Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

I’ve decided to change my blog opener, and begin by posting my favorite picture of the week. Today’s picture is of Rocky. I caught him just after a great walk with a volunteer. More on this good boy a little later.

 

It was a busy week at the shelter since my last post. There were twelve dog adoptions, eight of them were Blog Dogs.

Jacks had been waiting quite a while for his perfect family, but as you can see by the pictures below, they found him!

 

 

 

I can’t wait to meet you! 

Rocky had a great time on Sunday with volunteer Tim, and I was so happy to see him smiling! When I had taken my first photos of him, he had been so serious. Rocky is a six-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix who has been waiting for a new home since May 11. He is an energetic boy, so will need a family who enjoys an active life. He is house-trained, knows several commands and would love to learn more in our WHS training classes. He’s treat-motivated and smart, so more training should be a snap. He probably shouldn’t go to a home with a cat. He has a great history with kids. Because of his enthusiasm, the kids should be 8 and older. We’re hoping this good boy will go home soon.

 

 

 

We’re back. We need a very special home.

Hunter and Tara are back. Although they were adopted into a wonderful home with a huge fenced yard, Hunter insisted on exploring the neighborhood (via digging out under the fence) and Tara, as always, followed him. Nothing seems more important to Hunter outside than following his nose. Therefore, these two need a very secure fence and cannot be left outside unattended. They are bonded siblings; Hunter is nine and Tara is ten years old. They are affectionate, playful, and favorites at the shelter. In fact, they have been “hired” to be “instructors” in Jr. Trainer’s Camp next week, but will be available after that. We’re all hoping that just the right person will adopt these two lovable but wanderlustful Beagles. Here they were on Sunday with Gracie and Jessica.

 

 

 

Speaking of Beagles…

This happy fellow is Buster, a seven-year-old Beagle. He’s been at WHS before and is back due to his family moving. Buster is friendly and smart, though not a big player with toys. He loves hanging out with peeps, which he will be doing next week at Jr. Trainer’s Camp. This boy needs to go on a serious diet and lose about 15 pounds. This he knows can be accomplished with “light” food (and less of it) plus exercise (brisk walks around the neighborhood). He’ll be ready for a new family right after camp. Here he was with Tim on Sunday.

 

 

 

I’m pretty much a great big bundle of love and energy! Want to play?

Can you tell that Tank is excited that he’s is going to camp next week? Yep, he, too, will be helping out with Jr. Trainers where he’ll get lots of attention, love, and build new skills. Tank is a two-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix who is a let’s-go kind of guy. He gets along with other dogs and loves people as you’ll see in these pictures with volunteer Laslo. He loved my hot dog bits and took them gently. He’s a “ball dog” and will play fetch as long as you’ll throw the ball. He even drops the ball at your feet after returning with it. This boy is a delightful character and has done well with older kids, though not with cats. He’ll be ready to head home with you right after camp next week!

 

 

 

What a difference a week makes!

Bonded sisters Mya and Jade are doing so much better, feeling less stressed than when they first arrived at WHS. They share a kennel and are more often than not snuggling on their bed while dozing. When outside, they still keep an eye on each other as they go for a walk, but now have springs in their steps. Mya and Jade are five-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mixes. They each recently had a massage to help with their stress and loved every minute of it. These girls take a little time to warm up to a new person, but given the chance, they will give a family two sweethearts to love. Gracie and Jessica enjoyed hanging out with them on Sunday.

And boy, had they come out of their shells by this afternoon! These two are a pure delight! When Caroline and I went to get them out of their kennel, instead of being wary and hesitant as they were last week, they came rushing up to us, tails wagging, with big grins, excited to go for a walk. Marianne joined us and we had a wonderful time, as you’ll see from the pictures. These girls will be such a great addition to some lucky family! They are sweethearts!

  

 

 

 

I’m needing a special home to finish living my life with love.

Trucker is an eight-year-old senior Alaskan Malamute mix who is a calm and gentle giant at 125 pounds. He is looking for a quiet hospice home where he can hang out with his peeps. He can get around pretty well, short walks would be great for this old boy. He isn’t as stable as a younger dog, and does fall down sometimes. He has a great history with children, though they would need to be gentle with him, and is rated PG+5. He wouldn’t mind if other calm dogs came to visit sometimes, but would like to spend his remaining days as an only pet. Trucker has won the hearts of everyone at the shelter, including volunteer Kylie. We’re hoping the perfect forever home will be found for this sweet boy.

 

 

 

Emelynn’s Pick of the Week (again)!

Rosie continues to wait and wait for her forever peeps to find her and we can’t understand it. She is a two-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix. She’s doing better about walking politely on leash, but would love to attend some WHS training classes to continue to gain new skills. Rosie is such a happy, eager young girl. She LIVES to play with tennis balls. In fact if her choice is between a tennis ball and a hot dog bit, she chooses the tennis ball! She can be picky about her dog friends, so would need to meet any potential house mates. She enjoys people and with her love of tennis balls and treats, she’s fun to train. I’m so hoping she won’t have to wait much longer for her forever home. As you can see, she and Daniel are best buds.

This afternoon, Emelynn took Rosie out twice. I joined them the first time in the big yard where they were having a blast.

When I got to the yard, I was greeted by Rosie.

Then she asked me…

I told her I wanted to take pictures so she could go back to playing with Emelynn, and off she went.

In the spirit of full disclosure, Emelynn and I have to admit that Rosie isn’t great at RETURNING the ball to us. But boy, does she love to run after it!

After fetch, it was time for posing.

Then…the pool!

Rosie was a bit taken aback that I didn’t know…

A while after I left them to finish playing, I saw them coming back to the building. Rosie has been waiting so long for her new family. We hope this week will be her last one as a shelter dog!

 

 

 

Looking for a lap dog? Pick me! Pick me!

Pebbles is a purebred Shih Tzu who is five years old. She’s a calm, even-tempered, low-maintenance kind of girl. She’d do very well in a quiet home with older kids. She has lived with other dogs, but isn’t a big player. She’d be perfectly content to just hang out with her new family as long as you don’t mind eleven pounds on your lap. Oh yes, and she is house-trained. Here she is with Tim.

 

 

 

Come and meet ME!

This is Duramax, a six-year-old American Bulldog mix. At 68 pounds, he’s a big boy and somewhat timid in new situations. He came to us from a rescue recently, hoping that he will find a new family through our shelter. I don’t know him well, but he seems like a good boy just waiting for a new beginning with a family of his own. He’ll need an owner willing to put in the effort to continue the training that we have started at WHS.

Little did I know when I wrote the above paragraph about Duramax on Sunday that he is a an absolute favorite of Marianne’s. I found her in his kennel this afternoon and, after spending some time with them, I felt I knew him a little better. He is a really good boy!

 

 

 

I’m looking for a special home.

Meet Bowie, a three-year-old Scottish Terrier/Miniature Poodle mix. This little guy is as cute as a button but needs to go to a home with people willing to work with him on a few issues that are a result of a difficult earlier life. Bowie is a wonderful dog in many ways. He loves to play ball, doesn’t chew on anything, rides in the car very well, and is house-trained. He seems to get along with other dogs and only barks when someone is at the door. However, there are a few things Bowie needs to work on with positive training. He much prefers to approach people rather than being approached first. He can be possessive of toys (resource guards). He does not like to be touched when sleeping and can be uncomfortable when picked up. Because of these issues, Bowie needs to go to a home without young children or cats. His adoption fee includes a consultation with one of our behavior specialists to help a new family set this boy up for success. Bowie deserves a happy life with a family who loves and is willing to help him. Here he was with Daniel, one of his fan club members.

 

 

 

I’m pretty much the perfect dog! Want to see? Come and meet me. I’ll be in my kennel.

I met Shroeder, a two-year-old Boxer/Pit Bull Terrier mix, for the first time this afternoon when Jolene brought him out for his walk and pictures. She couldn’t say enough good things about him! He walks well on leash, knows some commands (sit, down), took my treats gently and is simply a fabulous boy. He is house-trained, playful and affectionate. This guy is a keeper for sure! I love his grin!

Oh yes, and he has a great sense of humor!

Here he was after falling over laughing! He loved Jolene’s jokes!

 

 

 

I’m new and yes, I know I’m a bit “chunky.” You could help me lose my excess weight after you adopt me!

Don’t tell Charlie Brown, but “chunky” is a bit of an understatement (he needs to lose between 20 and 30 pounds). But this boy is a real gem and well worth the effort to help him lose those pesky extra pounds. Charlie is a nine-year-old Shepherd mix and boy, does he know stuff! When Emelynn brought him out for pictures, we quickly discovered he knows sit, down, sit pretty (this is a tough one for him, but once he loses some weight it’ll be a breeze), shake and roll over! He happily performed all tasks for everyone who stopped by to say hi. He is such a gentle boy that he is rated PG+5. He does well with other dogs, but has never been around cats. He is fine when left alone in the house, he just sleeps. He doesn’t like to be left outside. He loves kids. He rarely barks, only when someone comes to the door briefly. This boy is pretty special and will make an absolutely terrific family addition!

 

 

 

In Memory

I first met Ben, a Border Collie, when volunteer Tom brought him to playgroup several years ago. He was one of those dogs whom you instantly loved. Ben was gentle and a wonderful, calming influence on nervous shelter dogs who were unsure of their new surroundings. He was a dog that you just took for granted would always be there as Tom’s shadow. A while later another Border Collie mix arrived at the shelter named Daphney. She was such a sad little girl, afraid of everything. After meeting her, Ben decided that he and Tom should adopt Daphney, and so they became a family of three.

I was very sad to get an email from Tom last week that he had had to put his long-time best friend, Ben, to sleep. Tom wrote: “He really liked going to playgroup and hanging out. He was 14 in January and went to work with me his whole life until just recently. He had a great life.” Tom and Daphney both miss Ben very much.

There are two quotations that have always helped me in these sad moments.

“If you have a dog, you will most likely outlive it; to get a dog is to open yourself to profound joy and, prospectively, to equally profound sadness.  ~Marjorie Garber

The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of his master. ~Ben Hur Lampman

After our dog, Scout, died, my friend and WHS Board Member, Tracy, wrote this to me. I found it true for Scout and I know that Tom feels the same about his Ben.

“I think the reason we are so deeply affected by the absence of a beloved pet is because our lives were so profoundly touched by their presence.” ~Tracy Crandall

 Ben was a great dog.

 

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