Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

We had an amazing 22 dog adoptions in the last week. The staff was extremely busy! Here are the lucky Blog Dogs who found their new families.

The staff sent me two going-home pictures. Here is Duke heading out the shelter door. I have been emailing with his new family and have been promised an update in a couple of weeks (right, Linda!?)

Gracie wasn’t at the shelter long enough to become a Blog Dog, but here’s a picture of her that would have been on this post if she hadn’t gotten adopted so quickly!

And here she is going home. Lucky Gracie, lucky family!

 

With all of the fantastic adoptions, you might think that there are no dogs left at the shelter to write about. Ah, but you would be wrong. In my study, I have a Dean Russo print of a Pit Bull with the saying: “In a perfect world every dog has a home.” Twenty-two former shelter dogs are home tonight, but many more are still waiting. Here are some of them.

 

I was rescued from an overcrowded shelter in California. I’m so grateful!

This is Sparky, a one-year-old Pit Bull/Lab mix who arrived on a S.T.A.R.T. transport a few days ago. He’s still got some puppy over-eagerness, but very much loves to be with people, as you can see with Ian on Sunday. He knows some commands and was very motivated by my hot dog bits.

 

 

Here he was a little later with volunteers Marianne and Audrey. I love his big block of a head!

 

 

 

Bruce really likes me. I think I’m his second favorite dog EVER here!

When Axel, a nine-month-old Great Dane mix, first arrived at WHS on June 16th, it was clear he was one huge pup who had not had any training, but who has a good heart. When I saw Bruce out in the big yard with him, I went out to visit. Axel will need a home without small children and with an experienced owner, due to his size and lack of training. However, what a wonderfully behaved dog he will become once he gets the chance to learn.

 

 

We’re looking for a quiet home together. Maybe it’s yours?

These two wonderful Miniature Poodle mixes are ten years old, but you’d never know it by looking at them. Nigel and Bailey are active, playful and love to go for walks. They were happy to pose for pictures and took my treats politely. They are delightful! Here they were Sunday with Diane and Andrew.

 

 

I got to go on another respite with Ashley!

I was taking pictures of new dogs on Sunday when Ashley and Rodeo returned from another wonderful respite. Rodeo is one of our long-termers. He is a seven-year-old Shepherd mix and has been waiting for his new home since the end of March. We’re hoping he’ll be found by a new family very soon. He can be picky about his dog friends, so needs to meet any potential dog siblings.

Ashley reports that after a long walk, Rodeo settled in with the family for a movie evening and once again, was a perfect house guest.

 

 

 

We are shy, but getting braver each day!

These two eight-month-old Rat Terrier puppies are absolutely adorable. The one on the left is Sarabi, and the one on the right is Dama. They share a kennel and feel better at the shelter being together, but do not have to be adopted as a pair. They are waiting for families who will be patient and understanding as they learn about the world. While they wait for their forever people, they are learning to walk on leash and gaining confidence. Families with older, calm kids would be great for these two. I took these pictures when I met them on Sunday.

  When I got to the shelter today, they came outside for their walks with cones on after being spayed. They didn’t seem to mind the cones too much and I could already see improvement in their confidence.

 

 

 

I’m still here! Need a new best friend?

Sophie, a two-year-old Shepherd mix, is waiting for her perfect family. She is an active girl, loves to go for walks and then hang out with people. She has enjoyed play group when she can race and play chase, but can become overwhelmed by other dogs and become nervous if the play is too rough. She is smart, loves to learn new things and would like to be someone’s new best buddy. Here she was on Sunday with Bryan. I love taking pictures of her because she’s so photogenic! She had a wonderful time as a camp dog last week.

Later in the day I saw her hanging out with Andrew.

Then I decided to spend a little time with her.

 

 

 

I need to work on walking more politely on leash. Will you help me?

Carla is a six-year-old Boxer mix who had great fun last week as a camp dog and is one of the few camp dogs not yet adopted. While she does need some work in leash walking, she is an eager learner and would love to attend a WHS training class. Carla is an affectionate, happy dog who will be a great addition to some lucky family.

Here she was with Jeff later on Sunday. Still smiling!

 

 

 

But I don’t WANT to look at the camera, Bruce!

One of the S.T.A.R.T. newbies on Sunday was this beauty, a one-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever/Pit Bull Terrier mix named Roxy. She was so shy when Bruce brought her out, she didn’t want to look at my camera at all!

After a few minutes of coaxing with hot dog bits, she agreed reluctantly to pose.

And later in the afternoon, Roxy was beginning to feel a little less stressed as she hung out with Marianne and Audrey. Roxy is a stunning dog and just needs some time to feel more at home. She did go out to play group and while overwhelmed by the rowdy dogs, did enjoy mingling with the quieter dogs in the calm yard.

 

 

Yep, I can smile!

After taking a gazillion pictures of a serious Chevy over the last several weeks, I was thrilled when I saw him smiling with Jeff! And what a smile it was. Chevy is a three-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix. He is looking for a special adult-only home. He needs an experienced owner who will help him continue the improvement he has been making at the shelter. Volunteer Linda has been taking him to a class outside the shelter and he’s been attending one at the shelter as well. He has been very cooperative and eager to learn new skills. He did get a little bored during last Sunday’s class, Linda said, and fell asleep during it! Chevy seems more relaxed and easy-going lately, which makes us very happy.

 

 

I love practicing agility!

The last day of camp was on Thursday, and so I didn’t get to post any of the pictures I took that day on my blog. Most of the camp dogs have been adopted, but Buddy is one who has not been. He is a four-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix and he enjoyed his time experiencing beginning agility. Good boy, Buddy!

 

 

 

 

And now… some of the shelter dogs would like to wish you a very Happy 4th of July! (And notice what great sports my dog-walking team members are!)

Zuma

Lola and Caroline

Sheila and Emelynn

Buddy and Makaylee

Rodeo and Caroline

 

Honey and Debbie

 

Finn and Emelynn

 

Bailey and Nigel / Marianne and Caroline

 

Shahana and Emelynn

 

Tessie and Trish

 

 

 

Updates!

Some weeks I have one or two happy updates. But this week there are FOUR!

Nova and Luna / Be Square and Be There (Remember the puppies?)

“Nova (Be Square) and Luna (Be There) just turned two on the 21st of June!! We’ve had Nova six months longer than Luna, but the girls fit together perfectly into our family. There is a dog-friendly park a few blocks from our home and the twins have picked up a new hobby of chasing their own RC remote control car there. It works great for exercise and helps burn energy. Both girls know different ‘tricks.’ Nova can jump up and give you a ‘high five.’ She also plays ‘dead.’  Luna is not fond of jumping up, but she will ‘shake,’ ‘give kisses,’ and ‘turn around.’ Luna still makes a great pillow and will cuddle with you every second of every day. Both girls know all their basic commands… sit, stay, down, come, here, and leave it. Just wanted to thank you for letting us have our twin girls and give you an update on how they are doing.”

 

 

Captain
“We have adopted Captain! After fostering him, he showed my husband what a great dog he was. I already knew that. It has been work but we are figuring out what is best for him each day and he brings us great joy.

My 4th son left for Afghanistan in June so this makes the house empty except for the three girls (cats). Captain is good for us as much as we are for him. We walk in the morning and in the evening and at first he seemed to miss the exciting place of WHS, but the walks are adventures to him. Never going the same place twice. Also he loves rides in the car. The challenge will be the 4th of July coming and the fireworks noise but we are getting a plan in place for that. He already does not like mowers and weed eaters, vacuums and such.

We will be working on dog training classes soon and he is having fun with the ball play in the back yard.
Captain and family~
Vickie and Jeff”

 

 

Billy Jean

“Hello there! We adopted Billy Jean yesterday and she seems to be adjusting really well! Our other dog Rocky is being a terrific big brother! We’re so grateful that Billy Jean chose us to be her family! We’ll send more updates soon.
Sincerely,
Neal, Jerrid, Rocky and Billy Jean”

 

 

Finn (Such a smart dog…she wrote the update herself!)

“Dear Adopt an Oregon Dog,

My name is Finley but my mom calls me Finn…sometimes when I start trouble with my big sister my mom calls me ‘Fin-stigator.’  I was adopted from WHS in September of 2013 by my mom, Angie, who was a volunteer there. I was scared and looking pretty scruffy but when she walked by my kennel, we locked eyes and that was it. Love at first sight! I knew she was gonna be mine.

We moved from Salem to Mesa, Arizona in December. I got really sick with valley fever for few months but after several vet visits and daily medication, I’m feeling pretty doggone good!  

It gets really hot here but we have a pool in the backyard. When I first got in, I didn’t know what to do and sank to the bottom. My mom got me a life jacket to keep me safe and now I’m a regular Michael Phelps (but cuter). I love my family so much and they love me. I’m lucky to have such a great life.

Thank you Willamette Humane Society!”

 

Wow. Such wonderful reports!

That’s it for this week! Happy 4th of July!

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