Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

I had to miss the annual WillaMutt Strut this year, but these pictures were sent to me of our WHS alumna, Ruby. Each year Ruby enters the “Will Your Dog Eat It?” competition and each year she wins! This year she was tied as the winner along with a black Lab, also named Ruby. It was the raw rhubarb that was the deal breaker, which neither Ruby decided was edible. There were almost 500 people taking part in the Strut on Sunday despite the rain!

 

 

I’m not young anymore, but everyone here has fallen in love with me. You will, too!

I met Sheba for the first time on Sunday. She is a nine-year-old youngster with lots of bounce and energy. If you didn’t know, you’d never think she was a senior. Sheba is house-trained, knows several commands, loves treats, and has even lived successfully with a cat in her previous home. She is not a fan of small dogs, though her former owner said she got along with bigger ones. She likes kids and is listed for children about ten. Oh, and she LOVES to play fetch for as long as you’ll throw the ball. I first met her outside with Ayla.

Later we brought her into Mary’s Place to get to know her a little better. What a delightful girl she is, so playful and happy!

Why play with only one ball when you can hold on to TWO?

 

 

 

 

Yep, I’m still here. No one knows why. I mean, hey, if you need a couch potato to snuggle with, I’m your guy! 

Biscay is such a terrific dog in so many ways. He has been hanging out with staff and volunteers at the shelter since February 3rd. Biscay is a two-year-old mixed breed boy who is a nice medium size, weighing 38 pounds. He came to us as a transfer from a sister shelter in Texas. Biscay is calm, walks well on leash, is very affectionate, and is as smart as a whip. He loves to learn. Biscay is uneasy around small children, so will need a home with kids 15 and older. He would be happy as an only dog, but could live with another canine if they met first and had similar play styles. He should not go home with small animals or cats. At first when he wasn’t adopted, we thought it was his kennel presentation, which wasn’t great. But he’s improved so much over the time he’s been at WHS, that it’s not an issue any longer. We know that there are lots of families with older kids and no small animals. We just can’t figure out why they haven’t come and adopted our boy.

Sunday was a very fun day for Biscay. First, volunteer Jolene took him to the WillaMutt Strut and wrote this report on his excellent behavior.

“Biscay went to the WillaMutt Strut on Sunday and he was terrific. He has turned into a very social boy and had friendly greetings for all the people who approached to say hello. He has a lot of fans at WHS, and many of them who attended the Strut were excited to see him. A few of the dogs there got a little too close for his comfort level and he got excited, but calmed immediately once we created more distance. Biscay has made so much progress in being around dogs, and he ignores them for the most part. He was much more interested in all the activity (tents, vendor booths, people, bikers, and he was particularly interested in the river). He got a lot of exercise and will be one tired guy! Such a delightful dog!”

Here he was with a bunch of his fans at the Strut!

And boy, was Jolene right about him being tired when they got back to WHS! Marianne, Ayla, and I took him into Mary’s Place and after his usual greetings and snuggles, he could barely keep his eyes open!

 

 

And then it happened…

Look at that face. Let’s get this sweet boy adopted soon!

 

 

 

Need a diet partner? I’m your gal! We can lose those pesky pounds together!

For the first time, I’m writing about a dog I haven’t yet met. Pixie is a ten-year-old Miniature Pinscher mix who is so gentle and tolerant that she will be great with kids as young as five. She is house-trained, affectionate, and loves attention. To say she is overweight is an understatement, but since she is quite sensitive about her size, we will simply say she’s on a diet and leave it at that. Pixie has been receiving medical treatment and wasn’t ready for adoption on Sunday, so I didn’t meet her. But now she is recovered and excited about finding a forever family who will help her reach her healthy weight goal. One of her biggest fans is volunteer Ayla who asked me to feature her in this week’s blog post. Ayla and her mother, another WHS volunteer, spent Sunday morning out and about with Pixie and the three of them sent in this report:

“Pixie had a lot of fun on her outing and we sure fell in love with her. She wanted to tell you about it herself. 

‘Hi, I’m Pixie and I really love my friends here at the shelter, but I need a family of my own. I’m lots of fun to be around and love to make people laugh. My friends decided I should go to this event called the WillaMutt Strut, but it really wasn’t my thing. When we got there, it was filled with so many people and dogs that it was pretty overwhelming for me. I like one-on-one or small groups, but the Strut was too much. So we decided to let the other shelter dogs ham it up there and we went to the mall. It was so much fun! I got to go window shopping, ride in an elevator, pose in front of a WHS sign, and even “drive” a little yellow car. Afterwords I was so tired, I cuddled up and took a nap in Ayla’s lap. It was lots of fun and I hope I can do it again soon with my new family.”

Ayla sent along these pictures from their fun morning adventure. We think some lucky family will soon take up Pixie’s diet challenge and adopt her.

 

 

 

 

I’m not a youngster and so people overlook me, but I really am a good dog with a lot of love still to give. Won’t you come and meet me?

I first wrote about Bridgit in April and we are amazed she has not yet been adopted. Bridgit is a ten-year-old Shepherd mix who was found as a stray. She can be timid at first meeting and may need a little time to get to know you, but oh, what a sweet girl she is once she warms up. She is house-trained and knows several commands including sit, shake, and lie down. She was adopted once, but decided she didn’t care for the other small resident dog, so was returned. However, her family said the following about her: “Did really well with the kids. Was timid at first with the family but once she adjusted she was a really great dog. Listens well, likes to please. She stops at the door before entering a room as if she may have been trained, doesn’t just jump out of cars, waits till you tell her to come out.” Bridgit would like a calm home. She won’t be a dog for adventures and will be happy with short walks and being with her family. She could live with a dog about her own size, but would need to meet them before going home. Bridgit will be a wonderful companion for some lucky family. On Sunday we took her into Mary’s Place for some new pictures. She was happy and relaxed and even enjoyed playing with a ball.

Even though she’s been waiting for a new family since April, Bridgit is not discouraged.

 

 

 

 

Read any good books about dogs lately? I have.

Summer is a four-year-old gal full of love and fun. She can be picky about her dog friends, so will need to meet any dog she goes home with. She also is nervous around children, so older teenagers would be perfect for her. Oh yes, and no cats! They are just too easy to chase. Summer has an ear canal issue and WHS may send her to a more specialized vet for an operation to correct it. Meanwhile, she has a “hold” (interested person) waiting to adopt her. Marianne and I took her into Mary’s Place on Sunday to hang out for a while. The two of them have been working on “leave it” and Summer was excited to show me her progress.

Resisting one was hard enough…

…but THREE?!?

But that wasn’t the only new skill Summer wanted to demonstrate. Who would have guessed she loves to READ?!

 

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