Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

Since I didn’t write a post last week, I’ve got quite a bit of news to share with you. First of all, here are the adoptions of Blog Dogs that have happened over the past two weeks.

All of these adoptions were especially gratifying. Quila, Onyx, Tilly, and Beta had been waiting for a new family for quite a while. Bellatrix had been waiting even longer, since June 6th, and I was thrilled to be at the shelter when she went home. She got the jackpot of a family who will give her an extremely loving forever home. Never at a loss for words, she had a lot to say as she left WHS on Sunday.

Patiently waiting has never been one of Bellatrix’s strengths.

She was so proud.

There were some happy tears as they drove away. (Ours, not Bellatrix’s)

And then there was Mabel. I didn’t get a chance to write about Mabel in a post, as she was not available right away after she was found as a stray, and once she was, she was adopted very quickly. But during her short stay at the shelter, she won so many fans, like me, that I wanted to include some pictures of this sweet girl. She has not had much happiness in her short life yet (she is only a year old), and we were over the moon when she left for a new beginning on Monday. Here are a few pictures of her during her time with us.

Love at first sight with Marianne and me.

Love this shot of Mabel with Laslo on Sunday.

 

 

I have many fans here at WHS. And I’m Daniel’s Pick of the Week! But what I really want is a family of my own.

I am so baffled as to why Murphy is still waiting for his perfect home. He has become one of my all-time favorite dogs EVER. He has been at WHS since July 7th, having been found as a stray. He is a happy-go-lucky two-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix. He has been a rock star in playgroups, though being the rough-and-rowdy player that he is, he would need to meet any potential dog siblings to make sure their play styles match. He knows basic commands, walks beautifully on leash, takes treats politely and will settle and relax after play. He’ll need older kids since he’s an exuberant boy.

I had just finished taking pictures of new dogs when I saw that Daniel had Murphy out, and was not at all surprised when he said he wanted Murph as his pick of the week.

So after taking a few pics, I asked Daniel to leave Murph with me, and took him out in a yard for a while. But it was too hot to play.

 

 

 

I’m happy in my foster home, but it’s still not like having my very own family!

Tessa arrived at WHS on May 26th, an ASPCA transfer from California. A very shy nine-year-old Chihuahua, this sweet little girl was overwhelmed by the shelter environment and everyone knew exactly where she would feel at home — at foster Krystal’s house. Before she left, I snapped these pictures of her.

Here she was with Jolene, Kylie, and Kim.

 

Krystal has gotten to know Tessa very well and asked if Tessa could be featured in this week’s blog post. I was very happy to. Here’s what Krystal wrote:

 

 

 

Martha says we’re really great dogs! And we’d really like to be adopted together! How about it?

I met Lily and Tucker late in the afternoon on Sunday just after they had been surrendered. Lily is a six-year-old Border Collie mix and Tucker is a four-year-old Retriever mix. They are best friends, and would like to go home together, although they are not lost without each other, so will still be happy if adopted separately. Both are house-trained and crate-trained. They know basic commands, take treats politely, and walk well on leash. Lily is more laid back, while Tucker has lots of energy. They have lived with teenagers, but not young children, so kids ten and older should be fine. They also have lived with cats. However, the cat would need to be dog-savvy, as both dogs, though mostly respectful, sometimes can’t resist a chase game. Lily and Tucker love people and are hoping for an active family where they can romp together and then settle in for an evening of family time. I’m so hoping they can go home together.

Lily

Tucker

  Here they were today together with Marianne and Caroline.

 

 

 

I’m a pretty active gal looking for a family who wants a partner in adventures!

Ginger is a seven-year-old, house-trained, Australian Kelpie mix. She has a ton of energy and is looking for an active family with older kids. Ginger can be quite picky about her dog friends, so no dog parks, and she needs a cat-free home. She would love to go to a training class at WHS and would probably do well in agility. She’d be a great hiking or jogging partner. She will need a tall fence, as she can jump (did I mention she’d be a great agility dog?). Ginger is a happy girl, with the-glass-is-half-full outlook on life. I love her ears.

As you can see, Ginger was happy to pose with Marianne…

…until an airplane appeared overhead.

Last Wednesday when I was walking through the kennels, I heard someone quietly reading aloud. There were dog barks and the other usual shelter noise, but still I could hear a calm voice reading. When I came to Ginger’s kennel, this is what I found.

One of our volunteer jobs is Kennel Buddying. Its purpose is to show a dog that their kennel is a nice place to be. The volunteer spends time with a dog in their kennel talking, reading, petting, etc. I just loved seeing Ginger, who can be a very active girl, settling in to listen to a book being read to her by Kennel Buddy Brenna. Who would have guessed that Ginger was a Harry Potter fan?

 

 

 

I met someone from Wyoming but she couldn’t take me home.

The reason I did not write a post last week was because I had company. One of my former fifth-grade students, Shannon, who much later was also my student teacher the year before I retired, came from Wyoming for a visit. One of the things she wanted to do was see the dogs at WHS. As we slowly walked through the kennels, she suddenly stopped at Roxy‘s. After giving her some treats, Shannon asked if we could take her outside. I was happy that out of all the dogs Shannon met, she fell in love with one who is a long-termer and one whom I also love. Here they are out in the big yard getting acquainted.

Roxy 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. At the time, this two-year-old Bull Terrier mix was surrendered because of landlord issues. Now five, having been found as a stray, 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+. Roxy is one terrific dog who will be a wonderful new addition for a family. After some yard fun, it was time to return to her kennel and say good-bye to Shannon, who wished she could take Roxy home.

 

 

 

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

All of the following dogs are waiting for you at Willamette Humane Society. If one of them touches your heart, please come and meet them soon. Shelter hours are Mon., Thurs., Fri, 12:00 – 7:00 pm and Sat./Sun. 12:00 – 6:00 p.m.

 

Yamhill is an eight-year-old Retriever mix who has been waiting for his forever peeps since June 6th. Here he is with Emelynn. I had a ton of fun with him this afternoon playing fetch. He’s a fantastic dog and will be such a great hiking/jogging/swimming partner.

 

 

Maggie is a Karelian Bear Dog mix. She is fourteen years old, here with Caroline.

 

 

Jonny is a one-year-old Staffordshire Terrier mix, here with Daniel.

 

 

Joshie has been at WHS since June 19th. He is an eight-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix, here with Marianne and me. As you can see, Joshie is a lap dog.

 

 

Zoey is a twelve-year-old Australian Cattle Dog mix, here with Caroline.

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