Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

The annual WHS Bowser’s Boo Bash, the biggest fundraiser of the year, was held last Saturday evening. It’s always great fun and this year there were over 400 attendees. We raised more than $129,000 for our shelter dogs and cats! Here is my usual movie of the festivities. As always, there were some terrific costumes.

 

Eleven of our shelter dogs got to spend their first Halloween with their new families. These are the Blog dogs who were among them.

One of the great things about WHS is that when a family adopts, if for some reason it turns out not to work in the home, they can return the dog within 30 days and get their adoption fee back. The dog then can be adopted by another family. This happened with both Goose and Mario. Goose simply liked the family cats too much and couldn’t understand why they didn’t want to play chase. Mario simply didn’t like cats at all. But after being returned, they both quickly were found by feline-free families and adopted again.

Katie and Maxeen, both fosters in volunteer Jolene’s home under the careful supervision of Jolene’s dog, Gilbert, were adopted only a day apart. Here is eleven-year-old Maxeen’s going-home picture. We are always so grateful for adopters who want to give our seniors a happy home for the rest of their lives.

 

 

 

Nope, I’m not a fan of the pool. The cheeseburger, however, was excellent!

If you are a regular reader of my posts, you already know this boy well. Sawyer, a ten-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix, was selected to go to swim at Bailey’s Journey on Friday. Since he’s one of Marianne and my current favorites, we were delighted to take him. He, too, was excited to get into the car and enjoyed the ride to Bailey’s Journey. He even walked into the pool area happily. But when he realized he was going swimming, we had to promise him a stop at Dairy Queen on the way home to get him to go in the water. Once in, he did quite well, but isn’t a fan of swimming.

This was Sawyer’s reaction when Marianne told him we weren’t there just to watch other dogs swim.

He just didn’t understand that the swim therapy was good for his arthritic legs. We are sure this backyard-only dog had never been in a pool before. Lori and Lexie were so gentle and calm with him, he soon trusted that they wouldn’t let him sink and began actually swimming.

We’re becoming such a regular at DQ now, the staff knows us and is always eager to meet the new swim dog.

After licking the wrapper clean, this is the way he rode back to the shelter, every now and then licking his lips again.

One last mention about Bowser’s. I was so surprised and grateful to Bailey’s Journey when this live auction donation appeared on the screen: Six months of twice-a-week swim therapy for the winner’s dog. What a wonderful group of dog lovers!

 

 

 

We will keep you laughing and feeling loved!

When I started volunteering at WHS nine years ago, I wasn’t really a “little” dog person. I preferred bigger canines. But over the years, I’ve become very fond of the little guys. Last week Mac (white) and Davis (tan) won my heart. They are three-year-old Terrier mixes who are delightful “partners in crime.” They think it’s absolutely the most fun to escape wherever they happen to be. In a yard? In the house? They will need a family who will be alert and can outsmart them. But aside from this manageable annoyance, these two are such a joy. They love to nestle in your lap (and will both try to snuggle into one lap if necessary), play with each other, nibble on treats, and make you laugh with their goofy antics. They are bonded, but the staff is testing them in separate kennels to see if they would be happy in a home without each other, since they do squabble at times over treats. Last week Marianne, Jolene and I had a blast with these two. I’m rooting for them to go home together with a brave and canny family. They will need to live with older 13+ children. They will keep everyone laughing!

 

 

 

We’re a bonded pair, too, and we do need to go home together.

Remember this picture from the slide show? Laila (left) and Atlas were chosen to represent our shelter dogs at Bowser’s Boo Bash, and they did an outstanding job greeting all of the attendees.

These two five-year-old Boxers were litter mates and have been together their whole lives, so need to go to the same home. They are house-trained and extremely well-behaved. They loved my cheese bits and know several commands. They need to go to a home without cats and to a family with older children (13+). Laila and Atlas have become such favorites of the volunteers and staff and we hope they will soon be in their new home. Here they are with Sandra and Kim.

 

 

 

I used to be very worried and shy, but now I LOVE to play with my friends!

Shontae is a two-year-old Retriever/Bull Terrier mix. She has made wonderful progress since she arrived at WHS from another shelter where she was not adopted. She was nervous and fearful at first, but has blossomed as volunteers and staff have helped her develop more confidence and to feel safe. This was how she looked when she arrived, so serious with a furrowed brow.

Last week, Marianne and I decided to take her for a ride to get her out of the shelter for a while and she did wonderfully in the car; she sat and enjoyed looking out the window.

  Shontae has done great in playgroups. She is a social, rough-and-rowdy player with her friends, is silly and has a huge crush on Flip, a very handsome Husky who loves her back. She’ll need a home without cats or small children. She is highly treat-motivated so training this smart girl will be fun.

Today I found Shontae out in the big yard with Marianne and was so glad I had my camera! She now is such a happy girl and LOVES to play fetch. She has blossomed into an affectionate and eager dog who is an absolute delight.

And then it was time to head back to her kennel. She walks perfectly on leash.

 

 

 

Caroline’s Pick of the Week!

Caroline has been anxiously waiting for Koda to become available so that she could be her pick of the week. This beautiful dog is a four-year-old Siberian Husky mix. She likes being with people, but does not enjoy being over-handled. She knows several commands including sit, down, roll over, and shake. She walks well on leash and enjoys treats, so further training will be a breeze. She should not live with small dogs, cats, or livestock and needs children to be at least thirteen. She is dog-selective, so would need to meet any potential canine siblings. For someone who is Husky-savvy, Koda will be a perfect addition to their life! Caroline is smitten with this stunning girl.

 

 

 

Need a goofy youngster to add zest to your daily routine? Pick ME!

Just look at this face.

Meet Daisy, a ten-month-old Hound mix. She was found as a stray and we have been amazed that her person has not claimed her. Daisy is a typical gangly adolescent. She’s eager, happy, jumpy, and full of energy. She needs some work on walking politely on leash and how to take treats gently. But oh, what a sweetheart she is! She has thoroughly enjoyed playgroups, getting along with everyone. With her rough-and-rowdy play style, but wiggly and loose body and excellent play signals, she has even gotten reluctant dogs to romp with her. To help her develop her impulse control, her adoption package includes the class “Check In and Chill Out.” Here she is with Marianne. We know she won’t be around for long.

 

 

 

Need a little dog who plays fetch? That would be ME!

The last dog I took out today was Johnny, a six-year-old Chihuahua mix. Since I have written about him in earlier posts, I hadn’t planned on featuring him today, but after spending time with him this afternoon and discovering to my delight that he is a “ball dog,” I knew I had to write about him again. Since Johnny has a cold, he is located in the ISO kennels, but he has as much energy as ever. This little dude is an absolute gem. He is smart, affectionate (he loves to jump into your lap), and is such a happy ball player! Some family will be very lucky!

He still loves to roll over for tummy rubs.

Then I picked up a tennis ball and he got excited!

He raced after it, and then on his way back to me, he tossed it up in the air to catch it again!

Sometimes a ball gets a little messy, but that doesn’t bother Johnny!

Such a great little guy!

 

 

Here are some other shelter dogs waiting for their forever homes.
All of the following dogs are available 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 pm.

Here is Amy, a one-year-old Border Collie mix.

 

This is Shorty, a five-year-old Shiba Inu mix, here with Marianne.

 

This is Suzie, a three-year-old Hound mix, here with Jonna.

 

This is Terry, a one-year-old Pug/Chihuahua mix, here with Marianne.

 

 

Update!

Bellatrix

Remember our wonderful girl, Bellatrix, who waited for her perfect forever home for so long?

WHS staff got this wonderful update last week.

“Well… Bella is doing GREAT. She is such a good girl. My daughter recently bought a new house in Claskanie with 4 acres of land. She has a Doberman, a five-year old and a six-month-old child. We were up there with Bella for my daughter’s 30th birthday party and Bella was sooooo well-behaved. She did great playing with the Doberman on the zip line – and was so gentle with the kids. Totally unbelievable what a good dog she is.  We have registered her with Hanna the Pet Society, too, so that she will get all her medical needs covered as well as a bit of training. Thank you again so much – she is such a blessing to our family. Oh… and she is a Bed-Hog. Attached is a picture of her on my bed watching ‘Dr Doolittle 3.’  This dog actually sits on the couch or lies on the bed and literally watches TV!”

On this happy note, 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