Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

We had a happy surprise yesterday. On Sunday our photo team spent a lot of time with Aspen, a beautiful Shepherd mix, who had been waiting since December 17th for her new family. We were planning to feature her in this post. On Monday evening I wrote her feature. On Tuesday morning she was adopted! I’ve decided to leave her feature in this post anyway, so you can see what a great dog her new family got. But fear not, there are two other features about dogs still waiting for you to come and take them home.

Before we begin, here are the latest adoptions from last week.

Alphie

Five-month-old Alphie went home with his new family. We’re so happy for this sweet puppy. Here he was with volunteer Linda getting some training. He was adopted by a former OHS Salem employee.

Amber

Little Amber, who is a bit shy at first meeting, was adopted. I just met her last week and Linda spent some time helping her to be brave. We are glad she didn’t have to stay at the shelter for long.

Carlo

We had so much fun with puppy Carlo on Sunday. We couldn’t figure out why he hadn’t been adopted yet. Then later that afternoon he was! He will have his family in stitches.

Daisy

What do you get when you mix a Basset Hound and a Cane Corso? You get Daisy, an absolutely delightful dog with a big personality. She was an instant favorite.

I’m nine months old, so I’m still a puppy, but I’m learning stuff fast. My brothers have been adopted, I hope I will be soon!

Aspen was surrendered with her two brothers by a Good Samaritan who had rescued them, keeping them for a while. She is a beauty.

Even though the Good Samaritan could not keep the pups, she did her best to socialize and train them. Aspen is house- and crate-trained and is learning to walk politely on leash. She does better if she is kept on a person’s left side while walking. She can be timid when meeting new people, but warms up quickly and enjoys attention and petting. She has a good history with other dogs, has no experience with cats. Her rescuer wrote that she is “loving, silly, goofy, and sweet.”

I first met Aspen soon after she arrived on December 17th. She was cooperative posing for her pictures with Marianne.

With rainy weather on Sunday, we brought Aspen into the Ed Hall to spend some time with her. She loved it.

She romped with the stuffed hedgehog and the GFB (Giant Fluff Ball).

Want to see this pup in action?

Staff trainer Skylar stopped in for a quick visit with a treat which Aspen happily sat for.

Aspen did have some things to say.

Hi there, my name is Finn. I’m pretty new here, and I’m hoping to find my new family quickly. Maybe you will come and visit with me!

Every once in a while, I meet a new dog and am immediately smitten. That’s what happened with Finn, a five-year-old Lab mix. He happily greeted all of us when he entered the Ed Hall, then settled in for a few initial photos.

Finn was surrendered because his family had a new baby and didn’t have time for Finn anymore. But they had some good things to say about this eager, high-energy boy. Finn is house-trained and could be left alone in the home without incident. “He doesn’t chew on furniture or anything he is not given, but will occasionally steal a slipper and suckle on it; he’s a sweet dog.” Finn loves his people and wants to be near them when they are home. He also has lived happily with cats. “He did very well with our cats, very gentle and did not get defensive, even if they lashed out at him.”

While Finn is generally happy, he does have a few fears such as babies and toddlers. “He does not like small children (toddlers) grabbing at him, makes him uncomfortable, but if that happens he just walks away and observes them from a distance. He does not like the sound of babies crying, it makes him nervous and tries to hide.” He is also fearful of loud noises and water. Finn loves adventures, and he can be a door-dasher, so doors to the outside will need to be closed.

Finn still needs some work on polite leash-walking, as he can get excited and pull some. He wants to be the only dog in the family. He knows several cues such as sit, stay, come, drop, and off. His former family describe him as a “lap dog, friendly to visitors, and playful.” Finn is no slouch when it comes to treats. He prefers high-value bits of hot dogs or cheese.

We really enjoyed our time with Finn on Sunday, and he had a lot to say.

Finn does enjoy his treats and isn’t afraid to ask for them.

He also knows that potential adopters fall for dogs who know stuff.

Before Finn went back to his kennel, he thought it would be good PR to have a group shot. So we did.

If you are looking for a smart, eager dog with lots of energy who will love you to the moon and back, come and meet Finn. Just fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on his picture and then on the link Adopt Me found here  oregonhumane.org/adopt/salem-shelter-adopt-dogs/

I’ve been at the shelter for quite a while. Everyone says I’m a very nice boy. I don’t understand why my new family hasn’t found me yet, do you?

If you are experienced with German Shepherds, you need to meet our sweet Duncan. He is a six-year-old German Shepherd mix who was found as a stray and brought to the shelter on December 17th. His picture was posted on social media immediately, but no one responded.

Though we don’t know anything about his past, Duncan quickly became a volunteer favorite. He walks very nicely on leash and there are many volunteer notes about him. Here are a few: “Did GREAT on walk tonight, no pulling.”; “Duncan was great, as always. Very sweet boy!”; “Such a good dog! He didn’t pull at all and stopped whenever I did!”

In the spirit of full disclosure, Duncan has not yet learned how to take treats gently. He has no idea that he should be careful of your hand as you give him a bite. Until he understands, treats are best thrown on the ground or given with a flat palm.

Duncan loves people and thoroughly enjoyed his time with us last Sunday. He adores Kate and the feeling is mutual.

He was sure Linda wouldn’t notice.

Marianne decided to see if he liked the Giant Fluff Ball.

The shelter vet removed a small mass from Duncan’s right front leg which has healed well, and the surgery was a complete success. He is ready and waiting for his new family to take him home. We’re hoping it will be soon.

If you’d like to meet Duncan and see if he would fit your lifestyle, fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on his picture and then on the link Adopt Me found here  oregonhumane.org/adopt/salem-shelter-adopt-dogs/

We have two happy updates this week.

Rufus/Pumba

Remember our wonderful boy, Rufus (now Pumba)? I featured him in my December 7th post. He was one of our all-time favorites and, although he looked serious all the time, he made us laugh.

We were thrilled when he was adopted on December 14th. The family had seen his feature in my blog and had fallen for him. They promised an update. Last week we got one!

“I’m Pumba’s mommy! He’s been with our family for almost a month and it feels like he’s been here forever. He fit in like he was meant to be here, and we were just waiting. 

Our first night he slept on my bed for 10 hours. Pumba will look at me often, straight in the eyes as if checking if everything is okay, asking for reassurance. We have moments every day where he will sit in front of me staring lovingly asking for pets. 

He absolutely loves tricks! We have learned some new ones: wait, load up, off, and down.

Pumba loves his brothers and has to always make sure they’re safe. He is my shadow and isn’t happy unless he’s lying on my lap. My sweet, 75-pound lap dog, spoiled rotten as it should be. 

He has his own bed in the car in his spot and a ‘place’ (kennel) that he loves to nap in because he has a huge cushion in it. 

I hated always hearing the saying ‘Our rescue rescued us.’ I thought it was [nonsense], but it’s so true. 

We’ll see you all very soon, we have our first training at the shelter with him in February and we’ll continue with it as I think he’s got an incredible chance to be my Service Dog.” 

We are so happy that our sweet boy got such a loving home!

Bo

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you’ll remember Bo. I featured him in my April 20th, 2016 post. He was adopted a few days later. In my December 7, 2022 post, I wrote an update telling about him being selected to appear in the 2023 Buddy Mercury calendar! Last Sunday Bo and his family came to the shelter to visit and to bring me one of the calendars! Of course I had to take pictures. Thank you, Bo, for the calendar!

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

As always, thanks to my photo team volunteers Marianne, Megan, Linda, and Kate. It was also good to spend a little time with staff member Skylar.

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: oregonhumane.org/adopt/salem-shelter-adopt-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