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adoptable dogs, dogs, fellow dog lovers, humane society, shelter dogs, WHS, willamette humane society
Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,
Just when I thought adoptions were slowing down because people are busy getting ready for the holidays, a whopping SIX dogs were adopted in the last week! And some who are now home for Christmas had been waiting at the shelter for quite a while for their new families.
Maylie
Maylie arrived at the shelter very shy, but she soon warmed up. We are so glad this sweetheart didn’t have to wait long for her new family.
Canelo
Canelo is a very energetic young dog who loved to romp in the big yard. So glad he has a home of his own now.
Sky
Third time is the charm! Puppy Sky was adopted twice and returned through no fault of her own. Both adopters said she was wonderful. We’re hoping that THIS home is her perfect fit!
Luka
Luka arrived at the shelter as a stray on November 8. We soon discovered his love of playing soccer! You can tell by the going-home pictures that he is absolutely smitten with his new person.
Hobz
Our wonderful kind and mellow Hobz went to his new home on Monday evening! This boy won the hearts of everyone who met him at the shelter. He arrived needing a serious weight-loss plan and he has been slowly losing his excess pounds and feeling better each day. We will miss this gentle giant, but are thrilled he has a new family.
If you look very closely at the going-home photo below, you’ll see volunteer Marianne who was Hobz’s biggest fan—in the car—telling him goodbye!
Rambo
Drum roll! Rambo was adopted on Tuesday! He’s been waiting since November 16th, and lately has been getting stressed at the shelter. We are overjoyed that he will be home for Christmas!
Please Note: The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, December 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 featured dogs are still available and to see other available dogs, click on the link to the currently available dogs here.
I’m a happy-go-lucky kind of girl with a love of playing with my peeps. Wanna play fetch? I can do that!
Miss Mollie Mae is a one-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier mix who is the life of any party. I can’t remember when we’ve had another dog who is so utterly happy and playful. Got a toy? Mollie will love it no matter what it is.
Mollie had to be surrendered when her person couldn’t take care of her anymore, though she loved her very much and had her since Mollie was seven weeks old. Not surprisingly, Mollie’s former person had many good things to say about this girl. Mollie can be petted and touched anywhere and she is very well-behaved at the vet. She is house-trained and will wait at the door to go outside. She doesn’t mind nail trims or baths (once you get her INTO the tub, that is!). She loves to play ball and to look out the window. She likes to chew things, so will need plenty of chew-toys to keep her busy. She likes children, however, she is a very enthusiastic greeter and can be jumpy at times, so older, sturdy children would be best for Mollie. Her favorite toys are “tough” balls and anything she can chew. She does need to learn better leash manners (she has been improving in loose-leash walking since being at the shelter) as well as keeping four feet on the floor when greeting people. Mollie loves full-body massages. She rides well in a car, though seems a little anxious. “Happy, loving, exuberant” are the words her former owner used to describe her. She doesn’t like the rain. Oh, and she does enjoy watching TV, except she does NOT like cartoons.
Mollie has kept us laughing since she arrived at the shelter. Megan has become one of her many fans.
Mollie has become a volunteer favorite. While she can be a bit shy at first meeting, it doesn’t take long before she is soliciting pets and attention, hoping you’ll throw a ball for her. On Sunday when we were getting some new pictures for this post, volunteer Lee happened to arrive with some new toys for our dogs. Mollie was enthralled.
And we did!
After a happy outside romp, we took Mollie into Mary’s Place. She didn’t miss a beat in looking for more toys!
Mollie Mae is hoping for an active family who will enjoy her eager zest for life. And she hopes they will come soon, as she explained to Marianne and Linda.
If Miss Mollie Mae sounds like the dog you have been hoping for, 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/.
Are you a Husky-savvy person looking for someone like me? I promise I will be your best dog EVER!
Midas is a four-year-old Siberian Husky mix. He was found as a stray and so we do not know anything about his past. He is stunning.
Midas is very stressed at the shelter. We are hoping that a Husky-savvy person will see this handsome boy and give him the home that he needs—one with room for him to romp. Midas loves to be outdoors. He is not happy inside in his shelter kennel and howls to let us know. On Sunday we took him out to a yard and he was thrilled and grateful. We learned that he could be quite affectionate—
—but that he doesn’t care for fetch.
We decided to try him in Mary’s Place and see how he would feel about it. He liked hanging out with us and was happy to pose for pictures.
He hopped right up on the couch and leaned into me.
Then Megan got out a treat. Turns out, he can be a bit picky about what he likes.
He didn’t seem to want to play with any toys, but was quite interested in his reflection in the door.
A Husky is not the right dog for everyone. But for someone with experience with the breed, they can be wonderful companions. If you are such a person, 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/. We’re hoping that Midas won’t have to stay at the shelter much longer.
I’m not young and I’m very small. But my heart is full of love for a new family!
Tiny is the perfect name for this eleven-pound sweetheart of a dog who looks more like a miniature lamb than the Miniature Poodle that she is. However, there is nothing “tiny” about her delightful personality.
It is hard to believe that Tiny is eleven years old when her foster mom describes their typical day. Included are several long walks during which Tiny is “confident and curious, loving to explore, sniff, and would love to chase birds and rabbits, if allowed.” In between excursions, Tiny’s favorite place to be is on her foster mom’s lap while she reads, knits, or watches TV. Tiny always asks permission to jump up first.
Tiny arrived at the shelter with some serious medical issues. She was “shut down,” not eating and was severely matted. The WHS vet team got right to work. After eleven teeth were extracted, a mammary mass removed, and her body shaved to remove the mats, Tiny felt like a new dog! She went immediately to her foster home where she has blossomed.
Because mammary tumors often recur, Tiny is a hospice adoption. But don’t think for a minute that she doesn’t live each day to the fullest! Her foster mom has so many wonderful things to say about this spunky, loving little dog. She describes Tiny as “quiet, polite, and dainty. She will be a wonderful companion dog in a quiet home. She is alert, bright, curious and putters around the house (no zoomies) and naps frequently. She walks well on leash, and rain, wind, and wet grass do not deter her. She enjoys car rides and is most comfortable snuggled in her little bed in the car or on a lap.”
Tiny follows her foster mom around the house, always interested in what she is doing. Tiny’s favorite place to sleep is next to her person. Tiny rarely barks, is house-trained, and has never had an accident. She can be left alone without any anxiety, but is overjoyed when her foster mom comes home. She does not voluntarily spend time in a crate, but if asked, she willingly goes in and remains quiet.
Tiny is not intimidated by other dogs and will happily meet them, though she is not interested in romping with them—“a quick sniff and hello, then she walks away.”
While Tiny doesn’t know any verbal cues, she does not wander and if her foster mom claps her hands, Tiny comes trotting. She volunteers to meet all strangers.
Tiny will need some time to warm up and trust a new family. But once she does, “they will see what a lovely, sweet, affectionate little munchkin she is,” smiles her foster mom. Tiny will need soft, moist food due to not having many teeth left. Tiny’s foster mom closes her report about her with this: “I have been fostering for a long time. This is the first one I have been so attached to. She is a bit of a tug on my heart.”
Adopting a hospice dog takes a special person. We are so grateful that there are people who are eager to take a dog into their homes and hearts, not knowing how long it will be. They realize that the sadness they will eventually feel is far outweighed by the joy they will have been given. If you are such a person, 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/.
Theo
Some shelter dogs leave a paw print (or in this case, a tennis ball indentation) on many hearts of volunteers and staff when they are finally adopted. Such was the case with Theo.
This is what I wrote about him in my May 26, 2021 post:
“To say Theo is a big boy doesn’t cut it. Theo is 96 pounds of love and enthusiasm for life. He is a three-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier. Theo loves people and is very wiggly when seeing an old friend or someone new. Volunteers have discovered that playing fetch is Theo’s favorite activity at the shelter. One wrote, ‘Theo absolutely loves fetch but doesn’t like to drop the ball. Use two balls and trade him. He was thrilled!’”
Theo was one of our long-termers. He arrived on April 29. Because he was hilarious to play fetch with, he quickly became a favorite, especially of then-staff member Jessi.
We worried about who would adopt such a huge clown and as time passed, Theo became stressed at the shelter. Finally on August 8th, his perfect match found him and took him home.
Adoption Specialist Sasha, who was one of Theo’s most avid fans, recently emailed his family asking how he is doing. They wrote this wonderful update:
“Gary and Theo are besties. When Gary does have to leave the house without Theo, Theo stations himself by the door and whines and waits for his buddy to return.
No toy has survived his exuberant chewing except the giant red tippy Kong treat dispenser and his lovie, a particular red pillow he gently gnaws on.
Theo typically gets taken on two walks per day and rarely does he make it through a walk without someone commenting what a handsome guy he is. We aren’t worried about that giving him a big head because it’s already big!
He loves riding in the car on weekly trips to town. It’s not easy keeping him in the back seat and he will try to claim the passenger’s seat, even if it’s already taken.
Where does he nap? Wherever he wants, although at night he shows his compassionate side and lets his human share the queen size bed with him.
He’s learning food manners and commands and has a stubborn streak, but also has a sense of humor and a joyfulness, as well as a good heart.
Is he spoiled? Yes. Does he deserve it? Yes. He is very much loved and gives love in return. We feel like Theo was meant to be ours. He makes any day better.”
We are so thankful when one of our long-termers finds his perfect home. On that happy note, that’s it for this week!
Many thanks to Adoption Specialist Sasha, and volunteers Marianne, Megan, and Linda for their help with this post. I couldn’t do it without them!
All of the dogs I have featured today, along with other terrific dogs waiting to be adopted, can be found at Willamette Humane Society. Here is the link to the adoptable-dog page: https://whs4pets.org/dogs/.
Remember, if you see a dog on my blog whom you are interested in meeting, try to make arrangements to get to the Willamette Humane Society soon. Some dogs are adopted more quickly than you might think.
You can reach me at adoptanoregondog14@yahoo.com