Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,
With this being my last post, I am thrilled to be able to begin it with some terrific news! Last week I reported that Arthur, a twelve-year-old senior, had been adopted. But the next day he had slipped his collar during a walk and was missing.
There were several sightings of him, but he was too shy and frightened to go to people. Then, after being on his own for several days, exhausted and very hungry, he was found and happily reunited with his family. Everyone who had met this sweet, elderly boy at the shelter was thrilled and relieved.
We had some wonderful adoptions during the last week. One, Sam, came and was adopted so quickly I didn’t get to meet him. Also, three puppies, Cumin, Basil, and Clove, were adopted.
Bella
I only met her once, but what a delightful dog and so cooperative for pictures.
Guapo
This sweet boy is blind, but he is eager to explore anyway. He loves to play with toys, too. So glad he’s found his new home.
Percy
I met Percy last week, and it was clear he is a fabulous dog. He LOVES to play ball.
Carly
Carly was so shy that she went to a foster home to work on becoming braver. Here she was when she was first at the shelter. We are so glad she’s now in her new home.
Luck
With her striking blue eyes, this girl is stunning.
Starla
She was nervous at the shelter. Glad she’s home now.
Orchid
Puppy Orchid, a very bouncy and happy youngster, was adopted (again). Hoping this is her perfect fit.
Teva
She was such a cooperative little girl for pictures. Don’t worry, she will grow into her ears!
Jeremiah
Jeremiah, our three-legged sweetheart, was adopted on Tuesday. So happy for this lively little guy! He will be such a great family dog!
Sugar
Sugar has been waiting for a while. Very happy she’s with her new family.
Jellybean
She, too, has been waiting for quite some time; we are thrilled that she is home tonight!
Please Note: The dogs I feature in this section are available for adoption as of today, October 18, 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.”
Are you wishing you had a dog who loves to relax on the couch as much as you do? If so, you’ve found her!
Dolce was very serious and nervous when she arrived at our shelter as a stray. She looked sad.
Dolce is a three-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier mix. She has been waiting for a new home since the first of October. She was taken in by a family in September. She had no identification. They loved her, but she did not get along with their other dog, so they brought her to the shelter. They had many good things to tell us about her, however. They wrote that she is house-trained and knows cues like sit, lie down, and come. She is very snugly and sweet to adults and children. In fact, they recommended that she go to a home with children, as she was very good with the finders’ kids. When left alone, she was free to roam the house and never had an accident. Her favorite toys are squeaky ones and her favorite thing to do is cuddle. The family described Dolce as “affectionate, playful, a lap dog, and active.” In addition, Dolce walks very politely on leash.
On Sunday, we decided we needed to get to know Dolce better and we are so glad that we did. This girl is a delight. We started out in the big yard to play. She no longer looked sad and loved being with us.
She was eager to chase a tennis ball a few times with Marianne.
She would find the ball, sniff it, and then race back…without the ball.
Hanging out with us at the platform seemed to be more Dolce’s style.
She had quite a bit to say.
After our yard time, we took Dolce into Mary’s Place, where she totally relaxed. No doubt she is a couch potato.
See? She shares.
Dolce is treat-motivated, which will make it easy to teach her new cues. She politely waits for treats and takes them gently.
Dolce will be a wonderful family dog. We all fell in love with her gentle nature. We’re hoping she’ll be adopted very soon.
They tell me I’m just the right size for a family dog. And I love to play. Do I sound like the dog for your family?
Brenna is a a two-year-old mixed breed with a huge grin. She loves people and is very energetic and playful. Since she is a stray, we have no idea what her past was like, but she has become a volunteer favorite.
Here she was with Linda soon after she was transferred to us from another shelter.
We have learned a few things about Brenna since she’s been with us. She LOVES to play fetch in the yards and she enjoys spending time with people. One thing that she needs to work on is her leash skill—actually her lack of leash skills. She pulls when on walks, but she is treat-motivated, so with some time and consistency she will learn to walk politely. Walkers have found that if she runs in a yard before going on her walk, she does much better. One volunteer wrote, “Very sweet, energetic girl, but pulls, so took her to a turnout where she loved playing fetch.”
We took her out to a yard and, yes, she had a blast.
Before going in, she happily posed with Linda on the bench..
Then we took her into Mary’s Place and introduced her to the GFB (Giant Fluff Ball), which was a HUGE hit!
She loves to hang out on the couch.
Who would have guessed Brenna would suddenly break into song!
Yep, she’s always alert for a possible treat.
I loved it when she curled up with me.
After such an active afternoon, Brenna was ready for a nap in the quiet companionship of Mary’s Place.
While we don’t know a lot about this sweetheart, we do know that she will bring a new family much laughter and love.
My friends here can’t understand why I haven’t been adopted yet. Maybe when you hear my story, you’ll want to take me home.
Lobo, still a youngster at nine months old, is a Siberian Husky/American Pit Bull Terrier mix. He is such a handsome and gentle boy who was much loved.
Sometimes a dog is surrendered by a broken-hearted family who are moving into a place that will not allow dogs. Lobo had such a family.
How do we know that he was so loved? Because they wrote a detailed, heartfelt letter about him for his next family. Here is some of what they wrote:
“Lobo enjoys nature walks, he just follows you wherever you go and mirrors you in any way. He’s the sweetest boy who was dominated by Chihuahuas in our home. He loves ice cubes, they keep him entertained. Lobo loves belly rubs. Before he goes to sleep, give him about ten minutes to get his last burst of energy out. He loves running. When he eats, make sure to tell him to sit and wait before putting his bowl down and the cue word is ‘eat’ and pointing at his food. Lobo gets super excited when you baby talk to him and he starts sneezing, so always please tell him, ‘Bless you,’ he loves it. Don’t ever think he’ll be mean, he has the cutest angel face. He is affectionate, playful, friendly with visitors, independent, and very active. Also please always give him a hug before sleeping time, he really enjoys those.”
Here are Lobo and Megan when he first arrived at the shelter.
I was sure Lobo would be adopted quickly and didn’t think we would need to feature him. But when he was still waiting last Sunday, we knew it was time. First we took him out to a yard to romp.
Clare came out and it was time for a snuggle.
As usual, we then headed into Mary’s Place and he was ready to play!
We let him play with the brand new GFB!
He loved it.
But he isn’t picky about toys, he likes them all.
But after playing for awhile, Lobo was ready for some quiet time.
If you have been waiting for a wonderful new family member who will think the sun rises and sets because of you, come and meet our Lobo. He’ll be patiently waiting in his kennel.
A Personal Note
In thinking about how I wanted to close this, my last post, I thought about the many, many shelter dogs who have touched my life, knowing I could never acknowledge them all. But there have been two who had the most impact on my heart.
The first is Scout, a shelter puppy my husband, John, and I adopted from the shelter in Casper, Wyoming. He moved with us to Salem when we retired and lived to be 14. He was such a good boy and we still miss him.
The second dog is Spike, a shelter dog, who, after being transferred to a rescue—was lost and finally found. He inspired “Spike’s Circle”— a group of acquaintances who never gave up looking for him, finally found him, and became life-long friends because we loved him.
It means a lot to me that both Scout and Spike are honored, next to each other, at the shelter.
On that note, that’s it for this week.
As always, thanks to my photo team volunteers Marianne, Megan, Linda, and Lily, and staff member Clare. 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
Related
This post was originally published on https://adopt-an-oregon-dog.com/