Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,
On November 11, 2009, I wrote my first Adopt An Oregon Dog post. I had been volunteering at Willamette Humane Society for a couple of years, and decided to try writing about the dogs I walked each week, hoping to get more adopted. I had no clue about how to go about writing a blog, but at that time the Statesman Journal sponsored amateur blogs, so I set up an account. This is what the opening page looked like each week:
In 2012, the Statesman Journal discontinued their blog sponsorships, and so I moved to this WordPress platform. Over the fourteen years I have written my blog, I have had so much support from other volunteers, shelter staff, and my proofreading husband, which made my posts possible. I will be forever grateful for their help and encouragement, especially my weekly dog-handling photo teams. I have made life-long friends and gotten to spend time with too many fabulous dogs to count. The updates I have gotten over the years have meant so much to all of us at the shelter who get attached to each new arrival.
As I have gotten older, I have thought more about when would be the right time to “retire” from shelter life. I will turn 75 next month. I will be having wrist surgery in two weeks, which will put me out of commission for taking dog photos for several months. And so I have decided that it’s time. Staff member, Becca, is recruiting new photographers to take photos for the OHS website. She will also take over my Facebook OHS page, announcing dog adoptions, as well as posting @ohssalem on Facebook and Instagram. Next week will be my last blog post. I would not trade my shelter time during the last sixteen years for anything. It has been a huge part of my life and a passion. And now, on to this week’s news.
We have had some terrific adoptions since last week—a total of 17! There were four who were new and adopted so fast that I didn’t meet them: Bandit and three puppies.
Nilla
She is such a fun little character and a lap dog for sure.
Maple
Puppy Maple will be such a joy to her new family. She is adorable.
Morpheus
He is a stunning dog, and so nice, too!
Sarie
She was new last week and such a sweetheart for pictures.
Lulu
So happy for this sweet girl who had been waiting for her new family for some time.
Zephyr
We fell for this extremely affectionate boy during his incoming photoshoot. As you can see, it was a bit of a challenge trying to get his picture when all he wanted to do was cuddle with me.
Duke
Duke was a big dog in a small dog’s body. Such a Beagle!
Domino
I was so happy that I was there when Domino went to his new home with two new siblings! Thanks, Mackenzie, for posing with our boy and his new family!
Here he was already feeling at home in his new car. Thanks, Mackenzie, for the picture.
Arthur
Twelve-year-old Arthur was adopted on Monday. As always, we are so grateful for our adopters of senior dogs.
News: Arthur slipped his collar and got loose from his new family on Tuesday. He is listed on Lost and Found Pets of Salem Oregon. We are very worried and hope his is found safe very soon.
Peanut
Another senior, at ten years old, Peanut will be totally content on the lap of her new person.
Koko
Drum roll, happy dance! Koko, our happy-go-lucky youngster, was adopted (again)! Hoping that this will be her perfect family fit. Thanks, Mackenzie for the great going-home picture!
Thyme
Thyme’s littermates Nutmeg, Sage, and Saffron, were adopted before him, but on Monday, he went to his new home.
Tilly
I’m thrilled to report that our sweet Tilly (and the mother of puppy Thyme) was adopted today! We adore this girl. She has a human and a canine sibling!
Please Note: The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, October 11, 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.”
Do you have a special place in your heart for shy dogs? Do you have the patience to let me get comfortable at my own pace? If so, could you come and meet me?
Dora is a one-year-old Border Collie mix. She arrived in early September from another shelter, so we don’t know her history.
What we do know is that she was extremely timid when she first came to us. Here she was for her first photoshoot with Linda.
After she had been at the shelter for a few days, a dog walker wrote, “She was a little shy at first but was wiggly. Pulled during walk and fixated occasionally but redirected easily. Liked treats and went to kennel well with treats.” Another reported, “Dora was nervous only going out of kennel, warmed up almost immediately, and was fine for rest of the walk.”
Dora is still nervous when meeting new people and needs time to warm up in new environments. On Sunday we started out in Mary’s Place. She wasn’t very comfortable.
Then she let us know what she wanted to do.
Once outside she was happy and much more relaxed and raced around the yard.
After her romp, she was ready for some attention.
Then it was time for one posed picture with Marianne before going back to her kennel.
Dora was adopted once, but returned when her people said she was too active for their lifestyle. She’s hoping a new family will find her soon who will give her the time she needs to feel safe and the action she loves.
No, I don’t smile. But that doesn’t mean I’m not happy. Although I’m kind of sad here at the shelter. I’m hoping for a new home with kids very soon. I love kids.
I first met Missy in mid-September when she was surrendered by her family who couldn’t keep her anymore. It is obvious that she has been loved and cared for. But no, she doesn’t smile.
Missy is an American Pit Bull mix and almost a year old. Her family had many good things to say about her. Her favorite thing to do is play with kids. She knows the cues for sit and down. She is house-trained. She is a rough and tumble player with other dogs, so any dog she goes home with should have a similar play style.
Missy enjoys being a couch potato, and I do mean couch. We had her in Mary’s Place Sunday afternoon and she loved it.
We had a special guest on Sunday. Lily, a high school student interested in dog photography, came to see how we operated. She will be taking some of the dog photos for the website in a couple of weeks. She is a natural with the dogs and they loved her immediately. She already is, and will continue to be, a terrific asset to the shelter. Missy agrees.
Missy has become a favorite of volunteers. Here are some of their comments about her: “Loves treats, knows sit, walks wonderful on leash, interested in other dogs but not reactive. Love this dog!” ; “Jumpy (playfully) when she sees birds.” ; “Really warms up. She put her feet in my lap and head on my chest—adorable!! Not interested in the ball, not reactive to dogs, has very soft mouth taking treats.”
Missy is not above using her puppy-dog eyes to get treats.
My heart melted when she did this.
After time inside, we took her out to a yard. She wasn’t interested in romping, just wanted to pose.
If our sweet Missy sounds like the perfect fit for your family, come meet her at the shelter.
I’m feeling so much better since being here at the shelter. I’m ready for my new family now! Is it yours?
When Koby was surrendered in September, he came with some health issues, including a great deal of hair loss and redness of his skin. But with vet care and good food, he has blossomed into a happy, eager, playful dog.
Koby is a four-year-old German Shepherd mix. He is not a big dog, at 43 pounds, but he needs to gain some weight. When he arrived at the shelter, he was so frightened, it was difficult to get him out of his kennel and he was too fearful for me to take pictures. But what a difference a little time makes. We took him out to the big yard on Sunday and he had a blast. He is still uneasy and shy around new people, but he warmed up to us quickly. He still has some hair to grow back and a few pounds to gain, but he’s feeling great and loves to chase tennis balls, though he doesn’t yet return them. Marianne has become a special friend.
Oh, how he loves to run!
Koby is looking for a calm home where he can continue to heal and learn that the world does not have to be a scary place. If you think you can give Koby the support he needs, come to the shelter and spend some time with him.
A visit to see an old friend…
Flashback! Tig arrived at the shelter on April 17, 2011 when she was about a year old. I immediately fell in love with her. She was beautiful with soulful eyes and I hoped she’d be adopted quickly.
I didn’t have to worry long. On April 23, her forever family, Jeff and Tracy, changed her name to Ruby and took her home. Ruby has had a wonderful life filled with love. Here she is with Tracy and Jeff in 2021.
Ruby is now is between 13 and 14 years old. She is deaf and can be unsteady on her feet. Tracy invited me over to the house on Saturday so I could visit them both.
Ruby is showing her age and her favorite thing to do (besides eat and be near Jeff and Tracy) is lie in the sun and sleep. It was a perfect day for a sunbath.
It was a wonderful visit and though I felt a bit sad about Ruby’s aging, Tracy sent this video that happened soon after I left, and It totally lifted my spirits!
Here Ruby is with Jeff. Can you tell she is much loved?
What a wonderful life.❤️
On that note, that’s it for this week.
As always, thanks to my photo team volunteers Marianne, Linda, Lily, and staff member Mackenzie. 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
Related
This post was originally published on https://adopt-an-oregon-dog.com/