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