Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

It’s been a busy week for the staff and volunteers at Willamette Humane Society. The many terrible tornadoes in Alabama recently not only left people homeless, but their pets as well. When a plea went out from Alabama shelters to Northwest shelters, WHS stepped up. The southern shelters needed to move the dogs and cats that were already in their shelters out so that they could house the homeless ones arriving at their doors. On Sunday, 102 dogs and 45 cats were flown to our area and WHS, along with several other animal rescue groups, welcomed them. WHS now has 9 newbies who are, or soon will be, available for adoption.

 

 

But while it’s always exciting when new dogs arrive, we don’t forget our long-termers who are still waiting for their new families. In this post I’m going to talk about four who have been waiting a long time.

 

Yep, I’m still here. But now I have my own movie! I’m famous!

I wrote about our boy, Bayne, in February, but still he waits in his kennel. Well, that’s not entirely true, because he spent some quality time with us both outside and in Mary’s Place on Sunday.

Bayne is a four-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix. He was surrendered in January, because his family was moving and not able to take him with them. Bayne is a sensitive boy and is nervous in new situations and places, so will need his family to be patient and understanding. He can feel overwhelmed if there is lots of activity, and may need his family to give him some space at times. Bayne warms up to people quickly and LOVES human attention. He has lots of fun in our playgroups, but will need to meet any dog he will go home with to make sure it is a good match in play style. Because he can be overwhelmed, he needs to go to a home with older teenagers or adults. Bayne’s favorite thing to do outside is play fetch, and he is a pro! He sits and waits eagerly for you to throw the tennis ball, races after it, races back to you, drops the ball, and lies down. It’s pretty impressive!

 

 

I decided we needed to show him in action!

 

Megan is one of Bayne’s many fans.

 

We are really hoping that his movie will do the trick in finding Bayne his forever family.

 

 

 

 

Why exactly haven’t I been adopted yet? 

Benny is a six-year-old Chihuahua mix who arrived at WHS in early December. He was adopted but returned in January. Benny loves people and toys. It doesn’t matter what toy it is, or how big. We really can’t figure out why he hasn’t been adopted again. He is such a happy, funny little guy who kept us laughing on Sunday.

 

 

Benny can be a tad shy at first meeting, but quickly warms up. He is house-trained and has done well in our playgroups. As s a puppy, Benny never was taught to share with other dogs. In his home, he resource-guarded toys, food, and his bed from the other resident dogs. He tolerated the other dogs as long as his food, toys and bed were kept separate from the others. So Benny would probably do best as the only dog in his new home. And cats? Benny wants nothing to do with them and will need a feline-free home. Benny also will sometimes ask to be left alone for a while. In his former home, he would go to his bed when he wanted some space and the family knew not to bother him. Because children can forget Benny’s needs, he requires an adult-only home. We know the perfect home for Benny is out there. The right person just needs to meet him. We had so much fun with him on Sunday.

 

 

Yes, we do, Benny. And we’re hoping you don’t have to wait much longer!

 

 

 

My name is Spud and I’m waiting for a home.

Spud was brought to WHS in early February. He came with skin issues which had resulted in losing most of his coat. But with meds and vet care, Spud thrived, his coat growing back quickly (though his tail is still a bit bare). He is now available for adoption. Spud is just about the perfect medium-sized dog. A ten-year-old Lab mix, he’s a senior and showing some signs of age, but that has not dampened his sweet personality. His big brown eyes will melt your heart.

 

 

Spud is crate-trained and house-trained, he will whine at the door when he needs to go out. He is recommended for kids about 8 and up, as he has a good history with children. He also has lived with cats and doesn’t mind them (yes, cats!). He enjoys our shelter playgroups and takes correction well from other dogs, but would need to meet any dog he would be living with. When left alone, he likes to lie in his bed and never destroys anything. He also is pretty mellow and affectionate, he loves hanging out with his people and giving kisses. He basked in our attention in Mary’s Place and loved leaning on Megan.

 

He may be a senior with some hair still growing back, but it will be a lucky family who adopts Spud!

 

 

 

Yep, I decided it was time for a movie, too!

I have written about Champ several times since his first arrival in November. Champ is six years old, a mixed breed with a huge head! We were very excited when he was adopted and his family adored him, but were unable to keep him. So we’ve been waiting for his perfect fit of a family ever since his return. On Sunday he was eager to talk to us about an idea he had of how he could help.

 

 

How could I say no? So out to a yard we trooped and turned things over to Champ who already had a plan in mind.

 

 

First he wanted some still action shots.

 

Then it was time to add video.

 

Champ is quite the character. He can be fearful in some situations, so is working with our Behavior Team to help him build confidence. He can be nervous around strangers until he knows them, then he is happy to either play or snuggle with them. Champ is house-trained, knows basic commands, and is rated for older children because of his size. He loves our playgroups, but can be picky about his dog friends, so will need to meet any canine he will be living with. Champ will never be a dog-park kind of dog. His training must be rewards-based and positive to relieve his fears. Champ is available through our Behavior/Training Team (behavior@whs4pets.org). We’re hoping the right fit of a family will find this very special boy soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Montegro is a Hound/Pointer mix, one of our recent Maui transfers. He is about five years old and despite having had mouth surgery after some kind of an animal attack while he was a stray  in Hawaii, he is one of the sweetest dogs EVER. Marianne was smitten the minute she met him.

 

 

 

Uber is a five-month-old Alaskan Husky mix who is as enthusiastic about life as a youngster can be. Here he is with Jolene.

 

Seeing another dog being walked, Uber offered an invitation to play.

 

Here we are during a typical photo shoot. Can you see the cheese bit in my left hand? Uber can. (Photo credit to Wayne Beasley.)

 

 

 

Jessie is an eleven-year-old Chihuahua who still has plenty of spunk! She was a challenge to photograph, as she had trouble sitting still for a nanosecond! Ayla got a huge kick out of her.

 

 

 

Joey stopped in again this week on his way out for his walk with volunteer Wendi. Joey is one of our long-termers. He is a five-year-old mixed breed and one of our all-time favorite dogs.

 

 

 

 

All of today’s outtakes are credited to Joey and Megan, who decided to hang out for a while in Mary’s Place on Sunday after all the pictures of new dogs were taken.

 

When the photographer can’t seem to get the subjects’ attention…

 

 

When you forget to make sure your treat bag is closed…

 

When the photographer takes too long to set up a shot…

 

And this…

 

 

 

We have two wonderful updates this week!

Theo

Remember puppy Theo who arrived from Maui one day and was adopted the next?

 

I was so happy to get this update:

“Theo is doing pretty well. He is learning things rather quickly. Watching our other dog, Lucian, the Shepherd/Husky mix do tricks. Gives lots of loves. He does well with newer folks he meets that come to visit. 

His draw-back is our cats. He actually tries to meet them but they are intimidated, but so is he. He seems to be afraid of them. He shakes even, and last night he kind of panicked about them. We will continue to work on that 🙂

We have enrolled in Rescue University starting 4/6/19.  Really excited about that. 

We all really appreciate our experience with WHS. We met more than just Theo whom we came to visit several times. Theo was just the right guy for us and I think we are for him, too!  We actually were in the hall the day before we adopted him and he came in from outside which was just a few hours after he arrived from Maui. He went right up to the kids and us like he knew us all along.

Here is a photo from yesterday and one just from a moment ago. That second photo is of both dogs snuggling together right under my feet as I sit on the couch.”

 

 

 

Minnie

And remember Minnie, the six-month-old pup with the injured leg who will need medical treatment down the road?

 

 

I was thrilled to get this update from her new family.

“Attached are a few pictures of Miss Minnie’s adventures this week. She has had a busy week. She has gotten to play in the snow, instruct us on the best way to do lawn work, play fetch and chill out on her favorite spot (the couch). She has also made the trip to the big city of Portland to visit the rest of the family (our people kids). She is a great traveler and loves to go for rides in the pickup. She is quickly learning new comands and has quickly mastered sit, down, relax down, stay, and is working on drop it when playing fetch. We are so enjoying getting to know her and discovering her personality. We will put together a more detailed story about her experience after she has had more than a few days to adjust. We will also keep everyone posted on her leg and her progress in treatment with that. Thanks for everything you do to help these special animals.”

 

On those very happy notes, 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