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Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

I have some heartwarming stories to tell you in this post. First, there are two joyful adoptions, then I want to introduce you to three special dogs waiting for their forever homes, and finally, there is a lovely owner-written tribute to a good dog named Jake.

Woodford

I wrote all about Woodford in my May 5th post and was thrilled when he was adopted. He is the most affectionate Doberman I have ever met. His favorite thing in the world to do is snuggle with his people. We are happy that he can do that now to his heart’s content.

Kryptonite

I was so smitten with this gentle, affectionate boy when I met him that I had an entire feature written about him for this post. It began, “Every once in a while, a dog is surrendered who touches everyone’s heart. Kryptonite is such a dog.” Here are a few of the pictures I planned to use for his feature that turned out not to be needed.

I so wanted him to find the the very best retirement home, as he is eight. I decided to post his feature early on my Facebook page. A friend, Katrina, saw it and was immediately taken with him. She had recently sent me a beautiful memorial about Jake, a WHS alumnus, (which appears at the end of this post), and although she hadn’t thought she’d get another dog so soon, she couldn’t help herself. She wrote on her Facebook page, “We seriously weren’t looking to adopt another dog anytime soon, especially so soon after losing Jake. We’re still grieving our handsome boy and miss him terribly. A friend of mine posts about the shelter dogs and she posted about an eight-year-old Golden Retriever/Malamute mix. Out of curiosity, I clicked on the post and instantly knew that he would be coming home with us.” Katrina has a special love for senior dogs and though she knows her heart will be broken again too soon, she adopts them. She now has three. Here is Kryptonite going home.

And here he is already settled into his new family with fellow seniors Peter and Kiley (another WHS alumnus). Yes, Kryptonite and Kiley could be twins. What lucky dogs!

Please Note:

The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, May 12, 2021. But things change fast and our goal is always to find wonderful homes for our dogs as quickly as possible. To see if today’s dogs are still available and to see other available dogs, visit https://whs4pets.org/dogs/ .

Yes, I’m shy and things like garbage cans, big plants, and my reflection in a water bowl can be scary, but give me a little time and patience and I’ll be your best friend EVER! I’ll also make you laugh a lot!

Julia is a mixed-breed girl with huge ears, a happy smile, and a bouncy personality. She was found as a stray, so we don’t know anything about her history, but we think she is about a year old.

When Julia arrived at the shelter, she was extremely fearful—of everything! But staff discovered that she is also very treat-motivated, which proved to be the key to getting her to exit her kennel. It didn’t take long for Julia to discover that the staff and volunteers were her friends. Here’s what an Intake staff member wrote: “Julia was cautious leaving the kennel, but she was persuaded with treats. Once in the intake room, she was loose and wiggly and solicited attention. She came up to staff wagging her tail and making eye contact.” Soon volunteers saw her personality blossom, too. Wrote one volunteer, “Julia wags her tail when a person approaches her kennel. She will walk to the front of her kennel when approached. She knows sit and accepts all kinds of treats.” WHS Trainer Jessi has become one of Julia’s favorite people.

Another staff member wrote, “Julia loves back scratches and belly rubs. She has come a long way. She quickly warms up when spoken to in a soft voice.”

Julia may need a little work on house-training, though she has been doing well in the shelter. She will need a family who will help her build confidence and teach her that the world does not have to be a scary place.

Julia can be protective of her toys, not wanting to share. She loves to chase thrown toys, but doesn’t return them. While playing out in the yard, WHS Trainer Nichole observed, “Julia picked up two toys and then lay on top of them and watched me and the volunteer closely as we walked around the yard. If we walked too close, she picked up a toy and moved it away.” Because of this behavior, she should go to a home with older kids who will respect her space.

Julia takes treats gently and is learning to walk politely on leash, improving from when she first arrived at WHS at which time a volunteer wrote, “Julia is learning to walk on leash, but goes in a lot of different directions with a lot of bouncing.”

Julia was adopted once, but was returned within a few days when one of her people discovered they were allergic to her coat. They were broken-hearted that they had to bring her back. They had this to say about her: “She had good potty habits, and good eating habits. She was fairly relaxed in the home and only barked when there were strangers at the door or when people passed by the home. She loves to receive pets during walks. She did display resource-guarding with her toys.”

If you are patient and understanding and are looking for a sweet girl who, with a little time, will think you make the sun rise and the moon set, come and meet Julia. Fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on Julia’s picture and then on the link Apply to Adopt found on this page: https://whs4pets.org/dogs/

Yes, I’ve been here before. I’m hoping for my forever family this time. Looking for a couch partner? Do you have a big couch?

Gunner is not for the faint of heart. If you are looking for a small, dainty, graceful dog, keep on scrolling. This ninety-seven pound two-year-old Mastiff mix is not dainty nor graceful…and he certainly isn’t small.

But if you are looking for a clown, an extravert (when he’s comfortable), who thinks he’s a lap dog, meet Gunner.

This is Gunner’s second time at WHS and we’re all hoping this time he’ll find his forever home. The first time, in July of 2020, he was found as a stray after running around a neighborhood for a couple of days. He quickly showed staff and volunteers that he loved attention, especially belly rubs. He had no manners and was a strong puller on leash in his excitement to get to new smells. He was adopted in August, 2020. However, Gunner’s size, his enthusiasm for everything, and the fact that he does not like to be interrupted when he is eating, made living in a home with children not ideal, although they loved him. They decided it would be better if Gunner lived with adults or with older kids who would know to give him space when asked. His person wrote, “Gunner is a loving, playful, and all-around goofy dog. He loves to play hide-and-seek, fetch (when he is in the mood), and with rope toys. His favorite treats are cheese and peanut butter in a Kong. He knows ‘sit,’ ‘stay,’ ‘lie down,’ ‘off,’ ‘no begging’ and ‘dance.’ He is house- and crate-trained. He likes to sunbathe out in the yard in nice weather and hang out with the family in the living room. He loves baths and riding in the car.” Gunner is shy at first meetings, especially with men, so new introductions need to be done slowly. Because he tends to guard his food bowl, he needs to be in a family where teens and adults will leave him alone when he is eating. Gunner will need a cat-free home. The WHS Behavior and Training team is working with Gunner on both loose-leash walking and food guarding.

Marianne had a wonderful time with goofy Gunner last Sunday out in the play yard.

Gunner is not the dog for everyone but, for the right family, he will be such a joyful new member who will keep them laughing and be a devoted best friend. If you would like to meet Gunner, fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on Gunner’s picture and then on the link Apply to Adopt found on this page: https://whs4pets.org/dogs/

I’ve had several families in my life. I’m ready for a forever home. Could it be yours?

Elsa was surrendered to WHS because her family could no longer take care of her. She had been adopted from WHS by another family in 2015, but was given to her last owner by a friend. We don’t know how many homes she has had in between. Elsa is a seven-year-old Hound mix who is gentle, quiet, and loves human interaction.

I met Elsa for the first time last Sunday and instantly loved her. She seemed sad, but enjoyed having our attention. Elsa has been mostly an outdoor dog in recent years. She slept in a crate in the garage and was in the yard during the day, though she did spend some time with the family in the house. She lived with another dog when she was younger, but has been the only dog for the last two years. Because she spent most of her time out of the house, she will need some help and patience in becoming house-trained again.

Her family reports Elsa has a good history with both other dogs and kids. She is wiggly and playful with other dogs and enjoys chase games. She has lived with young children and was gentle and watched over them. Her favorite treats are cheese and peanut butter. She enjoys lying in the sun. Her family describes her as “gentle, easy-going, trusting, and lovable.” She does not like baths. In the spirit of full disclosure, Elsa does like to chew things. Her family wrote, “she will chew on anything—toys, clothing, plastic, anything.” So her new family will have be alert to help her stay out of trouble.

Elsa was an instant favorite at the the shelter. The Intake staff wrote, “She was loose and wiggly during the entire intake process. She walked around the room wagging her tail, panting, and occasionally barking. She stood still during restraint and didn’t flinch for her vaccines. She took treats and came when we called her name. She sat on command on the scale to get her weight checked.”

Here Elsa was outside with Megan, who became an instant fan.

Later, we took her into Mary’s Place and she enjoyed just being with us. Marianne also fell in love with her.

Elsa is hoping for a forever family who will be understanding and patient with her, helping her with house-training and learning what not to chew. Given the chance, she will be a loyal and gentle family member. We’re hoping her forever family will find her soon. If it might be yours, fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on Elsa’s picture and then on the link Apply to Adopt found on this page: https://whs4pets.org/dogs/

Jake

At the beginning of this post, I celebrated the adoption of Kryptonite, and mentioned that there would be a tribute to Jake who had the joy of living with the same family.

Jake arrived at WHS in March of 2019. He was a sweet, very old senior at 14 and we worried who would adopt him. But on April 27th, Jake found his perfect retirement home, and in my March 24th post, I celebrated his 16th birthday with an update from his family.

Last week I got the sad news that Jake had died. I don’t doubt for a moment that he would have agreed with the following meme.

And his family did. Here is the tribute written about him by Katrina.

“It is through tears that we say goodbye to our handsome 16-year-old Jake who has now crossed the Rainbow Bridge. We knew when we adopted him at the age of 14, that our time with him would be limited, but we were blessed with two years and seven days with him. Hounds need a job, and when he came to us, he immediately became our family guardian, a job that he took very seriously. He joined our family just two weeks before our world fell apart and we faced incredibly hard times. He brought joy and loving light to our lives when we needed it the most. I miss his silly shenanigans and his calming presence. I absolutely do not regret adopting him and am grateful for our time together. Rest easy, Big Handsome! I love you so much.”

You would approve of Kryptonite, Jake.

On that loving note, that’s it for this week.

Thanks to Staff Trainers Jessi and Nichole and volunteers Megan and Marianne for helping with pictures for this post.

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. And please remember that sometimes dogs are adopted quickly, so might have already found a great home by the time you ask about them.

You can reach me at adoptanoregondog14@yahoo.com