Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

 

This year I have not been able to do my usual holiday photoshoots. So for this St. Patrick’s Day post, here are a few of my favorite pictures from over the years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s been another excellent week for dog adoptions at WHS! There have been six!

 

Tart

Tart was very uneasy at the shelter, so we are thrilled that she now has her own home and can settle in with her peep.

 

 

 

 

Clyde

Clyde was adopted (again) and this time we think it’s the perfect match. Here he is with his new family who was so excited to get him.

 

 

 

Topanga

Remember the litter of ten puppies? (How many of you actually counted to make sure there really were ten in the picture?) I announced nine of their adoptions in my last post. Here is number ten! Topanga was adopted on Saturday and her foster reports, “She is going to a fantastic home and will enjoy kayaking and paddle boarding!” Not to mention she is going to be a BIG lap dog!

 

 

 

 

Both dogs I featured in last week’s post got adopted on Sunday!

Leo

Leo was quite stressed at the shelter, so we are overjoyed that he is now with his new person in his new home.

 

 

 

 

Pepper

Shy Pepper will need a little time to settle in, but what a sweet friend she will be. WHS trainer Jessi reported that Pepper did great in play group Sunday morning, romping and feeling much more relaxed. So all in all, Pepper had a most wonderful day!

 

 

 

 

Mocha

Sweet Mocha went home with her new family. During her short time at WHS, she became a staff and volunteer favorite. Lucky family!

 

 

 

Hot off the presses! WHS staff sent me the following going-home pictures for six of the litter of puppies.

Topanga

 

Trent

 

Thomas

 

Tamara

 

Trigger

 

Toby

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not young anymore and I have some issues, but if you are the right person for me, I’ll love you forever.

Leena is an eleven-year-old Miniature Pinscher and at only eight pounds, she is tiny. This is her third time at WHS and she is hoping it will be her last.

 

 

Leena is looking for a special home. She has not had an easy life, having had several different homes, little socialization, and ending up at the shelter once again on March 6th. Because of being passed around among different families, Leena is fearful and can be handling-sensitive until she gets to know a person. But once she does, she is a snuggly, affectionate lap dog. Leena is really hoping that at long last she will find her forever home where she can relax and know that she will be safe and cared for the rest of her life. She would love to hang out at home with a retired person or couple. She won’t need much exercise, just some casual strolls around the neighborhood and then relaxing on the couch with her peeps.

Because of the instability in her life, Leena has some behavior and medical issues. She resource-guards food and toys, does not like cats, and while she gets along with some other dogs, she is selective in her friends. Since her third arrival at WHS, however, she has proven to be a good helper dog, encouraging another very shy new dog to come out of her kennel. She’s done well in our shelter playgroups, she’s not a real player, but likes to mingle and meander around the yard.

 

 

Leena will need to remain on a special diet, as she has had some digestive problems in the past. She has done very well with her current food. Because of her uneasiness around new situations and people, she is recommended for kids 13 and older who will understand the importance of giving Leena space.

 

 

Today Leena got to have some time out in the play yard with Marianne.

Marianne writes, “Leena is the sweetest older girl. She’s a little timid initially, but that doesn’t stop her from approaching to get pets and to try and climb in your lap. What an absolute doll!”

Leena has not had an easy life and looks forward to having happy and secure senior years. If you can provide the love and patience that Leena deserves, fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on Leena’s picture and then on the link Apply to Adopt found on this page: https://whs4pets.org/dogs/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Montegro/Monty

If you are a regular reader of my posts, you will remember Montegro (Monty) very well. He was a transfer from our sister shelter in Maui, Hawaii. He was not a handsome dog. The Maui shelter thought he had probably been attacked by a wild boar at some point and he was missing part of his mouth. He immediately became a volunteer favorite because of his gentle, affectionate nature.

Here he was posing with Marianne, one of his biggest fans.

 

 

He LOVED the GFB (Giant Fluff Ball).

 

We were worried about him finding a home. We didn’t need to be. Here he is meeting his forever family for the first time on March 17, 2019.

 

Caroline (his human mom) sends me pictures every so often that I then send on to Laura (his contact from Hawaii) who sends them on to the Maui shelter. They are always thrilled to see him so happy.

This week I got this update. Monty has a wonderful life!

“Monty and me, two days before his second anniversary with us! I hope it’s been the best time of his life! We sure try our best to make it be! I like to call him my little Tellachubby. He doesn’t care, but just in case, I keep petting him. He’s fine with it. We want to thank everyone at the shelter again, for taking such good care of Monty until we came along. He sure has been a bright star in our family’s life. He sure is a momma’s boy.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arlo

I first met Carbone in January of 2011. He was a youngster and we thought he was about a year old. He had been found as a stray and was transferred to us from another shelter from which he had not been adopted. His sweet nature and trusting brown eyes made him one of my favorites the moment I met him. It was obvious that he loved everyone with his tail wagging and grinning whenever anyone stopped at his kennel.

 

 

Even as young as he was, because of an accident or disease, his back left leg had atrophied which gave him a “bunny hop” running style. The WHS vet decided to operate and, after a successful surgery, he spent time in a foster home to heal. I was thrilled to see him return to the shelter on April 14th, running happily on all four legs, and hoped that he would soon be adopted.

 

 

On April 15, 2011, Carol and Paul came to WHS to begin searching for a new best friend. They had lost their beloved old dog, Molly, a few months before and were ready to rescue another one. Paul saw Carbone first and called Carol to come over to his kennel. It was love at first lick. That very day Carbone became Arlo and set off on a joyful life at “Snug Hill” out in the country where he was pampered by his two adoring peeps and had open spaces in which he could romp and explore. He had a home that all shelter dogs dream of.

Over the years, Carol, Paul, and Arlo kept in touch with me. Each June they attended the annual WillaMutt Strut. The pictures below are from 2015. 

Arlo and me

 

Arlo and Carol

 

By 2019, Arlo no longer had the energy for the Strut’s 5K course, but enjoyed coming and mingling with everyone while raising funds for the shelter.

Paul, Arlo, and Carol

 

Carol, Paul and Arlo would invite me to visit Snug Hill and Arlo always seemed to remember me and greeted me with great enthusiasm. He had a unique style of playing fetch in which he would carry one ball while chasing after another one. He was a very happy boy.

 

 

 

 

He was so loved by both Paul and Carol.

 

Last October, Carol asked if I’d come out to Snug Hill and take some new pictures of Arlo, now ten years old. Although we didn’t talk about it, I knew why they wanted pictures, and I had a feeling it would be my last visit with one of my favorite shelter dogs. Arlo had many challenging health issues over the years, and even with having the best of care, they had taken a toll. He looked much older, had a graying face and had slowed down a great deal. But he was the same, sweet boy he had always been, and he was excited to see me. 

 

 

 

 

It was difficult to tell him goodbye at the end of that afternoon. And as he looked up at me as I was leaving, I saw the same trusting brown eyes I had seen the first day I met him as a pup. I like to think that he knew that day that he had always been one of my special shelter dogs.

Last week Carol emailed, “I’m writing to let you know that Arlo departed this life this afternoon. He was such a GOOD dog. When you were here in October to take our precious pictures, I watched as you said goodbye to Arlo. You were sitting in your front seat sideways, and Arlo had come over to you. You were talking to him, telling him what a good boy he was, and I just knew you were thinking that this would likely be the last time you saw him. I’m so glad you had that time with him. I know he loved you.”

Yes, Arlo was a GOOD dog. 

 

 

“There is a cycle of love and death that shapes the lives of those who choose to travel in the company of animals. It is a cycle unlike any other. To those who have never lived through its turnings or walked its rocky path, our willingness to give our hearts with full knowledge that they will be broken seems incomprehensible. Only we know how small a price we pay for what we receive; our grief, no matter how powerful it may be, is an insufficient measure of the joy we have been given.” ~Suzanne Clothier

 

That’s it for this week.

As always, I want to thank my “photo team” who made this blog post possible: Staff members Jessi, Nichole, Sasha and volunteer Marianne.

Remember, if you see a dog on my blog whom you are interested in meeting, fill out the Adoption form at whs4pets.org, and wait to be contacted by the staff.

You can reach me at adoptanoregondog14@yahoo.com