This Week’s Featured Adoptable Dogs @ Willamette Humane Society by Martha Russell

26 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by adoptanoregondog in This Week's Featured WHS Dogs

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adoptable dogs, adoption dogs, deserving dogs, dogs, fellow dog lovers, shelter dogs, WHS, willamette humane society

Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

It’s good to be back after a week off.

WAIT! News Flash!

I was just about to publish this post, when I got the following picture, taken moments ago, sent to me by evening dog walker Kai Lina. It’s been a very rainy day here in Salem, but what a beautiful shot of Paloma, a one-year-old Boxer mix. Kai Lina wrote: “Rainbow in the background, never a bad day to volunteer! Paloma is very sweet and learns quickly! I had her go down the toy slide about five times and she had it down on the second try! She was doing zoomies the whole time she was outside, very energetic and fun. She has a pretty good ‘on and off switch’ between racing around and stopping when you want her to pay attention to you.”

Thanks, Kai Lina, for this perfect picture!

We have some new dogs I want to tell you about, but first, there were two especially exciting adoptions that I want to share.

Hannah

Hannah was adopted from WHS two years ago, but recently came back to us when her family couldn’t take care of her anymore. She was a shelter favorite for her sweet, shy nature and was placed in a foster home so she could build her confidence. Last week she was found by her forever person. I was so happy that I was at the shelter when she went home. Here are some pictures from that special day. It was obvious how much Hannah was going to be loved.

Remembering her love of cheese, I had some for her.

Then this happened.

Girlie

If you are a regular reader of my posts, you know Girlie well. She was one of our all-time favorite dogs and we couldn’t understand why she was not getting adopted. But Girlie didn’t let her long stay (since January) get her down. She was adopted once, but we discovered she doesn’t care for cats, so back she came. On Sunday her forever family found her and home she went. I was thrilled to be at the shelter for this family picture. We’ve been promised visits to stay in touch.

I may not be a youngster like some of the other dogs here at the shelter, but I’ll love you just as much and I already know stuff!

I met little Spike for the first time on Sunday. Spike is a Rat Terrier mix and is about ten years old. He was found as a stray and taken to another Oregon shelter where he was not adopted. Now he is hoping that he’ll find a retirement home through WHS. Spike is a bit shy at first meeting, but warms up given a little time. Our vet has determined Spike has a heart murmur which has resulted in a somewhat enlarged heart, so his adoption will include a waiver about his future health. Some dogs can live long, happy, and active lives with heart murmurs, and some develop complications. Spike is looking for an adult retirement home, or one with children over thirteen. He gets along well with small dogs, but is frightened by large ones and can be startled by loud noises and can be fearful of strangers. This little guy deserves to have a loving home to spend as long as life is good for him. I am always amazed and thankful for the special adopters who happily accept a dog, uncertain how long they will have to enjoy them. But what a wonderful life they give to a dog like Spike. He did great in play group this morning with other little dogs. He mingled, was polite and mainly wanted to hang out with the humans. Here he was on Sunday with volunteer Patricia.

I’m waiting for a patient, understanding person who sees my potential and adopts me for the dog I will become with positive training and love.

Sometime when I meet young dogs for the first time and they are nervous and unsure, I wonder what they have experienced in their short lives. And I marvel at such dogs’ desire for love and security with us humans despite whatever they have encountered. I felt this way when I met Dottie. Dottie was transferred to WHS from a shelter in Texas. We don’t know why she was there or how long, we just know that she was not adopted. She is a Catahoula Leopard dog mix and is about two years old. She was adopted shortly after she arrived at our shelter, but was returned five days later. Dottie is looking for a home where she will be able to slowly decompress, get her bearings, learn the expectations, and feel the love of a person who will understand that she needs time. At the moment, Dottie is fearful of handling and very stressed. She hasn’t enjoyed being invited to play groups, unsure of herself with other dogs. We are so hoping just the right person will see what a wonderful dog Dottie will become given the time and chance she so deserves. Here she is with Marianne.

I may be a bit older, but I’ll out-play any youngster around! Just try me!

Buzz is a wonderful eleven-year-old, seventy-six pound Lab mix who is looking for an active retirement home. Buzz has been an outdoor dog his whole life, so would enjoy spending a lot of his time outside, but he also enjoys couch time with his peeps. He’s been much loved by his owner for ten years, but due to health issues of his person, Buzz had to come back to WHS. He may be eleven, but Buzz still has lots of energy and a fun-loving personality. His former owner reports that Buzz is great with other dogs and even cats! He would prefer a home without children. Volunteers report that Buzz is a breeze to walk and very polite. We had a blast with him on Sunday. Here he is with Marianne and Caitlin who both fell in love with this goofy boy.

Rosco goes on an outing! Volunteers Jolene and Linda took Rosco to Bush Park last week and reported that he had a great time! Jolene wrote: “Linda and I took Rosco to the park. He had a great time smelling everything. He got a dog treat at the coffee drive-through before we got to the park, walked on the trails and down to the creek (and over the foot bridge). He stood at the end of the soap box derby run, barked at the scary statue of a cow and cat in the children’s playground, and only saw one squirrel. He was good with walkers, joggers, dogs, everything. What a terrific boy!”

Rosco is a four-year-old Shepherd mix looking for a special type of home.

Here is Cedric, a four-year-old Australian Shepherd mix, with Jenna. (It was a rainy day and both Cedric and Jenna came in dripping!)

Coco is a nine-year-old Terrier/Miniature Poodle mix, here with Marianne. Just imagine how great she will look once she has a haircut!

Mister is a two-year-old Shepherd mix, here with Jolene and Linda, two members of the Behavior and Training Team working with this spirited boy.

Rose!

We have a fabulous update tonight! Remember our beautiful Rose? Here she was while waiting for her forever home.

Here is her update: “We adopted Rosie May in October of 2016, and since then we have experienced nothing but joy with her in our family. But, we were worried about her being labeled dog selective. Since we have had her, Rose has met so many dog friends. She gets excited when we pull in certain driveways because she knows she gets to play with her buddies. About a month ago, we decided to adopt a puppy, Bentley. (I know we are crazy!) and we were worried about how Rose would be with Bentley. SHE HAS BEEN GREAT! They cuddle, they play tug a war, they are the best of siblings. We could not be happier with Rose!”

On that very 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

This Week’s Featured Adoptable Dogs @ Willamette Humane Society by Martha Russell

12 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by adoptanoregondog in This Week's Featured WHS Dogs

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adoptable dogs, adoption dogs, deserving dogs, dogs, fellow dog lovers, humane society, shelter dogs, WHS, willamette humane society

Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

It’s been an exciting week at WHS. A large Texas transport of over twenty dogs arrived on Wednesday and already many of them have found new Oregon homes! There were a remarkable thirty-three dog adoptions last week! Some were adopted so quickly, I never even met them. You can see the ones I did meet on my WHS Facebook page that you can access (even if you do not have a Facebook account) here: https://www.facebook.com/AdoptAnOregonDog.

While it is very exciting to see newbies getting adopted within days of arriving in their new state, our longer-termers continue to wait patiently and hope that they, too, will find their forever homes soon. I want to feature three of them in this week’s post.

No, I’ve never seen one of those before! It’s a WHAT?

I’ve written about our boy, Rosco, many times since he arrived at WHS last October. I’ve taken and posted dozens of pictures of this handsome guy. I’ve made a movie of him showing off all the wonderful skills he has learned thanks to our Behavior Training Team. But until Sunday, I had never seen the puppy side of him or watched him so utterly happy.

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.

And here he is as he meets the Giant Fluff Ball for the first time.

Here is what Marilyn, one of his many fans who is on the B&T Team, says about him: “Rosco has continued to practice with the Behavior and Training Team and keeps learning new skills. He walks well on a leash and excels at all his foundation manners: sit, down, leave it, waiting politely at doors and gates (sitting or standing), will “go to bed” on cue, and is developing a good stay and recall. He is a bright, athletic boy that enjoys scent work, negotiating obstacles, and trick training. He is curious, loves to play, and has a great sense of humor. He has a tender heart.”

Here are more happy pictures from Sunday’s playtime with Marianne and me.

We all had so much fun! We know Rosco’s forever home is out there—we just need to find it. And yes, we bought him his own Giant Fluff Ball which will go home with him.

I may be a little older, but I’m wiser, calmer, and I know a lot more than youngsters!

I first met Charlotte soon after she arrived at the shelter. Another volunteer, Priscilla, called me into the Real Room, excited for me to meet this sweet girl. Priscilla was smitten and couldn’t say enough good things about her, and as Charlotte leaned against me, I was smitten, too. Charlotte is an eight-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix. She is calm, affectionate, house-trained, and smart. She LOVES kids and has even been the instructor to school groups on how to interact with dogs, which she has greatly enjoyed. Charlotte gets along well with other dogs (she is currently in a foster home living happily with three other dogs). She is content with strolls around the neighborhood, some cuddling, and then settling in for a quiet evening curled up with her family. Some family is going to be mighty lucky to adopt this perfect new best friend. Here she was with Marianne shortly before she went to her foster home. If you’re thinking Charlotte could be a perfect fit for your family, contact WHS to schedule a time to meet her.

Just before Charlotte left for her foster home, we took a St. Patrick’s Day photo.

I’m looking for an active, fun family who needs me to share adventures!

Feona is one of those dogs who is easily overlooked at a shelter. She is a black, fifty-four pound, three-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix, like so many others. But when you look at her face, she becomes an individual and a very cute one, at that. She came to us from an overcrowded shelter in California. She is such a happy girl, ever hopeful that she will finally find an Oregon family who will love her. Feona loves playgroups, but will need to meet any sibling she’ll be living with, as she can be picky about her playmates. She’d prefer a goofy male who likes her style of exuberant play. She will need older kids because she is bouncy and eager to romp. Feona does have one medical issue often found in terriers, an MPL, a “loose” kneecap which can slip out of place. Many dogs do not need medical treatment for this condition, but it will be important to keep Feona’s weight normal and to monitor the situation with annual vet checks. We are hoping that Feona’s second chance at WHS will end with her finding her perfect family. Here she was when she first arrived at the shelter, with Jolene.

On Sunday, Marianne, Caitlin, and I took her into the Ed Hall for some relaxing (?) time. She loved it! Oh, and I should mention that she LOVES cheese!

This afternoon I took Feona out for her walk and she wanted me to show you how well she walks on leash and listens.

Hadley got to go swimming at Bailey’s Journey with volunteer Joan last week! She reports he LOVED it: “Wa hoo! he just loved swimming!❤️ Hadley took to the water. Did fine in the car too! Hadley demonstrated a very powerful stroke and no fear of the water.” Hadley is an eight-month-old mixed breed youngster.

Here is newbie Fudgey, a seven-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback/Lab mix, who thinks she’s a lap dog, with Caitlin.

Meet Toffee, a one-year-old Hound mix, here with Marianne.

How I love this face! This is Emily Rose, a Border Collie mix, with Mona.

Here she was today. What a beautiful face!

Blue is a two-year-old Catahoula Leopard Dog mix, here with Jolene.

This cutie is Bridget, a one-year-old Australian Cattle Dog mix, spending some time with new volunteer, Mindy.

Millie is a Doberman Pinscher mix, hanging out on Sunday with Laslo.

This sweet, boy, Jackson, has had a rough past, but is one of the most gentle dogs we’ve ever met. Marianne is smitten! Jackson is an eight-year-old Beagle/Terrier mix.

Meet Scarlett, a two-year-old Lab/Mountain Cur mix, here with Jolene.

This is Darling, a two-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix, hanging out with Jonna, one of her biggest fans.

Salem is a shy one-year-old Lab mix who, though timid, enjoyed spending time with Caroline this afternoon.

Meet Zipper, a six-month-old Lab mix. This very active youngster enjoyed his time on Sunday with Jolene. Does he look as if he’s ready for action or what?!

We got a delightful surprise on Sunday when Roo showed up with her person to visit! This sweetheart was a favorite of ours from the moment we met her. Can you tell by this picture with Marianne?

Here she is on Sunday with her person, Becky, who reports Roo has settled in and is greatly loved. It is always such a thrill when one of our dogs comes back to visit!