Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

This week I’m going to tell you about a terrific adoption and feature three wonderful dogs who are looking for special homes to meet their individual needs.

 

Bonnie was surrendered at the end of January. She was very shy and fearful at first, but gradually started trusting shelter people and we all fell in love with her. She needed a family with a farm and she needed a job. Megan was especially smitten and spent as much time as she could with Bonnie.

 

We worried about Bonnie finding the home that she needed. But we didn’t need to. A couple saw her on the WHS website and came to meet her. They were instantly captivated by her gentle temperament and put her on hold to go home with them as soon as she was spayed. Best news of all was that they live on a farm with lots of jobs for a dog like Bonnie. Last Sunday they happened to come to visit Bonnie while I was at the shelter. They took her home on Thursday.

Bonnie got her perfect fit of a family and home.

 

 

 

I’m not a youngster anymore but I promise to do my best to make you happy.

Nestle is an eight-year-old Lab mix. This is his second time at WHS; he first came in March 2018, found as a stray. He was such a good sport for my St. Patrick’s Day post that year.

 

Nestle was adopted, but as can happen as we age, he developed some arthritis and some lumps and became less patient with children. So now he needs a retirement home where there are no kids, although older teens would be fine. On Sunday we took him outside to pose for some new pictures with Marianne.

Nestle is dog-selective, meaning he likes some dogs and doesn’t care for others, so would need to meet any dog he will be living with. He does not like to be bothered while he is eating. In his former home, he followed his person around the house, just wanting to be near him. He can be wary of strangers, but warms up quickly. He can be too excited by cats, so would do best in a feline-free home. His personality in his former home was very mellow, preferring to be in the house rather than outside. He has never been taught to walk well on leash, so does pull some. But since he loves cheese and is highly food-motivated, teaching him better leash manners won’t be difficult. In the spirit of full disclosure, when left alone in the house, Nestle will investigate the garbage if it’s left out. He doesn’t especially like to ride in cars, as he is really a homebody. So if you are wanting an uncomplicated dog whose idea of fun is to stay home with his people and watch Netflix together, Nestle may be your perfect fit.

On Sunday we took him into Mary’s Place and found he is as cooperative as ever. He really is happiest when he’s hanging out with people who love him, including Marianne, Ayla, and me.

 

He has some unexplained scarring on his nose, but since he doesn’t have a clue it’s there, we didn’t bring it up.

 

Nestle has been patiently waiting for his retirement family since January 28th. We’re hoping his wait will be over soon.

 

 

 

Like to laugh? They say I’m a hoot. I just like to have fun and I need a home. How about yours?

Apache is a one-year-old happy-go-lucky, the glass-is-half-full American Bulldog mix. This young boy has a terrific sense of humor which kept us in stitches on Sunday afternoon, both out in the big yard and in Mary’s Place. He also has a typical expression-filled Bulldog face along with his stubby, muscular body.

 

 

Apache hasn’t found his right fit of a home yet, though he has been adopted twice. We now know he needs to be in a cat-free home (they are too much fun to chase) and a home with no small children; teens 15 and older would be fine. Apache is still a youngster with a few things to learn through reward-based training, which he loves. He is so enthusiastic about people and life, that he can get jumpy and grabby when he’s excited. He is also not fully house-trained (but close) and will dash out of a door if it’s open, since he’s always eager for new adventures. But even with his youthful quirks, he is such a fun dog to have around. Both of his former families said he was mostly well-behaved.

The sun was out on Sunday afternoon, so off we went to the big yard to see if Apache played fetch. He does…sort of.

But even though Apache doesn’t quite yet understand the principles of fetch, he just loved racing around the yard, especially when Megan ran with him.

 

After all that running…

Then it was time to take some shots with Apache and his fans, Marianne, Ayla, and Megan.

Finally we went into Mary’s Place and Apache discovered some plush toys that he loved.

 

Apache is not the right dog for every family. But for a family with dog experience, who loves exuberant, clownish characters, he will be the perfect new family member. We all hope that special family reads this post.

 

 

 

I may take a little time to get to know you, but I’m worth it!

Willow is a beautiful two-year-old Rottweiler mix who arrived at the shelter in early January. She was surrendered because her family’s circumstances changed and they could no longer keep her. The shelter was a very scary place to her at first, and she took some time to adjust to all the new faces. For a while, only staff worked with her. Here she was with staff member Oz, the first time I met her.

 

I was excited when volunteers got to work with her, too. Here she is with Megan on Sunday.

 

We decided to take her outside and see if she would like to run. She did. While she wasn’t interested in playing fetch, she did enjoy the freedom of the yard and the fact I had cheese bits.

She had fun running with Megan.

Willow has come so far since her arrival at the shelter. She has become much more relaxed around people she meets for the first time and warms up quickly. She is rated for kids about thirteen and older. She is house-trained (was loose in the house when her family was gone and used a dog door). She walks pretty well on leash, takes treats gently, and she loves cheese. She has a good history with teenagers in her former home. She has even lived with two cats. She would do best as an only dog in the home, as she has not been very comfortable meeting other dogs in our playgroups. While she can get excited, her family reported that Willow was pretty laid back most of the time. She enjoys car rides and knows basic commands. We all have become fans of this sweet girl who just needs a little time to adjust to new environments. We decided to take her into Mary’s Place and see if she wanted to play with any toys. She was more interested in just snuggling with us.

 

However, she did like the little yellow plush toy.

 

Willow is being shown by our training department. Please submit your adoption questionnaire and allow them to contact you for an appointment to meet her. You can get an application here. Willow is going to make such a wonderful companion for a lucky family.

 

 

 

If you read last week’s blog post, you know that to everyone’s delight, our long-termer Toby was adopted.

I’m very happy to report that I got an update soon after Toby went home.

“Toby is being a sweet baby. He’s still real scared of other dogs, but he loves people. So we’re working on his confidence and trying to teach him some basic cues so he can focus on us while we’re on walks. He’s extremely treat-motivated so he’s been doing quite well. We found out his favorite treat is bananas when he munched a piece right out of Mike’s hand. I think it’s safe to say he’s definitely not shy anymore, just a bit nervous. I attached a picture of him being a total bed hog. We decided we don’t want to deny him the luxury sleeping on the bed with us, so he gets the whole foot of the bed. It makes me so sad to think that he spent all that time at the shelter, and there really wasn’t anyone that was a good match for him. At the same time though, we really lucked out and we got ourselves a perfect dog.”

 

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