Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

It’s official! On July 1, Willamette Humane Society merged with Oregon Humane Society and became Oregon Humane Society Salem Campus. We are hoping that many good things will come from this merger for our shelter animals and the staff and volunteers who care for them.

There were some terrific adoptions during the past week!

Martin

This little guy is such a sweet boy. We knew he wouldn’t be at the shelter for long! Here he was posing with volunteer Lee.

Bambi

Bambi is a delightful youngster at about a year old. She was found as a stray and quickly won the hearts of both staff and volunteers. Lucky family.

Snow

We were so happy when this beautiful girl went to her new home. She is so happy and such a ham!

Juicy and Raider

Drum roll…happy dance for this next adoption! If you are a regular reader of my posts, you’ll remember the memorial I recently wrote for Thor. He and Gunner were adopted from WHS. The family was heartbroken when Gunner died a year ago and Thor a few weeks ago. I was thinking of writing to Kim, their adopter, and telling her about Juicy and Raider, but thought maybe it was too soon. Then last week Kim emailed me and asked what I thought about Juicy and Raider—did they get along? We decided to find out.

Yes, they did!

So on July 1st, Kim and her family came and took these two big lugs home. Juicy had been waiting since May 10th, and Raider since May 22nd. Both are about eight years old. We were so grateful that once again a family was willing to take not only one, but two long-term seniors home and give them the best rest of their lives. I’ve already gotten an update that appears at the end of this post. That is Juicy (now Rosie) on the left and Raider (now Radar) on the right. Two very lucky dogs!

Dex

What a wonderful dog Dex is! We spent a long time with him on Sunday, as I was planning on featuring him in this post. So happy he got adopted yesterday! Such a lucky family! Kate was one of his special friends while he was at the shelter.

Rocky

Drum roll and happy dance again for this adoption! Rocky, our extremely shy boy, was very anxious in the shelter, often sitting in the far corner of his kennel when someone walked by. But once outside, he was a joy to be around. Volunteer Lori said it best when I texted her that he’d just been adopted. She wrote, “So happy that Rocky is out of the shelter where he can relax and be his best, funny self.” Megan and Marianne both loved him, too.

She-Ra

This sweet young girl was adopted just late this afternoon! She is such a hoot and a sweetheart. She had all of us wrapped around her paw.

 Please Note: The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, July 6, 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 not a youngster any longer, and I have the usual arthritis and lumps of a senior, but I’m a good listener and I still like to play a little ball. Let’s not discuss my kennel presentation. I am waiting for a retirement home. Yours?

Once again we have a senior dog in search of a forever home. Kaylee is a twelve-year-old Australian Shepherd mix who is about as sweet as they come. She has a large fan club at the shelter. She also has a wonderful smile.

Kaylee was surrendered by her person due to their health; they couldn’t take care of her anymore. Kaylee has had the same home for eleven years, so being in a shelter is stressful for her. That brings us to her kennel presentation, which could use some work. When people walk by her kennel, she will likely bark. But spend a little time getting to know her, and you’ll discover what a sweet senior she is. We have spent time with her in Mary’s Place and she loves it.

Kaylee has the usual issues of older dogs. She has arthritis and will need to be on medication the rest of her life to ease the discomfort. She will not be up for long hikes, but she enjoys short walks around the neighborhood. Kaylee’s former person told us lots about her. She is “quiet, fairly chill, usually just hangs out with family.” She is house- and crate-trained. When she needs to go out, she whines and stands by the door. She is excited to meet new people. She has lived with cats, but may try to chase an outside feline. She has lived with another dog, but would need to meet any new dog she’d be living with, as she is selective in her friends. She has been very “patient and gentle” with children. She is “fearful of fireworks and large trash bags filled with air.” She can be nervous in new situations, is fine riding in a car, and “loves all treats, is not picky.”

Kaylee has gained many friends at the shelter. One dog-walking volunteer recently wrote, “Kaylee is super sweet, loved her short walk. Loves attention, pets, and to be talked to.”

She also likes to hang out with her peeps outside, but was a little confused at first during one of her photoshoots.

We took her into a yard and discovered it may be a slow-motion game, but it’s fun for her.

Kaylee may not be young anymore, but she will be a wonderful companion for a calm, relaxed family. If that sounds like yours, 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’s waiting for you.

Everyone here at the shelter says I’m a beautiful, sweet girl. I bet you will agree if you meet me!

Rumour is a stunning six-year-old Siberian Husky. She made a good impression from the moment she arrived at the shelter. Intake staff wrote, “Rumour was very social and playful. She jumped up on us a bit out of excitement but was otherwise well-mannered. She knows how to sit and likes spray cheese. She is very smart and tried to open the door a few times. Very good for medical handling. Walks on leash well and enters kennel willingly.” She was very cooperative for her first photoshoot.

Megan was an instant fan.

Rumour was surrendered because her person moved into a place that did not accept dogs. He had lots of good things to tell us about her. Rumour loves people, but can be a bit excited at meetings, wanting to “hug” them. “She is energetic, friendly, very physically rowdy in play.” She has a good history with other dogs, but is nervous around those that are bigger than she is. She would need to meet any dog she would be living with. She also has a good history with children. She has been an outdoor dog the past several years and is looking forward to spending time inside with her new family. She is crate- and house-trained. She does well in the car. She enjoys playing one-way fetch. While she’ll run after a ball, she doesn’t bring it back. When asked to describe her in a few words, her former person wrote, “Rumour is a big fun-loving, play-loving, attention-loving sweetheart.”

We agree. We took her out to a yard to romp and romp she did! She loved chasing the ball—bringing it back, not so much.

Since she’s been an outdoor dog, we took her into Mary’s Place to see if she’d feel comfortable. She did. She jumped right up on the couch and settled.

She seemed to feel right at home and enjoyed Marianne’s attention.

We showed her a food puzzle and she had it figured out in no time.

Here she is in action. She does love a good tennis ball!

Rumour will need an active Husky-savvy family who understands her need to romp. She will then settle down with her peeps and be a wonderful family dog. If she sounds like the perfect new best friend 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 can’t wait to meet you!

It’s true, I need a family who is willing to work with me. But I promise to try my best to become the dog I know I can be!

Do you enjoy working with an eager young dog who has a good heart, but who needs to learn some basic manners? If so, you may fall in love with Goose, a one-year-old Catahoula Leopard Dog mix. The first time I met Goose, he seemed very worried and a bit sad.

He felt a little better when sitting next to Linda for pictures.

Goose was surrendered because he was not getting along with the other resident dog and he had become quite the escape artist. Goose hasn’t had a lot of training, but he is smart, affectionate, and loves to please his peeps. Not knowing anything about Catahoula Leopard Dogs, I did some research and found many qualities that we have seen in Goose. This breed is very active and it is happiest when there is a big area in which to run. They need exercise every day. They are very intelligent and are quick learners. They think they are lap dogs and greatly enjoy times with their families. They are leery of strangers, and take some time to warm up to new people.

Goose has usually gotten along with other dogs, but would need to meet any he would be going home with. He has a good history with children. His former family wrote, “Goose is energetic, happy, and awkward. He doesn’t realize how big he is. Wants to be on your lap. A really sweet goof-off.”

So in the spirit of full disclosure, Goose’s next family needs to help him with several things. While he has improved a lot in walking well on leash, he still needs some fine-tuning. He has some handling sensitivity, so reading his body language will be important. He can be jumpy when excited. He will need a securely fenced yard so that he can’t decide to go off on adventures by himself. He has a strong prey drive, so should have a feline-free home. He will need some help in house-training.

But even with a few challenges, Goose will be so worth the effort. And the great news is that he’s a quick learner. Linda worked with him on some basic commands on Sunday. Goose was so happy as he learned. Watch.

We had a great time with Goose in Mary’s Place. He loves his people.

He was amazed at the number of toys in the toy chest.

Nothing fascinated him more than the talking ball.

Goose didn’t want me to forget to tell you a fun fact. The Catahoula Leopard Dog became the state dog of Louisiana in 1979. He’s pretty proud of that fact. If you have the time, patience, and space and want to give Goose the home he’s hoping for, 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/.

Vanilla/Damien

Vanilla, now Damien, arrived at the shelter in September of 2021. He was a tiny, eight-month-old Pekingese/Chihuahua mix puppy who was absolutely adorable. Here’s a picture WHS staff member at the time, Jean, took as he tried his best to convince her to take him to her office.

His persistence worked. Here is Jean’s latest update.

“We’re coming up on seven months since we adopted Damien (formerly Vanilla), so I thought an update was in order! I work from home now and my husband retired around the same time I left WHS, so someone is always home with Damien. He’s a lot less clingy and anxious since we’re home more, so I think that’s been a great switch. I remain the ‘preferred person,’ but he’s been snuggling up with Mike while I’m working on the keyboard, and he comes when Mike calls him. He’s become a lot more playful too, and he spends most of the day pulling toys out of his basket and piling them on the back of the couch. We still have a bit of stranger danger action going on, but when he’s worried, he gets behind my legs and barks. Most people just wave at him or toss him cookies now, and he likes people from a distance. I think we can live with it. We thought Damien and Sinead would have a roommate-type relationship. I don’t think Damien ever thought that would be enough. He’s been sneaking into Sinead’s bed at night, and she often lets him stay there. She’s more than capable of telling him to back off when he’s too much. But I think they’re growing closer every day. She looks for him when he is gone, and they play like crazy most evenings.”

Juicy & Raider/Rosie & Radar

I promised a brief update on Rosie and Radar. Here they are their second day in their forever home. Kim reported they had been very active playing and exploring, but they finally did this.

With those happy pictures, that’s it for this week!

As always, my thanks to my photo team volunteers Marianne, Megan, Linda, and Kate.

All of the dogs I have featured today, along with other terrific dogs waiting to be adopted, can be found at Oregon Humane Society Salem Campus. 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 shelter soon. Some dogs are adopted more quickly than you might think.

You can reach me at  adoptanoregondog14@yahoo.com