Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

Well, this week something happened that has never happened before in the many years I’ve written this blog. But it’s a good thing! Read on to find out what it was. In the meantime…

Little Ace arrived at WHS on January 27th because his family had moved. Since he was on the Adoption Floor, potential adopters could see him during shelter visiting hours before he was available to take home. One visiting couple was immediately smitten with him when they saw him and watched the WHS website anxiously to see when he’d appear. When he did, they immediately applied to meet him and on Sunday, they came for their appointment. They met, fell in love, and took him home. I was happy that I was at the shelter to take their going-home picture. Their excitement was contagious.

Ace is now Frankie. Here’s what his new mom wrote the first evening: “Frankie has a spa appt for Tuesday and I will send you the after pics to share with all his WHS buds. He did very well at the pet store and in the car. Got the zoomies when we got home, and now he is napping. ” Such a happy new beginning for our little guy.

In the years that I have written this weekly blog, never before have all the featured dogs I’ve written about been adopted shortly before I published the post. However, after writing features about two dogs for this post, one was adopted yesterday and one just this afternoon! I decided to include the two features here anyway to show you what fun we had with both dogs on Sunday.

The two dogs in the “Quick Looks” section of this post are still hoping to find their new homes soon.

I know I’m an extra-big puppy and I know I have a lot of energy. But if you have room for me to romp and the patience for raising a pup, we could become a family!

Pumba is an eight-month-old German Shepherd mix. Weighing in at 63 pounds, he doesn’t look like a puppy until you watch him play—then the pouncing, racing, and the pure joy of being alive shines through. I took the first two pictures soon after Pumba arrived at the shelter. He was feeling a little shy when Linda brought him out for pictures, but got braver a few minutes later.

Pumba and his four siblings were found as strays and brought to WHS January 4th. Three of them have been adopted. Pumba and Mufasa are still waiting for their new families. Last week I featured Mufasa. This week it’s Pumba’s turn. Both Pumba and Mufasa have adjusted well to being in a shelter. They are often found relaxing in their kennels. On Sunday we took Pumba outside, first for a few pictures on the bench, then out to a play yard.

After some bench time, we took Pumba out to see if he’d like to romp in the big yard. He did! And that’s when we realized what a puppy he still is.

Pumba is not the pup for everyone. He still has a lot to learn. Like all puppies, he can be jumpy and mouthy when excited. He also needs to continue learning how to walk without pulling on leash. Like Mufasa, he has not had a lot of socialization, so can be nervous in new situations and places. The good news is that Pumba loves treats and is eager to learn. He already knows the cue for sit and is very good about sitting immediately when asked, even when up on the platform outside.

After our play session, we took him into Mary’s Place. He enjoyed some visiting time with Marianne.

Pumba will need an experienced person who will give him plenty of exercise and slow introductions to new experiences. He’ll continue to need positive training so that he’ll grow into the wonderful adult that he wants to be.

A puppy is too much for you? How about me? I’m all over the puppy stage and everyone here at the shelter says I’m really well-behaved and fun to be around. How about coming and meeting me?

Sometimes a new dog arrives at the shelter and I hear about how great he is before I get to meet him. That happened with Jasper, a five-year-old Husky/Pit Bull Terrier-mix clown.

Jasper was surrendered because the health of his owner didn’t allow him to exercise Jasper as much as he felt Jasper needed. But he told us many positive things about his good boy, hoping to get him just the right new home. Jasper is extremely people-social, meaning he loves EVERYBODY! While he may bark at a new person at the door, once the person is inside he’s all about getting their attention for pets. He “is lovable and will curl up in your lap, if you let him.” Jasper is also a high-energy dog who will play fetch as long as you will play with him. He does have some arthritis, so shorter games are better. He is very treat-motivated and takes them gently. He is crate-trained, which is a good thing, as he will search for hidden treats if left unattended. Jasper is house-trained and will alert by standing at the door. However, if he was not noticed in his former home, he would “run from one end of the house to the other, whining.”

Jasper was adopted very soon after he arrived at the shelter, but was returned the next day due to chasing both the resident cat and chickens. So Jasper will need a cat-free and chicken-free home.

It didn’t take us long to realize what an affectionate boy Jasper is. At our first meeting soon after he arrived at the shelter, he seemed to want some reassurance from Marianne and Linda that everything was going to be okay.

The next time I saw him, he was much more comfortable, and his personality had emerged. He was absolutely delighted to spend time with us in Mary’s Place.

He loves to be close to people. Really close. Personal space? What’s that?

Then it was time for some play.

After a few ball tosses, he was ready to relax on the couch and visit. He loves spending time with people.

Jasper is also a very good listener and enjoys hearing about his person’s day.

Such a good boy!

Meliodas

Last week I featured Meliodas (Melly to his friends), a Border Collie mix who is two years old. Because he’s become one of our favorites, we brought him into Mary’s Place at the end of our photo session just to hang out for a while. Melly is going to make such a nice family dog. We’re hoping his new family will find him soon. Here are some shots from Sunday.

To read more about Meliodas and find out if your family is the one he’s been waiting for, read last week’s feature about him here, then 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/.

Oso

I met newbie Oso on Sunday. He had just arrived on Thursday and he was still feeling unsure in the shelter environment. He is a ten-month-old German Shepherd mix and such a nice boy.

Oso has a good history with both people and other dogs. Cats are another story. They are too tempting to chase, so he’ll need a feline-free home. This youngster is shy at first meeting, but quickly becomes a cuddler. Oso is going to make some lucky family a wonderful new companion.

If Oso sounds like your kind of dog, 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/.

With the hope that these four dogs will find their new homes before my next post, that’s it for this week.

My thanks to volunteers Marianne, Megan, and Linda for making this post possible.

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