Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

This week I’m going to feature three dogs who have been waiting for their just-right homes for quite a while. They aren’t the right dogs for everyone, but for the right fit, they will be such a joy to have as part of the family. But first, here are the adoptions during the past week.

Stryker

I featured Stryker in my last post and announced his adoption on Wednesday, but I now have a going-home picture, thanks to volunteer Marianne. Everyone looks so happy!

Ruth

Our adorable and opinionated Ruth was adopted. Everyone who met her fell in love.

Bella

Our sweet and beautiful youngster, Bella, was adopted on Saturday. She will be a wonderful family dog.

Please Note: The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, September 7, 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.

This is my second time here at the shelter and I’m hoping it’ll be my last. I just know that my forever family is out there!

Bungee is a three-year-old Australian Cattle Dog mix. She was found as a stray last March and adopted in April. Her family loved her. They wrote an excellent surrendering document that will help Bungee find the home that she needs.

They wrote, “Bungee is an amazing dog when she is alone with any one of us in the house (2 adults, 2 teenagers). She has been accepting and loving of the people who’ve visited our home in the past few months—she’s automatically loved by everyone. She loves cuddles, is very affectionate and will occasionally use your body as a springboard for launching back and forth in a room when she has the zoomies. Bungee is house-trained and can be trusted to be in the house alone to not destroy anything, except socks—you’ll want to keep socks away from her. She really loves socks.”

As sweet as Bungee is with people, she has some issues with small dogs and other animals including cats. She has a strong prey drive and can be difficult to refocus when aroused. She got along with the other resident dog of the family for a while, but the family noticed that recently she had been resource guarding toys and food from the other dog. She would be very happy to be the only pet in the family. Because of her herding instinct (she is a Cattle Dog, after all), she will need a family with teenagers, or just adults.

Her family continued, “Our dream for Bungee is that she be re-homed to someone who has experience with training dogs.” Bungee needs a job. She is very active and smart. She would love to be in a home out in the country with no other animals around, where she could romp with her family.

On Sunday we took Bungee out to the big yard. We all had a blast. While Bungee is great at chasing balls, she isn’t as dependable about returning them.

Marianne had bought the dogs a new Jolly Ball and Bungee was interested but a little unsure of it.

Usually a dog Bungee’s size does not hesitate to jump up on the platform. But Bungee did not, even when cheese, one of her favorite treats, was offered.

After our yard time, we took her into Mary’s Place to cool off. Bungee was still quite eager to play. She wanted to show Kate that she really is a lap dog.

Linda spent some time on a little training.

Bungee is such a happy dog when she is around people. She is eager to please her humans. She seemed to enjoy posing for a picture on her way back to her kennel.

We are hoping that the perfect family will come and meet Bungee and see what a good girl she is even with a few quirks. If that family might be 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/. 

Do you like to play fetch? I do. We could play fetch all day! And I’ll bring the ball back to you.

When Bruno, a youngster at one year old, was surrendered, he had an eye tumor. However, our OHS vet treated it and, though his eye will never look quite like his other one, it does not cause him any pain. Bruno is a big boy at almost 70 pounds. He is a German Shepherd mix. He still needs some training, but he is a quick learner, treat-motivated, and loves people.

Bruno is learning to walk politely on leash, but will need continued work. He knows several cues and will quickly sit when asked. He is such a happy dog when out playing. One volunteer wrote, “He found a toy out in the yard and played with it the whole time. He fetched and played by himself.”

Because of Bruno’s size, and the fact that he can be jumpy when excited, a family experienced with large breeds would be ideal. Bruno’s absolute favorite thing to do is play fetch and he does it with grace. We took him out to the big yard along with the Jolly Ball that Marianne had bought to see if he’d like it—he did! However, he never did quite catch on that he could carry it more easily by the handle.

After many games with a now less-than-pristine Jolly Ball, it was time to head into Mary’s Place. Bruno decided he’d carry the Jolly Ball himself.

Bruno can be dog-reactive and is selective in his dog friends. He will need to meet any dog he’d be going home with. He had no trouble settling into Mary’s Place, hopping right up on the couch for pictures.

He liked apple slices Megan offered to him and took them politely.

He was very interested in the food puzzle and figured out how to get the cheese bits quickly.

Bruno is a very affectionate dog, as Linda found out.

Then it was time to head back to his kennel, stopping for a last pose on the way.

Bruno is a lot of active, playful dog. At only a year old, he still has things to learn. For a family wanting a hiking or camping companion and can give him the exercise he needs, he will make a great new family member. If you are interested in meeting Bruno, 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’m shy at first meeting, but take a little time to get to know me and I’ll be your new best friend.

Gryphon is a five-year-old Boxer mix who was surrendered because his family couldn’t take care of him anymore. They loved him, however, and gave us a lot of helpful information about him. The first time I met him, he was very timid and nervous. He looked so sad and worried.

Kate was instantly smitten when she met him.

His former family wrote, “Gryphon is a big sweetie, but is timid at first. He just typically wants to love on someone. He does have a habit of lying in the walkways or kitchen walking area and can present a tripping hazard in the kitchen. He loves short walks, but is reactionary to some other dogs (dog tried to attack him during a camping trip and scared him). He has been great with kids and women, is scared of adult men until they make friends with him. He is a homebody and loves to curl up with his people. Not a ton of energy, but does enjoy short hikes, trips to the beach, camping. New things may intimidate him until he investigates them and then is typically fine with them (fast-moving creeks, ocean waves, for example). He does have allergies and skin issues during spring/summer. Will bark at anyone entering house (even owners) until he knows who it is. He is afraid of skateboards.” Gryphon is house-trained, and will stand at the door to go out. What are Gryphon’s favorite things? “He likes stuffed animals, blankets, and pillows.” He has lived happily with another dog, cats, and children. Older children who are gentle and quiet would be best for Gryphon. “He is afraid of loud voices/yelling, erratic or sudden movement and unpredictable children.”

Gryphon has been very stressed at the shelter and volunteers noticed that he was acting depressed. That’s when Kate stepped up and offered to foster him. She took him home on Sunday afternoon. What a wonderful surprise it turned out to be! Kate’s dog, Hank, (an OHS alumnus) and Gryphon became instant BFFs and Gryphon’s personality sprang to life!

Could he BE any more relaxed?

Kate even sent some videos.

Kate gave this update about Gryphon:

“I brought Gryphon home for foster on Sunday and he’s fit right in! He was a little hesitant at first, but came out of his shell after meeting one of our resident dogs (and OHS alumnus), Hank. He loves to play (mostly with other dogs) and when he’s not playing he’s sleeping. Each night he sleeps in his kennel and has done very well (no accidents)! He has not had any accidents in the house either and will stand in front of the door whenever he needs to go out. He does wonderfully on car rides and will rest his head on the center console when he gets sleepy. He likes to go on walks and doesn’t pull, but he can’t go too far because he’s still working on his stamina. He LOVES food and will rest his head or paw on you if he wants some. He’s definitely a velcro dog and would prefer to be around you as much as possible. He can be very timid at first (especially around adult men) but I’ve noticed that because he has a confident canine companion he has been more confident around people. With that being the case, I think he would do best in a home where he can have a confident dog friend who will make him feel more comfortable and most importantly, play with him. My family and I have had so much fun with Gryphon these past few days and anyone would be so lucky to have him in their life.”

What a delightful boy Gryphon is. Some family is going to be very lucky to adopt him. If you’d like to meet him, 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/. 

Two of our shelter dogs got wonderful respites from the shelter last week.

Hello

Hello got to go with Linda and Marianne to Linda’s house where she could romp. She was so happy and excited.

Here are Marianne’s pictures and report:

“Linda asked me to come with her to take Hello on Dog’s Day Out. We went to Linda’s house where there is a huge fenced area where Hello had an absolute blast–she’s a country girl at heart. She rolled in stuff, sniffed everything, and ran and ran. It was delightful to watch her have so much fun. Hello rides perfectly in the car and is such an affectionate girl. Full disclosure, she was not happy when we put her back in her kennel and walked away. Can you blame her? This is the second time we’ve taken her out and she is amazing. We love her!”

Hello has been adopted!

Ellie

Ellie also got an outing to Sliver Falls State Park with Kate. Here are her report and pictures:

“I took Ellie up to Silver Falls today and she had a BLAST! There were plenty of people there for her to lean on. She saw tons of squirrels and was convinced that they were just as interested in being friends as she was. She dipped her toes in the river, had a few sips, and then she was done. After figuring out how to fit in the backseat of the car, she settled right down for the rest of the trip! Love this girl!!”

To read all about Ellie and see if your home might be the right fit for her, check out my feature about her here. If you would like to meet her, 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/. 

On those happy respites, 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