Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

As we continue to navigate through these strange and difficult days, dogs, oblivious to world events, are happy, eager, and wonderful stress-relievers for the rest of us. They are absolutely delighted that their people are staying home. Willamette Humane Society is doing their part to keep people safe while continuing to match dogs and cats with their perfect fits of families. WHS is open for adoption appointments from 10:00 – 3:00 every day. And I am thrilled to report that in the past week, seven dogs have found their forever homes!

Click on this link for the info you will need if you are interested in meeting a dog appearing on the website: www.whs4pets.org. It will also give you a link to find out everything about how the shelter is dealing with COVID-19 and making sure everyone is safe for adopting.

One silver lining during these weeks is that most of our shelter dogs are happily living in foster homes. This means that we are getting extremely helpful information from their foster families about their personalities, their quirks, and in what kind of homes they will thrive—information we would never have been able to have if the dogs were at the shelter. I’ve been asked to write some bios of some of the foster dogs for the WHS website, which include observations from the foster families. So I have decided to include one of these in this blog post. Meet Rosie.

 

I’m waiting for you in my foster home and I’m having a blast!

“Rosie is just as sweet as pie and is going to make someone an excellent companion!” That’s how Rosie’s current foster mom describes her.

Rosie is a two-year-old Australian Cattle Dog/American Staffordshire Terrier mix who is smart, loving, eager to learn, and very active. Rosie came to the shelter when her family’s circumstances changed and they could no longer keep her. They described her as “very friendly, loves people, happy, and high energy.” Her current foster family would agree.

Being only two, Rosie still has many puppy characteristics and has not had a lot of manners training. In her foster home, she is working on not jumping on furniture and people, walking on leash without pulling (the shorter the leash, the better she does), and not chewing things other than her toys. Rosie is very smart and eager to learn. She wants to please and listens well to positive-based corrections. Her foster mom feels certain that with a patient family who will give her attention and instruction, she will grow into an extremely well-behaved dog.

Rosie has done well in our shelter playgroups and with the foster family’s dogs. Her youthful enthusiasm can be a bit much for older dogs, and she would need to meet any dogs she will be living with.

Dogs like Rosie were bred to herd, and Rosie will always need to be monitored around small animals. She would do best in a cat-free home. She will definitely chase after a running cat, though she has gotten along well with the foster’s dog-savvy cat who stands her ground. If Rosie went home with a cat, she would need a slow introduction and careful management.

Rosie already knows several commands such as sit, lie down, go to bed, down, go home and is eager to learn more. She is house-trained and will alert you when she needs to go out. She does have a tendency to guard her food while she is eating, so should be left alone at meal time. Rosie is uncomfortable around small children who pester her, so she should go home with children about 13 and older.

Rosie loves to explore when given the freedom on the foster’s acreage and obeys commands about half the time. “You need to stay one step ahead of her and give lots of guidance to keep her safe,” says her foster mom.

Rosie is still a young dog and is all about play. “She needs to go on walks frequently and naps well when her energy burns off. She is extremely loving and sweet, so she needs a person willing to give her lots of attention,” says her foster mom.

What is Rosie’s idea home? Here’s what her foster family writes: “Rosie’s dream home would have a big yard with room to run and play every day. She LOVES toys and needs lots of them! Her dream human would be very loving and patient, ready to snuggle with her regularly, but also ready to play and keep up with her energy. If she is kept inside, she would like to be able to see outside. She would probably prefer another dog who likes to play, but if her human can provide lots of positive attention, that will do.”

A family is going to be very lucky to adopt this sweetheart. If you think she is a great fit for your family, please email adoptions@whs4pets.org to meet her.

Here Rosie was at the shelter with Megan.

 

And here is one in her foster home.

 

 

 

 

If you read last week’s post, you know that I featured five happy updates and promised another five this week. Here they are:

 

Lux

 

Lux arrived at WHS in early February. She was happy and overly exuberant. We were glad that she did not stay at the shelter long before she found her perfect match of a person who adores her. Here is their update:

“Hi! Here’s an update on how Lux is doing!! She’s been exploring so many new things and learning a lot. She loves trees and the river! I couldn’t have asked for a better dog for me. She’s such a sweetheart and loves on everyone she meets! Thank you for allowing me to adopt her!” 

 

 

 

 

Molly

 

If you are a regular reader of my posts, you will remember Molly well. I wrote about her many times during her stay at WHS. This is from my August 28, 2019 post:

“Molly was surrendered due to her family moving and not being able to take her, in mid-July. She is eight years old and quickly became a volunteer and staff favorite. Molly had some medical issues, so wasn’t available to be adopted for several weeks. But we all knew she was just about perfect. She loved everyone, got along with other dogs, and had thought her former family’s kittens were her own. She soon had everyone, including me, wrapped around her paw.”

A young couple in Portland saw her before she was available and had contacted me, hoping to adopt her. But someone else scooped Molly up as soon as she was on the website. However, their home did not prove to be the right fit and Molly was returned. The next day the Portland couple drove down and took Molly home for good. She has a wonderful life as an office dog and is much loved. Here is their latest update:

“Molly is really enjoying us working from home, but I’m sure she misses interacting with all her work friends, both humans and dogs. She spent her first Christmas with us and got to meet my sister. She enjoyed getting gifts and even opened her own presents! She spent New Year’s Day at the beach and loved playing fetch there. She loves going on hikes as much as she loves cuddling with us on the couch. Sometimes she thinks the bed is just hers and spreads across it 🙂 She had some skin allergies so she now eats a duck-only diet and loves it!”

 

 

 

 

Kaylahanna/Daisy

 

 

Kaylananna was found as a stray and brought to WHS on August 13, 2019. We all fell for her almost instantly. Here’s what I wrote about her in my September 4, 2019 post:

“Kaylahana, an American Staffordshire Terrier mix, is about five years old. She is a big girl at 82 pounds, but she doesn’t like to dwell on that. Kayla, as we call her, is a doll. She walks perfectly on leash, is house-trained, takes treats gently, and loves everyone. If you are looking for someone who ambles rather than rushes, prefers sitting on the couch to a run, and loves cheese bits, well, Kaylahana may be just the perfect fit for your family.”

 

 

Kaylahana was adopted once, but returned the next day. Several weeks went by and we worried. Then on Sunday, September 8th, a couple arrived at the shelter looking for a calm, easy-going dog. We told them that we had the perfect fit for them. But when they learned that she was a “Pit Bull” type of dog, they were hesitant, having never met one before. But they were willing to spend some time with our girl and it was soon a done deal. They took her home that day and named her Daisy.

 

 

Here is their update:

“We love her so much, she is a great lovable girl. We took her to the coast she loved staying in the motel and our walks. We just want to let you know we love Daisy more and more every day. Thank you so much.”

 

 

 

Jester/Seamus

 

Jester arrived at WHS in January 2018 as a stray. He was a happy, bouncy Border Collie mix. He was soon pre-adopted, to go home as soon as he was neutered. His family came to visit him and I snapped this picture.

 

 

The next week Jester became Seamus and went home to two cats and a house chicken. (Yep, a house chicken!) Seamus settled into his new home quickly.

Here is their latest update:

“Seamus is doing wonderfully.  He is a service dog and a therapy dog for the law firm I work for.  He is spoiled and takes care of his weird fur siblings.”

 

 

 

 

Elle

Elle won our hearts the moment we met her. She was gentle, knew stuff, and was an absolute sweetheart. We were sure she wouldn’t be at the shelter long and we were right. Once again, we are grateful for adopters who adopt our seniors.

Here is their update:

“Elle has been such a blessing. She makes us laugh, keeps us fit when she ‘walks’ us, and I have finally convinced her that it’s more fun to fetch her squeaky ball than demolishing it.

One thing she did one day before this awful virus started, we had our youngest granddaughter over (it was her idea that her Mima and Pipa needed a dog) and I was playing with her. I was the tickle monster and she was screaming (she’s 6) and laughing. Elle jumped up, started whining and howling, pushed herself in between us and tried to push me away with her head. That was her person and she was watching out for her. We loved it. I want you to know how much we love her. Here are some pics from today’s walkabout. She would have made a great outfielder. I still have a few problems with her wanting to let go of the ball. She looks like a pup instead of an 8-year-old dog when she’s ready to play ball. ❤”

 

With those wonderful 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