Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

With the holidays over, things are getting back to a happy normal at WHS. We’ve had some wonderful dog adoptions during the two weeks.

The staff catches pictures of some of the dogs heading home with their new families and here are some.

Poncho!

Sunny! (Think she’s anxious to go home?)

Shirley! (I’ll have more on this shy, sweet girl in the Update section of this post.)

Play group on Sunday was fun, as usual. The dogs sometimes know more than we do. Here’s what I overheard from newbies BFF’s Tigger and Nathan about adoptions.

At the same time, Sully (who actually was a very white dog before play group), and WHS alumnus Tanner had identical play styles, making for a ton of fun for them.

Later on, Tigger was relaxing on the lower platform. Then suddenly she was gone!

We have quite a few new faces up for adoption, and I met some terrific dogs on Sunday.

I’m a little nervous since I’m new. I’m hoping for a new home really fast!

This is three-year-old Chloe. She’s an Italian Greyhound mix. Diane took her for her walk Sunday afternoon and loved her. Chloe is very shy and will need a family who will help her gain confidence. She also will need some help with house training. She would like a calm home with understanding and patient people. She is such a cutie!

Yep! I’m a Beagle and I’m proud of it!

Next I saw Cheri with newbie Courage, a calm and gentle four-year-old Beagle. As with most Beagles, Courage will need a very secure fenced yard, as he loves to follow his nose wherever it might lead. He did well in play group and later Sarah and I used him as a calming influence on a reactive dog. Courage did wonderfully walking with the other dog and relaxing him. I think Courage will make a wonderful addition to an active family looking for a new best friend.

Looking for a little guy? You’ve found him!

Is this a cute little guy, or what! Meet Banana Split, a three-year-old Chihuahua. Sarah fell for him immediately when she met him, as you can see. Banana is a very active little dog who wiggles all over with happiness. He loves other dogs and plays well with them. He also loves people and will keep a family in stitches with his antics. He does need a little help with house training, however. And he probably shouldn’t go home with cats. He’s going to make someone a great little pal!

I just may be the cutest dog you’ve ever seen! Yes?

Ah, Quincy, a one-year-old Terrier/Dachshund mix. He’s extremely active and it was a challenge to get him to stand still for a nanosecond to take a picture! He still has many puppy characteristics (like chewing), so will need supervision. A WHS class is included in his adoption fee, which will help the new family a lot with Quincy’s training. Here he is with Bruce on Sunday. He’s one of the wiggliest little guys I’ve ever met!

I’m a Redbone Coonhound looking for a new home.

This beautiful girl is named Lemon. She is about five years old and one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met. She was found as a stray, so we don’t know much about her, but since she’s been at WHS, she has won many hearts, including Cheri’s and mine. She walks well on leash, is calm and is patiently waiting for a family to fall in love with her. Could it be yours?

Her eyes are soulful. If only she could tell us her story.

I’ve come to Oregon to live! I need a family to love!

Meet Layla! She arrived at WHS on Sunday from California just in time for play group, and did she ever have a blast! She is very vocal in play. She and Sully carried on an animated conversation the entire time they were romping around the yard together. It made us all laugh. Layla loves people and other dogs. She is a happy, dynamic girl who will need an active family who will enjoy playing with her. She can also be a cuddle-bug. The lady who transported her to us from California reported that she curled up next to her all night before the trip. Sarah and I both instantly fell head-over-heels for this vivacious girl. Layla is a two-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix.

My name is Nathan Explosion and I’m a German Wirehaired Pointer mix.

Nathan is a shy but eager one-year-old youngster. He has a very expressive face and a ton of energy. He’ll need a family who will help him gain more confidence. He had a fantastic time in play group and he and Tigger quickly became best buds. Here he was with Bruce on Sunday.

I’ve been here quite awhile waiting for my perfect family fit!

Sarah and I spent some time with Candie Sunday afternoon. She was adopted and returned, as it wasn’t the right fit. Candie is a five-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix. She is a sweetheart, but she needs to learn to walk on leash without pulling. She can also be quite reactive around other dogs, so will probably do best as an only dog. She’ll need someone who is willing to put in some training time with her so that she becomes the well-mannered dog she wants to be. She will be worth the effort! She really wants to be a good girl!

I was glad today that I got the Sunday pictures, as it was pouring rain most of this afternoon. I did get a few shots, even with the veil of water.

I’m a terrific little guy waiting to join your family!

Eric is a three-year-old Chihuahua who is an adorable, energetic bundle of love. He spent some fun time with Kathy today and enjoyed some cuddles and racing around. He knows some commands and sat when I asked him to. He’s affectionate as well as playful, so will make some lucky people a great new family member.

Need a Beagle in your life? I could fill that need!

Lacey is a new arrival. She’s a four-year-old Beagle/Lab mix and is a gentle soul. She gets along great with other dogs and has lived with two cats happily! She is house-trained and good with kids. Yep, this sweetheart is the whole package. Carol couldn’t say enough good things about her time with Lacey. She reported she walks perfectly on leash. What a great girl!

I can’t wait to start my new life in Oregon!

Joseph came from California where he spent his life on a chain. He is a five-year-old Shepherd mix. He has quickly become a favorite of both staff and volunteers because of his gentle and loving nature to people. He walks very well on leash but will need some help in house-training, since he was an outdoor dog before arriving at WHS. Today Emelynn and I spent some quality time with Joseph, both by himself and walking near Courage, to work on Joseph’s nervousness around other dogs. He did great. This sweet boy deserves a loving, indoor, chain-free rest of his life.

Emelynn’s Pick of the Week!

One of the newbies that Emelynn spent time with today was Jet, a very happy one-year-old Lab mix. She took him to the big yard and Emelynn said they had such a great time playing fetch (he brings back the ball pretty well, unless something happens to distract his attention) and chase (he loves to race around after you). He walks pretty well on leash and loved my hot dog treats. He’s looking for an active, fun family of his own.

This is a picture I took of Jet on Sunday.

I’m a young, happy, playful boy hoping for a great new Oregon family!

I spent quite a bit of time today with Sully, a new arrival from California who is an eight-month-old Pit Bull Terrier mix. What a fun character he is! He loved play group and especially enjoyed playing chase with Tanner. While he is a very active guy, he listens and is eager to learn. In fact, his adoption package includes a class called Check In and Chill Out, which he will love to take with his new family. Sully enjoys chasing tennis balls and will bring them back most of the time. He also loves all toys, especially soft ones. Here are some pictures I took during our time together today. He’ll make some lucky family a wonderful companion.

Updates!

Shirley

When Shirley arrived from California a few weeks ago, she was a such a sad, shy, fearful dog. We had to coax her to leave her kennel to go outside. I worried that no one would adopt such a timid girl. I didn’t have to worry. In just a few days she was found by her forever family (pictured in the beginning of this post). And because they knew we were worried about her, they called the staff with an update.

Here’s what the staff member reported from the call.

“Shirley was very scared, and timid the first few days. Growling at the other dogs in the home, and any time he’d move fast or pick up anything – she’d be cowering and peeing on the floor. He said lately they’ve been making some HUGE improvements, and that she is the most perfect fit for his family. She’s learning to walk great on the leash, doing wonderfully with his cows, and does amazing with children. She is very intelligent, and is currently learning to heel. She also has eleven acres to run. He promised to bring in pictures. He personally wanted to say a thank you to all the staff here!”

What a relief to everyone who loves Shirley!

Louise/Esther Sue

Louise was another extremely timid California dog who trembled when we would coax her outside. She, too, was adopted quickly and last week I received this wonderful email.

“Hello ~ I wanted to give you an update on Louise, or who we now call Esther (or very lovingly Esther Sue).  Esther was called a shy dog.  I had no idea what that entailed.  I naively thought she’d warm up sooner rather than later.  However that has not been the case.  But this is not a sad story.  Esther is the sweetest thing and has a heart of gold.  She is a snuggler and a kisser.  She loves to play with our cat, Pouncer.  She loves my sister’s dog Mimosa, who is also a rescue dog from WHS.  She loves most women but is not too fond of men, but she will be around them, and tolerate them, she is just nervous the whole time.  She sniffs their hand, if they give it to her, and she gives them a lick.  Esther has claimed me as her human and her security blanket, she likes my 11-year-old daughter, has warmed up to my 13-year-old son, but is afraid of my husband still.  We don’t know anything of her past but whatever it was, someone or something has scared her pretty badly.  We take her places and introduce her to everyone, helping her to be brave.  It took us a pretty long time to find a motivator for her as she wouldn’t even take treats from my husband.  But Hebrew National Hotdogs have hit the mark. 🙂 This is a treat we have decided that my husband will give her to help build a positive association with him.  She actually put her paws up on him, trying to climb in his lap, looking for more.  

When Esther does come out of her shell she is hilarious and goofy.  She leaps and gallops and tries to stalk the cat.  She sprints circles in the backyard.  She is so goofy and I cannot wait until someday when her personality shines for all to see. We love Esther. Adopting a shy dog was a little bit of a shock to us, not realizing just how shy she was, BUT we won’t give up on her.  We are reading up on shy dogs, we will take her to the shy dog class as soon as we can, and we love on her, doing our best to be patient and gentle, helping build her confidence.  

I believe that one day Esther Sue will be brave and confident. Until then Esther will be in a very loving home having hot dog treats, playing with a feisty kitty cat, taking walks, visiting other family members and their dogs, snoozing on the couch, and showered with kisses everyday and occasionally sleeping in our bed (she is a bed hog for sure).  I will keep you updated as she progresses!

This picture is me and Esther with my sister with her dog Mimosa (from WHS).  This past spring my sister lost her American Bulldog to cancer and in June, I lost my English Bulldog to cancer.  Here we are with our 2 new pups both from WHS.

Esther snuggled on the couch and the cat in the dog bed.  (At least it wasn’t a complete waste of money!)

Esther at the family Christmas with Great Grandma and My husband. 🙂  She really liked great grandma.”

On these two wonderful updates, I’ll wish everyone a happy 2014!

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.

You can reach me at adoptanoregondog14@yahoo.com