Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

I arrived at the shelter on Sunday, camera in hand, knowing exactly what three dogs I would feature in this week’s post: Dante, Frito, and Tucker. We spent a long time with all three and I took lots of pictures and we talked about what personality characteristics each one had. Later in the afternoon after I got home and was processing the day’s photos, I got word that Dante had been adopted. I was thrilled. No problem, I’d feature someone else. Then Monday, as I was about to start writing this post, I found out that Frito had been adopted that afternoon. Again, it was great news. So, another quick change in plans. However, Tucker, is still waiting for his right fit of a family. So let’s begin with him.

 

Got a farm? Need a dog? I could be the perfect family fit!

Look at this face. Now that you’re hooked, let me tell you about this sweet boy waiting for a special home.

 

 

Tucker is a five-year-old mixed breed dog. He was found as a stray in early December, very frightened. His first days at the shelter were quite stressful for him. As we got to know him, we realized that Tucker needs a special type of home. He is not comfortable around other dogs and is very reactive when around them both on leash and if there is a barrier between them. In playgroup he did not want to be close to the other dogs and did not enter into play with them. He also can be very vocal when he sees other dogs. So that’s the full disclosure about his quirks. But Tucker has many positive attributes, too. He loves to be around people, as well as cheese. He takes treats gently, know basic commands, and is an eager and engaged learner. He did well during his exam with our vet. On Sunday we took him into Mary’s Place and he loved spending time with Megan, Ayla, Marianne, and me.

 

 

So what kind of a home does Tucker need? He is definitely not an apartment kind of dog. He would thrive on a farm or acreage where he was the only dog around and could spend his time hanging out with his peeps while learning new tricks in exchange for cheese bits. He’ll need a family with older kids (about 13 and up). He will be a wonderful companion in a quiet, calm home as the only pet where he will feel safe and loved.

 

We’re hoping that the right family will find Tucker soon.

 

 

 

Do you like to play fetch? I do! I hope my new family will enjoy my enthusiasm for fetch and life in general!

Travis is an almost-two-year-old mixed-breed boy with a ton of energy. He first came to the shelter last July when his person had to travel so much that she felt it wasn’t fair to Travis to keep him. He was adopted again right away. However, the family decided that Travis was simply too active for them and surrendered him to find a better family fit.

 

Both of Travis’ families had wonderful things to say about him. He is “super friendly” to everyone, loves car rides, toys, and playing fetch. In fact, his last person wrote that he loves playing fetch so much that when you “throw the ball for him he doesn’t want to stop even when he is so tired he can’t stand up!” Now that’s a fetch dog! They also said that Travis hardly ever barks and is house- and crate-trained. He doesn’t mind being in his crate and is calm when his family is gone. He loves children (is rated for kids about eight and older) and is excited when he meets strangers, wanting their attention. Besides fetch, Travis also enjoys being a lap dog and watching birds. He doesn’t really care for cats, so would do best in a feline-free home. He has lived with other dogs and does fine except he can be possessive of his toys. Travis does need to work on not jumping up on people in his enthusiasm to get to know them. Here are a couple of shots with Marianne when Travis was with us in July.

 

And here he was on Sunday with Megan. He knows basic commands and loves cheese.

 

We took him into Mary’s Place where he relaxed and enjoyed some couch time.

 

So, if you like playing fetch, Travis just might be the perfect dog for you!

 

 

 

 

I’m quite shy and will need a little time to warm up to you, but then we’ll be best buds!

Jax is an eight-year-old Border Collie/Miniature Australian Shepherd mix. Like Travis, this is Jax’s second time at WHS. His person had to surrender him because he was moving.

Jax is a very timid boy who is looking for a calm and quiet home where he can relax and feel safe. He is fearful in new situations and with new people and is afraid of loud and sudden noises. Because he is so shy and apprehensive, he is rated for children about 13 and older. When kids came to visit in his former home, he would run and get a toy for them to play with him. He also enjoys going for long hikes with his person and playing fetch. He does not enjoy riding in a car much and needs a cat-free home. He can be protective of his family and sometimes barks at people passing by the window. He does well left alone in the house, just waits for his people to come home. Katie was taking Jax on his afternoon walk on Sunday and stopped into say hi to us in Mary’s Place. She had already earned Jax’s trust and it showed.

 

 

Jax may never be ready to be around loud crowds, but he will be a loyal and loving family member and a delightful companion. We hope he won’t have to wait too long.

 

 

 

 

I went on an adventure and even got a Pup Shake!

Rufus is one of our long-termers having been at WHS since July. This wonderful boy has not found his perfect family fit yet. But in the meantime, he gets to go on respites with his shelter peeps.

Rufus got to go on an outing with volunteer Heidi last week. He was thrilled and they had a great time. Here is Heidi’s report:

“Rufus and I enjoyed some brief sunshine Saturday morning with an outing to Bush Park. Rufus was very excited to be at the park and enjoyed sniffing around and exploring. He was easily distracted by other dogs, squirrels, and people, and would bark to say, “Hi.” Luckily, he is very treat-motivated so treats helped to get his focus back on me. When not distracted, he walked very well on the leash and was just happy to be hanging out. Heading back to the shelter, we stopped at Bentley’s for a pup shake. Rufus is hoping his forever family will find him soon.”

 

I have written about this sweet boy numerous times in previous posts. You can read all about him in my December 18th post here: Rufus

 

 

 

 

We have THREE fantastic updates to report this week.

If you are a long-time reader of my blog, you know how grateful we are for our adopters of senior dogs. It’s the old dogs at the shelter who pull on our heartstrings the most. This week I have TWO wonderful senior updates.

 

Spud and Ralph/Rosebud and Ralph

Spud and Ralph arrived at WHS in December 2018. We instantly fell in love with them. Here is some of what I wrote about them in my January 2, 2019 post:

“Bonded pairs come in all sizes and ages and the longer they are together, the more bonded they become. It takes a special person to adopt a senior dog. It takes a REALLY special person to adopt TWO senior dogs. Spud and Ralph are eleven years old and have been best friends forever. Spud is the more active one, and Ralph watches whatever she does. Both dogs have old-dog aging issues with achy joints and needing to go out more often than a younger dog. They both are a bit hard of hearing, Ralph especially, and he may be blind in his right eye.” 

 

We worried about who would adopt this sweet old pair. They wondered, too.

 

But—None of us needed to worry because on January 3, 2019, a couple came to meet them and without blinking an eye, took them home, and Spud became Rosebud. Last week I got this wonderful update.

“Happy New Year, Martha! We are celebrating, today, THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of bringing our new old pups home from WHS. 🙂 We are thrilled to report that senior siblings Ralph and Rosebud (formerly ‘Spud’ turned 12 last month and are both in good health; they still enjoy a short walk each morning. And lunchmeat (in small quantities). They spend much of their time sunbathing and, now that winter has arrived, lounging in front of the fireplace. We feel fortunate we get to share our lives with this lovely and loving pair and would (and do!) encourage others to ADOPT SENIOR ANIMALS! All the best – Stacy, David, Ralph, Rosebud, Rios and Tia”

What a wonderful retirement these two special dogs have.

 

 

Angelina

Angelina is an eleven-year-old Alaskan Husky/Shepherd mix who had been at WHS three times, the first time in 2010. When she arrived in December again, we hoped she would finally find her forever home.

On Sunday mornings, WHS has Shelter Story Time, where kids read to our dogs. I love taking pictures of the kids reading to our pups and took this one on December 22 of Angelina listening to a young girl.

 

And now the rest of the story…

“We weren’t looking for another dog. We had to say goodbye to our older gal back in August and while we weren’t against getting another dog, we certainly weren’t looking. I took my daughter to read to the animals to build her confidence in reading out loud and she found Angelina and read to her the whole time we were in with the dogs. I couldn’t help but send pictures to my husband. She had the one blue eye and one brown eye that our old girl had had, that’s what drew us in to begin with. I couldn’t get Angelina out of my head the next few days so we decided to make a trip down to visit her with the kids. She was so incredibly sweet and even handled my youngest well, and she can be a little much for some. So we told the kids not to get too excited yet, it wasn’t a done deal, she had to meet our resident dog and get along with him. The meeting went fairly well, they weren’t instant besties, but we figured it could be something they could get used to. On the 2nd we brought her home. She and Harvey are still getting used to each other and figuring out the other’s limits through play. He is super excited to have someone to play with regularly. Angelina is getting a lot of attention from the kids, she has a playmate, she is getting used to her crate at night but spends a good chunk of the day lying on the couch between rounds of play and walks. She enjoys her walks and is doing pretty well walking with Harvey. Our cats are loving her because she doesn’t chase them and she distracts our other dog from chasing them as much, too. Each day she seems to be settling into her new home and new routine a little more. She is a great fit in our family and our home. We are all aware that we may not get a lot of time with her, but we are determined to fit in all the love, walks, treats, scritches and belly rubs that we can for the rest of her life.”

 

 

 

Clyde

Clyde, a 10-month-old giant pup came to WHS December 26th and I featured him in my blog post last week. A couple of days later I received an email from a woman asking if Clyde was still available. She sent a picture of her large Goldendoodle and said she would come and meet Clyde very soon. She did and happily it was love at first sight. Clyde went home with her. I got this happy update last week.

“Clyde fits in perfect here! So glad I saw him on the blog. The cat we got at your shelter two years ago, too.  ❤️  He was a very well-trained dog from his previous owners.  And loved.”

 

On those very happy updates, 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