Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

I’m starting this post very different from usual this week. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know volunteer Kate very well. She is part of our photo team and spends Sundays with us helping to handle the dogs while I snap pictures. Last week Kate graduated from high school. Marianne, Linda, Megan, and I decided to have a mini graduation party for her at the shelter. We decorated Mary’s Place, had a cake, and did what we always do, hung out with dogs. Here Kate is with her current favorite, Cowboy.

Kate will be heading to college in August to begin a new chapter in her life. We wish her the very best!

And now back to our regularly scheduled post.

There were three dogs who came and went so quickly that I didn’t get a chance to meet them. They were Lucee, Roma, and Penny.

Lula

If you read last week’s post, you saw that Lula had a wonderful adventure to Lowe’s with Marianne and Linda last Wednesday. Well, that’s not all that happened that day. She was adopted a little while before the shelter closed that evening! The family was looking for a dog who would fit their lifestyle. Staff member Daniela showed them Lula and the rest is history. Daniela writes: “I brought out Lula and she immediately fell in love with the family, and they fell for her. It was an instant yes to the adoption.” Thank you for this happy going-home picture, Daniela!

Tony

Tony was an adorable little dog. We knew he’d be gone quickly, and he was!

Hero

We had planned on featuring Hero last week, but he got adopted and we were very happy for this big, affectionate dog. Lucky family.

Clyde

Clyde was another really nice boy who will bring much joy to his family.

Hazel

This girl had us wrapped around her paw the moment we met her. Such a sweetheart!

Brisket
This happy-go-lucky boy had been at the shelter for a while and we were all smitten with his huge smile. He went home to a family with three kids who are crazy about him. Lucky dog, lucky family! Thanks for the going-home pictures, Marianne!

Marianne said that Brisket jumped right in the car, settled on his new bed with his new toy, and never looked back.

Please Note: The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, June 14, 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 know I may seem a tad ordinary as shelter dogs go, but if you spend a little time with me, I hope you will see who I really am!

I first met Sadie shortly after her arrival from another shelter on May 17th. She had been found as a stray but hadn’t been adopted. She was transferred to us, hoping a family would find her. I was smitten with her immediately because of her smile, her trusting eyes, and her cooperation. She sat when asked and posed happily with Marianne.

Sadie is still a youngster at about a year old and is a Pit Bull Terrier mix. At 50 pounds, she is medium sized, just perfect as an active family member. She loves people and has become a volunteer favorite. She is eager to please, and has been improving her leash skills. Here are some comments from dog walkers: “Sadie walked great, not that much pulling, no reactivity toward other dogs.” “This girl LOVES to run. Plays fetch and is very sweet.” “Took Sadie to the yard and she loved it! Did lots of zoomies and loves the squeaky Kong toy.” “A true sweetheart. Prefers walking in the middle of the field rather than the track.”

On Sunday we took Sadie into a yard to play. At first she was delighted to chase a toy and we laughed at her antics.

But as I got ready to take video of her in action, Sadie decided she’d rather hang out with her peeps than chase balls.

We knew that playing fetch was over for now.

She wanted me to take a picture of her pensive look, hoping it would appeal to potential adopters.

Then we took her into Mary’s Place. Who knew she could read? Here she is looking for a good book to read in her kennel in the evenings.

Then the basket caught her eye…could it be toys?

She apologized about the mess.

Linda assured her we weren’t mad and Sadie was thrilled when Linda reached into her treat bag.

Then it was time to return to her kennel. But not before one last picture with her peeps.

Sadie is going to make a wonderful family dog. We’re hoping her new people will come soon and take her home. She’ll be reading in her kennel.

If you are looking for a rather large dog and don’t mind one who sheds a little (well, okay, more than a little), come and meet me!

Oh, my gosh! There are big, fun dogs, and then there are big, GOOFY, affectionate dogs who keep you laughing. Kiona is such a dog. She arrived as a stray from another shelter and has everyone who meets her wrapped around her quite big paw. She is a beautiful one-year-old Siberian Husky mix.

As a stray, we know nothing about her history, but we have learned a lot about her since she arrived at the shelter on June 2nd. She has had some training, as she sits on cue and walks nicely on leash. Dog walkers have observed, “Sweet girl and good on leash. Rolled around in grass.” “Kiona loves to roll around in grass, easy dog to walk, well-behaved.”

She is also very affectionate and relaxed, as we discovered when Kate brought her out for her first pictures.

Our thoughts exactly, so in we went. To say Kiona plays with toys is quite the understatement. She particularly liked the monkey.

We all had a great time with this hilarious girl.

If you would like to meet our goofy girl, come to the shelter soon and see if she is a good fit for your family.

I won’t be much trouble. My favorite pastime is to sit on a lap. Got a lap needing a dog?

Rita is in search of a quiet retirement home. She is a twelve-year-old Chihuahua who still has a lot of spunk and love to give her new people.

As a senior, Rita won’t require long walks, energetic play, or adventures. What she does need is a lap. Here is what Marianne says about her, which sums up who Rita is and what she hopes for in a new home.

“Rita is the sweetest somewhat typical little old Chihuahua. She is extremely affectionate and would love to live in a quiet home where she can be a lap dog. She does like to take things at her own pace and would like someone to respect that. She has some handling sensitivities; but once you know what those are, she is sweet, charming, and exceptionally lovable. She won’t require much in the way of exercise and would be happy just to be by your side. I adore her.“

Rita has many fans at the shelter. Here are a few comments from the dog walkers. “Rita jumped on my lap when I got in her kennel. Secret is to rub her rear and work yourself up to her neck.” “Sweetest girl. Loves hip massages.” “You need to be slow and gentle with Rita. She loves cuddles.”

Rita can be nervous when in new situations, and needs someone with patience and understanding of senior dogs. Once she feels safe, she is a such a delight and easy to have around. She loved some outside time with Linda. She didn’t hesitate to climb into Linda’s lap.

We spent quite a bit of time in Mary’s Place with her on Sunday and she loved going from lap to lap.

If you have a soft spot in your heart and on your lap for an eleven-pound senior gal, come to the shelter and spend some time with Rita.

That’s it for this week!

As always, thanks to my photo team volunteers Marianne, Megan, Linda, Kate, and staff members Daniela and MacKenzie.

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