Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

Happy Spring, everybody! Nineteen dogs are going to spend their first summer with their forever families. Here are the Blog Dogs who are now home.

Everyone was thrilled that Mason and Sonnie who were returned a few weeks ago got another home TOGETHER! Hoping this will be their forever one. Here is the photo the staff took just before they left with their new person. Happy new beginning, boys!

 

Sunday’s playgroup was as active as usual. The life of the party this week was Bunny. Always smiling, this girl had a blast with everyone!

Bunny also decided she really enjoyed posing for my camera!

In fact, she enjoyed it so much that when I was trying to get a picture of shy newbie Charming, Bunny suddenly leaped up onto the platform just as I snapped the picture!

Meanwhile in the big-dog yard, Buddy (used to be named Austin when he was at WHS before) was trying to help Marianne with her dog skills.

Juicy Fruit is quite the con-artist. She let everyone clearly know what she wanted.

 

 

 

Look how much better I am!

Remember Joker? He came to WHS two years ago and was adopted.

He was surrendered to us again when his family could not afford care for his skin condition last January. This is how he looked at that time.

WHS collected funds for his medical issues and placed him into a loving foster family. Last week Joker came to the shelter for a visit and oh my, how much better our boy looks!

Joker is well enough to be adoptable again! He is a sixty-pound Shepherd mix and is three years old. He is house-trained and has a lot of energy now that he’s feeling better. He gets along with most other dogs and even dog-savvy cats. He does have an issue about sharing his food—he doesn’t like to, so a home with older kids would be best. Joker is treat-motivated, so training this smart boy is fun. We’re hoping that he’ll soon be in his forever home. For more information, contact foster@whs4pets.org.

 

 

 

I have been trying to convince Jeff that I’m a lap dog.

Have you ever met a big dog who had absolutely no idea of his size? Meet Dolce, a sixty-pound, seven-year-old Pit Bull Terrier marshmallow. This boy will be such a good family dog. He is house-trained, crate-trained and loves people, other dogs, and even cats (usually). He has lots of energy which he’d like to spend doing activities with his people. Since he is very food-motivated, he’s great fun to teach, and would thoroughly enjoy our WHS training classes. Dolce has a great sense of humor and is simply a delightful boy. Some family will be very lucky to get this sweet lap dog!

 

 

 

Caroline says I have a great face. Do you agree?

This is Samwise Gamgee (but you can call him Sam). He is a four-year-old Miniature Poodle/Yorkshire Terrier mix with such an expressive face! Sam is house-trained and looking for a family who wants an only pet. He’s not a fan of cats and would rather have his people all to himself. Caroline and I both got a kick out of this cutie. We’re hoping he’ll have a new family of his very own soon.

 

 

 

I’m new here. I’m looking for a job. Can I help you with something?

This sweetheart is Priscilla, a four-year-old Australian Cattle Dog mix. She was found as a stray, so we don’t know much about her, but she has become very popular with staff, volunteers, and other canines. Priscilla is playful, friendly and eager. She is house-trained and scored very well on her behavior assessment. She enjoys the company of other dogs. As a Cattle Dog, she likes to have a job, so waiting all day for her people to come home would not be something she’d like. Instead, she’d like to be around her peeps to help wherever she can. Need a companion while you go about your day? Priscilla would be perfect for you. Marianne and I both fell headlong for this wonderful girl.

 

 

 

I’m overwhelmed here at the shelter. I can’t wait for a family to adopt me.

Charming is having a hard time in the shelter environment. He is another Australian Cattle dog mix (no, we don’t usually have two at the same time). A staff member took him home for a couple of days to give him a break and he did very well, though it took a little time for him to fully relax. He loved the other dogs in the house and did well with the dog-savvy cats, too. Here’s what she wrote about him: “I brought him home and he is SUCH A CUTIE PIE! He is a sweet, timid, silly dog. He has no mean bone in his body, and is gentle. He plays well with other pets. After a day, he was wagging his tail, excited to see me. He is quiet, he is potty trained. I love him a lot.” We’re hoping he won’t have to stay at the shelter very long. Here he was with Laslo on Sunday.

 

 

 

I know I need to lose a little weight. You can help me after you adopt me!

This lovely, though chubby Pit Bull Terrier mix is Juicy Fruit. She is eight years old and weighs in at 70 pounds. She needs to lose between fifteen and twenty of those pounds because her excess weight is hard on her joints, so while she loves to romp, she tires quickly. But what lucky people they will be who adopt this sweetheart. She scored well enough on her behavior assessment to get a PG rating, meaning she is an extremely gentle soul. Her hobby is lying on her back for tummy rubs, as you saw in the cartoons above. Juicy Fruit gets along with other dogs and loves everyone she meets. Here she was with Colby on Sunday. She’s hoping for a family who wants to cuddle more and who will help her eat less.

Here she was with me during Sunday’s playgroup.

 

 

 

I’m hanging out at a foster home, but I’m still adoptable! Come meet me!

You’ll remember WonderEars from previous posts. He was becoming stressed in the shelter environment, so is spending some relaxing time in a foster home. He is a three-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix. He will need an adult home without cats and a person who will give him lots of exercise and activities to keep him physically and mentally challenged. WonderEars would love to attend WHS classes to learn more skills. I happened to see Linda and Jolene out with him Sunday afternoon and snapped this photo. Later Linda emailed this: “Jolene and I had him out for about 45 minutes. He was lovely. I had walked him a few times but never really spent some one-on-one time. He was just lovely.” We’re hoping WonderEars’ perfect person will find him soon! For more information on this boy, contact foster@whs4pets.org.

 

 

 

I promise I’m going to be a LOT cuter AFTER getting groomed!

Meet Flynn, an eight-month-old Terrier mix. Since he’s still just a puppy, he’ll need an understanding family with older kids to help socialize him and teach him how to be a perfect family addition. He already knows how to sit when asked and took my treats gently. He seems to be food-motivated, so training should be a snap. He is a little self-conscious about needing a haircut. (Staff-member Jean will be making a date for him.) Here he was today with Joan.

 

 

 

Yep, I’m a lap dog and I actually FIT in a lap!

Alexis had a fun time with Bunny, a three-year-old Australian Cattle dog mix, on Sunday afternoon. Little did Bunny know that she’d soon be wearing the dreaded cone!

This was Bunny today with Emelynn. Some dogs are quite embarrassed about their cone…

But after the promise of one of my hot dog bits, she agreed to turn around, though refused to put her ears up or smile. Bunny has a hold, so will be going to her new home soon.

 

 

 

Emelynn’s Pick of the Week!

Emelynn and I both fell for this sweetheart of a Pit Bull Terrier mix appropriately named Sweet Pea. She is eight years old and though she isn’t the most beautiful dog you’ve ever seen with her scabby ears, or the youngest, she is a keeper. At the end of my shift today, I happened to walk by her kennel and there she was, lying quietly on her blanket looking sad. So Emelynn and I decided to take her out a second time and were so glad that we did. These pictures say it all. She will make a wonderful family companion and we’re hoping she won’t have to wait much longer.

And then it was time to go back to her kennel. She went back without complaining.

 

 

 

Updates!

Houdini

Remember this funny boy enjoying a book with Emelynn about his namesake?

I was excited last week when I got this update from his family.

“We adopted Houdini back in November and never sent in pictures (I blame Christmas and college). He is very sweet, loves to play tug of war, and is an absolute cuddle monster! He is an amazing addition to our family.”

 

 

Ben/Quincy

Remember sweet Ben? Here he was at WHS.

His new family writes: “Quincy is laid back and loving. He has great patience with our two year old and was everything we were hoping for with adding a dog to the family.  Thanks!”

On those very happy notes, 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