Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

It has been an especially happy week at WHS for some long-term and special dogs. Here are all of the Blog Dogs who were adopted.

If you read last week’s post, you know that I spent a lot of time with Sully and Joseph. I wasn’t at WHS when Sully met his new family, but I was there when Joseph did. You may remember that Joseph was rescued in California from living his whole life (five years) on a chain. From the moment he arrived at WHS, he was a favorite of everyone. His gentle, happy personality and his eager love for human interaction despite what his life had always been was amazing. I found myself spending extra time with him whenever I could. On Sunday, after finishing taking pictures of new arrivals, I decided to visit him in his kennel. This was his greeting when I arrived.

He was overjoyed when he realized I was going to come into his kennel with him. He spent the next few minutes throwing himself into his blanket with glee.

Sarah then joined us and as we laughed with him, suddenly his family-to-be appeared at the kennel door. They had seen him on my blog and had come to meet him! We all went into a visitor room and got acquainted. It was pretty much instant love.

The final step was getting the whole family together to make the decision. I had to leave, but received this family portrait from the staff a little while later.

Joseph has gone from a sad and lonely life on a chain to life with four terrific boys and their parents, a back yard to romp in, and a real home of his own. Just what this sweet boy deserves. Have a wonderful new life, Joseph. We love you.

The staff sent me a few going-home adoption pictures from the week. Sandy came to the shelter as a S.T.A.R.T. dog, very scared and timid. Here she is, still very uneasy. BUT! Her happy update will appear at the end of this post.

This is shy Betty getting a new sibling who is a WHS alumnus.

Here is cute little Sailor, whom you will see in action in Sunday’s play group a little later in this post, about to go home.

I  never even got to meet puppy Dream before she was swept off the floor to a happily-ever-after life!

Chatter and Action!

Sunday dawned with blue skies and lots of sunshine. I decided it was time for another play group movie. But first, there was lots of conversation!

Clyde, a two-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix, was especially excited to be out with his friends.

Some dogs are born leaders.

Although leaders are sometimes a little theatrical.

Shadow and Capone really hit it off.

Meanwhile, in the shy/small dog yard, there was some heart-felt conversation. First Lemon confided in Harmony.

While Brownie talked with Ali.

Now, the action!

The stars…Clyde, Shadow, Capone, Lemon, Brownie.

After play group, I was walking through the kennels and overheard this exchange.

I wish I could tell you my story.

The first time I saw Luke, he had just arrived from being picked up as a stray. Here he was with Diane on that day. I felt so sorry for him; he seemed very sad but was extremely gentle and appreciative of our attention. No one came to claim him, and so he is now adoptable. I’m hoping for a wonderful new life for this sweet boy. He is about 8 years old and a Labrador Retriever mix.

Update: Tuesday I went to WHS to take some pictures for an upcoming staff project. One of my “subjects” was Luke. I was thrilled to find a completely changed dog from Sunday! He was overjoyed when I went into his kennel, happily posed for my camera, smiling the whole time. Here are some candid shots. Some family is going to be mighty lucky to adopt this sweetheart!

Hi-fiving with staff member Meredith.

Such a clown!

I’m going to need a very Lemon-savvy forever person!

Lemon is a five-year-old purebred Redbone Coonhound with a beautiful smile. She is a sweet girl who is looking for a patient and understanding person to love. She has some separation anxiety issues which she will need help in overcoming. But she is so worth the effort it will take to give her the confidence she needs. She loves play group and her gentle style is great with smaller dogs. She has become a favorite of many staff and volunteers. Here she is with Jacob Sunday afternoon.

I may be small, but I have a big personality!

Meet Simba, a ten-month-old Chihuahua/Dachshund mix. This little guy is so cute and has no idea he’s small. Sarah and I both fell for Simba’s self-important attitude and his love of people. He can be a little nervous in new situations, but will make a great little companion in a calm family.

I’m feeling a little unsure of things right now.

Suzie was a stray who was lost in a neighborhood for several weeks until a kind person took her in and brought her to WHS. When she arrived, she was limping, having hurt her right back leg. She is much better and since no one claimed her, she is now up for adoption and we’re hoping she’ll find the best ever forever home. She is about a year old and is a Pit Bull Terrier mix who is as gentle as a dog can be. Since she’s a stray, we don’t know anything about her history, but Emelynn and I know she’ll be a loving and gentle best friend.

They say I’m stunning. I say I’m waiting for a forever home!

I’m really surprised that Capone is still waiting for a new family. This dog has it all. Not only is he striking in his looks, but he has such a great personality as well. As you saw, he was such a fun character in play group. He got along with everyone and was considerate and polite. While he played hard, he was excellent about taking direction from us. Capone is a two-year-old S.T.A.R.T. dog, an American Staffordshire Terrier mix. Here he was on Sunday with Jacob. I’m hoping he’ll find his forever people very soon!

I’m one terrific dog! Just ask Martha!

Casper is an eight-year-old Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix S.T.A.R.T. dog, returned to WHS because he is not good with chickens or cats. But, he IS wonderful with kids! He was a great running partner with his foster mom and loves kids of all sizes and is very gentle with them. He is house trained. He doesn’t like to be left alone, so a home where there are people around most of the time would be ideal for this boy. Bruce and Danielle really enjoyed their time with him on Sunday.

Casper was another “model” for me on Tuesday. He has the BEST smile!

Looking for a cute little bundle of fur? Meet Tug!

Tug is a three-year-old Shih Tzu mix who is a delight. He is pretty timid at first meeting, but warms up quickly. He has the most adorable walk, which is more of a prance on short little legs. I’m sure he’ll be adopted quickly! He kept both Sarah and me laughing.

Still smiling! Wouldn’t you like to see this smile every day?

Mia is a four-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix, and a S.T.A.R.T. dog who has been at WHS since December 20. Here she is on Sunday with volunteer Francis. While Mia doesn’t have great kennel presentation, she is affectionate and a “people dog” once outside. I’m hoping the right family will come along and see what a great girl she can be. Training classes at WHS would be a great way for her to bond with a new person. Mia is showing some stress at being in the shelter for so long. I just love her happy face!

Looking and waiting still.

Shadow, one of the stars of the play group movie, is hoping to find the perfect person who will have the patience, experience, and understanding to help him become the great dog that he wants to be. Shadow simply has never gotten the chance to learn polite manners. He is an 82-pound, one-year-old Weimaraner/Shepherd mix. He loves to play with other dogs and people. Because of his size and strength, he needs to go to a home with room for him to romp and run. Several volunteers, including Bill, are working with Shadow to try to help him learn impulse control and how to walk without pulling. Shadow is a smart, happy young dog who just needs the right person to find him.

Emelynn’s Pick of the Week!

Today Emelynn and I met sweet Scarlet, a two-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix who recently weaned a litter of puppies (her last, she’s happy to tell you!) and is now ready for a forever home. Scarlet is just about the perfect dog. She is gentle, walks well on leash, is good with other dogs, is affectionate and is great with kids. She is also house trained and crate trained. She loves playing with toys and going for rides in the car. Some family is going to be thrilled (and very lucky!) when they adopt her!

On our way back inside after her walk, Scarlet had to stop and say hi to Jolene.

Could she look any more sincere?

We’re sharing a kennel!

Simba and Tug (both are featured earlier in this post) share a kennel, and today Emelynn and I took them out. (It was extremely windy, as you can see!) Can you tell that they knew I had hot dog bits?

Both of these dogs prance rather than walk. They are such fun to watch.

Onward and Upward!

Emelynn and I also took out these pups this afternoon. You’ll remember them from last week’s post. Onward and Upward are four-month-old Chihuahua/Welsh Corgi mixes. Don’t think that having cones dampened their excitement about life at all! They were every bit as active as last week!

Ever the optimists, they were hopeful we’d take them out again as soon as they were back in their kennel.

Need someone to play fetch with? I’m your guy!

My last dog today was Clyde, one of my all-time favorites. Clyde is a two-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix. As you saw in the movie, Clyde is a rough-and-tumble player with other dogs, but is gentle with people. His favorite game in the world to play is fetch. He dashes after the ball, bringing it back and dropping it at your feet.

Then he sits, waiting for you to throw it again.

If you don’t throw it immediately (if you’re getting your camera ready), he starts backing up, sitting, backing up, sitting while always keeping his eye on you.

Then when you throw, this boy gives his all!

Clyde often catches the ball mid-air.

We played fetch for about a half hour. When we went back inside, Clyde and I were both ready for a rest! I’m hoping this week will be Clyde’s lucky one and he’ll find the perfect (catless) family to love.

Updates!

Sandy

Remember how timid and uneasy Sandy was at the shelter? This is what her family emailed the day after they adopted her.

“I am a volunteer dog walker at WHS and had never met Sandy, but we found her online and fell in love! We adopted her last night and she was so scared at the shelter, everyone told us we would have to help her out of her shell and that she would be very shy and timid. We brought her home and she’s a completely different dog! Outgoing, running up to meet new people and she loves to be loved on. She now has two brothers to play with, too!  And to our surprise she’s house trained!  We even kept her name because it’s so dang cute!  We couldn’t be happier!”

Joseph

I waited on pins and needles for an update on Joseph and so I was overjoyed when this was posted on Facebook!

“We finally found a great dog for our family! Welcome home, Joseph. We love you already! Turns out our Joseph is a big softy! He loves to cuddle & play with stuffed animals. He’s pretty energetic, too, hence the blurry picture…”

I am so happy for both Sandy and Joseph! On that happy note, I’ll close for this week, hoping for many more happy beginnings next week!

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