Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

Usually I post about dog adoptions only on my WHS Adopt an Oregon Dog Facebook page. But sometimes there is one so special that I write about it in my blog post, as well. Such is the case with—drum roll—Terry! If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know Terry well. I have written about him many times, and in the last several issues I’ve included a “Travels with Terry” section. These reports from volunteers Marianne and Ayla about their weekly park adventures have been a huge stress-reliever for Terry who has been waiting fo his perfect family since April 5th. On Sunday a couple who had been following him on my blog came to meet Terry. They fell in love with him and put him on hold so they could get ready for him at home. On Monday they came to adopt him. I was so excited that I was able to take Terry’s going-home pictures. He was so happy.

 

 

Blanket Time for Shy Dogs

When I arrived at the shelter on Sunday morning, I saw Linda out in a yard with Pam. Pam is a two-year-old mixed breed girl who was transferred to us from our sister shelter in Hawaii. She had come to the Maui shelter in March, along with her litter of new-born pups, so was immediately whisked off to a foster home. When they were old enough, all of Pam’s puppies were adopted, but Pam was not. So to give her a fresh start, she came to Oregon looking for her forever home. When she arrived at WHS on April 26, she was very uneasy and timid. But with time and patience, volunteer Linda has earned Pam’s trust and love. Watching them interact was touching.

 

At the same time, volunteer Jolene was spending time with Hawk, also very shy.

Hawk is a four-year-old mixed-breed boy from Alabama. We know that Hawk did not have a very happy or social life, as he arrived extremely apprehensive about almost everything. But gradually over the past couple of months, Hawk has begun to trust those who have spent time with him and is slowly beginning to show his true happy personality.

It was a perfect summer morning, it was time for…

 

Since Linda had Pam, and Jolene had Hawk, we spread out the blankets and invited them to come over for some hanging-out time. Both dogs are extremely nervous in new surroundings, but are friends, and being able to relax in a new setting is great for their socialization.

 

A while later, I saw that Linda and Pam were out again, helping our other shy Alabama dog, Fetty, to be brave by walking with him and Diane. Fetty is a five-year-old mixed breed boy. As Chelsea, our Behavior & Training Manager, wrote in Fetty’s bio, “Fetty came to us from Alabama when his home town was struck by tragic tornadoes. He’s been spending the last month under the tender loving care of staff and volunteers. It’s likely he’s seen very little of the world. We’ve been helping him learn that everything is safe and everyone is trustworthy by going at his pace and adding social support.“ 

 

 

All three of our shy dogs have come a long way since arriving at WHS. They have become favorites of staff and volunteers and are learning to trust. They are looking for special homes with compassionate, patient, and loving families. To learn more about the kind of homes these dogs need, see their profiles at whs4pet.org.

 

 

 

My name is Tiny—but I’m told I’m not Tiny.

Tiny is a seven-year-old Shepherd mix who will be a terrific family dog. He arrived at WHS with a few health issues which have been taken care of by our vet. He still has some hair loss, especially at the base of his tail, but that will just take time to improve. In the meantime, Tiny is a happy, eager boy who absolutely loves people and he was the perfect Blanket Buddy.

 

 

Tiny gets along extremely well with other dogs in playgroups, he is social and does more mingling than playing. He is rated for children about ten or older. He is affectionate and has a constant grin.

 

Oh, and he has a great sense of humor, too. At least HE thinks he’s pretty funny.

 

Last Saturday, volunteer Heidi took Tiny on an outing. Here is her report:

“I escorted Tiny to Capitol Subaru’s Garden Days event and he had a blast! He really enjoyed walking around the event and smelling the flowers. He was very well-behaved. We were so impressed by how “chill” he was in the midst of excitement. He is very sweet and welcomed pets from new friends of all ages. The highlight of his afternoon came when he met Caesar the No Drama Llama. He loved Caesar and his humans so much, he didn’t want to leave. Caesar loved Tiny, too, and posted some pictures of him on the llama’s Facebook page. Tiny is a great companion. :-)”

Tiny gets along with everyone! Even a llama! We’re hoping he will soon have his own family to love.

 

 

 

I’m not a cuddly kind of guy, but if you like to play fetch, I’m your dog!

Axel is a four-year-old American Bulldog mix. He was transferred to WHS from another shelter where he was found as a stray, so we have no history on him. I took pictures of him when he first arrived and his eyes seemed sad.

 

Axel has not had many visitors, so on Sunday we decided to spend some time getting to know him better. We took him out to the big yard and as soon as we got there, we saw a whole new side of this big boy.

 

Axel LOVES to play fetch. He waits eagerly for the throw, with one foot cocked.

 

Then he is off!

 

 

Axel is not picky about what is thrown—stuffed toy or tennis ball—either is just fine.

 

We were so happy to see Alex’s excitement and joy during the games and in between.

Axel will need to go to a cat-free home and with kids about thirteen and older, due to his size and energy. He will have to meet any dog he will live with, as he can be a bit picky about his canine friends. Axel is more independent than needy, and he likes to joke about his peeps, Ayla and Megan.

 

There are those who say that dogs don’t actually smile…but I like to think that Axel was grateful for his play time and wanted us to know.

 

Although Axel may never be a cuddle-bug, he is smart, eager to learn new things, and lives to play fetch. He’ll be the perfect match for someone out there.

 

 

 

Yep, I’m still here. I’ll be such a great forever friend if you’ll just let me!

I first wrote about Siri on May 8. We were so hoping she would be adopted quickly. But she wasn’t. So on Sunday we took her out for Blanket Time, wondering if she would settle, as she is a pretty active gal. We were amazed. She loved our quiet time together. She enjoyed our casual conversation, our pets, and our assurances that she will have a family of her own soon.

Siri is an eight-year-old Boxer mix who is hoping for a loving retirement home where she can relax and enjoy couch time with her peeps. She will need to be the only pet, as she doesn’t care for other dogs or cats. But she LOVES people! Siri has a good history in her former home. She loves kids and is rated PG+8. She is house-trained and is well-behaved, being mostly an indoor dog. She has the usual old-age lumps and a graying face, but she is an active and happy girl. She continues to wait for her new family, hoping they will come soon.

Siri knows the usual commands and will offer you her paw totally on her own.

This wonderful senior has been waiting a long time for a new family who will see what a special girl she is. We’re hoping she won’t have to wait much longer.

 

 

 

 

 

Max and Peppi

Last January, puppy Peppi was adopted (for the second time) by a wonderful family. Here was the picture I took of him at the shelter.

I got a terrific update about him a few weeks later.

Fast forward to June 1st, when the family came back to WHS to adopt puppy Max!

Here is the super update on the two of them I got last week:

“As promised….here’s a quick update. It’s Max’s 5th day here and he is definitely home. He is a laugh a minute and keeps us in stitches! He and Peppi get along great and play together a lot. They looooove backyard zoomies together! Max my be small but that lil cutie is FAST. Peppi also shared his ‘please give me a French fry’ cute face technique. It worked—so he obviously fits in just fine. He has a big heart for our youngest two boys, 9 and 10 years old, and follows them EVERYWHERE—even to bed to sleep for the night. He just burrows down into the blankets and goes to sleep with one of them—even with the cone still on! He is a super happy, funny pup and brings so much love to the family. Thank you so much for everything you and WHS do, but especially for helping us complete our family!!”

 

On that happy note, that’s it for this week!

 

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/

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