Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

We have had some fantastic dog adoptions during the past week, and I happened to catch a couple of them as the dogs were leaving with their new families on Sunday. First was Jenna, a sweet girl who was transferred to WHS from another shelter because she hadn’t gotten adopted there. We were so happy when a young couple fell in love with her yesterday. She is going to become a trained therapy dog and she will be great!

I got this update from the family Sunday night: “She’s doing so well already. Coming out of her shell and she’s smiling! One of our kitties has even rubbed against her! Thank you for taking care of such a precious little girl. Will keep you updated.”

 

 

Also adopted on Sunday was our long-termer Tasha. She had become so stressed at the shelter that she barked a lot in her kennel, hoping for attention. So when a young couple spent time with her in Mary’s Place and decided to adopt her, we were all over the moon.

 

 

 

I’m Duke and I LOVE to play with toys…any toy!

Duke is a two-year-old mixed breed boy all the way from Hawaii. He is full of life, eager to romp, and absolutely loves playing with toys. He prefers soft, squeaky toys and is a hoot to watch as you’ll see below. Duke will need to go to a home with children 15 and older, as he is uncomfortable with younger children. He is extremely social with adults and older kids and loves their attention. He is also a complete goofball when he’s playing, as you’ll see with Caitlin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m new here and I can’t wait to find my forever home!

Pua is another transfer from Hawaii and is an absolute sweetheart. She is about eight years old, but certainly doesn’t act it. She is a Hound mix with a huge smile and the glass-is-half-full kind of attitude. She does get excited when she thinks she’s going to get to play, so older kids, ten and up, would be best for her play style. Since she is new to our shelter, we don’t know her well yet, but oh, what a great new family member we think she will be! Here she was on Sunday with Marianne. Notice she has a smile all the time! We’re hoping she’ll soon be grinning in her Oregon forever home.

Here she was in Mary’s Place today! Such a silly, goofy dog!

 

 

 

 

My kennel presentation may not be great, but I just want to tell you about myself.

Chief was surrendered because his people were moving and couldn’t take him with them, but it is obvious that he has been well loved. He has lived with kids, cats, and other dogs happily. Chief is a six-year-old Retriever mix who knows basic commands, is house-trained, and walks great on leash. What does he love? Tennis balls! I walked him shortly after he arrived at the shelter and was so impressed with how polite he is. As we were almost back to the building, there was a tennis ball lying in our path. Chief stopped, nudged it with his nose, then looked up at me. There was no mistake what he was asking. So into a yard we went. He was so excited to get to play fetch. He would anxiously wait for me to throw the ball, race after it, and then return and drop it at my feet. What a good boy! Chief should go home with older children, as he can get quite excited about playing with toys. Chief’s only fault is his kennel presentation. He barks, hoping to catch your attention as you walk by. He doesn’t realize that because of his barking, some people will pass by him and not take the time to meet him. But some lucky family will look past the kennel noise and see the wonderful dog that he is. We just hope it’s soon. Here he is with Patty.

 

This afternoon Marianne, Nancy, and I took Chief into Mary’s place for some playtime.  What a fun boy!

 

 

 

 

A personal story about a very special dog

I wasn’t sure where in my post I should put this story. It’s not about an adoptable dog or a real update. But I wanted to write about Roxy.

I started volunteering at WHS ten years ago. I was an eager but inexperienced Wednesday afternoon dog walker. And I was leery of the bigger, “Pit Bull” type dogs, having never met any in person, and having heard the media hype about them. So for the first couple weeks, I avoided walking dogs who had big blocky heads and muscular bodies. Then one afternoon I happened to see the Humane Officer (who investigated suspected animal abuse) at the front of a kennel giving treats to a large, block-headed muscular tan dog. I stopped and watched their gentle interaction and asked about the dog. The officer said she had rescued her from an abusive situation. The poor dog was only about nine months old, but had already had several litters of pups. Her name was Roxy. I looked at Roxy and Roxy looked at me. I decided I wanted to get to know her, so I took her for a walk. And that was how I fell in love with my first of many “Pit Bull” type of dogs.

And fall in love, I did. I spent a lot of time with Roxy and worried about who would adopt her or if anyone would. She wasn’t a pretty dog, she didn’t smile much, and she seemed quite sad. But she was one of the sweetest, most gentle dogs I had ever met. Weeks went by and I continued to worry. What I didn’t know at that time was that another person, a WHS employee named Lee, had also fallen in love with Roxy, and when the weeks went by and she wasn’t adopted, Lee decided that he had no choice but to take her home. Roxy could not have had a better life for the past ten years. Lee no longer is a regular employee at WHS, but helps with Sunday playgroups. Last week he brought Roxy, too, and I got to see them and take some pictures. Roxy is showing her age and is in failing health, but this gentle, sweet dog and Lee still adore each other and I was so happy to be able to take these pictures of them.

Roxy will always be very special to me. I have her to thank for my realization that all dogs, just like people, are individuals and should be treated as such. Roxy is a wonderful teacher.

 

 

 

 

Meet Bouncer, a two-year-old Rat Terrier mix who lives up to his name! This little guy is a happy, eager, extremely active boy who can’t wait to entertain his new family! Here he is with Caroline.

 

 

 

Little Mimi is an eight-year-old Chihuahua mix who is very shy and nervous at the shelter. Marianne and I are hoping she’ll soon be snuggled in her new home. She’s a sweetheart.

Here she was in Mary’s Place this afternoon. Marianne put a sweater on her because she seemed chilly.

 

 

 

Maxie is a three-year-old Terrier mix who is also a bit overwhelmed at the shelter. She spent some quality time with new volunteer Sophie on Sunday.

 

 

 

Lincoln is still waiting for his perfect family fit. He is a one-year-old mixed breed dog, here with Linda, one of his favorite Behavior and Training volunteers.

 

 

 

Serena, a three-year-old mixed breed eager bundle of energy, spent some fun time with Marianne in Mary’s Place last week. Such a pretty girl!

 

 

 

Pookie is still waiting for her new home. She’s a one-year-old Boxer mix who has become one of Marianne’s and my all-time favorite shelter dogs. She is so smart and affectionate, but stays at the back of her kennel, fearful of first meetings. We are hoping that someone will take the time to meet her and see what a love she is. She wasn’t thrilled having to wear a cone after she was spayed last week.

 

She LOVES her new Giant Fluff Ball we bought her to go home with when she’s adopted.

 

 

 

 

Ike

Ike was adopted last week. Here he was with his new person when they stopped in the next day. He was pretty doggone happy to get to do some shopping! Here’s what a staff member sent to me: “Ike stopped by with his new mom this morning to pick up a couple things, his first night went great! He did wonderful in the car and slept great his first night. He seemed very relaxed even coming back into the shelter, woohoo!”

 

 

Atom/Buddy

Buddy continues to thrive with his new mom and dad. For a dog who had had a difficult life for many years, this boy is over the moon. Don’t be fooled by the fact that his facial expression never changes. Buddy couldn’t be happier! Here are some of the latest pictures.

 

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