Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

Happy New Year From WHS dogs!

The shelter stayed quite busy with adoptions throughout the holiday season, for which we are very thankful. Here are the five that found their new homes during the past week:

Rocky

Our gentle boy, Rocky, was adopted (again) last Wednesday. Hoping this is his perfect home. Such a nice dog!

Butters

Butters is such a fun boy! He will keep his new peeps active and show them much love. Lucky family!

Holiday

This youngster is a giant puppy at eight months old and such a happy dog. I had planned to feature him in this week’s post, so spent some fun time with him on Sunday and then he went home! So happy for him!

I was so happy that I was there when he went home with his new person.

Stella

We all fell for this delightful, ball-chasing girl. I was glad I could take her going-home picture on Sunday. And we already got word that she curled up next to her new people on the couch on her first night home.

Trip

I had planned on featuring Trip in this week’s post, too, but very happy that he was adopted on Monday. Here are a few pictures from our time with him on Sunday.

Please Note: The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, January 5, 2022. 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 waiting for a special person who will give me the space, time, and understanding I will need to feel safe and learn to trust. If you are patient, I will be the best dog you’ve ever had.

Zoe is a three-year-old German Shepherd mix who arrived at WHS on December 8th. She was extremely fearful and nervous. The person who surrendered her had only had her a week, so we don’t know anything about her past. I first met Zoe on December 19th when WHS Trainer Nichole brought her into Mary’s Place for pictures. She had recently been spayed, so was wearing a “donut.” I felt so sorry for her, as she tried to make herself as small as possible while she cowered by Nichole.

If you are a regular reader of my posts, you know that volunteer Linda has a special place in her heart for shy dogs. With her gentle way of reassuring and letting them choose to come to her in their own time, Linda has great success in helping shy dogs build trust and confidence. After Zoe got her stitches out after being spayed, Linda spent time with her in the clinic. That’s when this happened…yep, totally on her own, Zoe climbed into a laundry basket.

As Linda and Nichole have spent more time with her, Zoe’s personality has begun to blossom. After Salem’s snow last week, Nicole wrote, “Zoe’s personality came out! It snowed and she loved it. She got a case of the zoomies and raced around the yard, then sat next to me. She licked my hand several times.” And the next day Nichole added, “Zoe continues to make strides in building confidence.  She exited her kennel excitedly and went to the door. In the play yard she ventured out away from me and pounced in the snow. She stuck her nose in the snow, snorted, and pounced again.”

On Sunday, Linda was anxious for me to new pictures of Zoe out in a yard. It was immediately obvious that Zoe has bonded with Linda and loves being with her. Linda later wrote, “Zoe is warming up but it always takes some extra time for the timid ones. She is a sweet girl with a very soft personality. Adopters better get an application in, she’s a keeper :)”

While she was wary of me and my camera, she gradually approached me and took a bit of cheese from my hand. She did, however, stay pretty close to Linda during the photoshoot. I was so happy to see her much more relaxed.

Zoe is going to be a wonderful companion for the right person. She is hoping to find someone who will let her warm up slowly on her own terms, someone who will have the patience to wait for her to make the decision to interact, someone who will let her just “be” and earn her trust. She is so worth the effort it will take to make her feel at home.

Zoe is being shown by our Behavior and Training Team due to her special-home needs. If you think you might be the person Zoe is waiting 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/.

Hey, are you up for a puppy? I mean, are you ready for all the joy, laughter, and fun training I will need to grow up into a wonderful family dog? If so, I’ll be in my kennel waiting to go home!

Yep, after writing Earl’s feature below, I found out he was scooped up and taken home on Tuesday afternoon! I decided to leave his story in this post anyway because…well, who doesn’t love to see puppy pictures? ☺️

Adopting a puppy is not for the faint of heart. You need to recognize what you are taking on and be willing to do all the hard work that is involved in raising a well-behaved, happy adult dog. If you are such a person, Earl would like to meet you! (Seriously, his name is Earl—one of the cutest names ever for a pup!)

Earl is a four-month-old Lab/Bull Dog mix and at 31 pounds, he is a BIG puppy! Since he has not had the last of his vaccinations, he cannot interact with other dogs, so is located in the ISO kennels where I met him on Sunday. Earl is a hoot. He was surrendered because he played too roughly with the elderly dog he lived with. The former owner said that Earl got “bigger and more rowdy” than they expected.

The good news is that Earl is already on the road to being socialized—he LOVES everyone, he has never met a stranger, and he even has some training under his paws. He is crate-trained, and while he will cry a little when left, he settles down quickly. He is also house-trained and used a “doggy door” in his former home. He does occasionally have an accident, however, when he is excited and “forgets to go out.”

Megan, Marianne, and I spent some time with this exuberant guy on Sunday. He had recently been neutered and was wearing the usual “donut.”

And that’s what we did.

Earl’s former people had some very good things to say about him. He already knows the cues “sit”‘ and “lie down” which he demonstrated for us when asked. In the spirit of full disclosure, when he was excited, he did mix the two cues up.

His favorite treats are “Beggin’ Strips,” although he certainly liked the cheese bits we offered him. His favorite toy is a small stuffed mouse that he stole from the resident cat. Speaking of cats, Earl enjoys chasing them to try to play, so a feline-free home might be best. He does not like nail trims, but does enjoy baths. He’s a bit nervous when riding in a car, but does okay. He was good about entertaining himself in his fenced yard. When asked what words best describe Earl, his former people said, “loving, happy, curious, and stubborn.” Earl will need lots of exercise in his new home and continued socialization and reward-based training. But what a great family dog he will grow into. With his size and energy, a family with older kids would be great for this “bowl is half full” kind of pup.

With the new year, I’m hoping for a new family—and this time, I’m hoping it’ll be my forever one.

I have written about Rosie several times during the three times she has been at the shelter. She is a three-year-old Australian Cattle Dog/American Staffordshire Terrier mix who is smart, loving, eager to learn, and very active. She and all of us who love her are hoping that the next home will be her last.

Rosie came to the shelter the first time in February of 2020 when her family’s circumstances changed and they could no longer keep her. They described her as “very friendly, loves people, happy, and high energy.” She went to a foster home where she was much loved. Her foster mom wrote, “She needs to go on walks frequently and naps well when her energy burns off. She is extremely loving and sweet, so she needs a person willing to give her lots of attention.” Rosie was adopted a second time, but returned when she had too much energy for the person. Rosie was adopted once again, but was recently surrendered because of her prey drive for small animals.

Australian Cattle Dogs were bred as working dogs. Here is what Dogtime.com says about this breed: “Australian Cattle Dogs are loyal and protective of their families. Besides herding work, they do well at canine sports, including agility, obedience, rally, flyball, and flying disc competitions. They need a lot of mental and physical activity to stay happy and healthy. The Australian Cattle Dog is extremely intelligent, active, and sturdy. They thrive on having a job to do and on being part of all family activities.”

All of Rosie’s former families stressed how wonderful she is with people and how affectionate and fun she is. She just needs a family who understands her breed and can give her plenty of exercise and love. Megan is one of her shelter friends.

Rosie knows several cues such as “sit,” “lie down,” “go to bed,” “down,” “go home,” and is eager to learn more. She is house-trained and will alert you when she needs to go out. She does have a tendency to guard her food while she is eating, so should be left alone at meal time. Rosie is uncomfortable around small children, so she should go home with kids about 13 and older. Because of her prey drive, she needs a secure fenced yard and should not go to a home with cats or “pocket pets.”

Rosie’s last family wrote that she is “adorable, warm, friendly, and loves people.” What is Rosie’s ideal home? Here’s what her foster family wrote: “Rosie’s dream home would have a big yard with room to run and play every day. She LOVES toys and needs lots of them! Her dream human would be very loving and patient, ready to snuggle with her regularly, but also ready to play and keep up with her energy.”

Rosie had a blast during our recent snow storm. Marianne sent me these pictures of her playing.

Volunteer Lee sent me this video of her in the snow.

Volunteer Lori sent me this shot; Rosie loves the big red ball!

Rosie has been waiting since December 11th for her forever family. If you think Rosie is a great 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/. She is hoping she’ll be with her forever family very soon.

Kiley

Kiley was one of my star blog dogs, since she appeared in my posts many times and was one of my all-time favorites. She first arrived at WHS in December of 2018, already a senior at twelve years old. She was a wonderful photo subject, here with Marianne.

She was quickly adopted and we thought we would not see her again. But we we were wrong. We saw her twice more. Here is what I wrote in my October 28, 2020 post:

“Kiley was first surrendered to WHS in December of 2018. This beautiful girl was quickly adopted, but came back to us a few months later because one of the children was allergic to her. She was adopted again in April of 2019. Now her family is moving and once again she has returned to us. In her last home, Kiley was an outdoor-only dog. She is hoping that her next home will be her forever one and that she can once again be an indoor/outdoor family companion.”

Finally on October 31, 2020, now fourteen years old, Kiley found her forever family. This is what I wrote about her adoption: “Our sweet Kiley finally has her forever retirement home. She was adopted by one of my readers, a WHS dog walker, who wrote on Saturday evening, ‘She’s amazing and we love her so much!’ We are so grateful for people who give our seniors the final home they deserve.” And best of all, Kiley was finally going to be an indoor dog.

Kiley’s family kept me posted about her and I even got to celebrate her “Gotcha Day” in my blog the following year. Kiley was having the best life ever.

Sadly, I got the following message last week.

“It was with much sadness that we said goodbye to our sweet baby girl, Kiley. She came to us 14 months ago. She was 16 when she passed. When she first came to us, she was afraid of everything, wouldn’t go into bedrooms, and didn’t ask for attention much. She really didn’t know how to DOG. In the time we had her, she sought attention, followed us into our bedrooms (followed us everywhere actually), would catch a ball or toy if lightly tossed at her, and was always the first in line for treats. She was part of the pack and enjoyed being around the other dogs. It’s amazing what a year of love and patience can do for a dog! We will always love you, sweet Kiley, and were so blessed that you were part of our lives!”

I will miss your updates, Kiley, but I am so happy that you had the best life ever in your forever home. You were a very special girl who was loved by many, including me.

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

My thanks to volunteers Marianne, Megan, Linda, Lee, and Lori for making this post possible and to Adoption Specialist Sasha.

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