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The days are getting shorter and the temperatures a bit cooler. With school starting and people winding down from summer, the rate of dog adoptions has been slowing. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have terrific adopters still finding a new best friend. This week there were two happy “going-homes.”

Tess

This adoption was especially touching. Tess is fourteen years old. She has the usual old-dog issues, failing hearing and eyesight among them. But she is such a sweet little dog with lots of love still to give, and her new person looked past her aging outside and saw the heart inside.

Meatball

Meatball is such a delightfully goofy character and we all loved him at the shelter. He was starting to get stressed, however, and we are overjoyed that he went home this week. We’ve already gotten a happy update that appears at the end of this post. And by the way, his new name is Magnum.

Please Note: The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, September 8, 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/ .

I’m not sure why I haven’t gotten adopted yet. I asked Martha to take some more pictures and feature me again. I just know my new family is out there!

It’s a mystery. I’ve written about Buddy twice since he arrived at WHS on July 25th. But still he waits. Look at that face, what a striking boy.

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.

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. Buddy does need to keep working on his reaction to other dogs, he just doesn’t quite know how to play with them politely. Some dogs do not like his overly eager greetings.

Recently one of the volunteers took Buddy to Minto Brown Park for an outing and wrote, “Buddy saw wildlife, kids, other dogs, adults. He enjoyed hiking, cuddling, and meeting people. His activity level was average. His leash skills were good. He pulled a bit but returned to heel when asked. He was reactive to other dogs.” Buddy is working on controlling his excitement when he sees other dogs and his new family will need to continue his rewards-based training to help him be more respectful of other canines.

On Sunday, Marianne, Megan, Linda, and I took Buddy to a yard to play. He had a wonderful time. He loves to run after tennis balls, though he’s not great at returning them all the time.

Afterward we relaxed with some Blanket Time.

Buddy is a terrific dog and will make some lucky family a wonderful companion. He just needs someone with a little patience, continued instruction and practice, and a lot of love. In return, he will give you his devotion.

If you have the yard and time 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’m not a youngster anymore, but I still have spunk and I’m a good listener. I’ll love you and be your best friend if you give me the chance.

Bella is a twelve-year-old Pug/Beagle mix who was surrendered because her family felt that though they loved her, they didn’t have enough time to give her and wanted her to have the attention she deserves.

Bella has the usual older dog concerns including being hard-of-hearing along with having dental tartar. However, our WHS vet gave her teeth a thorough cleaning and pronounced her to be a healthy geriatric girl. Bella has never had dog roommates, but at WHS, she hung out happily in a yard with Tess, another Pug/Beagle, before Tess was adopted last week (see above).

Bella has lived happily with a cat and she did fine with the children in the family. Bella is house- and crate-trained. She spent time in her crate when the family was gone and slept in it at night. She’s not a huge fan of baths or nail trims, but tolerates them. She’s not picky about treats, though she really likes my cheese bits. She loves playing with plush toys. Her former family describes her as “playful, affectionate, relaxed, and independent.”

Marianne, Linda, Megan, and I knew that Bella would enjoy hanging out with us for some Blanket Time and did she ever! What an affectionate little dog she is!

Volunteer Julie stopped by on her way to her dog-walking shift.

Bella may not be a puppy anymore, but what a wonderful senior girl she is. If you are looking for a sweet, calm, affectionate little dog, Bella fits the bill. If you think Bella would be a perfect fit for you, 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/.

Do you want ACTION? Do you want a lap dog? Pick ME! Pick ME!

Are you familiar with Jack Russell Terriers? “Upbeat, lively, inquisitive, and friendly. These jaunty little fellows pack lots of personality.” (American Kennel Club–https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/russell-terrier/) That sums up Pepper’s personality.

Pepper’s elderly person had to give her up due to the owner’s health. She wanted Pepper’s new family to have all of Pepper’s belongs so that she will feel secure in her next home. Pepper is eight years old, but you’d never know it by her spring-board energy. Her person described her as “friendly, social, active, a busybody, and loving.” She is not fussy about treats and her favorite toys are anything she is given. She is “ecstatic and grateful” for baths and good for nail trims. She is house-trained but has had some accidents lately due to her elderly owner not being able to let her out often enough. She is crate-trained and used to sleeping in one at night. Riding in a car is not Pepper’s cup of tea. She is harnessed for safety, but “acts like an impatient three-year-old.”

Pepper has lived in a quiet home. She was excited when people she knew came to visit, but shy and “cautious initially with strangers.” She has never been around children or teenagers and is nervous when near them. If she goes home with older children, they will need to be very patient and respectful. She has not lived with other dogs or cats.

I wasn’t sure how quickly Pepper would warm up to me and my camera, but it didn’t take her long. She liked the cheese bits I offered and was soon crawling into my lap. Here she is with Megan and WHS Trainer Nichole.

We decided to take her into Mary’s Place to relax. She couldn’t wait to get into Linda’s lap.


She wanted Megan to hold her, too.

Pepper is an active senior who can’t wait to have a person of her own again. If you think she would be a perfect fit for you, 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/.

Kirby

Kirby was adopted by one of our WHS volunteers. Remember this picture of him going home with his new brother, Duffy?

Here is the update. As often happens, there have been a few bumps in the road as Kirby learns how to live in a new family.

“Kirby has settled in here pretty well. He and Duffy get along pretty well but Kirby is like an annoying little brother sometimes. He does well in the car but needed his own car seat, as he tried to ride in Duffy’s.  That was a little crowded.  We have a lesson at WHS for leash training as I’d like to walk them both when I can. He met the granddogs but that’s still a work in progress. He does like to cuddle and can be real sweet. We have done a DNA test and should have results soon. My house just got a little livelier and noisy.”

Meatball/Magnum

I was thrilled when I got this update the day after Meatball, now Magnum, went home. We are so glad they are taking the cat introduction slowly.

“We changed his name to Magnum. He is doing great, he really loves to snuggle. We have the cats locked up right now and are letting them smell him on us and them to him.”

On those happy notes, that’s it for this week!

Thanks to WHS Adoption Specialist Sasha and volunteers Megan, Linda, Julie, and Marianne 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