Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

Here in the Northwest, the rain continues, which means I continue to take mostly indoor pictures of our shelter dogs. Most of them are tired of the rain just as we volunteers are, so some time spent in the Real Room is a happy respite for them outside of their kennels. I have some newbies for you to meet a little later in this post.

There were some terrific adoptions again this week, twenty-three, to be exact. Some of them were puppies from their foster homes and some were from our recent transfer from Texas. While I don’t usually meet the puppies before they are adopted, I did get to meet little Carlos before he went home. He was such a cutie, I have to show you a picture of this little character. He is now happily snuggled with his new family and they are experiencing the joys of puppy house-training and puppy love.

We also adopted out some of our dogs who have been waiting for their new families for a while.

I was especially excited about the adoptions of Duke and Ariel, both dogs who have been waiting a long time for their just-right person!

Axel, the Swim Dog!

First of all, in the interest of full disclosure, Marianne and I have fallen totally in love with Axel. And after reading about his swim adventure last Friday at Bailey’s Journey, we dare you not to, as well! Axel is a three-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix. He is an active boy who loves to play with any toy he has. But after some energetic exercise, Axel loves nothing more than relaxing with his peeps, toy stuffed in his mouth. He is house-trained and knows basic commands. He is a good listener and loves to learn. He’d be great in a family with older (10+) kids, but wants to be the only pet. He wanted to tell you about Friday’s adventure in his own words.

And after we got back, a little time in the Real Room.

Such a good boy!

 

 

 

I’m in a foster home, but I’d love to be in my forever home. Ask about meeting me!

Greta is a beautiful little girl who is currently happily living in a foster home. She asked to be a guest blogger so that she can let more people know that she’s waiting for her forever family. She and her foster mom, Jolene, were at the shelter last week and I got some quick pictures.

Here is what she wrote for this post:

“Hi, my name is Greta. No, not Greta Garbo, but just as pretty. 🙂  I am a two-year-old Spaniel mix with long, beautiful black hair. I live with my foster family to relax and re-group. I enjoy their company and being with their four dogs. They don’t have cats, but that might still work. I am calm, happy, easy-going and attentive. I am house-trained, know a few commands, am treat-motivated which makes learning more fun. I enjoy car rides and walks and snuggling during a good movie. (Greta Garbo movies, of course.) I wouldn’t mind having kids around—more hands for petting and maybe brushing my hair. Spoiled? No, not me. But if you are older or retired and need someone just to hang out with, I am good at that too.” 

If you’d like to meet Greta in person, please contact our WHS Foster Coordinator at foster@whs4pets.org.

Here are a couple of shots at home that Jolene sent.

 

 

 

I’m still here. I’m happy with all my peeps at the shelter, but I sure would like a real home. Want to meet me?

I’ve been so busy taking pictures of new dogs the last few weeks that I haven’t had a chance to spend time with Rosco. So last Wednesday I made a point to take him out to the big yard for some quality one-on-one time. He was so happy to just hang out, sniff, wander and play a little fetch. As you know, if you read my blog regularly, Rosco has been at the shelter since last October. I think he has begun to think of the shelter as home and all of the staff and volunteers as his family. While he seems content, we all know how much happier he would be if he had a real home and family.

Rosco is a four-year-old Dutch Shepherd mix who is looking for a home where he can be the only pet. His ideal home will be one where his people are interested in continuing his rewards-based training and who will give him physical exercise every day. He loves walks, playing fetch, and toys. He’s a very social guy who greatly enjoys humans—teenagers and above. Rosco is one of my all-time favorite dogs.

 

 

 

I’m Marianne’s current favorite dog here. She even wrote about me!

Girlie is so loved by volunteers and is one of the most cuddly dogs we’ve ever met. While she does, indeed, still have spunk and loves to romp outside, her FAVORITE thing to do is relax with her peeps. This is exactly what we did with her on Sunday in the Real Room. Girlie’s problem is that she doesn’t show well in her shelter kennel. She does some barking and people walk on by, thinking this is who she is. What they don’t see is what a delight she is when not stressed in a shelter kennel. Girlie is a seven-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix. Here she is with Marianne.

I asked Marianne to write about her relationship with Girlie and she happily agreed. “Girlie is my current favorite dog at the shelter.  Where do I begin about her?  Until a couple of weeks ago, I had not paid much attention to her as I don’t usually walk the dogs where she is located. But one day I decided to take a dog into The Real Room.  I walked through the adoption kennels and saw her and knew she would be the one as I am drawn to 1) dogs that have been with us for a while, 2) American Staffordshire mixes, and 3) older dogs.  I did not know her well and since she was jumpy and barky in her kennel, I assumed she might be a little rambunctious.  I got her harnessed up and headed for the room.  When we first got in there, she was energetic and had fun running around.  Within a couple of minutes, though, she came and sat with me on the couch and I was in love.  While she has some spunk and energy for an older dog, she is one of the most affectionate, cuddly dogs I have met.  She wants nothing more than to be close to her person and is so very loving.  She is smart and treat-motivated which will make her easy to train—she has learned some basic commands quickly.  But again, the best thing about her is her exceptionally sweet personality.  She would love a family of her own and could live with sturdy older kids.  She does need to be the only animal, but she will be all that you need.  I picture her taking walks and maybe playing fetch to get out some energy.  After that, she will be content to curl up by your side and give lots of love.  She is a very special dog, and I think she is gorgeous.  Please don’t pass her by—take a chance to get to know her!”

Volunteer Amy joined us on Sunday and Girlie loved every second.   We’re hoping that the right person will see these pictures and fall in love as we did.

 

 

 

I may be big, but I’m still just a pup!

Charlie is a very active nine-month-old giant puppy. He’s a seventy-four pound American Staffordshire mix of energy and fun. He is looking for an active family who wants a dog to have adventures with. Charlie is house-trained and knows several commands. He loves kids, but because of his size, will need to go home with older, sturdy kids. He enjoys playing with other dogs and would love to meet any dogs he would be going home with. Charlie also needs a feline-free home, as he does not like pesky cats (his term). If you are up for a happy-go-lucky, let’s play, play, play youngster, Charlie may be the one for you. Caitlin, Marianne and I took him into the Real Room and we had a blast laughing at the antics of this delightful character with such a great face!

Today I decided to bring my dog, Scout’s giant fluff ball to see what Charlie would think of it. Well, to say it was a hit would be an understatement!

If you are looking for a pup who will entertain himself until he is exhausted, Charlie may be for you. Watch!

 

 

 

Here is Aragon, a two-year-old Boxer mix with Jolene.

 

 

This is Ashley, a one-year-old American Staffordshire mix, here with Marianne.

 

 

Here is Maggie, a ten-year-old Poodle mix, here with Caitlin. I can’t wait to see her after a haircut!

 

 

Meet Trent, a one-year-old Chinese Shar-Pei Terrier mix, here with Jena and Diane.

 

 

 

Here is Mitzie, a twelve-year-old Chihuahua mix, with Marianne.

Mitzie loves to burrow under her blankets and sleep. Today this is what I saw when I walked by her kennel.

Then I called her name…

 

 

Meet Bailey, a three-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix, here with Jolene.

 

 

This is Dexter, a ten-year-old Chihuahua mix, here with Marianne.

 

 

This is Clooney, a stunning eight-month-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix, here with staff member Greg.

 

 

Here is Paddy, a very handsome two-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix, with Marianne.

 

 

 

Dale/Cayde

I was so happy when I got an update last week about our sweet Dale. Remember his amazing ears?

Here’s what his family has to say about our silly boy.

“This is Cayde (formerly Dale). We adopted him a little over a month ago. He has been such a wonderful addition to our little family. He loves all people and they love him back just as much! He loves to go for walks and play fetch, but is also just as happy snuggling up at your side on the couch, and he sleeps between us every night. He loves our cat and just wants to play with him. The cat isn’t quite sure about playing with him yet, but they are getting along! I have nicknamed him the destroyer of toys. He can tear one to pieces within 5 minutes. Thankfully he has kept his affinity for chewing to toys though! He is very loved with us and we are so happy he chose us. We can’t wait to have more adventures with him (in a couple weeks he is going to the beach)!”

On that 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