Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

It was a very busy week at the shelter with TEN puppies getting adopted. I never worry about puppies, as they go very quickly, so I don’t usually take pictures of them. However, there was one more very happy adoption—Booster.

Booster

We had such fun with this bouncy youngster. I featured him last week and am thrilled to report that he went home on Saturday. He will bring such joy to his family.

Please Note: The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, March 30, 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 know I’m a big boy, but they call me a Gentle Giant!

Are you looking for a large dog who loves and needs exercise, but then will snuggle with you afterward? Look no further than Jarreth, a six-year-old Great Dane/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix who is one of the nicest dogs I’ve ever met.

Jarreth weighs in at 98 pounds. His owner had to surrender him when he moved and couldn’t take a big dog with him. Jarreth is such a gentle boy who has lived happily with four cats and even kittens! He also has lived with other dogs. He has done very well with small dogs and, with proper introductions, has done well with larger dogs. Jarreth’s former person, who had him since puppyhood, told us many other positive things about him. For one thing, Jarreth loves the beach, especially playing fetch there. He also likes to swim and loves snow. He does need regular exercise to be happy, but also enjoys hanging out on the couch afterward. (Spoiler Alert—you will need a rather large couch!) We took him to the big yard to romp and later into Mary’s Place to relax.

Realizing that you can’t fully appreciate Jarreth’s running grace unless you see him in action, I made a movie.

After racing around the yard, it was time to relax and talk. It turned out that Jarreth had quite a bit to say.

Due to Jarreth’s size and his lack of recognition of personal space, a family with older children would be good. While he hasn’t lived with kids, he has done well when they visited.

Jarreth is both house- and crate-trained, though he hasn’t used a crate in quite a while. When left alone in the house, he just settled and slept. He would whine a little if he heard someone outside. He has done well on long trips in the car. Short ones, with multiple stops get him excited. He is a bit anxious when in new environments.

After our time outside, we brought Jarreth into Mary’s Place and he loved it.

Jarreth is going to make some lucky family a terrific new best friend. If you can give him the exercise and cuddle times that he needs, he will be the best dog you’ve ever had. If you have the space and time for Jarreth, 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’ve been here before and THIS time I’m hoping it will be my last. I really want a forever home with a family.

Sometimes when you meet a dog, they instantly win your heart. That happened to me in 2019 when Theo arrived from our sister shelter in Maui, Hawaii. He had the biggest grin I’ve ever seen!

He became an instant favorite; here he was with then-volunteer Caroline.

Theo is an American Staffordshire Terrier mix and is now three years old. He’s had several different homes in his young life and we’re hoping that he will finally have his permanent one very soon. He was adopted twice, but now his person is moving and can’t take him with him, so Theo has come back to us again.

Theo is just as playful and affectionate as ever. He thinks he is a lap dog and is happiest when sitting on you, as I found out when we took him to the big yard on Sunday.

He also still loves to romp.

I felt I had to show him in action!

Then it was time to pose with two of his fans, Megan and Marianne.

Theo is looking for a home with older children and no cats. He can be too boisterous for young kids and he is too focused on chasing cats. He gets along with other dogs, but he is a very rowdy player, so can be too much for some daintier canines. He will need to meet any dogs he would be living with to make sure their play styles are compatible. Theo is hoping for a home where his people are around more. His former person worked long hours and Theo was anxious, but never destroyed anything. Theo is easily startled and will bark at sudden noises, so apartment life would not be his best fit. He is shy at first meeting strangers, but his former owner said he quickly warms up and wants to be on their laps. Theo enjoyed being outside in his fenced yard on sunny days. While Theo had free rein in the house, he often chose to go into his kennel to nap. He did fine riding in the car during the day, but was nervous riding at night and put his head in his person’s lap and didn’t look out the window.

After his romp in the big yard on Sunday, we went into Mary’s Place.

Theo is such a good boy and we hope his perfect match comes very soon to take him home for good. If you think Theo is the dog for you, 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 have been through a lot in my young life, but I am resilient and I’ll be such a good friend!

Remember the 2020 news story about the large group of Siberian Husky mixes rescued from the September wildfires that year? WHS was one of several shelters that came forward to take in the dogs, one of which was Mya (named Midnight when she first arrived at WHS). She was one of those amazing dogs who not only survived the fires, but thrived during recovery. The dogs had had very limited human interaction and had been outdoor-only dogs. Staff and volunteers worked hard to help them adjust and become adoptable. Staff trainer Jessi took pictures of Mya learning how to just be a dog.

Once the Huskies were ready, they were all adopted into loving homes, including Mya. She has done very well in her home, but because her family no longer has the time to give her the exercise and attention she needs, they decided it was time to find her a family that can.

Mya was one of Marianne’s favorites of the “fire Huskies” as they were called at the time, and she was delighted to tell me that Mya was just as sweet as ever.

Mya’s family had many good things to tell about her. Mya lived with two other dogs, but has decided that she would rather be the only dog now. She has lived well with cats. However, she did sometimes playfully chase them, so a dog-savvy feline would be good. Mya also lived with children and did well. Her former owner describes her as “energetic, likes to run and play. Likes being outside.” She will bark an alert when she sees a stranger, but quickly warms up. She is very fearful of gunshots and loud clicks (she had been shot with BBs before coming to WHS). Mya is house-trained, but will have an accident if left inside for too long. She is not fond of car rides. One thing that Mya doesn’t really like to talk about is her weight gain. At five years old, she has put on quite a few mid-life pounds which she would like to shed. Given the exercise that she craves and fewer treats, she should slim down quickly.

We took her to the big yard to get her weight-loss plan started. She loved it.

We did notice that as much as Mya loved to race after a thrown toy, she wasn’t big on returning it.

Then it was time to relax and snuggle.

Finally, it was time to head back to the kennels.

Mya is a delightful beauty. She will brighten the life of her next family. If you are that family, 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/.

Frankie/Ace

When Ace arrived at the shelter last January, he looked pretty rough. But we could tell that underneath all that hair was an adorable little dog. The day I took his incoming photos, it was quite windy.

We were so happy when on February 6th he was adopted by a couple who saw his true self and fell in love with him.

Ace became Frankie and his new mom kept in touch, sending me pictures of Frankie’s happily settling in at home.

This week, I got an update.

“My husband, Rich, and I adopted Frankie (formerly known as Ace) on February 6th of this year. We had been looking for just the right dog to love for more than a year and on a few occasions we thought we had succeeded, only to be disappointed as we read adoption was pending to another lucky person. So glad now we persevered, because Frankie was waiting just for us.  He is everything we hoped for and more. He shows his love every day. From his enthusiastic greeting when one of us enters the house, to the heartfelt kisses and warm lap cuddles, even in walks around the block as he proudly leads us on the familiar route, we can see he has found his forever home. Everyone he meets loves him! He is so well-behaved and very smart, quick to learn new manners and always eager to please. He loves to ride in the car and roll in the grass. He has his favorite toys which he tosses and chases with abandon. He is an endless source of entertainment, a great joy and a sweet blessing in our lives.  We could not be more grateful. Thank you, WHS!”

It just so happens that Frankie’s mom is a good friend of WHS volunteer Lori. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that Lori is also a professional photographer. (See what’s coming?) A couple of weeks ago, Frankie got to have a photoshoot with Lori. The results are amazing. (Thank you, Lori, for letting me share these.)

What a lucky little dog and what a lucky couple!

On that very happy update, that’s it for this week!

My thanks to my photo team, Marianne, Megan, and Linda, as well as volunteer and photographer, Lori.

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