Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

This was another great week for adoptions at Willamette Humane Society! There were a total of 18 dogs adopted! Of them these twelve were Blog Dogs!

I got a couple of staff pictures of dogs going home.

First, Sheba with her new people.

Logan will have a great time with his two human brothers!

Looks like Little Mack will have a wonderful new home!

Chatter

Play group on Sunday was the usual fun and chatter. Kya and Bo, both WHS alumni, spent a moment reflecting on the old days.

And little Quilo took their advice to heart.

Newbie Angel was a tad rude to Sherrie’s dog, Harley, when he stuck out his tongue, but in fairness, Angel WAS first, and being new, he didn’t know all the rules yet.

We don’t think Angel has ever met a person or dog he hasn’t liked!

A delightful evening with Humane-a-Teens.

On Monday, I spent some time with a wonderful group of kids who are part of the WHS Humane-a-Teen group. This club is open to middle and high school students in Marion and Polk counties. I gave them some pointers on dog and cat photography and they practiced taking great shots of some of our adoptables. Here are some pics from the photo session.

First was Shelby taking pictures of Whisper. (Yes, I know this is a Dog Blog, but hey, this was a special night!) Whisper is a seven-year-old female who seemed to enjoy posing. She loved the attention she got from the kids, was playful, and enjoyed being petted. Whisper would do best in a calm home.

And here are a couple of great shots that Shelby took of Whisper!

Next was Watson, whom I’m happy to report was just adopted! Emma had fun snapping pictures of this fun and active character.

Then it was some dogs’ turns. First Bryanne learned that Angel‘s attention was easily captured with a hot dog bit. (More on Angel later in this post.)

Emma discovered that Mia will stay in a sit as long as she can focus on soon getting a tasty bite. Mia is a four-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix.

Brianna and Rachel worked with Sasha trying to get the perfect pose. Sasha is one-year-old Bull Dog/Pit Bull Terrier mix.

It was a fun evening and it gave me confidence that there will be devoted animal lovers who will be volunteering for WHS far into the future.

I’m just about the best dog you ever met!

One of the new arrivals to the shelter whom I met on Sunday was Angel, an eight-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix who is a gentle, and rather large cuddle buddy. You just can’t help but smile when he looks at you with his big head and happy grin. Some family is going to be sooo lucky to adopt him. He has a great history with kids. He walks well on leash. He was in play group on Sunday and had a wonderful time, getting along with everyone. What a great dog! Here he is with Taya.

And here Angel is today with Steve. Notice he’s still smiling even while wearing a cone after being neutered. What a guy!

I’ve been here awhile and I can’t wait for a new home!

Grommet is a six-year-old Lab/Chow mix who has been at WHS for a month. He is a friendly, active boy who needs to be the only pet in the family. He also needs a very secure yard, as he likes to go on adventures. Grommet would love to be an indoor dog so he can be your buddy. His favorite thing to do is hang out with his people. He is treat motivated and would enjoy learning new tricks and skills. Here he is on Sunday with Wendi.

And here he is today, still smiling, with Jolene.

My name is Felicity and I’m available!

I couldn’t wait for this sweetheart to be adoptable! I even got to name her (actually, my husband came up with her perfect name!). Felicity is a stray, so we don’t know about her past, but she is wonderful. She is young and enthusiastic and though she will jump for joy, and can be a bit mouthy, she instantly responds to what you want from her. She sits and lies down when asked. She walks well on leash (she will start to pull a little but the minute she realizes you want to go another way, she corrects herself). She is about a year old and is a Lab/Pit Bull Terrier mix. Some family is going to be VERY lucky to adopt her!

Meet Black Jack…a big personality in a small body.

This cute little man is Black Jack, a three-year-old Dachshund mix who had a great time with Trish today. Black Jack is a snuggler and loves to go for long walks, too. He’ll be a wonderful companion for someone looking for a small (14 pounds) new best friend.

Emelynn’s Pick of the Week!

Emelynn spent time with this youngster, Carlton, last week and again this week, taking him out twice. He is a nine-month-old Plott Hound/Pit Bull Terrier mix. Notice he is sitting here calmly with Emelynn? Don’t be fooled, this pup is ACTIVE! He can be a bit shy at first, but quickly gets comfortable and then he’s ready to PLAY! Emelynn reports that he also likes to cuddle and just be with a person. I have a feeling he’ll be adopted very soon!

I have no idea why my name is Zoomie! Do you?

Trish took new arrival Zoomie out to the big yard today and he lived up to his name! This eight-year-old Lab mix is a wonderful, happy boy who is hoping for an active new family to love. He lives to play fetch! He’s a very good dog!

 

Later, after all of the dogs had been walked, I happened to see Joan out with Zoomie again. I love his face!

I took some time away to get de-stressed and now I’m back!

Remember Candie, the beautiful five-year-old S.T.A.R.T. dog from a few weeks ago? She was getting very stressed in the kennel environment and so was sent to an amazing training facility in Eugene called Sevadog for some de-stressing/evaluation time. On Sunday Taya and I drove down to Eugene to pick Candie up and bring her back. She was such a good girl in the car, sleeping most of the way home.

Her evaluation could not have been better! Here’s just a little of the praise the trainer wrote to us about her:

“Over the course of a week she’s proven to be an extremely stable, affectionate and playful dog. My assumptions are that she lived as a family dog or a companion dog, spending the majority of her time inside or in their fenced yard. It seems she’s had little exposure out on walks, on leash. She would not do well with cats, but would do excellent with any stable male dog that enjoys rough play. She will make a fantastic companion for someone seeking an affectionate dog to snuggle with, sleep with, and be a lifetime family dog. She’s great in the car… She will not climb on furniture unless invited. She has incredible manners… She wouldn’t be be the best fit for an active person who wants a good leash dog unless they are committed to ongoing leash training. Pit or strong dog experience would be best. She is ready for a home.”

This afternoon Jolene had Candie out when Kathy arrived. It was the first time she had seen Candie since her return.

Later I took her out again and snapped these pictures.

Candie’s many fans are all hoping that the perfect fit of a family will discover this terrific girl very soon!

We’re still here!

Just before I left today, I stopped to say hi to Peanut and Cosmo, the bonded pair of six-year-olds I featured last week. They were at the front of their kennel and I could tell they had a question for me. These two are such delightful and funny characters. I’m so hoping the right family will find and adopt them soon!

Update!

Amber/Lemon

I know you will all remember Lemon, now Amber, who was adopted by my fellow Wednesday volunteers Steve and Joan. Here are a couple of pictures they sent (with my speech bubbles!) and a note from Steve. This is one lucky dog! Could she BE any more comfortable?!

Amber and her new brother, Tucker.

“Martha told Joan one Wednesday back in January that she just loved this new dog, Lemon, and Joan told me to go sit with her. I did and she cuddled up and laid on me and could not get enough petting and head holding. I was so hooked! We talked it over and were going to put a hold in the next day. Someone beat us to her and scooped her up.  We got a second chance when she was brought back to the shelter for separation anxiety issues. We took her home though we had concerns over our old dog being kind of a curmudgeon who didn’t like sharing his house with a new dog. That took a little while, but they are getting along well now. We changed Lemon’s name to Amber and she got used to it very easily. She’s so great and she seems very trainable, except for a few things she likes doing that we’ll keep working on. I remembered an old bluegrass song by The Dillards that I hadn’t heard in ages. I dug it out and played it. The chorus goes:  ‘Redbone Hound, come and get your belly up…lying on your tail all day long… Gonna’ run ’til the dew on the grass meets the sun.’ Love the song and our new dog, Amber.”

And that’s it for this 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