Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

Spring has finally arrived in Salem and Sunday was a perfect day to be outside with shelter dogs. I took pictures of new arrivals with the help of my “photo assistants,” then we spent some quality time with three dogs we decided to feature in this post. We all had a blast.

But before we talk about those dogs, I have two wonderful adoptions to tell you about.

 

 

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know Bayne well, as I’ve written about him several times. He has been waiting since January for his forever family. Here he is with his new person and we are so happy this boy now has a home of his own!

 

 

 

 

Montegro was one of our Hawaii shelter transfers and was an all-time favorite there. He quickly became a favorite here, too, especially with Marianne! He has not had an easy life. He was found as a stray in Maui after having been attacked by a wild animal, causing him to lose part of his mouth. But he is one of the gentlest dogs you’ll ever meet. And on Sunday he found his perfect home with people who adore him.

 

 

 

I may only have three legs, but it’s not stopping me for a second!

Ziggy is almost a year old and is a mixed breed. He has only three working legs. His left front leg was probably deformed from birth and because he’s never known anything else, Ziggy doesn’t realize he’s any different from other dogs. He has been working with our Behavior Team on a few issues and is looking for a special home.

 

 

Ziggy is affectionate and very treat-motivated. He LOVES cheese and people!

 

Ziggy is house-trained, attentive, and a quick learner. He does well in our playgroups. Ziggy needs to go to a home with older teens or just adults and it must be cat-free. Ziggy’s issue is that he will guard food and toys from both people and other dogs. He was adopted once to a home with children and was returned because of his resource guarding. He will need a home where people will leave him alone when he eats and not bother him when he is chewing on a toy. Granted, this boy will take some management, but oh, what rewards he will give you in return! He attended a WHS training class while he was with his last family and excelled. The trainer hopes Ziggy’s new family will continue the class where he was learning cues like “leave it,” “Go to bed,” and “Look!” (eye contact). Ziggy walks beautifully on leash and is a happy, enthusiastic young dog. What is his FAVORITE thing to do? Play fetch! Having only three legs did not slow him down for a nanosecond. He even drops the ball when he returns it for you to throw again.

 

 

If you have the right home for this joyful, fun-loving dog, fill out an on-line application here: (https://whs4pets.org/adopt-a-pet/adoption-process/adoption-application/) and the Behavior and Training team will contact you for an appointment to meet Ziggy.

 

 

 

 

 

I play fetch, too! Looking for a bigger fetch player? Pick ME!

Chiquita is a very happy five-year-old, fifty-pound Rottweiler mix who is a beauty! She is active but can also snuggle on the couch.

 

Chiquita arrived at WHS in January. She has lived a lot of her life as an outdoor dog and is looking forward to spending time inside, too. She is the-treat-bag-is-half-full kind of girl, ever optimistic about her future. She was adopted once, but was returned because she can be handling-sensitive when startled, so will need to go to a family with older teens or adults. She also does not like cats one bit, so must have a feline-free home. She walks nicely on leash, is very social with people, and has enjoyed our playgroups, though can be timid when meeting new dogs. What a great dog she will be for an active family who likes to hike, jog, or go to the beach. She’d love being someone’s best friend. We took her out to a yard for some action shots, and action shots we got! She was so patient waiting for Megan to throw the tennis ball.

 

 

 

Who knew she could walk on air?!

 

Then this happened…timeout for a tummy rub. But, notice the ball stays in her mouth!

 

After a short break, it was back to action!

 

Even though she wanted to play longer, she willingly came back in for some snuggle time.

 

Chiquita will be a perfect best friend for the right person. We hope her wait will be over soon.

 

 

 

I’m not a youngster like Ziggy or middle-aged like Chiquita. But I promise I will make you smile if you adopt me!

Daisy Sue 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. She 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 and hang out with her favorite peeps, including Ayla.

 

 

While Daisy is not a youngster, think of all the benefits of adopting an older dog. There are no worries about house-training. Daisy’s former family reports she will let you know when she needs to go out. 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’s working on getting better) and is rated for older children, as she gets excited when meeting new people and sometimes jumps up on them. She will need a feline-free home, cats are too much fun to chase. She loves just being around her people while playing with her toys.

 

 

Daisy Sue is waiting for you. She will be a loyal, entertaining, and fun new family member. I’m hoping she’ll find her forever family soon.

 

 

 

 

I got to go to the park!

Our Joey, a five-year-old mixed breed and one of our all-time favorite dogs whom I’ve written about many times, got to go on an outing to Keizer Rapids Park with Megan last week. Here’s their report:

“Since Saturday was such a beautiful day, Joey and I decided to embark on an adventure to Keizer Rapids Park to enjoy the sunshine, and we had a great time! Joey was quite unsure about jumping into my car, but I was able to coax him in with some treats and he rode over beautifully. Once we were at the park, he loved having a new environment to explore and was happy to walk around for about two hours. His (and my) favorite part was going down to the water where he decided to take a little dip. He might have even gone swimming if I had let him!

Joey walked very well on the leash, and though he did get a little excited and start to pull slightly when he saw something extra interesting on the path ahead, he would quickly mind his leash manners when I reminded him. We also saw lots of dogs at the park, many of whom he would have loved to play with! We had to keep moving though, and he was very content to keep walking with just me. He kept looking over his shoulder to make sure I was keeping up with him.

The trip back proved easier to coax Joey into the car, and I think he just needs a little practice. At one point on the car ride back, he decided he wanted to ride shotgun, so he climbed over my center console and served as my (very well-mannered) copilot on the rest of the drive.

We had loads of fun on our outing, and I would gladly take him on another park adventure again! I think what would be even better though, is if Joey got to go to his forever home and could take on new experiences with his new family! Whoever he ends up with will surely be lucky to have such a wonderful boy in their home.”

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Hubert, one of our new arrivals from Alabama due to the tornadoes there. He’s a two-year-old mixed breed, here with Megan. I couldn’t coax him to smile.

 

 

 

I laughed out loud when I saw Brutus carrying a stuffed toy during his entire walk with Haylee. Brutus is a one-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier mix who is one of our current favorites.

 

 

Caroline has a new favorite, Teddy, a one-year-old Beagle mix. What a cutie he is, with a coat like silk.

 

 

 

Meet Batman, another Alabama transfer. This boy is full of energy. He is a two-year-old mixed-breed, here with Megan.

 

 

 

 

This is Daisy, an eight-month-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix wearing a colorful neck pillow because she has just been spayed. She enjoyed her time with new-walker, Layla.

 

 

 

Lynx, another Alabama boy, has quickly become a volunteer favorite. And he has a lot to say. He’s a one-year-old mixed breed dog, here with Megan.

 

 

 

When you know that the photoshoot is over and it’s time to put the camera away, even though the volunteers are still posing.

 

Note: All of the dogs I have featured today, along with other terrific dogs waiting to be adopted, can be found at Willamette Humane Society. Here is the link to the adoptable dog page:

https://whs4pets.org/adopt-a-pet/dogs-2/

 

And on that note, that’s it for this week!

 

You can reach me at adoptanoregondog14@yahoo.com