Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

There was only one Blog Dog adopted during the past week, but what a fantastic one it was! Osa has been waiting for her perfect family fit since May 16th. She was found as a stray and had several health issues that needed to be resolved. From the start, Osa won many, many fans. Her gentle soul and love of people made her a shelter favorite. But potential adopters kept passing her by while she patiently waited in her kennel. Then on Saturday her forever family found her. They couldn’t pick her up until Monday, but that gave everyone a chance to wish her a happy new beginning. She couldn’t wait to tell everyone. She’s going to have such a great life helping to take care of her two human siblings.

 

 

I got adopted so quickly, I never made it to the blog!

I want to tell you about one more adoption that happened on Sunday. I had just spent some fun time with Elfie and was completely smitten with her, having taken a ton of pictures including action shots to feature in this week’s post. Then her new family decided she was the one for them and off she went. Here’s my favorite pic that I took.

I was so happy when her family responded to my announcement of her adoption on my WHS FB page. They wrote: “She is so awesome…we love her!! Thank you Willamette Humane Society!!!” Here are some pictures of Elfie, now named Brandy, and her new brother, Bandit, on their first day! Thinks she’s settling in much?

 

 

 

Gibbs, the Swim Dog! (Who knew?)

Last Friday volunteer Joan took our big boy, Gibbs, to swim class at Bailey’s Journey. She was so excited about his excellent behavior at the pool. Here is her report: “This is Gibbs, a dog at the Willamette Humane Society. He went swimming today and did great! With the water, with the people, and with other dogs. This sweet guy deserves a forever family!!!” Yep, he does look like he enjoyed himself!

Gibbs is a Gordon Setter mix and is a very active two-year-old who was adopted and then returned because he was too energetic for the family. Gibbs is looking for an active family who will love throwing tennis balls as much as he loves chasing them. Gibbs is house-trained and crate-trained. When left alone, he relaxes and snoozes. He can be protective of his food and is somewhat handling-sensitive, especially about his feet, so will need to go home with older children (13+). He has lived and played in playgroups with other dogs, but would need to meet any siblings that he would be living with. He chases cats, so a feline-free home is a must for this big boy. Gibbs is treat-motivated as well as ball-motivated, so teaching him new skills will be fun for both him and his new peeps. He listens to instruction well and is eager to please. We’re hoping Gibbs will soon be found by just the right family.

Here was Gibbs on Sunday hanging out with Daniel. He’s such a ham! (Gibbs, not Daniel.)

 

 

 

I’m an older guy, but I have a lot of life left in me and I’d love to have a new family!

I met BJ when he first arrived at WHS a couple of weeks ago. He was in the back of his kennel, very worried and trying to make himself even smaller than his seven pounds. But when I opened his kennel door and sat down, he slowly walked over to me, looking hopeful. After nibbling some cheese, he agreed to go outside with me. After walking around a little, he crawled into my lap and settled in to stay.

BJ is looking for a quiet retirement home. He is a nine-year-old Chihuahua mix. He is house-trained and has done well with older children. He is somewhat sensitive to handling, so he’ll need a patient family who will let him gain confidence and not push him when he’s uncomfortable. The milk-covered eyes are a result of cataracts. He can be reactive to other dogs when he’s on leash, but is easily distracted. He loves treats and will snuggle, as I found out quickly. BJ is a sweet, quiet older boy who just wants to be loved. I hope he won’t have to be at the shelter for long.

 I really enjoyed my time with BJ this afternoon. He LOVED my cheese bits and it didn’t take him long to know where I kept them.

He knows to sit and wait for a treat.

He likes to get close.

Then it was time to go back to his kennel.

 

 

 

I’m still here. Still waiting for a retirement home. Are YOU retired, too?

You may remember Maggie from last week’s blog post, but I just had to write about her again, hoping the the right person will read this and fall in love. Maggie is a Karelian Bear Dog mix and is fourteen years old, This is Maggie’s third time at WHS over her lifetime. She was available from WHS in 2010, 2011, and again now. Her surrendering by her adopters was never her fault. Maggie has matured into a gentle, sweet senior who still has some spring in her step. She has played with some dogs in WHS playgroups, but can be a bit picky about her friends and would rather be an only pet at her age. She will not be a lot of work since she is both house- and crate-trained and enjoys snoozing. Here is Maggie on Sunday with Marianne, who has fallen for her as I have. Let’s give Maggie one last loving home that is her forever one.

I took Maggie for her afternoon walk today. We really enjoyed our time together.

 

 

 

Very happy girl looking for a family to entertain!

Roxy, like Maggie, has been at WHS before. She was adopted from us in 2013. I wrote about her in my blog posts that year, finding her to be a delightful girl. She was a two-year-old Bull Terrier mix, surrendered because of landlord issues. Sadly, she showed signs of being constantly muzzled. She was adopted quickly and I hoped this sweet, forgiving girl would have a wonderful forever home. So I was very surprised a couple of weeks ago, when I saw she was back, having been found as a stray. Now five, she is just as much fun as she was three years ago. She walks well on leash, takes treats politely, is house-trained, and looking for a family with kids 10+. I wasn’t surprised when Daniel fell in love with Roxy, too, on Sunday. He enjoys her sense of humor—this gal is constantly smiling. And to our delight, after sitting and lying down when asked, she suddenly rolled over to see if that would get her another piece of cheese. It did. Roxy is one terrific dog who will be a wonderful new addition for a family.

 

 

 

Daniel’s Pick of the Week!

Sometimes a dog arrives at WHS who becomes a “project dog.” Usually they are young and enthusiastic but have not had the opportunity to learn basic skills, such as impulse control, that are important so they can be an integral part of a family. Such a dog is Onyx. Luckily, we now have a Behavior Team of staff and volunteers at the shelter who work daily with our project dogs to help them develop the skills they need. Onyx is a happy, one-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix who came to us through our partnership with ASPCA. When Onyx arrived at the shelter, the poor boy couldn’t go out to a yard to play because he had a case of worms and could only go on short walks on concrete. His pent-up energy increased daily and he was so frustrated that he wasn’t allowed the freedom to run outside. Happily, his medical treatment has now been completed and he can finally race and play in the grass. Onyx is working hard to learn to control his urges to jump up and strain on his leash while walking. But it’s hard!

Luckily Onyx LOVES treats and does sit and lie down when asked if treats are involved. Daniel has become a big Onyx fan and was excited to tell me that Onyx had done well about getting harnessed in his kennel while munching hot dog bits. Onyx will need a person willing to continue his training with the support of the WHS training staff. His adoption comes with a shelter class called Check In and Chill Out, which will help his new person and Onyx to bond as well as learn skills together.

This boy may be a project, but what a wonderful adult he will become with continued help and love.

 

 

Here are some other shelter dogs waiting for their forever homes…

You can find out more about these dogs on the WHS website at http://www.whs4pets.org.

 

Here is Andrew with Ginger, a seven-year-old Australian Kelpie mix.

 

Here is Laslo with Bellatrix, a two-year-old Boxer mix.

 

Here is Marianne with Joshie, an eight-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix.

Here they were this afternoon. What a lovable guy he is!

 

Here is Daniel with Murphy, a two-year-old American Staffordshire/Bull Terrier mix.

 

Here is Laslo with Jonny, a one-year-old American Bulldog mix.

 

Here is Francis with Beta, a four-year-old Chihuahua mix.

 

Updates!

Flash!

If you read my blog regularly, you will remember Flash, the dog with no eyes, but a huge heart. Here he was when he was at WHS.

Flash got a jackpot of homes. Here was part of the last update from May: “Flash and his brother are forming a really strong bond. Ludo helps Flash out by touching his nose against Flash’s to give him guidance off the bed each morning as he is still a bit nervous about it! And Flash has helped his new brother so much with his anxiety! All of his brother’s behavioral outbursts when we are gone have disappeared! Lots of walks, camping and cuddles to come! Our home feels complete with these two babies. ”

Did someone say camping? Yes, they did! Here he is camping with his family.

“He had a great time and he was fearless! I’m almost positive this pup can see with his nose!”

 

Galaxy/Aksala

It is rare and thrilling when I get an update about a dog who was one of my favorites and was adopted several years ago, but it happened this week! In September of 2012, I fell in love with a big-headed girl named Galaxy.

Here’s what I wrote about her in 2012: “Galaxy was brought to WHS from a shelter in Fresno, California, having been found there as a stray. A lady visiting Portland from Alaska happened to see her on my WHS Facebook page and sent me a message asking questions about her. I sent pictures and everything I knew about this big lap dog. It was love at first post. The lady arranged to drive to Salem on Sunday to meet Galaxy in person. She had already emailed me that she was ‘100% sure’ she’d be adopting her. I was excited to tell Galaxy the news, and as you can see, Galaxy was pretty happy, too!”

Well, it turned out that Aksala (get it? No? Spell it backwards) was quite a project dog herself! But her new mom never gave up on her. And this week I got this wonderful update:

“This crazy girl is now unbelievably going on 5 years old. It’s hard to believe that 4 years have passed so quickly. She’s still as energetic, incredibly loving, destructive, clumsy and slobbery as the day I brought her home and I wouldn’t change her for the world. She suffers immensely from separation anxiety which no matter what type of training we have done with her has never changed. She is my constant shadow no matter where I am in the home. To her, I am the only person who exists which equally has its pitfalls and rewards.”

Here is our former shelter dog, exhausted, after celebrating her fifth birthday. I am so grateful to Kristine that she didn’t give up on her even though the challenges have been daunting!

That’s it for this week! I have company coming and so will not be writing a post next 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