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adoptable dogs, adoption dogs, deserving dogs, dogs, fellow dog lovers, humane society, shelter dogs, WHS, willamette humane society
It was another busy week at WHS. There were SEVEN dog adoptions and some of the dogs have been waiting a long time for their perfect families.
Beanie
This cute little guy with the big smile went home on August 4th.
Little Mama
This shy but affectionate girl went to her new home on Thursday.
Theo I hope you are sitting down. This is BIG adoption news! Theo has been waiting so long for his perfect family fit—since April 29th! He finally found them on August 5th. Adoption Specialist Sasha wrote, “Theo was affectionate and outgoing. He was his usual goofy self. He couldn’t wait to jump in the car. He even called shotgun before getting into the car. We will miss Theo, but we are happy to see him go.” And we already got a happy update—Theo is doing very well and sleeping in his person’s bed! He was sooo ready for his forever home.
Here are a couple of my favorite pictures of him at the shelter.
Black Bear
This big boy went to his new home on Thursday. Shelter life was stressful for him. He looks so happy in his going-home picture!
Winnie
Our sweet Winnie is another dog who had been waiting a long time for her new home. She is deaf, so she needed an experienced family. She got it on August 7th with one of our WHS volunteers! We are so happy for this wonderful girl! I took these pictures last Sunday when her future peeps came to give her a respite from the shelter. I’ll be getting an update about her soon.
Turtle
Another one of our very shy Chihuahuas went home on Sunday. Little Turtle, who was extremely shy, is now settling in with his new family.
Potato
This five-month-old Australian Cattle dog mix is a bundle of energy. And at 33 pounds, he is a HUGE puppy! His new family will be kept on their toes, but he’ll be so worth it! I love this picture of Megan carrying him back to his kennel last week.
Please Note: The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, August 11, 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/ .
My friends here can’t believe I haven’t been adopted yet. I told them I am waiting for YOU.
I wrote about Buddy last week and was sure he’d be adopted by now, but he hasn’t. Buddy is a five-year-old Labrador Retriever mix who is looking for an active family, a yard to romp in, and adventures with his peeps. He is such a handsome boy and will make a wonderful family dog.
We had so much fun with him on Sunday playing in the yard. He loved the stuffed corn toy that Linda threw for him. (Last week, you may remember it was a unicorn that he loved. He seems to have a thing for “corn.”)
Buddy was found as a stray, so we know very little about him. But we do know that he is an eager, happy, active dog who needs an equally active family with a fenced yard. He would love to go hiking, running, camping—you name it and Buddy will be ready. After his spirited game of Corn Fetch, he settled down with Megan, Linda, Marianne, and me for some Blanket Time.
If you have the yard and energy to give Buddy the home that he needs, fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on his picture and then on the link Adopt Me found on this page: https://whs4pets.org/dogs/.
I know I need puppy training. I know I can get over-excited. But I promise to try really hard to learn how to be a good dog if you give me a chance.
Juno is a beautiful five-month-old German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix who has had a rocky beginning. We aren’t sure how many different homes Juno has had in her short life, but we know of several.
Juno has had people who cared about her, but the instability of being in different homes has been confusing for her. Along the way, she has learned some important basic skills. She is mostly house-trained, whining at the door when she needs to go out. She is crate-trained and sleeps in her crate at night and sometimes during the day. She also knows the cues for “sit,” “down,” “shake,” and “load up.” She does well riding in a car, usually sleeping in the back seat.
Juno still needs to work on some other important skills. She has not learned much impulse control and can get too carried away with roughhousing with people. Through patience and rewards-based training—her favorite treat is pepperoni—she’ll realize that people are not toys. And WHS has just the class to help her and her new person. The “Tweens and Teens” puppy class is offered right at the shelter and it comes complimentary with her adoption! Because of Juno’s current mouthy play style, most families with small children are not the best fit.
On Sunday, WHS Trainer Nichole brought Juno out to meet us. What a happy character she is. She loves people and couldn’t wait to greet us. And she is also very treat-motivated, which will make her training easier and posing for my camera a breeze.
The family who had Juno for three months described her as “incredibly sweet, smart, energetic and over excited.” If you are up to the challenge of training an adolescent pup and have the energy, patience, and time you will need to give her, fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on her picture and then on the link Adopt Me found on this page: https://whs4pets.org/dogs/.
I have won over everybody here at the shelter. They all say I’m pretty special. I hope you think so, too!
Some dogs arrive at the shelter and almost instantly become volunteer favorites. There is something about their personality that touches people’s hearts. Nico is a perfect example.
Nico came to the shelter when his family moved and couldn’t take him with them. When he arrived, he had a large tumor on his jaw. Even though it was difficult to look at, Nico’s gentle eyes and affectionate nature proved too sweet to resist, and he received lots of attention. It didn’t take long for the WHS vet to get him into surgery. We were overjoyed when the tumor was removed and turned out to be benign. He also had a growth in his mouth, also removed and also benign. Now his stitches are out and he looks like the handsome yellow Lab he has always been. One of his biggest fans is Marianne.
Nico is an eight-year-old Lab mix. He has been with the same family since he was four weeks old, so suddenly being at the shelter has been stressful for him and we’re hoping he’ll be adopted into his forever home very soon.
Nico’s former family had many good things to say about him. Nico is house- and crate-trained. When he needs to go out, he “stomps his feet.” He slept in his crate at night and when left alone. He loves to ride in a car. He has lived happily with cats and though he’s never lived with another dog, he has always gotten along with ones he has met. He has lived with children as young as eight, and loved them. His favorite toy is a ball. He is not a fan of nail trims, but loves baths. He is described by his former family as “friendly, loving, and great.”
Last Sunday we spent a long time with Nico. He was very stressed in his kennel, but once outside he relaxed some and enjoyed playing in the yard. Although he likes to chase a toy, he’s not big on returning it.
He started out in great form after the toy, but then just returned without it preferring to simply hang out with us.
Then we went into Mary’s Place. It took Nico some time to settle, but once he did, he was so happy.
Nico will continue to be a wonderful family dog. He may not be a youngster anymore, but he still has many adventures to go on and much affection to give his new forever peeps. If your family is looking a new best friend, fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on his picture and then on the link Adopt Me found on this page: https://whs4pets.org/dogs/.
Buddy/Bunny
Eight-year-old Bunny arrived at WHS on June 17, 2021 because of the death of his person and no one in the family could take care of him. I wrote about him in my July 7, 2021 blog post. Here he was with volunteer Linda.
On July 9th, Bunny found his new forever people, became Buddy, and went home. I recently got the following update about his wonderful new life.
“This is how Buddy sleeps most of the time…
The three of us went to Kennewick, WA to meet the family with our motor home. We all had a good time except for one night when Buddy met up with a skunk. He got a fast cold bath and when we got home he went to Petco for the skunk bath to get rid of most of the smell. All in all we still had a good time.
Here is Buddy going on his morning walk, going on a trip to Kennewick in the motor home, and sitting on my lap watching the TV.”
So happy for Buddy that he is living the good life!
Emily/Ivy
On Monday I happened to be outside of my home when a lady walked by with a dog I didn’t know. Since I know all of the dogs in the neighborhood, I introduced myself and asked if I could meet her dog. She told me the dog’s name is Emily, and she had adopted her from WHS in 2015. We ended up sitting on my front porch and I got out my computer and checked my blog. Yep, I’d written about Emily who was Ivy in my May 27, 2015 post. Here’s part of what I wrote.
“Little Ivy is feeling stressed in her kennel and can’t wait for her forever person to find her. This cutie is a Parson Russell Terrier mix. She is eight years old and is looking for a retired person to share the retired life with. Ivy is house-trained, loves to cuddle, go for walks, and just hang out with her peeps. She has a good history with cats, dogs and, believe it or not, chickens!”
Here she was with dog walkers Marianne, Gracie, and Jessica.
And here she was today during our visit.
I asked Ivy’s mom if she would write an update for me and she did!
“Emily has now been with us since June, 2015 and is thought to be approximately 14 years old. She didn’t know how to ‘play’ when she first came and it was about two years before she readily brought a chew toy for tug-of-war. We’ve watched her personality come out as she felt more safe and loved.
Her greatest fear is loud noises and every Fourth of July has been difficult. It was during one of those times that we created a little bed in the back corner of the closet and it became her ‘apartment’ where we can find her anytime she’s fearful. Now, a little CBD ointment on her ear flap helps her through the worst of it on the 4th.
She loves rides and walks and the beach, although certainly doesn’t want to get wet. For road trips, we just call ahead to motels we know are dog-friendly and she has adapted well.
Our thanks to Willamette Humane Society for the wonderful work they do and providing the chance for us to bond with our little Emily!”
Who would have guessed in 2015, that Ivy/Emily would enjoy playing cards and helping her mom sew! Small world. It’s nice to know that I will see Emily often.
On that happy note, that’s it for this week!
Thanks to WHS Trainer Nichole, Adoption Specialist Sasha, and volunteers Megan, Marianne, and Linda for their help with 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