Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

It was another very rainy Sunday in Salem, so I took most of the dog pictures inside Mary’s Place and did we ever have a good time! I’m going to write about four adoptable dogs for four different kinds of families, all of them such fun characters!

I’m a youngster with lots of energy, a sense of humor, and I love to snuggle when I’m tired!

Sunny is a ten-month-old mixed breed girl who is such a hoot! When I arrived at WHS on Sunday morning, she had been out first in the shelter playgroup, then had been invited to stay for the public playgroup. So by the time she came to spend some time with us in Mary’s Place, she had been romping with other dogs for almost three hours! She was a tad tired, and we saw a whole different side of her—an affectionate snuggler and we loved it!

 

 

Sunny can be reactive when she sees other dogs on leash, but once she is allowed to play with them, she has a blast. She is house-trained and a quick learner. She knows some basic commands like sit and down. Sunny’s love of cheese will make training sessions fun for both her and her new family. Because of her youthful exuberance, she is recommended for a family with older kids. We brought her into Mary’s Place to see if she would settle after her exercise. She did. In fact, she thoroughly enjoyed relaxing with us. Here she is snuggling with Marianne.

Caroline is another Sunny fan.

 

Linda is a special friend of Sunny’s.

At one point, she almost fell asleep.

Then it was time to go back to her kennel so we could get another dog. But Sunny was having so much fun, she wasn’t ready to leave. So this happened…

 

What a comedian she is! We’re hoping she’ll soon be entertaining her new family. Or maybe she can get some four-legged stand-up comedy gigs!

 

 

 

I’ve been here before and was a volunteer favorite. I still am.

Brady, a four-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix, arrived at WHS in July of 2012 from our sister shelter in Crescent City, California. He was a staff and volunteer favorite there, but after waiting for ten months for a new home and not finding one, he was sent to us to see if he could find one in Oregon. Here he was when I first met him. Try as I might, I couldn’t get him to smile. He seemed sad to be in another shelter.

 

 

Volunteer Beth fell head-over-heals in love with Brady and took him home for a respite soon after he first came. He had a blast with her, husband Brian, and their dogs.

 

To our joy, Brady was adopted a few weeks after he came to WHS. I even got an update shortly after about how much they loved him. Now, almost seven years later, Brady is back at WHS. He returned with some severe skin allergies and ear infections that his family could not afford to deal with. However, he is well on the road to recovery now and is the same sweet and gentle boy he was in 2012. He may be eleven now, but he sure doesn’t act it. Beth came to visit him as soon as we told her he was back.

 

On Sunday we took Brady into Mary’s Place and, oh my goodness, this boy is feeling and looking so much better and was such a happy guy! Brady loves toys and petting. He doesn’t get up on furniture, but liked having a blanket on the floor to chew his toys on. Former volunteer Jenna stopped in to visit on a college break and instantly became another Brady fan.

 

Brady is house-trained, has an excellent history with children, has lived happily with cats (yes, CATS!) and gets along fine with other dogs. He loves people and meeting new friends is one of his favorite things.

 

We are hoping that Brady will find the perfect forever home where he can spend his retirement years content and well loved.

 

 

 

Looking for a go-go kind of dog? Hiking partner? Jogging partner? Go no further! You found ME!

Meet Gunner, a two-year-old Lab mix who has energy to burn! This boy will make a wonderful companion for someone with an active, outdoor lifestyle. He is affectionate, likes other dogs, knows a few commands and loves cheese.

Gunner is smart and treat-motivated. He would enjoy attending some training classes here at the shelter. He will need lots of exercise, so a large backyard would be great for this boy to play. It is stressful for Gunner at the shelter, as he’s so anxious to be out and about with his peeps. He can be jumpy in his eagerness for play, so kids eight and older would be fine. I just met Gunner on Sunday, so I don’t know him well, but we had fun with him in Mary’s Place. He LOVED the GFB (Giant Fluff Ball).

 

 

Gunner loves people and is anxious to let everyone know what he wants.

 

Lap dog? No question about it.

Gunner can’t wait to meet his new forever family. Is it yours?

 

 

 

You can call me Val. I’m looking for an understanding family.

Valerie is a still a youngster at a year and a half, and she prefers to be called Val. She is a seventy-four-pound mixed breed who is a gentle, though lively girl. She has done well in our playgroups romping with other dogs, though she can become overwhelmed by too many dogs. She is house-trained, knows several commands, and is an eager learner. Her former family reports that she loves to run, walk, and play outdoors. She walks perfectly on leash.

 

 

In her former home, Val was left for long periods of time in a crate and  experienced some separation anxiety symptoms. Her new family will need to be committed to helping her overcome her stress and will need to have alternatives to leaving her alone until her anxiety is resolved through positive behavior modification. The Behavior and Training Department will assist the family as they and Val adjust to her new life. While it may take some time and patience to relieve Val’s fears, she is so worth the effort. We took her into Mary’s Place on Sunday and while she was uneasy at first, she eventually settled and we had some relaxing time together.

 

Val is a gentle soul and we are hoping she will find the perfect patient family.

 

 

Sunday Outtakes!

Here are three of the many pics that did not make the cut—big dogs who are convinced they are lap dogs.

 

Gunner was bound and determined to show me he could fit on a lap!

 

 

Not quite sure what was happening here, but we all laughed.

 

 

 

 

Griffin and Scrappy

Scrappy and Gryffindor (Griffin) were adopted from WHS in 2014. Here they were when they were with us.

Here they were at home.

 

And here is the latest update from their family.

“It’s been a while since I did an update. We added another puppy to our family last year. She is a black lab and pit mix. We did not get her from WHS. We ended up with her because her owner could not care for her. She has been a very high energy little girl but loved by us all. I’m pretty sure Gryffin and Scrappy both think she is an annoying little sister but love her even so.”

Emmy with Prince. My daughter Jazmin adopted Prince from WHS around the same time we got both Scrappy and Gryffin.

 

 

 

Ralph and Rosebud!

I was thrilled to get another update about our seniors, Ralph and Rosebud (formerly Spud).

“Hello Again, Martha. Two weeks in, Ralph and Rosebud (formerly Spud) continue to settle in and delight us. Both are fans of furniture and we find them lazing around the house in various chairs we would not have thought possible for Ralph to wedge himself in. 😉 On a sunny day last week, both pups had warm, soapy baths on the patio. Neither seemed to mind and they sure cleaned up nice! We visited the vet and plotted a new course to ensure optimal health for them both. Keep up the good work!”

Who would have thought that Ralph could get up in a chair?!

 

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