Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

In today’s post I’m going to tell you about two little dogs who are waiting for special homes and one big dog who is a sweet senior. All three are hoping that this week will be their going-home one.

Yes, I have a bit of an attitude, but I promise to be your best friend EVER!

Joey is a nine-year-old, fourteen-pound Chihuahua mix who is a transfer from another shelter after having been found as a stray. He has been waiting for his perfect fit of a person since early February, but so far that person hasn’t found him.

 

 

Joey is quite independent and does not like to be over-handled. His real issue, though, is that Joey never learned to share. He is a resource guarder, meaning he will not allow his toys or food to be taken away from him. While Joey is friendly and happy to be around people, his family will need to be alert to manage his behavior. Joey doesn’t understand that he has a problem and will need understanding peeps who will use positive, reward-based training and not punishment. Because of these issues, Joey needs to be an only dog in the home with adults only or older teenagers, fifteen and up. We took Joey into Mary’s Place to relax, after putting away all of the dog toys to avoid any problems. We had a good time and he enjoyed the attention. He seemed to like posing for pictures with Marianne and Caroline.

 

He loves to go on walks and does very well on leash. Here are two of his fans, Angie and Kaylee.

 

While Joey isn’t the right dog for just anyone, we’re hoping that the right person will come along soon and take him home.

 

 

 

My name is Barry and I, too, have a couple of issues.

Barry is a two-year-old Chihuahua mix who arrived at WHS on August 2nd. He was adopted once, but surrendered again in early February.

 

 

Like Joey, Barry never learned how to share, can be sensitive about being handled and is shy and uncertain in new situations and with new people. But oh, once he gets to know you, what a delightful little character he is! Here he is having fun with volunteer Linda one Sunday in Mary’s Place.

 

It’s easy to think that Barry’s kennel is empty, but if you look closer, you will see a lump of blankets and if you call his name, this happens. Yes, Barry likes to burrow under his blankets and sleep.

 

Barry is looking for a feline-free home, and needs to meet any dog he would be living with. He has done well in our playgroups, often mingling and sometimes frolicking with other small dogs. He needs an adult-only home or one with older teenagers. Barry is house-trained, walks well on leash, and loves to snuggle with people he knows. He is on the Behavior and Training team and is working on gaining confidence. His adoption package includes several hours of private consultations/lessons to help him and his new family adjust to each other. Barry enjoys time in Mary’s Place and we’re hoping he’ll soon have his forever home. If you are interested in meeting Barry, you can contact the Behavior/Training Team here: behavior@whs4pets.org. We’re hoping the right fit of a family will find this very special boy soon.

We hope that they are, Barry!

 

 

 

I’m no youngster, but I think that’s a GOOD thing, don’t you?

Daisy Thriller is an eight-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix who was surrendered to WHS because her family does not have enough time for her anymore. We met her on Sunday and were instantly smitten.

 

 

Daisy may be a senior, but don’t think for a moment that she doesn’t have a lot of get-up-and-go! She loves to play! It was the first Giant Fluff Ball she’d ever seen, and after checking it out, decided it was quite an interesting toy.

 

 

 

Then she settled on a new rope ball that Marianne had bought.

 

 

Daisy wants you to know that while she is not a youngster, think of all the benefits of adopting an older dog. No worries about house-training, Daisy’s family reports she will let you know when she needs to go out. No chewing! She is kennel-trained and enjoys just lying in her bed relaxing when her peeps are around. She knows stuff! Daisy is well-versed on basic commands and was eager to show us her shake.

 

Daisy walks pretty well on leash (she can pull a little) and is rated for somewhat older children, as she gets excited when meeting new people and sometimes jumps up on them. She will need a feline-free home, as cats are too much fun to chase for her to resist. Daisy was quite impressed with a newly-converted toy box that Marianne decorated in memory of a much-loved shelter dog to have in Mary’s Place.

 

Daisy will be a loyal, entertaining, and fun new family member. I have a feeling she’ll find her forever home soon.

 

 

 

 

 

Meet another Daisy, a seven-month-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix, here with Caroline and Ayla. What a sweet, shy youngster!

 

 

Joey stopped in to say hi on his way out for his afternoon walk on Sunday. He is still waiting for his forever family. Read about him in last week’s post! Here he is with Caroline.

 

Joey is ever the optimist about finding his new family soon.

 

 

 

 

This week’s outtakes are brought to you courtesy of seven-month-old Theo, one of our most recent Maui transfers who didn’t even have time to unpack before he was adopted! You’ll see him again in Updates!

 

 

You may be curious about Caroline’s expression—it seems Theo has a whip-like tail when it’s wagging happily!

 

 

 

 

Theo

Speaking of youngster Theo, who arrived from Maui Saturday evening and was adopted Sunday afternoon, here’s what his family wrote after I posted his adoption last night:

“He is absolutely amazing! He and our Shepherd Husky hit it off right away at our meeting. Our kids were so excited as well and made the quick decision to keep his fabulous name. Both dogs are lying here at our feet as I type this 🙂! The cats and he are slowly getting to know each other. They don’t mind him, but he’s confused as to what in the world they are. ❤️”

And they sent me these pictures of the dog meet at WHS. Love at first sight?

 

Vena

On November 12, 2012, a sweet, Miniature Dachshund named Vena was surrendered to the shelter. Here’s a picture I took of her then.

 

As always happens with shelter Dachshunds, volunteer Krystal instantly fell in love and took her home to foster. And as also frequently happens, Krystal’s husband helped Vena feel at home.

 

 

Vena was eventually adopted, but Krystal never forgot her and always wondered how she was doing. Recently, Krystal discovered that Vena had been re-homed and Krystal was invited to come visit. Needless to say, Krystal was over the moon and texted me that she was going to see Vena and would send me a picture.

 

Here’s what Krystal wrote after the visit:

“It was wonderful and Vena is so in love with her mom.  Seeing them together completely settled my soul as I have worried and wondered about her all of these years. She is right where she needs to be and gets to be the center of her mom’s universe. They even camp together in the summer.”  

Many people think that volunteers who work with shelter dogs never get the chance to see them again. But that isn’t always the case and we are so happy when our paths cross once more.

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