Happy Tails
If you’ve adopted a pet from WHS, we’d love to hear from you (or your pet!) so we can share your story with staff, on our website, or in Brief Paws, our quarterly newsletter. Send your adoption tale (250 words or less) and a high-resolution digitial photo (approx. 1 MB) of your pet to: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Toa
In November of 1999, shortly after moving to Oregon, my husband took our children on an adventure to pick out a family dog. I had never been a dog person prior to this time, but was open to the idea, fully knowing that I would be the one responsible for the daily care of the dog. I still remember the day very well since the dog my family was interested in adopting happened to be a favorite of one of the employees at the time. That dog was an energetic Labrador/Collie mix named Toa. Although still not set on the idea of adopting a dog, I could not refuse the pleading eyes of my children so the adoption process began.
All of this was very new to me and we received lots of paperwork and information that I wasn’t really sure what to do with. While living on 5 acres of property is great for an active dog, I soon learned that pet containment would be an area that we would need to address. Fortunately, Labs respond well to an invisible fence which we quickly installed and this property remained her home for the next 12 years. During her lifetime, Toa had to have two ACL surgeries on her back legs which healed nicely thanks to a great veterinary clinic, Silver Creek Animal Clinic, in Silverton.
Toa was loved very much and was a great family dog. Earlier this year, she developed a tumor in her right front shoulder and began limping due to the pain. Unfortunately, the only treatment for this condition would be to amputate her leg which would put considerable strain on her already arthritic back legs. So we decided to make her as comfortable as possible and let her live out the rest of her life. Even until the very end Toa would get up to provide every family member with a friendly greeting. Her last day with us was January 2, 2012, and just as she was always there for us, the whole family was there for her.
When we first adopted Toa into our home, we tried very hard to come up with a name of our own for her. After several days we decided to keep her given name as it seemed to suit her well even though we did not know what it meant. When we returned home on Jan 2, my son did some research about her name. We came to learn that “Toa” in Polynesian means warrior, which she definitely was.
-Chris
Midge
My name is Debra and I adopted Midge. I just wanted to let you know that Midge (renamed Mittens) is doing great in her new home!! She is happy and playful and turned out to be a perfect match for our family! She lets my son, who has autism, pet her and she is very sweet with him. Looking at her paperwork I see that she had quite a few medical problems and it took a lot of care and attention to get her in the condition she is today. I just wanted to express my gratitude for all of your hard work and let you know that this cat will be well cared for and loved for the duration of her life. She is a beautiful princess kitty!!!
Arlo
When my husband and I bought a house, we knew that we wanted a dog. Inspired by their goofy, fun-loving nature, I knew I wanted to adopt a pit-bull or Staffordshire terrier mix. I have always been troubled by those who refuse to educate or acquaint themselves with this breed. Thanks to the media, ignorance and mostly due to irresponsible owners, the reputation of this breed has been badly tarnished. When my husband spotted Arlo, a Staffordshire terrier/pointer mix, he said he wanted to take him outside. Within minutes, he was bouncing around so excitedly he fell head first into a trash can. We just knew he was the one. He loves other dogs, doesn’t bark, is so goofy and clumsy, attacks us with kisses and does sort of a smile thing when we come home. He fits in with our family perfectly and keeps us laughing. When friends come over he goes around and attempts to “sneak” into their laps. We have worked with him to become a great family pet and an ambassador for the breed. With the incredible amount of pit-bull mixes at the shelter, I am proud to say I contributed by giving Arlo a forever home. I recommend the shelter for those looking for any breed. I cannot imagine our life without him. Thank you Willamette Humane Society for giving us our best friend!
~Liz and Gianluca
Mow Mow
I wanted to write and thank you guys again for taking care of me until my forever mom adopted me. She constantly tells me how much she loves me and how beautiful I am…The only fly in my ointment is the kitten she adopted a few months ago to “keep me company.” I tried putting him up for adoption on Petfinder (see this attached pic) but she keeps catching me so it looks like he’s here to stay. I guess as long as he stays off my beds and away from my toys, it’ll be ok. We are moving and I didn’t want to leave town without saying thanks for doing what you do and for hooking me up with a great home!
-Mow Mow
Diggs
My brother’s birthday was coming up. He’s seven (I’m almost thirteen). We decided to get another dog as a surprise for his birthday. My family went to your facility and looked at every dog. Nearing the end of the kennels, there wasn’t a dog that really stood out to us.Then in the last row, lay a dog named “Red Ed,” a redbone coonhound. His face was so forlorn. We walked over to him, and I put out my hand for him to sniff. He raised his head and briefly wagged his tail. I was drawn to him from that moment on. We took him into the “meeting room” and he walked around us sniffing and wagging his tail. We took him home and every night he sleeps on my brother’s bed. Later we found out he had been in a kenel for six months before we found him. Adopting him has brought new life into him and our family. Thank you so much for keeping good care of him till we found him. P.S. Now his name is Diggs.
- Emma, Grayson & Diggs
Chevy
We just adopted Chevy from your shelter. When we met him, we were expecting a challenge as he was so hyper and anxious at the shelter. We brought him home and it is like we brought home a totally different dog! He is smart and obedient and good with our cats and young (2 yr old) sister. Turns out he just needed lots of love and a home to turn into a great dog! Thank you for giving him the fighting chance to end up in our arms and part of our family!
-Kristin & Chad
Chula
Once my husband (then boyfriend) Bryan and I moved into a house, we decided it was time to adopt a furry family member. We looked all over at many different Humane Societies, but never found a dog that seemed to really bond with us. On our trip through Willamette, Bryan immediately spotted Chula, laying in a pile of chewed up rubber bits, wagging her tail. He called me over, and I’ll admit I was a bit reserved, seeing that she was a Pitbull. She immediately wiggled her body and licked my hand. I was in love. We asked to take her into one of the meeting rooms, and she was the nicest, friendliest dog we had met. Once in the meeting room, she immediately went over to Bryan, sat on him, and passed gas. We figured “Well, this is it. She’s claimed us!” We took her home two days later.
On Chula’s first trip to the beach with us, Bryan proposed. Chula was at our wedding a year later. Since we adopted her she has become quite a major part in our lives. She’s learned to sit, lay down, shake, roll over, and has gotten much better at walking on the leash! She has her morning and evening belly rubs, and is quite spoiled by her “grandparents.” She’s also changing minds right and left about that Pitbull reputation. Overall she’s quite the lady and we’re glad to have her!
Thank you for all your hard work, and for taking her in temporarily so we could find her!
-Jennifer, Bryan, and Chula
