Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

This post will be different but it is amazing how it came together. On a personal note, due to having COVID, I have not been able to go to the shelter for two weeks. During that time, our OHS Salem campus received 10 new dogs transferred from the OHS Portland campus, some of whom have been in the shelter system a long time.

Sometimes it takes a village to put together one of my posts, and this is one of those times. I had thought I wouldn’t be able to publish this week, since I hadn’t met or taken pictures of the new dogs.

BUT! First, I got an email from Julie, one of the Portland campus volunteers, offering to send me information, pictures, and videos of four of the transferred dogs. She and Kallie, another volunteer there, tracked down excellent details from volunteers who had spent time with our new arrivals.

Secondly, to make things even better, Lori, our Salem professional photographer volunteer, offered to take pictures of the new dogs for me with the help of Kate, one of my photo team members. See what I mean about a village? With all of their help, I am able to tell you the stories of four new-to-Salem dogs waiting for you to adopt them.

But first, here are the adoptions that happened since my last post.

There were lots of adoptions last week, among them Burger, Toast, Buford, Paws, and Donnie. They were some of the newly transferred, and I don’t have pictures of them. The following dogs were also adopted:

Oreo

I never got to meet Oreo, but thanks to Lori and volunteer, Kate, he got great photos!

Willow

Willow is eight years old and such a sweetheart. So happy she is now in her new home. Hope they have a kiddie pool! She LOVES to get in the pool!

Jake

Our sweet Jake went home with his new family on Monday! While we don’t know his history, we do know how nice he’s been since arriving. Volunteer Marianne wrote, “Very, very sweet boy! Great on leash! LOVES people so much—enthusiastically greets everyone.” He was one of our favorites!

Axel

Axel was adopted on Tuesday. He is one of the transfers from our Portland campus. Such a handsome dog! Thanks, Lori and Kate for the pictures!

Cindy

Cindy was a stray and a very sweet girl. She was adopted today! Here she was on Saturday with Kate. Thanks, Lori, for the picture.

Please Note: The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, September 21, 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’ve had many adventures in my two years, and now I’m ready to settle down in my forever home. After you read all about me, maybe YOU will be my new family?

Rooster, a two-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier mix, arrived at our Salem shelter last Wednesday. He is one of ten dogs transferred from the OHS Portland campus, and he hopes that a change of location will result finding him a forever home. Lori and Kate spent some time with Rooster on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him. He was very cooperative for his new photos.

Rooster was found as a stray, and that usually means that we don’t know anything about a dog’s past. But Portland volunteer Julie, one of Rooster’s many fans, went on a “mission of discovery,” as she put it, and found a bit of his history.

We have no idea how long Rooster was on his own, but sometime last June a Good Samaritan found him. Since Rooster was near a homeless camp, the Samaritan took him there to see if he belonged to someone. He didn’t, but he was taken in by one of the campers in hopes of finding Rooster’s home. Here he was at the homeless camp where he found caring people.

Rooster stayed at the camp for some time, but was taken to Multnomah County Animal Services in Troutdale on July 3rd. There Rooster stayed and made friends with the staff, one of whom wrote that his Good Samaritan reported that he was “very friendly with her and her small dog.” Rooster was soon a favorite of MCAS staff member, Jessica, who wrote, “He was wiggly and loose with his body upon meeting staff in our exam room and he met dogs in their kennels with an eager wagging tail and wiggly body. He readily accepted treats. Our staffing levels are low, and Rooster was not given the opportunity to go out on regular walks during his stay with us. He had a really rough go at Multnomah County Animal Services. He is a wonderful dog that I would have scooped up myself, but the universe had other plans for us.” It was decided that Rooster had a better chance for adoption if transferred to OHS in Portland. Jessica wrote to the OHS staff, “I just really appreciate the opportunity to be a voice for this great boy. If there are any updates, I would love to be included and I would share it with my Rooster team here at MCAS.”

Rooster arrived in Portland at the beginning of September and immediately won over many volunteers. Here are some of their comments: “Rooster is a smart cookie who is well on his way to knowing several cues: Sit, Shake, Place, Stay, Down, and Come.” “He seems dog-friendly. He LOVES people and wants to please.” “Rooster went out for a run with OHS’s running team and Ambra had this to say: ‘Rooster is a fantastic running partner. He runs straight, not scared of the industrial noises or trucks, and he doesn’t pull hard at all. He was alert looking for critters, but we didn’t really see any other than birds so not sure how hard he’d pull if he saw one. He tuckered out pretty fast. I’m not sure he’s a long distance runner, but could definitely do three miles if you asked him to. All in all he’s a very sweet boy and a wonderful running buddy. Loved hanging out with him today.'” Here are two pictures from his run.

Here’s a video clip made in Portland.

And here is a movie made by his Portland friends.

Rooster arrived at OHS Salem campus on September 14th, and like everywhere else, he has won many friends here. We are so hoping we can let his fans know that he has finally found the love and companionship of his forever home. If you’d like to meet Rooster, 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/. 

They call me a “tripod” because I only have three legs. But don’t worry, I don’t let it slow me down one bit!

Diesel, also transferred from the OHS Portland campus, is a three-year-old Shepherd mix who has one ear up and one ear down, making for an endearing look.

Diesel was found as a stray in August in Washington. Julie writes, “It was the third time he was impounded this year. His paperwork said he’s a recent tripod but there’s no indication how he became a tripod. After the third impound this year, his people didn’t come back for him. The general consensus is that Diesel is a polite leash walker, calm in his kennel, and quite a character when he plays. He loves stuffed toys and treats.” Portland volunteer Lauren notes, “SUCH a good boy, great on leash, easy-going, mature for his age, handsome and smart (I was bummed he left us!)”

And here is a short video of him in action in Portland:

Lori and Kate had a great time with Diesel on Saturday.

If you’d like to meet Diesel, 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 lots of energy! Are you up for LONG games of fetch? If so, you need to come and meet me!

Gunner, a third transfer from the OHS Portland campus, is an almost two-year-old Retriever mix who originally came from a shelter in California. He’s a stray with no known history, found on March 11th. Julie writes, “A lovely big puppy! Gunner has been in the shelter system for six months! Even though shelters are stressful, Gunner is so happy and well adjusted. He likes people and seems to be pleasantly interested in dogs. Whoever adopts him will have a jackpot dog!”

Lori and Kate found Gunner to be a delight and very cooperative for pictures.

Here’s what one of Gunner’s friends at the OHS Portland campus wrote about him:

“Gunner is a happy, bouncy boy who will play tennis ball fetch until your arms fall off. He will chew balls apart if left unsupervised, but he readily drops them during play. Gunner has spring loaded legs, but he is quickly learning not to jump up to greet. Gunner is super responsive to cues and he’s food-motivated which makes him a quick learner. I’ve heard that our wooded walking path brings out his inner rabbit hunter and he doesn’t pull so much as he torpedoes himself into interesting shrubs. His consistent loose leash walking was much improved after a session of play and treats for checking in. In rabbit and small bird free areas, Gunner walks with a loose leash. Splish Splash! Gunner is part merman and he loved his time in the kiddie pool. Gunner also enjoyed his two outings with the OHS running team, and they saw lots of improvement in his prey drive and his ability to focus. Gunner LOVES peanut butter and his joyous nature is greatly missed by his friends in Portland.”

And here he is in action in Portland.

If Gunner sounds like the perfect addition to your active family and you think that six months is long enough to be in a shelter, 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 quite shy at first meeting, but give me a little time and I’ll be your very best friend!

Nilla Wafer, a fourth transfer from the OHS Portland campus, is an eight-year-old Retriever/Great Pyrenees mix. And she is a beauty, as you can see from Lori’s pictures from last Saturday.

Julie writes, “Sweet Nilla Wafer was scared and confused at our shelter. She had a dedicated group of kennel buddy volunteers who would sit with her and give her comforting cuddles.” In the Portland intake notes, it says “she is crate-trained. When her family wasn’t at home she was always crated if she was in the house or she was left outside. She was never left on her own in the house outside of her crate. She was protective of their property (people walking by) and food.  She lived with a one-year-old lab and grew up with a child in the home.”

Portland volunteer Jennifer says, “Nilla Wafer is actually very nice to walk, but when the public walks by her kennel, she just cowers and shakes. Once she knows who you are she does the happy dance and loves to socialize.” And Portland volunteer Lauren writes, “Nilla Wafer is shy and takes a minute to warm up but loves company and will cuddle with a little patience, baby talk and cheese, and seems to seek comfort from her people.” 

Nilla Wafer is hoping for a new home soon. If that home could 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/.

So there you have it. Four dogs who were transferred from our Portland campus and are hoping to start new lives and adventures with a forever family are awaiting you. Their many fans are so hoping that I’ll be able to report their adoptions next week!

There are several people who made this post possible. Thank you, Lori and Kate, for the wonderful pictures from Saturday here in Salem, and thanks to Portland volunteers, Julie and Kallie, for sending me pictures, videos, and the written experiences of other volunteers with the dogs I featured. I didn’t think it was possible to write a blog post this week, but thanks to all of you, I could!

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