Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

It’s been three weeks since my last post, and wow, have there been adoptions! There were twenty-three dog adoptions in all and fifteen of them were Blog Dogs. Here they are:

I happened to be at the shelter when Daisy went home. I love this happy picture!

 

 

Never Too Old For Love

I’m going to start this week’s post with a heart-warming love story. I met Julius Caesar (just Jules to his friends), a ten-year-old purebred Basset Hound, when I got home from a brief trip a week ago. He had already won many friends at the shelter and I quickly became another fan. Whenever we get an older dog surrendered, I worry about how long he will have to wait to be adopted. I didn’t have to worry about Jules. On Sunday while I was taking pictures of new dog arrivals, Diane brought Jules out for his afternoon walk.

Just then a staff member came to take him for a dog meet. Jules seemed to have a hunch that his life was about to change.

This is the rest of the story…

Jules, Lee, and Ruby

As soon as Jules is neutered, he will go home with Lee and Ruby. Since Jules’ pre-adoption, I have exchanged several emails with Lee. He told me about his other dog, Sam I Am, whom he and his wife, Meredith, adopted from WHS in 2004 and who died at age sixteen, shortly before Meredith passed away. Then he wrote: “We were family. Now we are again.” I know that Jules could not have found a better retirement home.

 

 

 

A Special Visitor and Party

We were thrilled on Sunday when an old friend and his person arrived at the shelter for a visit and a fundraiser for WHS. If you are a regular reader of my blog posts, you’ll remember Oscar. However, don’t feel bad if you don’t recognize him! Here was Oscar when he arrived at WHS last October. He didn’t have anything to smile about, poor boy.

Along with medication, he got regular baths by Marianne.

Here was our boy on Sunday with his person, Alison! We hardly recognized him! Thank you, Alison, for giving this boy the home he so needed! Here is what Alison wrote about him: “When I first adopted Oscar from WHS he was still pretty sick from his various infections that WHS treated for over 6 weeks.  On the way home he lay down in the seat and put his head in my lap.  With the help of a wonderful vet, Keri Sanders, DVM at Ark Animal Care, and a little love from me, he is thriving.  He is a delight.  He loves to play ball, is leash mannered, and loves green beans and pumpkin!  Many, many thanks to WHS staff and volunteers who spent time with Oscar before I adopted him.  And many of them visited Oscar at the party I gave him Feb 28th at WHS.  We raised over $150 for WHS!  Thank you WHS!!!”

 

 

 

Nope, I don’t like my picture taken, Martha, thank you very much!

I learned early in my dog photography experience that while some dogs love to ham it up for my camera, other dogs make it very clear that they don’t care for the paparazzi, especially when they are out for a stroll. There was no convincing newbie Porter that there was any benefit for him to pose for me.

Porter is a delightful one-year-old Lab/Basset Hound mix. He has a great history with children and other dogs (no cats, please!). A little later in the afternoon when it started raining outside, I tried for pictures again inside with Marianne. This time Porter was more than willing to pose. (Go figure!)

 

 

 

I’m not for the faint of heart, but if you’re ready for ACTION, so am I!

Are you wishing you had a fun, active young dog who will love positive-based training to become the perfect best friend? If so, I’d like to introduce Grace, a ten-month-old Australian Kelpie mix. She weighs 46 pounds and it’s all energy! She wants to become a great family dog and can’t wait to start training with yummy rewards. She is happy, eager, smart, and has a great sense of humor. Since she’s one of our transfers from ASPCA, we don’t know her history, but we know she would LOVE to take some of our WHS training classes with her new person. She knows some basic commands already and will be a quick learner as long as treats are involved. She already has Caroline wrapped around her paw!

 

 

 

We’ve been best friends forever. So we need a forever home together. Could it be yours?

Meet Simon and Pongo, a bonded pair who need to go home together. Simon is an eight-year-old Jack Russell Terrier mix and Pongo is a ten-year-old Beagle mix. They have been BFFs for a long time. They are house-trained, love to play ball, and Pongo was Jolene’s swim dog last week. She wrote: “Pongo was great in swim. Absolutely no issue with the other big dogs at the pool—no barking, growling. Friendly to people. Didn’t notice any unsociable behavior and he was tolerant of new experiences. Able to put the life vest on with no problems. No issues with staff picking him up and going into the pool with him.” These boys are looking for a retirement home. They would do well with older kids or just adults. We’re hoping they will soon be in their new forever home! They are feeling stress at the shelter and can’t wait for a quiet, calm home where they can relax with their new people. Here they were last week with Jolene and Kathy.

Here they were today when Marianne and I took them for their afternoon walk. We’re so hoping these two calm, sweet dogs will find a new home soon.

 

 

 

Caroline’s Pick of the Week!

This beautiful youngster is Reuben, a ten-month-old German Shepherd mix. Reuben is looking for a family with older kids (13 and up) or just adults who will help him to become more confident with both people and other dogs. He has made remarkable improvement in being braver since his arrival at the shelter. We see this especially in play groups where he is becoming an eager “rough and rowdy” player with dogs he has become comfortable with. He still can be overwhelmed by some dogs. Because he still needs some help in making friends, a Playgroup package is included in his adoption!

Reuben is learning he can trust humans and is warming up more quickly to new people when they are patient and understanding. Volunteer Jolene has worked with Reuben and writes: “Love this dog. He’s friendly, smart (basic commands), and takes treats very gently. Responsive to voice and attention. Very treat-motivated and if he balks at going back inside, he will follow a trail of treats anywhere. He’s looking better after putting on some weight. We just take it slow so he doesn’t get overwhelmed.” Reuben is house-trained. He will make some lucky person a loyal, devoted best friend. He has many, many fans at the shelter including Caroline and me. He was so good about posing for my camera! He’s waiting for his perfect fit.

 

 

 

I’m still waiting for the perfect fit of a home for me!

Pepper Jack arrived at WHS on January 14th from another shelter. He is a four-year-old Hound/Whippet mix who can be quite talkative when left alone, so apartment life is not for this boy. Since he loves to be with his people, a retired or work-from-home person would be ideal. Jack scored well on his behavior assessment and would be fine with older children. He settles nicely when given some attention and takes treats like a perfect gentleman. Jack does need to be the only dog in the home and cannot go to dog parks or be off-leash, as he can be very annoying to other dogs. Jack is hoping that the perfect family will find him soon so he can go home. He spent some time with Natalia last week.

 

 

 

I’ll be waiting for you right here at Willamette Humane Society!

This beautiful girl is Birdie, a seven-year-old Labrador Retriever. Birdie is looking for an active family with children at least ten years old, as she is a big girl at 78 pounds. She loves people and is treat-motivated, so learning new skills is one of her favorite things to do. She loves some dogs, but not small ones. She is house-trained. She knows basic commands and is a quick learner. If you can give Birdie the exercise and attention she needs, she’ll be a wonderful new friend. Volunteer Kim is one of her biggest fans.

 

 

 

We may be a little loud in the kennel, but we promise to get better when we’re in a home!

Roscoe and Lilly are a bonded brother and sister who are eleven-year-old Miniature Schnauzer/Jack Russell Terrier mixes. Since they were litter mates, they have been together their entire lives. They are house-trained and crate-trained. They have lived happily with older kids, cats and other smaller animals. They get along with other dogs. They are a bit noisy in the kennels at the shelter, as they can’t understand why they aren’t getting attention from everyone walking by. Once outside, they are calm, walk on leash well, and love to have their pictures taken.

Here they were on Sunday with Diane and Daniel.

Today Marianne and I took them out for their afternoon walk. They were delightful.

 

 

 

Daniel’s Pick of the Week!

Are you looking for an eager, excited, and smart friend who needs some positive training and can’t wait to start? Then this is your girl. Delilah, a three-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix, is a beauty. Delilah is a wiggly, happy girl who needs some work on impulse control and coping with frustration. She will also need lots of exercise, both mental and physical, so will be a great jogging or running partner. Her friendly overtures are too much for small children, so she’ll need to go to a home with older kids. We don’t know about her past, since she is one of our ASPCA transfers from California. I wasn’t surprised when Daniel fell for this beauty. She was good at posing for pictures and knows some basic commands. We hope this girl will find the perfect home soon!

 

 

 

Martha fell in love with me instantly! You will, too!

We have several wonderful new arrivals from another shelter whom I met today. One in particular grabbed my heart. Baker is an eleven-month-old youngster who is a Lab/Whippet mix. He is such an affectionate boy and knows a number of commands which he offers immediately and happily, then gently takes treats. Baker scored very well on his behavior assessment and would do well with older children. Both Caroline and I thoroughly enjoyed our time with this sweet dog this afternoon. We did find out today during play group that this athletic boy can climb a five-foot fence!

 

 

 

Updates!

I have three wonderful updates!

Roxie

I first wrote about Roxie in my January 20 post, saying this: When Roxie arrived at WHS a few weeks ago, we were worried about her. As a shy, ten-year-old Chihuahua, she didn’t seem to have much interest in life around her. Boy, were we wrong. Volunteer Krystal took her home to foster and to see if she would come out of her shell. Krystal quickly reported that Roxie had fit right in with the family’s dog pack and was feeling more and more relaxed and happy.

We were thrilled when a week later, Roxie’s forever family found her. Here is their update…

“I’m so happy to report in on Roxie’s adoption. I found Roxie online after searching for the right dog for my Mom. We contacted Willamette Humane Society who put us in touch with Krystal K., Roxie’s foster Mom. The following Sunday I drove my mother from La Pine to Salem to meet Roxie. The shelter told us no one had been interested in Roxie most likely due to the fact she was a senior aging in at 10 years 4 months. Foster Mom Krystal filled us in on personality, habits, and health issues.  It was love at first sight. My Mom is in very good health and will be 80 this year. My Dad will be 91 and endures much cancer treatment, as well as having issues with his eyes. Very stressful for both. Roxie has not only fit in, but has caused all three to flourish.  She is not the “right” dog, but the “perfect” new family member. Her skin conditions have cleared up, her hair has grown back….everywhere, even her tail. The vet said she may need pain meds later on for her back leg issues, and old fracture, which we expected…..She is attached at the hip to my Mom and has become very protective of her people, her home, and her car……Thank you so much! And thank you Krystal for being such a great foster mom.  She is loved, is love and is a lover, but still walks just like John Wayne!”

Theodore/Rex

Remember happy, exuberant Theo? He arrived on January 31st. We knew that it was going to need a dedicated and understanding family to take on this youngster! He found it on February 18th.

“We are very excited to add, now Rex, to our young family. My wife and I just moved into our first home and with me being a firefighter that leads to my wife being alone for 24 hours at a time but Rex keeps her company and definitely “hands full.” Rex is already a neighborhood celebrity, when he goes on walks everybody loves to come pet him, compliment him on his pretty coat and he loves to give them kisses back for their appreciation. Another new hobby for Rex is to chase the chickens around even though they are behind a fence. He is so full of love and I count down the hours each time I’m gone till I can come home and we spend time together as a family.”

 

Lemon/Amber

Lemon arrived at WHS on January 3, 2014. She was adopted, then returned due to what the adopter said was separation anxiety. She became a favorite at the shelter, but also was considered one of our “problem children” and we were worried about who would adopt her successfully. Joan and Steve, two of my dedicated Wednesday dog walkers, fell in love with Lemon. Joan spent lots of time with her out in a yard.

After about a month of bonding, Joan and Steve couldn’t help themselves and on February 13, 2014, Lemon became Amber and went home with them. She has not been a perfect dog, but no dog could be more loved. Health problems resulted in Joan and Steve having to give up dog walking a few months ago. Last week while in Dallas at the post office, I suddenly heard my name and there were Joan and Steve and Amber in a parked car! It was so good to see them again. Amber now is more gray, but is still her quirky self and still deeply loved.

On those very happy updates, 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