Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

Adoptions slowed down some during the past week, with eight dogs getting adopted. Two of them were Blog Dogs.

A note on Marcus. This beautiful boy was returned one morning, not being the right fit for the family, and was adopted by a new family that very afternoon!

 

Chatter

Sunday’s playgroups were busy both in the mellow yard and the rowdy one. Caroline was a little-dog magnet with Georgie (in her lap), Virgil, Cecil and visiting owned-puppy Cheyenne.Hugo was sure he was invisible!

Brothers Cecil and Virgil have been waiting for a new family since April 10th. They are eleven years old and have been together their whole lives. We’ve discovered that they can have sibling squabbles just like kids, but at the end of the day they love each other and would like to be in the same home.

Meanwhile, in the rowdy yard, Thor was having a blast romping with his buddies. Then suddenly, he had an idea for more fun.

Yep, you guessed it. Volunteer Sherrie’s dog, Kya, felt she should bring his actions to our attention. First one bucket…

Then the other…

Thor was so funny to watch. He is such a goofy, fun character! He left today for another shelter where we all hope he’ll finally find his forever home.

 

 

 

I think I’m going home soon!

I’m so happy to report that when I took this picture on Sunday, Cindy Lou had two holds on her! This sweet senior (ten years old) Cocker Spaniel has been waiting since March 30th for her special person to find her. Her health has improved greatly since arriving at WHS and her new haircut makes her feel frisky! Everyone she meets falls in love with Cindy Lou. Here she was on her Sunday walk with Gracie and Jessica.

Volunteer Kathy, a Cocker Spaniel lover forever, had fun spending time with Cindy Lou this afternoon.

 

 

 

I think I’m going on a respite soon! Gotta watch for my peeps!

Rosco seemed distracted on Sunday afternoon. Here he was with Tim after his walk, and I couldn’t get the usual big Rosco smile. Maybe he sensed that he was soon going to have a wonderful adventure! Rosco has been waiting for his forever family since March 8th. He’s a house-trained, treat-motivated, love bug Pit Bull Terrier mix. Let’s get this boy his perfect forever home soon!

I got a terrific report on Monday about Rosco’s Excellent Adventure to the tulip fields with volunteer Jordyn. She wrote: “I took Rosco on respite today! I took him to the tulip fields and he had a blast. It was hard to bring him back since I fell in love with him. He LOVES car rides. He did well with dogs and people.“
The pictures she sent tell all.

 

 

 

I’m a bit timid, but boy am I worth the effort to know me!

I first met Haru on Sunday and both Caroline and I really liked him, though he was very shy at first. Haru is a seven-year-old, house-trained, Chihuahua/Terrier mix. He is a senior used to living with seniors in a quiet and calm home. He was a bit overwhelmed in playgroup at first, and made it very clear to the other dogs that he wanted his space, but before long he was actually playing a little. He would love a family where his people were home with him to take him for a neighborhood walk, then spend the evening together with Haru curled up next to them. He does not like cats, so a feline-free home is needed. Caroline and I are hoping this cutie will soon be with his new peeps.

 

 

 

I’m new here. Everybody likes me. I think you will, too!

Meet Kody, a four-year-old Rottweiler mix, one of our latest transfers from California through our partnership with S.T.A.R.T. Kody is as gentle and good-natured as he looks. Volunteer Sam fell for him just like the rest of us have. Kody scored so well on his behavior assessment that he is rated PG+5! He loves people and other dogs. He walks pretty well on leash (here’s where some WHS training classes would be perfect!), takes treats politely and will make a delightful and loyal family member. This boy is just about perfect!

Here he was last week with Jolene, another one of his fans.

 

 

 

I may be little, but I am one cool dude!

Georgie is a sixteen-pound, eight-year-old Miniature Pinscher who is looking for a family who wants a cuddle bug to call their own. Georgie is such a “people dog,” as you saw in the playgroup cartoon with Caroline. He kept following me in the yard, wanting to crawl into my lap, too. He had fun in playgroup, enjoying racing around with his friends. Georgie is house-trained and polite. He will make a great little family addition. Here he is on Sunday with Tim.

Here are a couple of more shots of Georgie with Kylie and Marianne. Notice what all three pictures have in common? Yep, that’s where Georgie enjoys being!

 

 

 

Why do I keep popping up in each post? Because I’m still here waiting.

Sweet Pea continues to sit in her kennel and wait. Her name fits her perfectly. There is no dog any sweeter than this gal. 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’s one of the best. Sweet Pea loves people and other polite dogs. She walks well on leash, loves to have her tummy scratched and is very happy when getting attention. She will romp with other dogs for brief periods and is thrilled while doing so. She is a gentle soul who takes treats politely and will be a wonderful laid-back, quiet, calm companion. She is really hoping that his week will be her lucky one. Here she was with Tim on Sunday.

Today after all the dogs had been walked, we brought Sweet Pea out again for some hanging-out time with Marianne.

 

 

 

Looking for a Ball Dog? Look no further! It’s ME!

As I was taking newbies’ pictures on Sunday afternoon, I happened to see Laslo and his mother, Katie, out in a yard with Rosie. They were having such a fun time after discovering that Rosie LOVES playing fetch! Rosie was playing very nicely and letting Laslo pick up the ball over and over after she (sort of) retrieved it. Rosie is a two-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix. She still needs some training to walk more politely on leash and actually bringing the ball back to you (that’s where our wonderful WHS training classes come in!) but she is such a happy, eager young girl who will brighten someone’s life.

 

 

 

 

I’m a bouncy, happy boy looking for a family wanting a good time!

Emelynn and I met Rusty for the first time today and both of us were smitten with this big, goofy boy. He tried out for Search and Rescue training, but decided it took too much focus and that it would be much more fun to be a family dog. Rusty is a two-year-old Australian Shepherd mix. He is house-trained and knows commands like sit and down. He will be an eager student for our WHS training classes which are included in his adoption fee. He is going to keep some lucky family laughing and loving him.

 

 

 

I’m young, I’m active, and I can entertain myself and you—just watch me!

The last new dog that Caroline and I photographed on Sunday was Abigail, a one-year-old Weimaraner/Pit Bull Terrier mix who is such a bouncy and happy girl, she kept us both in stitches. She was found as a stray, so we don’t know her history, and being a youngster, she’ll need an active, patient, willing-to-train person with a sense of humor. But oh, what rewards she will bring to the right person. After posing for pictures (which was hard, since sitting still for a nanosecond is difficult!), we headed to a yard to watch her play with my squeaky toy prop. And play, she did!

First, posing for a profile picture.

Then she told us picture time was over and play time was going to begin!

And she’s OFF!

   She went to playgroup this morning. According to Volunteer Manager Kimmi, Wednesday’s playgroup lead, “Abigail did wonderfully in playgroup today and was very tolerant of the other dogs and invited play consistently while also taking many appropriate breaks, giving everyone a chance to relax.  She takes correction well and she caters her play style to her play partners.  She was a fantastic role model.” Abigail will make a terrific family dog.

 

 

 

Emelynn’s Pick of the Week!

Emelynn had a hard time deciding between Rusty and Shadow for her Pick of the Week, but chose Shadow, a one-year-old Shepherd mix.

Shadow is a well-mannered dog who enjoyed playgroup this morning and got along with the other dogs. He is very people-oriented and loved being with Emelynn for pictures. He took my treats politely and sat when asked.

At the end of the shift, Emelynn decided to take Shadow home for an overnight respite. He was soooo excited to get to go!

First he met Emelynn’s mother.

Then it was time to go on his adventure. I know he’ll have a wonderful time.

 

 

 

New toys!

I have a really happy story to tell you. A dear friend, Kathy, from my early teaching days in Michigan sent me a donation in memory of Scout. Kathy wanted me to use the donation to buy some toys for dogs at WHS. So after playgroup and pictures on Sunday, I went into Davenport’s Den (our WHS pet store) to shop. I explained to staff member Maria that I was buying toys in Scout’s memory. She showed me four toys already selected for four of my current favorite dogs! Kathy’s donation covered three of them, so I added some to buy all four. Then a man who had overheard my story came over and handed me a $20 bill, saying, “Here’s some more for more toys.” I couldn’t believe it! So I bought a rope toy for Sweet Pea and a squeaky duck for Georgie. So all in all, six shelter dogs all have wonderful new toys this week!

 

 

Updates!

We have two great updates today!

Bellamy/Belle

Remember Bellamy, the beautiful girl with “issues” who went to a very experienced foster family to work on her behavior challenges? It turned out she had some serious problems that took a lot of patience, but her foster mom was determined to help her and after many weeks of work, Bellamy, now Belle, was adopted a few weeks ago from her foster home. Luckily, she was adopted by someone also determined to give Belle the time, patience, and understanding she needed to bond.

“I adopted Belle a little over three weeks ago and am so happy to have her join my family, so I thought that I would give a successful update. I had been looking at dogs online for several weeks, but nothing seemed to be a good fit for one reason or another. Scrolling through the Willamette Humane Society website, I came across Belle’s adorable picture. I clicked on her profile and learned that she had been in the foster system for a year or so and does have some behavioral challenges, but I thought, ‘Hey, nothing great comes easy.’  I decided to call and schedule a time to meet her. Once I met Belle, I knew I could be her forever home. The first week was a little rough; in fact, I was pretty sure she hated me. She would growl at me anytime I came close to her. It took her a couple of days to even come inside from the garage into the house, and she even hid under the car to get away from me. But thankfully that did not last too long. She now feels very comfortable in the house. She has a favorite spot on the couch and hogs my bed at night. Belle loves going on walks, playing in the yard, and has slowly been making friends with my cat. She is a loveable, sweet dog that I know will continue to shine as we become best friends.” 

 

Abby

Remember Abby, the beautiful sock-eating girl? Here she was pre-sock-eating at WHS.

Here she is after TWO sock-eating episodes, having hopefully learned her lesson. Her family loves her very much and wrote: “She even took a vacation to the beach!  She loves the beach and the rivers here in Portland.” Here she is after a long day of having fun. Too bad she can’t relax!

On those 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