Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

Yes, I know this is a “shelter dog blog.” However, after spending a few days on the coast this past week, I can’t resist showing you a short video of a seal family. When you look at a seal’s face, it does look a little bit like a dog’s, after all.

Since I did not write a post last week, there are many happy adoptions to report. The shelter no longer requires scheduled appointments, and adoptions are happening more quickly. There were even three who came and left so fast, I never met them—Moo, Peanut, and Copper.

Helga

Helga had waited a long time for her perfect match. An OHS staff member sent me her going-home picture.

Lexi

Shelby

Nalla

Jamie, an OHS staff person, sent me this going-home picture. She also said that Nalla “loved their other big dog and will have acres to explore.” Thanks, Jamie!

Rosco

Rose

Banjo

Shasta

Dilly

Mary Kate

Nova Sky

Ashley

This pup was a bit of a drama queen when I was trying to get her picture!

Opal

Thanks for the going-home picture, Volunteer Engagement Manager Rachel.

Blizz

This was Blizz’s second adoption. Hoping it is his perfect fit!

Ice

Cuervo

Addie

Ahliah

Gertie

Our sweet senior Gertie went to her retirement home. She won all of our hearts during her stay at the shelter. We are thankful for the special people who adopt a senior, not knowing how long they will have to love their new best friend. But they give their hearts anyway.

Please Note: The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, March 8, 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.

“The shelter is open for walk-through viewing and meet and greets 10 a.m. -7 p.m. seven days per week. Meet and greets are done on a first-come/first-served basis.

When you come to the shelter and see a pet you are interested in meeting, please take note of the pet’s name and visit the front desk in the lobby. Our Customer Care team will be happy to assist you with the next steps.”

This week we are featuring three black dogs. As you may remember from previous posts, black shelter dogs are often not as quickly adopted as others and many stay in the shelter environment longer. It is referred to as Black Dog Syndrome (BDS). Perhaps it’s because they are more difficult to photograph and so aren’t as appealing on shelter websites. We’re here to show you three wonderful dogs in the hope that they will be in their forever homes very soon.



I may not be a youngster anymore, but I still love to swim and promise to be a good boy!

Buddy is an eight-year-old Lab/Pointer mix. His person passed away and Buddy is hoping for a new family to love.

As a senior, Buddy has worn teeth and the usual superficial lumps. But don’t think he doesn’t have energy and love to give to a new person. His former family wrote, “Buddy is extremely sweet and very outgoing. He loves water and swimming, is social with other dogs, and loves children. He can be vocal when riding in a car.” Buddy is very treat-motivated and is a fan of any kind of treat, no need for high-value ones! When on walks, Buddy can become overly excited, but has been easily redirected using toys or treats. He knows the cue for sit and walks well on leash. While Buddy is wonderful with people and other dogs, he cannot be around cats, chickens, or other small animals.

We took him into Mary’s Place on Sunday to get to know him. He was overjoyed to be with people and having a chance to play. He was happy to pose for my camera.

After a little while, Kyra, a staff member and one of Buddy’s fans, stopped in to say hi. Buddy was so happy and he quickly demonstrated his love of cheese.

Yes, Buddy got his cheese. After his snack, it was time to play. The Giant Fluff Ball was a big hit!

Buddy is quite stressed at the shelter and we’re hoping he’ll soon be in his new home. For a family who is looking for a loyal, eager dog who may not be a puppy, but is every bit as lovable, come to the shelter and meet him! Remember, dogs are adopted on a first-come/first-served basis.

Ever wonder what a Basset Hound/Lab would look like? Wonder no more! I’m here!

When you look at five-year-old Luna, you see two dogs in one. She looks like a Lab in her body and a Basset Hound with her short legs.

Luna was surrendered by her family because they were moving across the country and couldn’t take her with them. But they told us all about her. “Luna is a sweet girl. She’s sassy, smart, enjoys lazing around, and loves to go on walks. She’s never had an accident in the house and will audibly let you know when she needs to go out. She is shy with strangers, talkative and not very active.” Luna knows several commands including “sit, down, come, shake and bed.” Her favorite things to do are go for walks and chill at home with the family. Luna does not enjoy being left alone and will “get into things, whine, and bark.” So a family where someone is home most of the time would be perfect for Luna. She has been the only pet her whole life, so has not been socialized with other dogs. She’d like to keep it that way in her forever home.

Intake staff found Luna to be a delight. “She was loose and wiggly when brought into the room, came up and solicited pets from both processors, rolled over on belly for rubs, did not like ears being touched.”

We took Luna into Mary’s Place to spend some quality time with her, and we all quickly were smitten with her gentle, calm, and affectionate personality, especially Marianne, who has had her own Basset Hounds in the past.

I found out quickly that she likes to be a lap dog.

Luna does not like to talk about it (although she does talk a lot!), but she needs to walk more and eat less. At 73 pounds, she carries a lot of weight on her short legs. She’ll be much more comfortable weighing less. She has lived with children ages nine and three happily. In full disclosure, she does pull on walks some. Staff writes, “Luna does pull when she wants to smell something but when just walking casually she is great.” She also takes treats quite roughly, so her new peeps will need to work on better manners. We didn’t realize that Luna was listening when we discussed her weight.

Luna will be a great addition for a family who is looking for a dog to snuggle with while watching TV, or any other time. She will do best with a family who is home a lot and not into extreme sports or even jogging. If that sounds like your family, come to the shelter and meet her! Remember, dogs are adopted on a first-come/first-served basis.

I try really, really hard to be calm, but I’m a puppy and I LOVE to play, play, play!

Yes, puppies are adorable. Yes, they are fun. But puppies are not for the faint of heart. Now, if you have the time, patience, and stamina to take on the challenge of a puppy who is eager to learn—but has so much to learn—then you need to meet Crystal.

Crystal is a four-month-old Siberian Husky mix. She is going to grow into a big dog, which makes her training as a pup very important. The shelter’s Best Beginnings puppy class is a wonderful way to bond with Crystal as well as get you all off on the right foot/paw.

Crystal was adopted once but returned when she was too much for the older resident dog. The family wrote that Crystal is playful, friendly with visitors, and knows the cues sit and come. She is also very active. Her favorite thing to do was race around their backyard. She was crated when the family was not at home and never had any house-training issues.

We brought Crystal into Mary’s Place and laughed at her antics. She’s quite the organizer and had a lot of instructions for us.

But you can’t fully appreciate Crystal until you see her in action. We discovered she is crazy about the stuffed hedgehog, loves an audience, and can entertain herself playing.

There were some moments of calm.

When it was time to go back to her kennel, she had a question. We told her we thought it would be soon.

So there you have it. Three black dogs all hoping that their new families will find them soon. And one just did! We are hoping for that, too.

That’s it for this week!

As always, thanks to my photo team volunteers Marianne, Megan, Linda, and staff members Kyra and Rachel.

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