This week was my first Sunday back at the shelter in a year due to the pandemic. It was great to see both the dogs and my Photo Peeps. I took lots of pictures and the dogs enjoyed posing for my cheese bits.

But first, I am thrilled to report we had NINE dog adoptions during the last week!

• 

Salina

This sweet people-loving dog has been an outdoor dog in the past, now she can be a real member of her family.

Lola

This beautiful girl was smitten with her new family. She looks like she knows she’s going to her forever home!

Webster

Webster was a hospice adoption. As always, we are so grateful that there are people who are willing to take a dog into their home and heart, not knowing how long it will be before their heart is broken. In the meantime, Webster will have a wonderful life filled with love.

Casper

Our sweet goofy boy, Casper, was also adopted this week. Casper was surrendered because he didn’t want to be a “working” dog guarding the sheep and goats. He just wants to hang out with his peeps and be a family dog. Today he found his new family and he won’t be expected to work!

Spotty

Spotty, Jr. Trainer Cash’s latest foster (his mother is WHS Trainer Jessi), went to her forever home. Here is Cash telling Spotty goodbye.

And here is Spotty and her new person who is absolutely taken with her. Spotty’s new name is Izabelle, and her nickname is Izzy.

Clover

I had been looking forward to meeting Clover and what a character she is! Look at that face! She’s young and eager to learn all about being a good family dog. Happy new start, Clover!

Harry

Harry is a one-year-old youngster full of energy and love. We’re so glad he has found his forever home!

Buddy

Our little Buddy was another hospice adoption. He is a senior at twelve years old, and a mass removed from his leg turned out to be an aggressive form of cancer. Buddy feels fine for now. He is affectionate and eager for attention. We think he is mostly deaf, but he still can hear his squeaky toys and loves them. Again, we are so thankful for adopters who adopt our hospice dogs, giving them the best life possible no matter how long they may have with them.

Myla

I met Myla on Sunday and was instantly taken with her. What a nice girl! So glad she is now at home with her new family!

Sunday playgroups are always a fun and exciting time for our shelter dogs. They romp and race around the yard, but they also take time out to interact with the supervising humans. Here are a few of pictures from this week that WHS Trainer Jessi took.

Do you love Hounds? Yes? You may be my new person!

Are you experienced with the joys and challenges of having a Hound family member? If so, you need to meet Cisco, a four-year-old Coonhound who was surrendered when his person died and the family could not keep him.

Cisco has become a favorite at the shelter. When he arrived, the Intake staff wrote, “Cisco was social-seeking during assessment, leaning into evaluators. During dog-to-dog evaluation, both dogs were loose, wiggly, and play bowing.” Cisco has become a playgroup star, loving to romp with other dogs, both big and little.

Cisco is not a couch-potato kind of boy. He is active and will need plenty of exercise. Are you a hiker? Runner? He would love to go anywhere with you. And after an active adventure, he’ll be happy to lean against you in the evening and watch TV.

Cisco’s family had many good things to say about him. He has lived with both small and large dogs happily. He has even lived with cats successfully! If he goes home to cats, we recommend gradual introductions behind barriers and he will need to meet any dogs he will be living with.

Got treats? Cisco is very treat-motivated and will try just about anything for a bit of cheese, though he is not fussy about what the treat happens to be. The behavior staff has spent a lot of time with this eager learner and he relishes reward-based training. He already knows cues for “Sit,” “Stay,” “Shake,” “Go to your room,” and “Speak softly.” And get this—he is bilingual—he knows the cues both in English AND Spanish!

Cisco does have a couple of areas that need some work. As a Hound, he has a strong urge to follow his nose—whether or not you are at the other end of his leash. Staff and volunteers have been working on loose-leash walking skills with Cisco and he is showing improvement, but still has a ways to go. He also is medical-handling sensitive. In other words, he is extremely fearful of anything at the vet’s office. He will need to be sedated for such visits.

Because of Cisco’s size and enthusiasm—he will jump on people in the joy of meeting them—he is recommended for older children. His former family wrote that he will dash out of an open door, which is another reason for having older kids in the home.

Volunteer Linda is one of Cisco’s fans. Here they were last Sunday.

Cisco is house-trained—he will howl when he needs to go out—and did fine when left alone in the house. He would spend his time sleeping, playing with the other family dogs, and munching on his food. In the spirit of full disclosure, he has been known to check out the garbage if available. He loves pig ears and rope toys. When asked what five words would best describe Cisco, his former family wrote, “wiggly, excitable, clumsy, happy, and friendly.”

If you are a hound-savvy person and are wishing you had a best friend who would be delighted to go on any adventure with you, come and meet Cisco. Fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on Cisco’s picture and then on the link Apply to Adopt found on this page: https://whs4pets.org/dogs/

Everyone at the shelter thinks I’m a very good dog! I hope you will think so, too, and come and adopt me!

Chester is a six-year-old mix-breed boy with a great smile who was found as a stray. He must have had someone who loved him, because he has excellent manners. Here’s what the Intake staff wrote about him on his first day: “Very well mannered; knows ‘Sit, Down, and Shake.’ Takes treats gently. Very loose and wiggly, even when being handled. Took vaccines very well.”

I had been looking forward to meeting Chester on Sunday. Here he is with volunteer Marianne.

We decided to take him into Mary’s Place and see if he was affectionate. He was. He was also very goofy.

Because Chester was found as a stray, we don’t know much about him. We do know he LOVES people. Here’s what one of the clinic staff members said about meeting him when he got neutered, “Chester is a happy guy, ready for affection. He was great in the clinic with all handling before and after surgery. He greets all people, holds his body close to you, enjoys head and rump petting. He loves to take treats while he is in his kennel.”

Chester does need some more practice in loose-leash walking, but is doing better every day. He has been in playgroup and he is dog-selective, meaning he likes some dogs and not others. He will need to meet any dogs he would be going home with. We don’t know about cats, but if he was going to live with a cat, we recommend gradual introductions behind barriers.

Here is Chester demonstrating “sit pretty” for WHS Trainer Nichole.

He also had a serious question for staff member Emily.

Chester has lots of energy and is looking for an active family. He will be such a good family buddy.

If you think Chester is your perfect family fit, fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on Chester’s picture and then on the link Apply to Adopt found on this page: https://whs4pets.org/dogs/

I may not be a youngster, and I may have some senior issues, but I’ll still be the best little buddy for the right person.

Meet Peter, a fifteen-year-old Maltese mix weighing in at seven pounds. Peter is looking for just the right retirement home. Because of his age and some medical conditions, he is a hospice adoption. We are sure there is the perfect person out there for this sweet senior.

Peter does not act like he’s fifteen. He still has lots of spirit and energy. He needs a quiet, calm retirement home, however, where he can relax. Peter’s former family reports that he knows several cues including “Sit, Stay, Lie Down, and Come.” He is crate-trained and slept in it at night and sometimes went into it on his own during the day to rest.

Peter has some senior medical conditions including dry eye, meaning his new family will need to be n about giving him eye drops for the rest of his life. He also seems to be deaf. In his last home he would “spin” when he needed to go out, but sometimes he just doesn’t quite make it outside, even though he tries really hard. Peter’s favorite toys are soft balls and he loves chewy treats. He is afraid of sudden noises. He rides in the car well.

Regarding shelter playgroups, staff writes, “Peter wanders in the yard with other dogs. He allows greets. He approaches handlers and allows petting and being picked up without any issues.”

Marianne is a huge fan of this little guy and had a great time with him in playgroup this morning. She writes, “Peter may be 15 but he has lots of energy and spunk. He loves treats and he’s very affectionate. He’s a perfect little dog who will make a wonderful companion. If I had room for another dog, I would bring him home in a heartbeat. He walks really well on leash and he gets along with everyone in the play yard, big and small. He’s very confident but not in a pushy way. He has a very endearing thing that he does. When in his kennel, he throws his head back and howls like he’s a wolf. It may be one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.”

If you have a special place in your heart for a senior hospice dog with a few health problems, but who still has happy days ahead and a lot of love to give, fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on Peter’s picture and then on the link Apply to Adopt found on this page: https://whs4pets.org/dogs/

We’re hoping that all three of these available dogs will find their perfect forever homes in the next week.

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 volunteers Marianne, Megan, and Linda.

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