Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

I hope you are sitting down. I have three absolutely fantastic adoptions to tell you about this week, along with features about two eager young dogs waiting for their new families and three fabulous updates! Put your feet up and settle in.

 

 

Bastion

If you read last week’s post, you know Bastion, our goofy, fun boy who was getting very anxious to find his new family. He discussed it with Marianne.

 

 

And come they did! We were so excited when he went home and we already received an update which appears at the end of this post.

 

 

Maxamillion

Some dogs have to wait longer than others for their perfect fit of a home. Maxamillion is one of those dogs. He’d been patiently waiting since December 19th for his forever person. Sunday he found her. She read about Max on my blog and fell in love from afar, at the coast. And she knew before she even met him that he would be coming home with her, and he did—but not before telling WHS Trainer Jessi goodbye.

 

 

 

I got this email later that night: “Hi Martha—Things are good! He is just a big love baby.”

 

 

Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde (probably not their original names) were found roaming the streets of Dallas and brought to WHS as strays. Although they were friends, they were not bonded and could be adopted separately. Clyde is exuberant and thrives on attention from people. Being in the shelter was stressful for him and we are so happy that he went home with a dog sibling today! WHS Trainer Nichole wrote, “He went home with a shaggy brother who will help him with his manners.”

 

 

Here he was on Sunday. So happy that his wish for a new family has come true!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m young, eager and have a ton of energy! Want to go running with me?

Bonnie is a one-year-old Retriever mix who, at 57 pounds, is a lot of exuberant dog with beautiful brown eyes. Since she was found as a stray, we don’t know anything about her past.

 

 

Bonnie was quite reactive around other dogs when she first arrived at WHS, but has shown great improvement in our supervised playgroups. She is a rough and rowdy player, so will need to meet any dog she would be living with and would be too much for smaller dogs. Here she is happily romping with Bailey.

 

 

 

When she is around people, Bonnie is a dream. One volunteer wrote this after spending time with her in one of the yards: “Bonnie is friendly, sweet, attentive, and seeks attention. She loves to chase after a toy with 30% return. She will sit when asked.”

Bonnie has become one of WHS Trainer Jessi’s favorites. And it looks like Jessi is one of Bonnie’s favorite people!

 

 

Bonnie has not had training in how to walk on leash. She is a strong puller, especially when she sees another dog. Her new family will need to continue the rewards-based training staff and volunteers have started so that she learns to walk with a loose leash. Bonnie enjoys car rides and is house-trained.

Here Bonnie is with another one of her shelter fans, Nicola.

 

 

Bonnie loves training sessions. Since she is extremely treat-motivated (hot dog bits and cheese are her favorites), working with her will be fun and gratifying for both Bonnie and her family. WHS Behavior and Training Manager, Marilyn, says this: “Bonnie enjoys leaning into pets from her handlers, playing fetch, or romping in the yard.”

 

 

Since we do not know Bonnie’s history, and because of her youth and enthusiasm for life, she should go home with older children and no cats.

If Bonnie sounds like the right new best friend for your family, fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on Bonnie’s picture and then on the link Apply to Adopt found on this page: https://whs4pets.org/dogs/

 

 

 

I’m very popular here at the shelter. Everyone loves me. Maybe you will love me, too, and take me home?

Bailey is a three-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer mix. She was surrendered because she was not getting along with another female dog in the home. But her family had many good things to say about Bailey. They reported that she was “relaxed and playful” at home and loved to romp in her big backyard. She lived with kids and did very well with them. She is house-trained. She has lived with cats, but would chase them. So if she has a cat in her new home, slow introductions and a dog-savvy feline are important.

 

 

Bailey is dog-selective; she likes some dogs and not others. She has done very well in our shelter playgroups, and especially liked to frolic with Miska and Clyde before they were adopted.

 

 

Both Miska and Bailey loved getting attention from WHS Trainer Nichole during a pause in racing around the yard.

 

 

Who knew Clyde was so insightful?!

 

WHS Trainer Jessi is one of Bailey’s favorite people.

 

 

Bailey can be a bit shy when first meeting a new person, but warms up quickly, as the Intake Staff found out when she arrived. They wrote, “Bailey was wagging her tail and asking for attention throughout the whole intake process. She licked some peanut butter but otherwise did not take any treats offered. She was running around wagging her tail and jumping in the air. She did not jump on us. She did not react when we restrained her for vaccination, and didn’t flinch when we gave the injection. She stood still and wagged her tail while we were giving her her oral meds. She was seeking attention during the whole intake process.”

Staff member Noah later added, “Bailey wags her tail and body with anticipation when people approach her kennel. She stands at the front and rests her nose on the gate waiting for pets. She then leans her body against the gate for back scratches.”

 

Bailey has been a great helper to the staff in volunteer training. One staff member wrote, “Bailey has been the go-to dog for volunteer orientations. She can be a little shy when strangers approach her kennel. She performs well and is very tolerant when being harnessed and leashed by new volunteers. She is loose and wiggly while volunteers are in the kennel. She performs basic skills with volunteers.”

Volunteer Marianne has spent quality time with Bailey and writes, “Bailey is an affectionate and silly dog. She loves to run and gets full of zoomies when out in a play yard. She loves people and is trying to learn not to jump on them. When not running around, she likes to cuddle and give kisses. She does know some basic cues such as sit and wait. She is working on leash manners since she can pull when she’s excited. Being in a shelter kennel is not ideal for her—when she gets a chance to go outside, she gets extremely excited. She can seem shy behind her kennel door and will sometimes bark at new people. However, she becomes playful and sweet once she gets outside. She would make a wonderful companion for an active person or family.”

If you are looking for an energetic, affectionate, happy dog who loves to learn with rewards-based training, Bailey may be the dog for you. Fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on Bailey’s picture and then on the link Apply to Adopt found on this page: https://whs4pets.org/dogs/

 

 

 

 

We have three wonderful updates this week.

Bastion

You saw at the beginning of this post that Bastion was adopted last week. We were thrilled when his new family already sent an update!

“Bastion is doing great, so far he loves his new home. We have been on two walks and he was good. He slept last night on the couch until about 4:00 am, then I went upstairs and he followed me and slept on my bed the rest of the morning. Played fetch in back yard twice. Every time he brings back the tennis balls.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patches/Patchita

Patches was found as a stray and arrived at WHS last June. I first wrote about her in my June 24, 2020 post. I started with this:

“Patches is an American Blue Heeler mix and is about seven years old. She was found lying in the middle of a road, seemingly waiting to see who might pick her up and take her home. Animal Control did, and brought her to WHS.”

She quickly became a staff and volunteer favorite. Here she was with Marianne.

 

Patches was adopted once, but was returned when she was too strong for the elderly adopter. We were thrilled when she was adopted again in November.

 

 

WHS recently got this super update.

“We brought Patches, now also known as Patchita, home in November and can’t believe how quickly she has made herself one of the family. She gets along with everyone, although she hasn’t been allowed with the chickens unsupervised yet. She just loves our morning walks on the property with Ruby, our ten-year-old dog. Patches has a deformed front leg, but that doesn’t stop her from running everywhere. She loves going in water. She has to wade in both ponds and the creek every morning. She also loves to chase sticks, obsessively! But WHS said she should lose weight, so we give her a workout with them. She is just so happy and loving, we are so glad she came to live with us!”

 

 

Snoop

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will remember the touching story of Snoop.

 

 

You will recall that our WHS Trainer Jessi was fostering him. Jessi’s little boy, Junior Dog Trainer Cash, helped Snoop recover from the death of Jack, Snoop’s brother and best friend. Cash and Snoop developed a deep friendship.

 

 

 

When Snoop was finally adopted last November, it was a tearful but happy goodbye. Snoop went home with a new brother, Taz, also a former WHS shelter dog.

 

 

Last week, WHS sent me this update from Snoop’s new family.

“Here are a few pictures we’ve taken since getting Snoop. We could tell that he was struggling with anxiety at first, especially when we were both gone at work, but he is much better now. We’ve taken a few trips to the dog park, which he seems to really enjoy. He loves rough housing with our other dog Taz, and he is always ready to play fetch. Taz had to have surgery recently, and Snoop was very concerned. Fortunately, he’s doing much better.”

 

 

 

 

When Jessi showed the update to Cash, he cried happy tears. He was thrilled for Snoop and so touched that he was taking care of Taz.

On that happy note, that’s it for this week!

As always, I want to thank my “photo team” who make this blog possible: Staff members Jessi and Nichole, and volunteers Marianne, Linda, and Nicola.

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