Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

It was a busy Sunday at Oregon Humane Society—Salem Campus. My photo team had twelve new dogs to take pictures of as we dodged the rain showers. But before I feature some available dogs, there were several happy adoptions since my last post.

There were two adoptions I don’t have pictures for, one was puppy Percy and Felicity Rae was in a foster home.

Bane

Bane was a new arrival, and we knew he wouldn’t be at the shelter for long. He is such a wonderful boy who will be a great family dog.

Dilly

Also adopted was our sweet Dilly (again). We are so hoping that this will be her perfect fit of a family.

Please Note: The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, April 5, 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 AM – 7 PM seven days per week. Meet-and-greets are done on a first-come/first-served basis. The shelter address is 4246 Turner Rd. SE, Salem.

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.”

I’m no longer young. But I have big plans to be the best family dog you’ve ever had!

Are you wishing you had a mature dog who was long past all the annoying and challenging issues with having a puppy? Do you wish you had a dog who thinks his people are the smartest, kindest, most amazing people on the planet? Would you like a dog who thinks just being near you is better than any treat, including cheese? Finally, would you like a dog who likes to play fetch and returns the ball to you, then sits? If so, Cooper would like to meet you.

Cooper is about eight years old and is a Lab mix. At 88 pounds, he is a big boy, but you’ll not find a more laid-back or gentle dog. He came to us from another shelter where he was found as a stray. We have all fallen for this affectionate, comedic character who has obviously been well-loved.

We took Cooper into Mary’s Place and we all had many laughs. I’m not sure we’ve ever had a dog with so many different facial expressions. He made it so obvious how much he loves being with his people. He also had a lot to say.

It turns out he loves to play “Guess Who?” games.

He is such an affectionate boy.

He absolutely loved the GFB (Giant Fluff Ball) and he did what I’ve only seen two other dogs do. Our dog, Scout, used a GFB as a comforting pacifier, just like Cooper. Marianne’s dog, Patience, also did. Both were shelter dogs, too.

But don’t think that Cooper is always a couch potato. He loves to play, too. Here are the many moods of Cooper.

This morning Cooper got a special surprise. Marianne and Linda took him on an adventure. Here is Marianne’s report.


“Volunteer Linda and I took Cooper on Dog’s Day Out this morning. We took him to Lowe’s thinking he might like to go shopping. Would it be too much to say that he is one of the most perfect dogs that ever lived? I think not. He hopped right into the car and sat down in the back where he stayed without trying to climb up front. He was so calm and well behaved. He was great the entire time we were in the store and had no issues waiting patiently while Linda and I looked at things. He met several people, and everyone thought he was absolutely precious. They are not wrong. As we were leaving the store he greeted three cashiers who were at the exit door. They could not believe how sweet he was and they all wanted to be in a picture with him. He does not jump on people and he allows pets and loves. Perfect boy. Oh, and he fell asleep on the way back to the shelter.”

Marianne added, “Once back at the shelter, we spent some time in Mary’s Place and gave him a new monkey toy. He loved it.”

Cooper is a very special dog. We adore him and hope he’ll soon be relaxing in a loving retirement home. If you’d like to meet him, come to the shelter for a visit.

Need more action in your life? Have a new vacuum that you wish you could use more often? I’m the answer!

Huskies, in my shelter experience, are usually a bit aloof. So that’s what I expected when I met Clive.

Imagine my happy surprise when we discovered he loves being with people and is very affectionate.

Clive is a two-year-old Siberian Husky mix. He came to us from another shelter, having been found as a stray. He is a very active young dog who is looking for a home where he has room to romp in a secure area. He’ll also need a couch on which to snuggle with his family in the evening. Here’s what the American Kennel Club says about this breed:

“Siberian Husky, a thickly coated, compact sled dog of medium size and great endurance. Sibes are friendly, fastidious, and dignified. Quick and nimble-footed, Siberians are known for their powerful but seemingly effortless gait. Tipping the scales at no more than 60 pounds, they are noticeably smaller and lighter than the Alaskan Malamute. As born pack dogs, they enjoy family life and get on well with other dogs. The Sibes’ innate friendliness render them indifferent watchdogs.” (akc.org)

At 54 pounds, Clive fits right into the breed description. We now know that Clive is not an apartment kind of dog. He was adopted once and returned within a day due to “howling” when the adopters left the apartment. But they also had some wonderful things to say about Clive. “He is very loving and sweet. He loves to cuddle and play. He is affectionate and a lap dog. He’s friendly with visitors. He is ‘talkative.’ He did really well with my three-year-old daughter.” He had no accidents in the apartment.

Shelter volunteers also are fans of this boy. One wrote, “Clive loved being out in the yard and chasing balls. Not so good at bringing them back. Excellent on the leash after time in the yard.” Several volunteers mentioned that he does pull some initially on walks, but settles after he’s had some exercise. Being a Husky means Clive is very smart and he has learned how to push open doors. That may be why he was found as a stray?

Since it was raining outside on Sunday, we brought Clive into Mary’s Place. He so enjoyed being with us.

Remember in the quote from the American Kennel Club the words, “Siberian Husky, a thickly coated, compact sled dog“? They aren’t kidding. Linda and Kate decided to give Clive some brushing. He was enthralled with the attention.

You can’t fully appreciate Clive without seeing him in action. So here you go.

Clive has something to tell you!

Do you like to play fetch? I do! We could play fetch all day if you adopt me!

Simon is a two-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier mix who has beautiful markings, searching eyes, and lots of energy.

Simon, like Cooper and Clive, came to us from another shelter, having been turned in as a stray. While we don’t know anything about his history, we have learned some things about him as we’ve gotten to know him. He LOVES to play fetch and will play as long as you throw the ball. As one volunteer noted, “So playful, loved chasing tennis balls, so sweet.” Simon is a little embarrassed to admit he does need work on his leash manners. When he hasn’t had enough exercise, he is quite the puller. Another volunteer walker wrote, “He has a LOT of energy. Recommend taking him to a yard to run. Pulls much less after playing fetch.”

When Simon first arrived at the shelter, he did not smile. He looked so serious, but he was very cooperative.

However, it didn’t take long before he warmed up to Marianne and we discovered he could be a little over dramatic.

Simon was adopted once, but he did not get along with the resident dog. So we now know he will need to be the only pet in the family, and he is not a dog park dog. The family was very sad to return Simon, as they had grown very attached to him and gave us some excellent information for Simon’s next family. “Simon is very loving with people. He was great with our older daughter and really chill if he could be by himself. He is a lovable lap dog.” He knows the cues for sit, stay, and come. He is crate-trained and never had an accident in their house.

Again, because of the rain, we brought Simon into Mary’s Place and he loved hanging out with us, though he really wanted to play.

In the spirit of full disclosure, one note about the Giant Fluff Ball—plush toys are not very long-lasting with Simon. Marianne had to take it home (once again) to be repaired.

He liked the food puzzle.

Here is Simon enjoying some playtime with a few of his fans.

We have one update this week. If you are a long-time reader of my posts, you will well remember Monty.

Montegro/Monty

Monty was a transfer from our sister shelter in Maui, Hawaii in March of 2019. He was not a handsome dog. The Maui shelter thought he had probably been attacked by a wild boar at some point and he was missing part of his mouth. He immediately became a volunteer favorite because of his gentle, affectionate nature. Marianne was one of his many fans.

Monty was another dog who loved the Giant Fluff Ball, though he used it as a pillow rather than a pacifier.

We were worried about him finding a home. We didn’t need to be. Here he was meeting his forever family for the first time.

Over the years, Caroline (his human mom), has sent me updates and last week I got a new one. Monty’s age is beginning to show, but he’s still the happy boy he’s always been. Caroline wrote:

“Monty is really getting grey. We’re still doing well. Monty loves his backyard and fellow friend, Callie, our cat. He is still a big joy of my life, now serving as my official service dog.

I’ve always suffered from bipolar and anxiety. With medications I have been stable for years but sometimes I still have a bit of problems with anxiety. Monty knows exactly when I’m having those problems and crawls up next to me and lays his head in my lap so I that can pet him. It makes me feel a 100% better; that’s when I decided to make him my emotional support dog.

He has been inspirational to me ever since the day we brought him home. I could never have picked a better dog for our household. He is loving and caring and loves all who come to our home. Thank you for everything that everybody did to make it so he could get to our home. He is truly loved.”

Monty will always be one of our very special shelter dogs.

That’s it for this week! 

As always, 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 at this link.

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