Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

Although this is a “dog blog,” this week I want to tell you about a special cat adoption.

Dillon arrived at the shelter on February 1. She had lived happily in the same home for thirteen years, but her person became ill and had to give Dillon up. It was clear to the staff and cat volunteers that Dillon was very sad about losing her family.

 

Meanwhile, my friends, MJ and Brian, had decided they were ready to adopt another cat after losing their senior and beloved Guiness a few months earlier. While they were not looking for another older cat, Dillon’s story touched them and they decided to go to WHS and meet her. Before they came, I went to see Dillon myself and there was no doubt in my mind that she would soon be in her retirement home.

 

 

I was right. It was pretty much love at first cat-sight.

 

As you can see, Dillon is a rather “fluffy” cat—she prefers being called fluffy to obese, at almost 16 pounds. After her scheduled dental cleaning, Dillon went home last Saturday. Her name is now Ellie and she is settling into her new life (while munching on diet food) very quickly. On Monday MJ sent me this picture of Ellie who has quickly become a lap cat.

 

And here she was yesterday when I went over for a visit.

She is going to have a wonderful life.

 

 

 

 

I’m not a youngster and I need a special home. But oh, how I will love you!

Every so often a dog arrives at the shelter with many challenges. Such was the case of little Mushu, a thirteen-year-old Lhasa Apso mix who was surrendered on February 20. He first came to WHS in 2013. It was decided that he would do better if transferred to a small rescue shelter where he could be in a foster home. He was adopted, but now, seven years later, was surrendered again to WHS when his health issues became too much for his family.

 

Mushu had no idea that his life was soon going to become joyful once more when he was discovered by one of our most devoted volunteers, Ayla. Here is the rest of the story in her words.

“Mushu has had quite a journey. He arrived at the shelter with painfully infected eyes resulting in blindness, overgrown nails, matted hair, itchy ears, and decayed teeth. His joy for life was dwindling. He was also deaf, and didn’t respond much to touch or interaction. He just lay in his bed feeling very uncomfortable. Thankfully, Willamette Humane Society was determined to give him a fresh and happy new beginning. Mushu’s eyes were removed so he would be out of pain. He had already lost most of his teeth and the remaining ones also had to be extracted. Naturally the shelter staff was worried about his recovery and the rest of his life ahead of him.

I didn’t meet him before his surgery, but one day walking through the kennels, I heard a little cry. Finding his kennel, I looked in to see a sad little fuzzball, curled up and wearing a cone. When he lifted his head, my volunteer friends and I knew that I had to take him home for fostering.

Little Mushu has benefitted amazingly from the care WHS has provided and from foster love. He is adjusting to life without seeing, hearing, or teeth so well you can’t tell half the time that he is different from other dogs. His joy for life is back and he now spends his days napping in one of his many beds, rolling around being silly, and getting up and taking some sniffs around the room. He enjoys short trips to the pet store, playing with food puzzles or his snuffle mat, and, of course, most importantly, snuggling with anyone he can find. This little guy absolutely thrives on attention and hasn’t met a single person he doesn’t like. 

But even though Mushu’s new world is good, he is searching for someone who will continue to give him a happy life for however long he has left. He is looking for someone whom he can bond with and love with all his little repaired heart. And I can say first hand, it will be the best feeling in the world.”

Ayla brought Mushu to WHS on Sunday for pictures and we had such a delightful time with him. This    little guy is full of life and curiosity. Here are some of the many shots I took of him that afternoon.

One of the first things Ayla got Mushu was a “halo” so that he won’t bump into things.

 

But sometimes he enjoys just wandering while Ayla makes sure he’s safe.

 

 

He loves being held.

 

With no teeth, he can’t keep his tongue in his mouth, but it doesn’t bother him, and he still loves to eat soft food.

 

 

He was even game to dress up for our St. Patrick’s Day photo shoot!

 

Mushu has stolen many hearts at WHS of both staff and volunteers. Now he’s working on stealing yours. If you are in a position to care for and love a special needs dog, you can fill out an application to meet Mushu here.

 

 

 

Loved having my photo shoot for this blog post. However, right after it, my new family found me and I’ve been pre-adopted!

I was so excited to spend time with Pancho on Sunday afternoon. I took a ton of pictures and he even agreed to pose for some St. Patrick’s Day photos. Little did we know that he was about to get pre-adopted and will go home after he is neutered. But I decided to put a few of his pictures in this post anyway, because he is such a hoot. Here’s our clown, Pancho. He’s such a happy boy!

 

Lucky family!

 

 

 

No, I don’t smile much. But that doesn’t mean I’m not having a good time! Just watch my tail!

Bagheera is a one-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix who is looking for a family with an active lifestyle. This youngster has a ton of energy and great enthusiasm for life. He also needs some reward-based training so that his exuberance can be channeled into positive endeavors. As much as his former family loved Bagheera, he was just “too much dog” for them. So this young boy is in search of a dog-savvy family who will help him become the dog he wants to be.

 

 

Bagheera loves people and to play. His favorite game is fetch. However, he hasn’t quite gotten the concept down that he’s supposed to bring the ball back once he finds it.

 

 

Bagheera will need to be an only pet in the home. While he does well playing with some other dogs, in his previous home he resource-guarded food and toys from the other family dog. He also cannot abide cats, so needs a feline-free family. He is rated for children ten and older and has a good history with kids in his former home. Bagheera needs some work on walking politely on leash and will need to be monitored when outside, as he liked to go on adventures on his own when he escaped his yard (however, he always came back home). He can be anxious when left home alone, so a family with someone home most of the time would be ideal for this boy. He loves to chew, so appropriate toys will keep him busy. Bagheera is not an apartment kind of dog. He’ll need a yard where he can run and play. He is house-trained, but will have accidents if not kept on schedule. However, even with his quirks, Bagheera is a delightfully fun dog to spend time with and will make a terrific companion for the right family.

After our rousing game of almost-fetch, he was happy to pose with Marianne on the platform, although I couldn’t get him to smile.

 

Then we took him into Mary’s Place. We thought he might like a GFB (Giant Fluff Ball). We were not disappointed.

 

Maybe it was because we did not let him take the GFB outside, but Bagheera didn’t seem too excited about St. Patrick’s day. But we thought he looked pretty dapper.

 

 

Bagheera is hoping that his new family will find him soon, and so are we.

 

 

 

 

We have two happy updates this week.

Willow/Lola

Willow was surrendered to WHS at the beginning of January and was extremely shy and nervous. Gradually she began to trust the staff and then the volunteers, and soon she was a favorite of everyone. I wrote about her in my February 19th post. Here she was with Megan, one of her many fans.

 

 

I was thrilled that I was at the shelter when her new family came to take her home.

 

 

Last week the family sent the following wonderful update.

“Willow (we have taken to calling her Lola) is settling in beautifully. She is asleep by my chair at the moment. When we brought Lola home, she had to explore and smell every inch of the house and yard, but it didn’t take her any time at all to identify the treat drawer or her toy basket; Kong tennis balls are her favorite, and the red laser light sends her into fits. 🙂   Lola has met the cat, and while the cat isn’t thrilled to have a dog in the house again, Lola has been nothing but mannerly.  🙂  Lola loves to take morning walks and only pulls when she wants to chase a squirrel or say hi to someone.  We are working on commands and she is clearly a smart girl. Lola is learning the house rules quickly, although she likes to take a quick bite of the cat food when she thinks no one is watching.  🙂  She just hangs out in my office all day while I work and loves her mid-day peanut butter Kong. Lola is such a love, she will just cuddle up on the couch with us and she sleeps on the foot of the bed every night. We just already love her like crazy!”

Such a lucky dog. Such a lucky family.

 

 

Moo Moo/Booker

Moo Moo came to the shelter on January 31st, an adorable, though very large three-month-old 40- pound puppy. Because he was too young to be walked outside, I didn’t try to take pictures of him and he was quickly adopted in early February. Last week I got this super update about this sweet youngster.

“This is Booker we adopted him about three weeks ago. His name was Moo Moo then but we changed it to Booker. He’s such a good boy and we have the best time together. So thankful to have found him!”

 

On those happy notes, that’s it for this week! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

 

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

Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

Sunday was another Shelter Storytime morning and I couldn’t resist taking more pictures of kids reading to our shelter dogs.

What a wonderful program for both the kids and our dogs!

 

We had it all decided before I arrived at WHS on Sunday, who we were going to spend extra time with to feature in this week’s post. We had chosen Luna, Sam, and Compass. The shelter was very busy with lots of people searching for their perfect new canine family member. Suddenly we realized that Luna was getting adopted (again)! I was delighted that I got to take her going-home pictures. We all think that this will be Luna’s perfect fit of a family.

 

We were so happy to see Luna head off with her new peeps. Later that evening, I got this picture from her family. Looks like she’s settling in just fine.

 

We decided to take Sam into Mary’s Place to get fresh pictures of her for this post. You may remember that Mia and Sam came to the shelter together and I featured them a couple of weeks ago. At first we thought they were bonded, but it turned out they weren’t, and Mia had been adopted earlier in the week. Marianne, Megan, and I had a great time playing with Sam.

Just as we were wrapping up her photoshoot, a staff member came to take Sam for a dog-to-dog meet with a potential canine sibling. The dog meet went great and, yep, off went Sam with her new family. We were so happy for her.

 

That left one of our original three potentially featured dogs left to spend time with. And we had a great time with her.

 

 

I’m smart, young, and I love life. Interested in agility? So am I! Let’s talk.

Compass was found as a stray and I have to believe her family felt a great sadness about losing her. She is an amazing dog.

 

 

Compass is about two years old and a Shepherd mix (a Belgian Malinois, perhaps). She won’t be the right dog for every family. She is definitely not a couch-potato kind of gal. She loves action! She already knows sit, down, stay, and probably much more. She is incredibly smart. We think she would excel in and love agility training. She would also thrive going hiking and, of course, playing a lot of fetch. She is treat-motivated (cheese is one of her favorites) and house-trained. She does need a little work on leash-walking, as she is excited to go ANYWHERE. For a dog-experienced family who appreciates an active, eager, and affectionate dog, Compass would be a great fit. She is rated for kids about ten and older. We took her out to the big yard to play and we all had a blast. She absolutely adored the pink ball we brought out.

She has done well in our playgroups with dogs her size, but would need to meet any she would be living with. I looked up Belgian Malinois and found this, which rings true to what we’ve learned about Compass so far. “If you have ever seen a Mal perform an obedience routine, you know firsthand what a smart and eager breed this is. Problems set in, though, when this people-oriented dog is underemployed and neglected. Exercise, and plenty of it, preferably side by side with their adored owner, is key to Mal happiness.” (https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/belgian-malinois/)

After several vigorous fetch games, it was time to relax.

 

 

Next I asked her to pose on the platform and she was perfect.

 

Back in Mary’s Place, we all relaxed.

 

Then it was time to head back to her kennel.

 

This shot was taken the week before, but I want to show you Compass’ tender side.

 

Compass will be such a wonderful dog for the right family. Maybe they are reading this post right now. Is it yours?

 

 

 

Have a yard and a couch? Need a dog? Together, we can make this work!

Maxwell is a two-year-old German Shepherd mix and is a very handsome boy.

 

He first came to WHS in September of 2019, having been an outdoor dog only. He was surrendered because he has chronic skin allergies. Medication at the shelter helped, and Maxwell was adopted in November. However, his new person lived in an apartment and Max was surrendered again in February because his person decided it was not fair for Max to be in an apartment all day while the owner worked.

Max is a delightful, playful dog who will entertain himself romping outside and then enjoy coming in and cuddling on the couch. He will need a family who can keep up with his skin medications, as he can quickly develop hair loss when not monitored.

We took Max out to a yard and all we had to do was stand back as he raced around throwing his toy up and catching it again. He was hilarious to watch.

 

Max is rated for kids about 13 and up due to his size, but he is quite gentle. He will need a cat-free home and he should meet any dogs he will be living with.

After his playtime, we took him into Mary’s Place to settle, and he loved just hanging out with us.

 

 

Max is hoping his new family will come soon. He’ll be waiting for you in his kennel.

 

 

 

 

I’ve been working on my manners and am improving every day!

Blue is a puppy—a very large puppy at seven months and 80 pounds. He is the son of our sweet Willow, who was adopted a couple of weeks ago. Blue is a Rottweiler/German Shepherd mix. He is a stunning youngster and one of Marianne’s current favorites.

As with all puppies, Blue has had a lot to learn through reward-based training. He has already come a long way and is continuing to working hard with our staff and volunteer trainers. Blue can be jumpy when excited, but has improved greatly in keeping his paws on the ground. Since he is very treat-motivated and smart, his trainers say he is a joy to work with. He now walks well on leash and sits when asked. He is house-trained and used a dog door in his former home. He will need to go home with a patient family who will devote the time to continue his positive training. He is a very social dog in our playgroups and loves to romp with his dog friends. Because of his size and age, he is rated for children 13 and older. Oh, and Blue has an excellent sense of humor.

Blue was anxious to show me what he’s been working on with his trainers. He now is learning to stop, sit, and wait before going through doors and how to sit patiently when outside.

 

He’s a very affectionate dog who likes to lean against his favorite people.

Blue is being shown through our training department. Please submit your application to meet him and they will contact you to set up an appointment. You can get the application here.

 

I call this my Three-Shepherd Post. And on that 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