Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

Although it’s been a slower week than last for dog adoptions at WHS, there still were two very happy ones.

Soka

This little girl was pretty shy and nervous at the shelter, and she arrived with some medical issues that needed to be addressed, including six teeth extractions. We were thrilled when she got adopted soon after she recovered.

Oliver

Oliver arrived at the shelter on April 30. The following Sunday, we spent quality time with him and I expected to feature him in this post. However, this active, ball-playing youngster was adopted on May 5th. No doubt his new family is spending a lot of time playing fetch, just like Megan and Marianne did.

Please Note: The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, May 11, 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.

Looking for a family dog who will keep you active and make you laugh? Can we talk?

Dewey came to us as a stray and has won many fans at the shelter. Although we don’t know his story, he must have been loved by his former people, as he is a delightful, affectionate and well-behaved boy.

Dewey is a one-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier mix. He is a very energetic dog, but also knows how to settle. Although his tail wags enthusiastically, he is not a smiler, and he always looks quite serious. Volunteers and staff have written many good things about Dewey. The officer who delivered him to the shelter wrote, “VERY FRIENDLY, social, good on a leash, good car rider!” The Intake staff wrote, “Dewey was very sweet for intake. He solicited attention with us and had very loose, wiggly body language.” The volunteer dog walkers have also enjoyed getting to know Dewey. One wrote, “Dewey did great on leash and does a very quick ‘sit’ when asked. He’s an awesome pup!” Another noted, “Dewey is very sweet. He loves treats and gets excited at most things—even blowing grass! :)”

We spent some quality time with Dewey the past two Sundays and really enjoyed getting to know him. Here he is with Marianne for his first photo shoot. Marianne is totally smitten with his happy, goofy personality. Trust me, he’s actually happy!

Last Sunday, we took him into Mary’s Place where he totally relaxed and entertained us. Who would have guessed he’s a western folk music fan?

However, it immediately became clear that Dewey is tone deaf.

After singing, Dewey got quite goofy with Megan and Marianne.

Then it was time to settle down and he did.

He showed Linda how he immediately sits when asked.

We found out he likes plushy toys.

Then it was time to relax. He settled in my lap, and later in Marianne’s.

Dewey will be a wonderful family dog. While we don’t know his history, we do know that he is a happy, enthusiastic player and a cuddler when playtime is over. We’re all hoping he’ll soon meet his new family. If Dewey sounds like the right 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/.

You say you are looking for a puppy? Well, you’ve come to the right place—I happen to be available!

Oh, my goodness. I don’t usually write about puppies because they get adopted very quickly. However, for this post I’m making an exception because Shilo is an absolute delight! We spent a lot of time with him on Sunday and did we have a great time!

Shilo is a six-month-old German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix. He was surrendered because raising a puppy was just too overwhelming for his family. Shilo is a typical pup with lots of energy and enthusiasm for EVERYTHING! But he already has learned a lot. He walks well on leash, he is crate-trained, and he loves people. He lived with another dog and they would play rough and tumble games. He has not had any experience with a cat. Shilo loves children and in his former home would follow the two-year-old around, listen to her cues, and do what she asked. His former owner wrote, “Shilo needs a lot of love. He’s a furbaby. He has a chewy and he will take it in the yard and bring it back. If he runs out of water, he’ll bring the bowl to us. He wants to be next to you. He sleeps with the person he picks for the whole night.”

A typical puppy, Shilo is a chewer and when left unattended, he will chew whatever is handy. He loves squeaky and plush toys. He also loves peanut butter and cheese. He rides in the car well, but has been car-sick a few times. He is shy when first meeting a new person, but quickly warms up. He doesn’t like to be left outside when his people are inside, and is pretty much an indoor kind of dog.

Not surprisingly, Shilo has made many friends at the shelter. The Intake team wrote, “Shilo was loose and wiggly (full body tail wagging), gentle and sweet, but can get mouthy and jumpy when he gets too excited. Easily distracted with peanut butter.”

On Sunday, we started out with his incoming photo shoot and he was very cooperative posing for my camera with Linda.

Then we took him into Mary’s Place and he was so excited! We got this shot before he wanted to PLAY!

But before long, like all puppies, he was exhausted and wanted to cuddle.

It wasn’t long before he got very sleepy.

If you are up for adopting a puppy who is bright, happy, and all about adventures, but still has lots to learn, 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/.

Last week I featured Bear, a five-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier mix.

Volunteer Lori sent me this cute video of Bear in action out in the big yard. Lori wrote, “Bear is a beautiful and fun pup. Not interested in balls but 💙 the stuffed toys!!”

To learn more about Bear and see if he might be the perfect fit for your family, check out last week’s post here.

Ozo

As sometimes happens when you’ve been writing a blog as long as I have, adopters write to tell me that their beloved dog has died. They often agree to write a tribute to their dog for my blog. This is one of those tributes.

I met Ozo in September of 2017. He had been found as a stray. Here he was then. He was a delightful little dog with a great sense of humor.

He was quickly adopted, but returned to us in July of 2019, having been found as a stray again. He was the same happy little guy and we hoped that the next time he was adopted it would be his forever home.

It turned out that we didn’t have to worry. On Sunday, July 28th, Diane and Scott came to the shelter, met Ozo, and took him home. I was thrilled that I was there to take his going-home picture and I was sure it was his forever one. It was.

Last week I got this email from Diane:

“We wanted to let you know that Ozo passed away yesterday. For the time we had with him, he left a huge impact. He will be missed. The vet feels that he had advance lymph cancer. Ozo was our little buddy. We didn’t have him quite three years, but he was so much personality and fun, it left a big impression on everyone he met. He started out as a very loud, talkative dog.  His legs sometimes kept him from going fast, but when he went to the dog park, he would run like the wind! The first few weeks of having Ozo with us, he told his whole life story with his bassett/beagle voice. We live in a senior community and Ozo came here as a senior dog. We walked daily and Ozo had dog and human friends. His favorite things were his ‘Daddy,’ those yellow ‘kong’ balls, riding in cars and seeing his dog friends. He loved to carry two balls in his mouth at once and would still chase more. He used his front legs, though twisted, like a soccer player and would bat balls around, too. Ozo enjoyed camping, also, because that meant new places, new people and new places to walk! We found during camping that Ozo liked to swim. He saw other dogs playing fetch with balls in the water and he went in, too! The footprints he left on our hearts before he crossed the rainbow bridge will always be remembered.”

What a wonderful three years Diane and Scott gave to Ozo. Here is a quote from a friend that fits this story perfectly: “I think the reason we are so deeply affected by the absence of a beloved pet is because our lives were so profoundly touched by their presence.” ~Tracy Crandall

That’s it for this week.

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/

As always, my thanks to my photo team, Marianne, Linda, and Megan, to Lori for the video of Bear, and to Adoption Specialist Sasha.

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