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adoptable dogs, adoption dogs, deserving dogs, dogs, fellow dog lovers, humane society, shelter dogs, WHS, willamette humane society
Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,
On this Thanksgiving eve—
It turned out to be a very nice day on Sunday, perfect for asking our current dogs what they are thankful for. They were eager to explain. Here are their replies:
Lacy
Rufus
Walker
Swayze
Max
Sierra and Akira
Moose
Bear
Shadow
Apex
Maxwell
Toby
Need a cheerleader who will go on a diet with you and keep you motivated?
Rufus came to us from another shelter in July. Some dogs are just all about people and Rufus is such a boy.
Rufus is a mixed-breed dog who is about seven years old. He is active with a great sense of humor. He’s been adopted twice. The first time the family had a small child. Young children can be grabby and unpredictable and Rufus was not comfortable, so he will need to go to a home without children. The second family’s situation changed and they had to give him up. What does Rufus like to do more than anything else? Hang out with his peeps, which he did with us on Sunday. He will need to be in a cat-free home. But his love of people and his optimistic outlook on life will be all his family needs in a new member. We had a great time with him. First Megan and I took him out to the big yard to play for a while. Rufus gained a lot of weight (25 pounds!) in his last home. He is anxious to slim down again, so he enjoyed the exercise.
Then it was time for relaxing.
After that we went into Mary’s Place for some couch time. Rufus thinks he’s a lap dog even after gaining 25 pounds! Just ask Marianne!
We hope Rufus doesn’t have to wait too much longer before finding his perfect family.
We’re two Golden Girls looking for a retirement home.
Every so often a bonded pair of dogs arrives at the shelter. Akira and Sierra are such a pair. They are sisters and have been together their entire eight years, so will need to go home together. They are Alaskan Klee Kai mixes and are just beautiful. They were surrendered because their owner could not keep them anymore.
These girls impressed me so much with their gentle love for each other. They share treats and food happily and walk easily side by side. Because they are tightly bonded, they are uneasy if they can’t be together. In their former home they lived happily with other dogs, as well. Because they have each other, they are not constantly needy of a lot of human attention, so won’t be clingy. They are house-trained, know basic commands, and are very mellow in the home, enjoying just lying around as long as they are near each other.
Here they were on a walk with Diane and Katie.
Sierra and Akira love traveling in the car. Because they are uneasy around young children (they try to hide from them), they need a home with older kids who will give them space. They also need to go to a home without cats, as they will chase squirrels and rabbits if given the opportunity. They have been somewhat protective of their family in the past. They bark at strangers at first meeting, then are fine.
On Sunday afternoon Megan, Marianne, and I took them into a yard, then into Mary’s Place. They were very well-behaved and we quickly discovered that they love cheese bits!
These girls won’t be much trouble to have around. They are grateful that WHS is adopting them out together. In the meantime, they will be hanging out in their double kennel…
…or outside on a walk.
I’ve been here for a while getting over some medical stuff. Now I’m ready for a new home!
Max, a two-year-old German Shepherd mix, arrived at WHS in September with chronic allergic dermatitis. According his vet-check report, “This common condition occurs when an animal is allergic to things in its environment, including fleas, pollens, food and grasses.” The symptoms were itching skin and ears, and loss of hair. Since then he has been successfully treated and looks and feels so much better! He may need regular vet care for his allergies to keep him symptom-free.
Max is an active boy who LOVES tennis balls, so Megan spent some time playing on Sunday in the big yard.
After some serious games of fetch (full disclosure: Max is not great about actually returning the ball back to you, he’d rather collect them), it was time for posing for pictures with Megan.
Max has lived outside all his life and would like to be an indoor/outdoor dog in his new home. But because he’s never been inside, he will need some help in house-training. It should be a snap, since he is totally used to doing business outdoors. Max has a good history with children. He should not go to a home with a cat, however, as he chases them. He can be a bit picky about his dog friends, so should meet any dog he will be living with. When he is excited, Max can be somewhat mouthy and needs some work on not pulling when walking on leash. But Max is a smart boy and is eager to learn, so with a little patience from his new peeps, his manners will be fine.
After playing outside, we brought him into Mary’s Place to see how he would do inside. He liked it.
Max is hoping that someone who likes big, eager dogs will come along and take him home. We’re hoping for that, too.
I’m going to start my updates this week with a very special adoption that happened on Monday.
Nellie Marie Fox
Nellie, a ten-year-old stray, was brought to WHS on March 3. Sadly, during her vet check it was discovered she had cancer. It was decided she would be placed in a foster hospice home for as long as she was comfortable. Well, if you know Marianne from my posts, you know that when a dog is in need, Marianne can’t help herself. So sweet Nellie joined Marianne’s pack of two dogs and two cats. Everyone thought that Nellie’s time would not be long. Boy, were we wrong. She thrived living with Marianne. She played with toys, she romped with Rocky and Elsa, she took her place on the couch. She had no intention of letting a little cancer get in the way of her enjoyment of life. And so today Marianne officially adopted her and she is now Nellie Marie Fox. (All of Marianne’s animals’ middle names are Marie.) Congratulations, Nellie Marie Fox. You are one very lucky little girl! Here are some pictures I took when she was at the shelter and a couple from her in her now forever home.
Molly
If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know Molly very well.
She is living the life in Portland! Here is the latest update on our special girl.
“We took Molly to the beach two weekends ago and she loved running and playing fetch there. Yesterday we went to this huge off leash park :)”
Then after all that excitement, it’s back to the office to continue in her essential role as an official Office Dog.
And this one just arrived today! It’s obviously important for Office Dogs to have comfortable places to think!
Delilah
We had been so worried about Delilah. After being adopted once and returned for not being the right fit for the family, she was getting quite stressed at the shelter. She had been there since August when she was found as a stray.
Then last week, a young couple came in, fell in love and took her home. We were over the moon. And I was thrilled to get this update yesterday.
“Hi I just wanted to give you some pictures on Delilah. She’s adjusting pretty well to our house. Loves going on walks and playing fetch. Loves snuggles but hates the bath we’ve discovered. She’s amazing and we love her.”
And so on this Thanksgiving eve, what I am most thankful for are our shelter adopters. These people give our dogs a second or third chance to be the devoted best friends they want to be, when given the time, patience, and love that they need.
Happy Thanksgiving! 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