Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

I’m starting this post by telling you about a dog who has been waiting for his perfect match for a very long time. I’ve written about him before, but am doing so again hoping that somehow, this time, his story will find its way to just the right person.

My name is Hank. I’m waiting for my perfect fit of a home.

Hank is a two-year-old mixed breed who arrived at WHS last March from an overcrowded shelter in California. He was adopted quickly, but was surrendered five months later when his family moved and couldn’t take him with them.

 

Hank has been working with the Behavior and Training Team and here is what Chelsea, our BTT Manager, writes about him.

“Our Mr. Personality, Hank, needs a home! A couch, a yard, dog toys all his own, a human to spoil him, and more! Can you take him?

Hank-a-roo is friendly, playful, active, and just really wants to be with people! Every two-legged person is his friend! He can’t get enough of the great outdoors and could follow his nose all day, every day. We know he’d thrive with that hiking and camping lifestyle! He ADORES plushy toys and will entertain himself with them for hours. It’s quite hilarious to watch him toss and catch them! This people-social kid is a big snuggler and soaks up any scritches you offer him. He is very playful with his two-legged friends, with or without toys.

Hank thrives with rewards-based training and is an enthusiastic, engaged, smart learner. We know he’d love any dog sport you are interested in. Fun activities at home and out/about would make him equally as happy. To help him be a more civilized pup on leash when he sees dogs, his adoption includes a class and three private lessons here! If you have other pups already, a meet here is a must as he’s fairly picky about his playmates, but he’d be equally happy to be the sole recipient of your attention! Cats and small animals are a no-go since they are just too tempting. Teens or older would do just fine and would probably get a kick out of his fun n’ games!

Hank needs a family that has the stability, time, and interest to work (and play!) with him. He’ll pay you back in spades, with his joyful, eager demeanor. Let us know if you want to meet this adventurous, silly fellow!”

Here he is with Marianne.

 

Since Chelsea is one of Hank’s favorite people in the world, he wanted me to make a movie with her. Here it is:

 

To find out even more about this happy boy, and see if he’s the right fit for you, read Chelsea’s “Trust Our Trainers” blog post at https://whs4pets.org/trust-trainers-hank-ready-meet/

Anyone interested in meeting Hank can contact the Training Team here: behavior@whs4pets.org

We’re hoping that Hank won’t have to wait too much longer for his forever family. As much as he loves his peeps at the shelter, he can’t wait to have a family and home to call his own.

 

 

 

I’ve got a lot of energy and potential! Want to help me grow up?

Minnie is a six-month-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix. She is a joyful and energetic youngster with a few quirks. Minnie has the usual puppy behaviors and needs to be guided with rewards-based training, not punishment. She thrives on positive interactions and this will help her overcome some fears she has of handling, strangers, and new environments. To further help her new family, her adoption also includes two classes: “Dog Smart” (for her humans) and “Confidence Builders” for both her and her family.

 

 

Minnie also has an old injury to her left hind leg. This may cause her some early arthritis and some needed medical care in the future. Minnie hasn’t had the easiest start in her young life. But, oh, she is still a happy, eager girl. We took her into Mary’s Place and we all had a blast. She found a Nylabone and absolutely loved it. She carried it around, chewed on it, showed it to all of us and happily traded it out for cheese bits when they were offered. Here she is with Marianne and Megan and, of course, her Nylabone.

 

 

Minnie is a joy and she’s going to grow up to be a wonderful family dog.

 

 

 

Are you in need of a dog with a great smile to cheer you up?

Bayne is a four-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix. He was surrendered in January, another case of the family moving and not able to take Bayne with them.

 

 

Bayne is a sensitive boy and can be nervous in new situations and places, so will need a patient, understanding family. He can feel overwhelmed at times if there is lots of activity, and may need his family to give him some space. Bayne warms up to people quickly and loves human attention. He has had lots of fun in our playgroups, though would need to meet any dog he would go home with to make sure it was a good match in play style. Because he can be overwhelmed, he should go to a home with older teenagers or adults. Bayne has a GREAT sense of humor. We took him into Mary’s Place on Sunday and he kept us laughing being such a clown!

 

 

We’re hoping Bayne will soon be clowning around with his own family.

 

 

Are you a couch potato? Well, so am I! We can be couch potatoes together!

Roly is a nine-year-old Chihuahua mix who is hoot. Once again, he was surrendered due to his family moving. This boy will make some lucky person a perfect companion. He has a great history with children, so is rated PG5+. And what is his favorite thing to do according to his former family? “He loves to lie around on the couch.” So, of course we took him into Mary’s Place where he thoroughly enjoyed his couch time with us.

 

 

In case you are wondering why his name is Roly, we quickly figured it out. Yep, his second favorite thing to do is roll on the floor!

Roly is a very affectionate and happy dog. He enjoys cuddling (on the couch), being scratched (on the couch) and hanging out with his peeps, Megan and Marianne (on the couch.)

I have a feeling this little guy won’t be waiting too long for his forever home.

 

 

 

I was here before and now I’m back! I hope THIS time I’ll find my forever home!

I first wrote about Batman in my August 23, 2017 post. He had been found as a stray and we all adored this happy, bouncy dog. Here he was with Marianne.

 

Batman came back to us in January when, again, because of moving, his family had to surrender him. We know he has had several different homes since leaving WHS, and we’re hoping that he’ll finally have a forever one this time. Batman is now four years old and is a beautiful brindle mixed-breed boy. He has not had an easy four years, but he still loves people. We took him into Mary’s Place on Sunday and he loved it.

He was happy to relax with Megan.

 

Batman has not had consistent training and so needs some rewards-based (not punishment) work to help him overcome some fears and improve his manners. He can be jumpy and mouthy in his excitement to meet people. He’s very fearful when visiting the vet. Batman will do best as a family’s only pet and he deserves such a home where he can be the star. He’ll need a family with older teenagers and he’s not a dog-park dog. But he doesn’t care about that. Batman is thrilled just to play his favorite game in the back yard—FETCH! He is a very polite player, even dropping the ball at your feet when returning it to you. We took him out to get some pictures of this athletic boy.

 

Batman will be a delightful, affectionate best friend for a family lucky enough to adopt him.

 

 

 

I got to go to the coffee stand!

This week Apollo got to go on an outing with Jolene and Linda. To read more about this terrific youngster, check out last week’s blog post.

Jolene writes:

“Apollo loves to go on car rides. He is a sweet boy who is smart, curious, and convinced there are treats hiding everywhere in the car. He was very polite in the car, and just so happy to go on an outing. One of his friends, Linda, is working with him on scent training and we hope to have pictures or a video soon.”

 

 

 

 

I love my peeps!

If you are a regular reader of my posts, you know that Marianne’s current favorite shelter dog is Chicharito. This hospice boy is waiting for a special person who is able to adopt him and care for him for as long as he has. I wrote in detail about him last week. On Sunday morning, he was hanging out with Marianne and Megan in Mary’s Place when I arrived at the shelter.

 

 

A little later, Jessi, one of our trainers, stopped by after playgroup to say hi and Chicharito soaked up her attention.

 

We know Chicharito’s forever person is out there somewhere and we hope they will find him soon.

 

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