Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

I’m in my “feeling good” week during my cancer treatment, so felt well enough to go to WHS and take some pictures of new dogs on Sunday. I decided to write a post to tell you about some of our wonderful adoptable shelter dogs.

 

I was pretty shy when I first came, but now I go on coffee runs with my peeps!

Levi Strauss is a six-year-old Siberian Husky mix who arrived at the shelter in January. This handsome, active boy was very stressed when he first came to WHS, but has improved so much over the time he’s been worked with by staff and volunteers. He is much more relaxed and happy, as you will see in the pictures below.

Levi will need a feline-free home and would need to meet any dog siblings he would have. He would do just fine as an only pet. Levi loves his peeps and has a good history with children, though because of his size (65 pounds) and some handling sensitivity, he would do best with older kids. As long as he gets needed exercise, Levi loves to cuddle and just hang out with his people. He has become a favorite of volunteers Linda and Jolene, who have taken him for outings. He rides extremely well in the car, curling up in the back seat. He’s even been known to fall asleep in the car after returning to the shelter while Linda and Jolene visited. Here is Jolene’s report about their last excursion.

“Linda and I have taken Levi to coffee a couple of times and he loves riding in the car. He relaxes in the back seat and is so happy to be going somewhere. We go through the drive thru at Dutch Bros and they give him a doggy treat. Afterwards we usually head back to the shelter and just visit in the car. He’s not a fan of going back in his kennel, so he’s happy to hang around with his friends. We take him to a large turnout for more visiting and some grooming. We recently discovered he loves cheese. Levi is a very sweet dog who loves being with people. Hopefully he finds his forever person soon, but we will continue to take him different places so he can enjoy new adventures while he waits.” We’re all hoping this sweet boy won’t have to wait for his forever home much longer.

On Sunday I spent some time with Jolene and Levi in Mary’s Place. He loved it.

 

 

 

 

I’m not as young as some of the other shelter dogs here, but I have lots of experience in loving my people! Could I be your Pal?

Pal is one of our recent transfers from Hawaii and couldn’t be a sweeter senior boy. Although he is ten years old, he has no concerning health problems. I met him on Sunday for his photo shoot and immediately fell in love.

As you can imagine, Pal is stressed after coming all the way from the Maui Humane Society to a new and unfamiliar place in Oregon. He was in a foster home in Hawaii and his family reported he was very affectionate. “He loved snuggling in our family room and cuddling on the couch.” During his photo session, though he was extremely cooperative, he never smiled and never untucked his tail. From the calluses on his elbows and the fact that he is not totally house-trained (yet), it seems likely he was an outside-only dog before he went to the Maui shelter. Now, at ten, he’d really like to be a mostly indoor dog. And he has so many wonderful qualities. He is crate-trained, so he won’t cause any problem being left alone for a few hours, he walks perfectly on leash, and though he is quite tentative when meeting new people, he is accepting and gentle. Pal has a good history with children, but because of his age and timidness, he’d probably do best with calm, older kids. He takes treats very nicely and his favorites seem to be hot dog bits and cheese. On Tuesday, volunteers Marianne and Roxanne took Pal into Mary’s Place for some quiet relaxation. Marianne wrote: “After about 15 minutes, he lay down on the couch next to Roxanne and kind of cuddled in next to her. My feeling is that once he was in a home and got comfortable, he would be a very loving and a devoted companion. He would probably only need short walks around the neighborhood each day and would be content to just hang out with his person.” We all agreed, this boy is special. With his soulful eyes and gentle personality, someone is going to be mighty lucky to adopt him.

 

This afternoon Marianne took Pal into Mary’s Place again and look what happened! She put the sound machine on with sounds of the ocean.

Marianne wrote this: “Pal is a perfect gentleman in every way. He was still timid but much more relaxed. I had him in there for an hour today. I absolutely love him. Linda was in Mary’s place with Pal and me for a little bit today while she ate her lunch. Pal does not like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!”

And then he fell asleep. Look at that face…who will be the lucky one to take this sweetheart home?

 

 

 

 

I’m young and active! Looking for a family with a sense of humor!

Let me introduce you to Pete, who has no idea he’s just a medium-sized dog. He has totally convinced himself that he’s a BIG boy.

Pete has won the hearts of many at the shelter, including our Executive Director, BJ, who stops and sees him whenever she has time. The reason is that Pete is not only cute, he is hilarious! Are you looking for a playful, happy youngster? Pete is a two-year-old Terrier mix with a take-charge Terrier personality. He knows several commands, is very smart, and both eager and quick to learn new things. He loves cheese. He is also house-trained and walks well on leash. Pete is nervous around new things and has shown some unwillingness to have his food bowl moved from him when eating. Because of this and the fact that he seems unsure of some new people he meets, he is rated for families with older kids, fifteen and up. We think Pete would excel at flyball or agility training. He’s a boy who will need lots of activity and adventure in his life. But oh, what a fun guy to have around. He will keep his family laughing and playing  for sure! We’re hoping he’ll soon be in his forever-adventuresome home!

 

 

 

Lincoln is still waiting.  He is a one-year-old mixed breed and has been waiting since August for his perfect family fit. Here he is on Sunday with volunteer/trainer Linda, who has spent many hours working with him. He continues to wait patiently for his forever people to find him. Oh, and by the way, Lincoln wears his heart on his back! How cute is THAT?

 

 

 

Numair is a seven-year-old Miniature Dachshund mix who is quite the snuggle bug! He seemed to already know how to pose for the camera with the promise of a bite of cheese afterward.

 

 

 

Benny is a one-year-old mixed breed who won Marianne’s and my hearts at first meeting. He has lots of energy, is affectionate, and has a great sense of humor. He’s just a wonderful boy.

Trying to decide on which toy to take is a challenge!

He loves treats!

But it was the Giant Fluff Ball that he was the most crazy about!

 

 

 

Lucas is a one-year-old Pointer mix who has energy to burn! This boy will need an active home and we sell Giant Fluff Balls in our Davenport’s Den pet store at the shelter! (Hint, hint)

 

High Five!

 

 

We have FOUR happy updates this week!

Tank!

Do you remember Tank? Here he was as a youngster in 2014. We all loved his exuberance and joy in just being a dog. Here he was with volunteer Joan.

And out of the blue we got an update on this wonderful boy four years later! We were thrilled!

“My name is Tank and I am the king of my castle!  I am a pitty who was adopted from WHS almost four years ago and I am now about five years old. My humans say I am a perfect pup–I listen, I have never once had an accident in the house, I love to cuddle with everyone (even other dogs), I love car rides, and I am super laid back. I weigh a little over 80 lbs now (partly due to my favorite snack, cheese).  Humans compliment my looks all the time; I am white with blue spots, 2 of which are in the shape of hearts on each side of me.  A few things about me:

I LOVE CHEESE I know the word “cheese” (I sit like a good boy, put my ears forward and look extra cute when it is present), and I know the sound of a cheese package opening and will come running when I hear it.  My humans aren’t sure if a trainer at WHS taught me, but I know how to “sit,” “down,” and “give paw” and when cheese is around I get so excited I try to do all of those at once and it is very funny to watch.

I LOVE water!  I go to the lake house with my humans and will swim and fetch items in the water all day if they let me.  I like to grab rocks and sticks from the bottom of the lake (or in the ocean), bring them to shore, and make a pile with them.  I will build that pile of treasures until I am forced to stop.  

I also have a very nice collection of toys that I am obsessed with.  I tend to carry one of them around in my mouth most of the day.  When my humans wake up in the morning or come home from work, or a visitor comes, I make sure to always bring them a toy as a gift.  I am so smart that I even know some of them by name & if asked “go get your monkey, Tanky,” I will bring you the correct monkey toy!

I enjoy making my humans let me in and out the back door to my yard as many times as possible throughout the day.  I LOVE heat–I will sunbathe or sit as close as possible to the wood stove until I am panting and my white belly turns pink with warmth.

I am a very sensitive dog–when my humans are happy or mad or sad I feed off of their emotions.  I am very laid-back with other animals (including chickens).  I am also very silly & playful.

I do get scared of loud noises–I will make “hidey holes” by burrowing in blankets on a bed, or opening the linen closet or clothes closet doors when I hear booms (that even my humans do not hear) and my whole body quivers and quakes until they are gone.  I often shut the door behind myself in the bathroom or a bedroom when this happens.

Another thing I love to do several times a week is go out to my humans’ property where there are 50 acres of trees and funny animals to chase and lots of smells.  I am working on being around my horse sister–she has a great smelling tail which is hard to resist and I get too close to her hooves.  I like to do zoomies on the property (I might be short & romanesque in stature) but I am extremely fast & agile).

I am a happy and healthy dog–thank you WHS for finding me a family that loves me so much!”

Oh my! He’s all grown up!

 

 

 

Rosco!

Rosco arrived at WHS from another shelter from which he hadn’t been adopted in March of 2015. I wrote about him many times and he did get adopted once, but was returned. Finally on July 13, 2015, he found his forever family. I was over the moon. They have sent me periodic updates and here is the latest one. What an amazing dog he is!

Here he was at WHS, even though he waited so long, he was always happy.

Here is the latest update from his family:

“Just wanted to send you a Rosco update! He’s perfect! We have two babies now and he is a gentle giant. Our first born is medically fragile, but Rosco is careful. He bonded right away.”

What a good dog.

 

 

 

Snoopy!

Remember Snoopy? Here he was at WHS, such a fun, happy boy! Here he is with some of his many fans: Ayla, Caitlin, Marianne, and Caroline.

And here is his update:

“We brought Snoopy home at the end of August 2017, he was so excited on our drive home he didn’t want to sit in the back. He kept trying to climb up front. He is the biggest lover ever! He is a big boy but that doesn’t stop him from climbing up in our laps. He is a wonderful addition to our family and definitely keeps us busy. He loves going on walks and playing with his toy tire, tug-a-war is his favorite! We are so happy to have him in our lives and it’s been a wonderful experience to watch him get comfortable with us.”

 

 

 

Joker!

Here’s what I wrote about him in a March 2018 post: “Joker has been waiting for his new family fit since January. He is a one-year-old goofy, energetic American Staffordshire Terrier mix, who is one of Marianne’s and my current favorite shelter dogs. He loves to play fetch, go for walks and hang out with his peeps in Mary’s Place.” And here he was in Mary’s Place, looking so pathetic and so cute!

Here is the family’s update:

“We just wanted to check in. Joker has become an essential part of our life. A week after we brought him home, he heard my mom calling for help when we couldn’t hear her. He dragged my youngest to her room where she had fallen!

We took him to the Vet, Dr. Elizabeth, who gave him a clean bill of health. He has a big yard to play in and he runs in and out of the house as much as he wants. He has a box full of toys and a nice bone each day to chew on. He goes for walks twice a day and loves being with my boys. We are grateful to everyone at WHS who touched my Joker’s life in a special way.”

 

With these wonderful updates, that’s it for this week. I won’t be able to publish every week during my cancer treatment, but will as often as I can.

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