll notice that Charlie is back on the adopted list. His first adoption wasn’t quite the right fit, so he was returned, but happily his new family found him soon after he arrived back at the shelter. Also, Mary Tyler Moo was adopted by one of our WHS volunteers! I happened to be around when Jack met his new family. He has two new big black Lab brothers who came to meet him on Sunday. I saw them romping around the training room and then all go home together. What fun they will have!
Sunday play group was such a nice change in weather! It was actually sunny! Both people and dogs loved it. Here is some of the chatter I overheard.
Sarah got a new hat for Christmas and Fuji noticed!
Little Bear, a three-year-old Beagle, had a great time racing with the bigger boys like Rockstar and Fuji.
He couldn’t help doing a little bragging after the race.
Then there was youngster Attie, a six-month-old Australian Kelpie/Boxer mix. She loved romping with the grown-up dogs, then suddenly rolling over on her back to show them she was just a puppy.
There are times when I like to stand back and watch tender interactions between the play group people and the dogs. Here are some that I caught and especially liked. No words are needed.
I’m a slightly older Princess, but still very special!
With Sunday being such a nice day, I wanted to get some pictures of volunteers and the dogs. The first one I saw was Lauren with Princess, a new favorite of mine. Princess is one of our START dogs from California and is ten years old. She is a Shepherd/Pit Bull Terrier mix. She is a gentle soul and Sunday was the first day that I had seen her seem relaxed and happy. When I look into her eyes, I wonder about her ten years before she arrived at WHS. I’m hoping that she will be found by a family looking for a loyal, calm, sweet-tempered girl. I want her to have a family who will keep her happy and safe for the rest of her life.
I’m ready for FUN!
Mary, another START dog, is still waiting for her family. She is a four-year-old American Bull Dog mix. She had a great time in play group and is a rough-and-tumble athlete. Mary needs an experienced owner without young children (her rating is PG+13), as she is very strong and might unintentionally play too roughly. Mary can walk very nicely on leash, but when around other dogs she gets so excited that she can pull like a freight train! Here she was on Sunday with Andrew. What a great face!
The name’s Jump and can I ever!
Jump is a five-year-old Chihuahua mix. He is a fun-loving boy, gets along with other dogs and is good with kids. He has a delightful personality, is affectionate, and was very interested in my hot dog bits. Here he is with Sarah.
I’m a little shy and nervous, but hoping for a new family soon.
This is Dave, a two-year-old Chihuahua mix, with Jamie. Dave is quite shy and nervous around new people and activities, so would do best in an adult home or one with older children. He is a very cute little guy and I hope he’ll soon find a patient, understanding family.
Dave loved Jamie’s hot dog bits!
My name is Mario and I’m a Dachshund!
Little Mario is a seven-year-old Dachshund mix who is what the shelter calls an “uncomplicated” dog. He likes to go for walks, likes to cuddle, enjoys being with people and can play with other dogs. He’s laid back and takes treats well. Lauren fell in love with him!
I’m going home soon!
Although Jimmy John has already officially been adopted, he can’t go home until he is neutered tomorrow. So on Sunday I snapped this picture of him with Brittney and Breanna. It shows how far he has come in such a short time in the shelter. When I first met him, just a week earlier, he was so fearful that it took both Sarah and me and a trail of hot dog bits to coax him out of his kennel. Now look at him! He is a terrific dog!
Will you be the lucky one to adopt this beauty?
Finally on Sunday, I saw Sherrie out with Lucky, a new arrival who is a five-year-old Lab mix. Lucky is very shy and needs an understanding family who will help build his confidence. He is a very gentle boy who will make a wonderful companion for some lucky family!
I have a very stoic face!
When I arrived at the shelter this afternoon, I saw Kathy with one of her favorites, Gala, a four-year-old Boxer/Lab mix. What a face this dog has! She is a playful, friendly girl who has a stubborn streak that can be overcome with hot dog bits which she takes gently. She needs an active family who will give her lots of exercise. She currently has a hold for adoption after spaying tomorrow, so hopefully will be in her new home soon.
I’m back but am hoping for a new family soon!
Bella is back at the shelter after being adopted a few weeks ago. She needs to be adopted by a family looking for an energetic, playful, very active girl. Bella is in no way a couch potato! She loves to play fetch and returns the ball, dropping it for another throw. She loves to have her tummy scratched in between games. Debbie spent time with her this afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed playing with Bella. She knows some commands, will work for hot dog bits, and would do well in one of our WHS training classes. She is a one-year-old Shepherd mix.
Play Time!
Since there were enough dog walkers to get everyone out for their walk, I asked BJ, the volunteer manager, if we could have another mini play group this afternoon for some of the high-energy dogs. The answer was yes and did they have a grand time! Here are some shots from the very rambunctious group of Rockstar, Victor, Attie and BJ’s own dogs.
Rockstar and Victor became best buddies in seconds!
Rockstar found a ball and threw it up in the air just for fun!
Victor and Rockstar wrestling.
Attie doing a somersault into Rockstar.
Speaking of Rockstar…
Rockstar got a respite with volunteer Beth on Tuesday. Here is her report.
“Rockstar couldn’t believe his luck when we got to the park today. There were lots of runners lined up to start the Capitol Mile, a New Year’s Day run. Rockstar loved meeting some new people and a few dogs. We got to cheer my friend Shari on as she endured the chilly run through Wallace Marine Park.
Rockstar has probably never ever met a person or dog that he didn’t like! After our walk, he had the best time racing around the yard with my 2 dogs and even my skittish blue heeler enjoyed his easy going personality. I did discover that he loves to enjoy his Nylabone while hanging upside down and that kept us laughing. He seems like such a smart guy and with a little training, he would really shine! He curled up all tuckered out in the backseat of the car like an angel on the ride back to WHS last night.
It was a really fun day with this sweet boy!”
I’m new here and very shy.
One of the newbies I needed to get pictures of for the WHS website was Chrissy, a three-year-old Pit Bull Terrier/Australian Shepherd mix. Debbie brought her out for me to photograph and I knew before the first photo that I had yet another favorite. Although very shy, Chrissy warmed up during her photo shoot. She took hot dog bits carefully and leaned against Debbie. I hope she is adopted very soon, but if not, I look forward to getting to know this sweetheart better.
Bonded Pairs
We currently have two sets of bonded pairs of dogs. I want to feature both sets, hoping that potential adopters will see the deep devotion each dog has for their partner and decide to keep them together by adopting both.
Simon and Madison
Simon (brown) is six and Madison is five. They are Lab mixes and have a great history. They have lived with small children, are used to an indoor/outdoor life style, have lived happily with cats (!) and are just about the perfect pair of dogs! They love everybody!
Indie and Jessie
Indie (left) is eight and Jessie is seven. They are Lab mixes and are used to an indoor/outdoor environment. They are gentle and calm. They have lived with children (older children would be better) happily. They loved my hot dog bits and enjoyed playing together in the yard. They are not rough-and-tumble players, but rather calm. They will make wonderful family dogs.
Rosie
The last dog I want to talk about today is one of my forever favorites, Rosie, a two-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix. If you are a long-time reader of my blog posts, you will remember Rosie and Dolce as the best friends who came to WHS from Crescent City in California. Dolce is now in his forever home, but Rosie, having been adopted several times and returned, has spent the past several months in a foster home with a very experienced foster/trainer to work on her issues. She has improved greatly and is now available again for adoption out of her foster home. Here are some of my favorite pictures of her.
And here is her foster, Karla’s, report on how Rosie is doing.
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Want a GREAT walking partner that can follow your every move? Beautiful, bright-eyed Rosie will not disappoint. And she takes the passing environment in stride. Recently while passing three other fence running, barking dogs, Rosie totally kept her cool! She adores people, can play fetch, goes to bed early, gets up late and she’s quiet. Rosie LOVES to learn and thinks it’s a game. But she’s looking for someone to care for her, not just absent-mindedly love her. Be careful and Rosie’s mild separation anxiety can remain a thing of the past. Be conscientious and her potty notification will become confident and worry free. Rosie came up to us from California, and has been in foster care for two months working on her training. When she came to us she was not potty trained. She is 99% potty trained now, as long as you let her out when she asks to be let out. Her foster mom has taught her to let out one quick bark when she needs to go out, and she does this about 80% of the time now. The rest of the time she paces by the back door. She has come a long way from not being potty trained at all, and is improving with every day, and has not had any accidents for a month! She was also not crate trained when she came to us, and she is totally crate trained now. She does have mild separation anxiety which seems to be at its worst when she is left in the car, so we suggest that you leave her in a crate at home, rather than leaving her in the car if you go somewhere. She is fine when left alone at home in a crate 🙂 She has been left loose in her foster home a few times and did okay, but that is something you will need to slowly experiment with in your own home to make sure she doesn’t have accidents while you are gone. She is a very sweet dog who will need continued training throughout her life, in a patient, understanding home that will take her on walks and trips and keep her mentally stimulated and happy 🙂 She walks extremely well on the leash, and knows the heel command, and will follow your every step. She would be a great candidate for an agility or tricks class, or just learning fun tricks in your home. She is a great dog who needs a home that will give her the love and structure that she needs to thrive! Rosie is currently in foster care. If you are interested in meeting her please contact Alix, the Foster Coordinator, at foster@willamettehumane.org or (503) 585-5900 ext. 303 and she will set up a time for you to come to the shelter to meet Rosie!
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All of Rosie’s fans (of which there are many) are hoping for just the right person to fall in love with this girl. She’ll need continued training, but what a wonderful dog she is becoming!
And that’s it for this week! Hoping many of the dogs in this post will be adopted in this first week of 2013!
Remember, if you would like an email alert whenever I have published a new post, please sign up on the right side of this entry.
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.
Another great dog blog. I loved the play group captions. As volunteer who just yesterday walked Lucky, the very fluffy black dog mentioned in the blog (pictured with a volunteer), I can say he was not all that shy anymore, and seemed pretty tuned into people. He is very soft and fluffy, and seemed like a really sweet dog. Was easy to walk.There are lots of nice dogs available at the moment, but Lucky looks just like my sister’s dog only has a nicer personality.
Here’s hoping 2013 is a wonderful year for all the great dogs and cats longing to be adopted and find their people!
Hey, Sis —
Nice photos, as always! (I miss that mild, blue-sky’d weather out there.)
Best name of 2013, for sure: Mary Tyler Moo. She even looks like her namesake — the eyes, not the face.
Loved the “tender moments,” too.
Be talkin’,
BB