Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

I am thrilled to begin this week’s post with some exciting news!

If you read my January 18th post, you know that Maggie has been anxiously waiting to start her new life. Well, on Monday she headed to her new job in California where she is going to be trained to be a Search and Rescue dog with National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF)! We are so excited for her because she’ll be living her BEST life where her obsession with finding tennis balls will grow into a life-saving job.

From the SDF website: “Founded in 1996, the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Santa Paula, California. Our mission is to strengthen disaster response in America by rescuing and recruiting dogs and partnering them with firefighters and other first responders to find people buried alive in the wreckage of disasters.”

The SDF commitment to their dogs is unconditional.

“It takes a very special canine to work in the field of Search and Rescue. When a dog who is accepted into our training program does not have everything needed for this highly specialized line of work, he or she enters our Lifetime Care community. Some of these dogs are trained for another career like drug detection or companion dogs to Veterans suffering from PTSD. Others are destined to become beloved family pets. SDF finds an adoptive family for each one of these extraordinary animals, trains the canine and the family, stays in touch with the household, and acts as the dog’s advocate for life, making sure that he or she is receiving excellent care in a happy, healthy environment. The program ensures that every dog in the SDF family has a wonderful life and is in no risk of re-entering the shelter system. This is SDF’s unwavering commitment.”

The SDF website is here. The SDF Facebook page is here.

Our Maggie is in good hands for the rest of her life. Thank you, SDF!

We’ve had some terrific adoptions this week.

Spirit

This boy was very stressed at the shelter and so we hope that he can settle and decompress in the quietness and love of his new home.

Stanley

Newbie Stanley was adopted on Sunday. We were so glad, as he was shy and nervous in the shelter. I only met him briefly on his way to his new home. What a nice boy!

Brody

Brody was so shy when he first arrived, but that isn’t true anymore. He’s been waiting since the end of November for his new family. We’re so glad he’s settling into his new home.

Duncan

We spent a lot of quality time with Duncan on Sunday, so much so, that he fell asleep! We had planned to feature him in this post. Yesterday he was adopted! He’s been waiting for his new people since December 19th. We are thrilled that he’s now with his new family. Thanks to Marianne for his going-home picture.

Roxy

Another wonderful dog we spent time with on Sunday was Roxy. We had so much fun with her and were going to feature her, too, this week. Yesterday her new peeps came, fell in love with her, and off she went. Lucky folks. Thanks for the going-home picture, Marianne!

Daisy

This sweet girl was a newbie on Sunday when I took her pictures. While she didn’t smile, she was cooperative and affectionate. We’re so glad she went to her new home so quickly.

Please Note: The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, February 1, 2023. 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 looking for a new family. You’ll need to know I have lots of energy and am very smart. I’m hoping an active family will take me home soon!

The day I met Margo a couple of weeks ago, I was sure she’d be adopted very quickly, so didn’t consider featuring her in a post. However, she is still waiting in her kennel for her new family and asked to be featured so that people will know what a good girl she is.

Margo is a three-year-old Lab/Australian Shepherd mix and, at 60 pounds, she is medium-sized. She is very treat-motivated and knows several cues, among them sit and down, which I found out immediately upon meeting her. She will be so much fun to train with reward-based instruction.

Margo was surrendered because she has a LOT of energy and the family didn’t have the time to spend with her, so she was crated too much. They want her to have a home where she gets the attention and love that she craves and deserves.

Margo’s former family had a lot of things to tell us about her: “She is very sweet but not very socialized and gets excited when she meets new friends. She has playfully nipped at people and other dogs. She loves belly rubs and cuddles. Loves to sleep at the foot of the bed. She has lots of energy.” When asked how they would describe Margo, her family wrote, “She’s affectionate, playful and very active. She loves basketballs and playing chase.” Margo is house-trained and was crated when her people were gone. She would like to meet any dog she will be living with, but in the past has gotten along with most other dogs. She should not go to a home with a cat as she chases them. Older children would be best for Margo. Her family writes, “She is extremely playful but because she is so big and uses her mouth to play, it can be a lot for small children. Older kids or teens would be fine.” She walks well on leash most of the time, but does pull when she wants to meet a person or another dog.

Margo is not shy about sharing her opinions. She can be a bit of a drama queen.

We took her into the Ed Hall and she loved every minute. She is quite the tennis ball player.

As you saw, she sure loves a squeaky tennis ball!

Then it was time for some fun with Linda and scratches and cuddles from Kate.

Did I mention she is very treat-motivated?

At the end of our play session, when it was time to go outside and back to her kennel, Margo wanted a private moment with potential adopters.

If you are looking for an active, affectionate, and bright new family member, come and meet Margo. Fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on her picture and then on the link Adopt Me found here oregonhumane.org/adopt/salem-shelter-adopt-dogs/

I’m doing my very best to get adopted. My family loved me very much and I’m hoping for another family who will love me just as much.

Sometimes a dog arrives at the shelter who is just about perfect. Maya is such a dog. Her family was heartbroken to have to surrender her, but they told us all about her in hopes of getting her a wonderful new family.

Maya is a four-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier mix. It is obvious from seeing her personality that she has been much loved. Her former family had this to say about her: “Maya is very sweet. She lives for cuddles and playing with her rope. Tug of war is her favorite game by far. She is an affectionate, playful lap dog. She is friendly with visitors.”

Maya knows the cues for sit, stay, down, and wait. Her family said that the thing Maya loves most is cuddles. She is house- and crate-trained. “She really likes cats, will even gently play with them and snuggle them. Sometimes she forgets her size, but will listen if corrected. She loves children.” She generally gets along with other dogs, but would like to meet any that she would be living with. So there you have it—pretty much the perfect family dog.

We brought her into the Ed Hall on Sunday and boy, did she have a good time with everyone! The pictures say it all. Of course we’ve assured her that she’ll be adopted very soon.

Staff member Riley stopped in to say hi and Maya was thrilled to see her.

Then it was time to PLAY! I bet you can’t watch her movie without laughing!

Are you convinced now that this is a very special dog? If she’s the right one for your family, fill out the Adoption Questionnaire by clicking on her picture and then on the link Adopt Me found here oregonhumane.org/adopt/salem-shelter-adopt-dogs/

Lotus/Tawny Kitaen

If you are a regular reader of my posts, you will remember Lotus, our long-termer whom we worried about as the weeks went by with no one even looking at her.

But then after a two-month stay, on December 31, her perfect person came and took her home.

She came to the Ed Hall to tell us she was going home.

And then she left to start her new life.

Last week I got this wonderful update about one of our favorite girls.

“Tawny Kitaen is doing great, and we are both adjusting to each other. She has SO much puppy energy! We walk 3-5 miles a day depending on the weather and she is off all trazodone and doing well. She needs to get one more dog flu shot, and then she can try out doggie daycare. She seems very interested in playing with other dogs, so I am hopeful she will do well and be able to play with friends a few times a week! Thank you for loving her and helping us find each other!!”

Tawny’s mom sent me lots of pictures and videos to choose from and I had a hard time–they are all so cute. But here is a sampling. There is no doubt that Tawny is living her BEST life!

On that very happy update, that’s it for this week.

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

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