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Newsletter

Hector (now Bailey)

Thank you for Hector! He is turning out to be a great dog. I know your staff may wonder how he is? He is very happy, loves his toys, and has learned how to sit stay lay down and speak.

He walks great and loves his yard. He has a dog house with a window. And is getting big. We love him every day. But remain the pack leaders. And brush him every week. He still loves to lick all the time but he is still a puppy. We clean his eyes every day. And we renamed him Bailey. If you want pixs of him, let me know.

Thank you again for this dog. He will all ways be more then a dog to us. It was well worth the drive from Portland.

Steven Harmon
Portland, OR.

Annie

My husband and I would like to thank you for all of your generous and kind work with homeless animals. Your work allowed us to adopt our beautiful, Annie dog, on 3/2/2002 from you.

Annie was found to have inoperable cancer in Sept. 2007, and we had someone come to our home on 9/21/2007 and help her pass on. Annie was about 12 1/2 years old.

She was the sweetest dog we have ever had the pleasure of loving. We gave her a good life. She had love, attention, good food, was never was left alone, and always enjoyed her car rides. Without your kindness to Annie, we would not have had the joy of loving her and being her people family.

With warmest regards and respect,
Jim and Sheliah Mosley

Max

On Saturday, April 14, I had the sad task of putting my buddy, Max down. For the last few weeks, Max had been having problems standing or walking. This week, he stopped eating his food. Last night, he wouldn't take a drink. When I woke up today, I knew it was time.

I found Max a little over 3 years ago at a your shelter. He was part of a collector's 65 dogs. He was one of the last dogs taken. He was severely malnourished, hair completely matted and infested with fleas. You spent 3 months getting back to good health.

 

When I met Max, I was looking at another dog that could have cared less I was there. I had them bring Max out to take a look. He walked up to me; put his big paw on my leg. Then he turned around, sat and leaned into me, then looked up as if to say "Okay, are we going home or what?"

For three years he was with me for walks, road trips to see the family, etc. People would always come up with their kids and ask to pet him. He was always patient and loved the attention. He occasionally made a great pillow.

 

My favorite moment with him was the first time I took him to the ocean. He was splashing in the water and loving life. Then he decided to take a drink of water. The look on his face was priceless. I cannot remember laughing that hard. I also called him the “Zen master” as other dogs would treat him with such respect. They could be barking at one another. Then as soon as Max walked nearby, they would stop until he passed. Then they’d bark again.

Recently, it was apparent that Max was having problems. He stopped eating for the most part. He couldn’t stand on his own. When he did, he had problems walking. His breathing was labored. My girlfriend, her kids and I took him with us for one more trip to the beach. He had so much fun. The highlight was him walking up to a young woman with serious physical deformities. Max didn’t care. He walked up to be petted. Her face lit up when she would stop and he would nudge her to continue. That was just the way it was.

 

I wanted to say thank you to everyone at the shelter. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have met my buddy. He was my balance for the times when I didn’t feel balance. He was the sentinel watching over me until he felt I would be okay with my new family. As sad as I am that he is gone, I feel better knowing he is no longer in pain.

Bless you all.
John Richards
Portland, OR.

 

Cheech

Hi, this is Cheech.

I'm doing really great, have gained weight so my ribs aren't showing anymore and I LOVE my new family, including the cats.

I have a big yard to play in and my Mom just spoils me a lot. You might want to take me off the Humane Society website as the featured pet. I think its someone elses turn! Thanks for taking such great care of me while I was waiting for my new home and please be sure to tell all the people that loved me I'm thankful for them!

Sincerely,
Cheech Reed (with some help from Deb)
Deer Island, OR.

Sadie

Sadie is the perfect dog for us — we have had several Chesepekes in the past and know just what they need to be happy, successful pets. She is so classic Ches, we have a hard time finding the chocolate lab in her (maybe a little less dense coat). She really has all of the typical Ches characteristics, and those in good balance.

She learns quickly, is happy to please, loves to go on walks and play in the yard. She's protective of our family and home, especially protective of our 6 yr old daughter, who has no stranger fear!

We were so impressed with your shelter--the cleanliness, attitude of volunteers, and the condition of the dogs and cats. We couldn't believe how clean Sadie was--nails even kept clipped and ears totally clean. Thanks for the really great service that you provide!

David & Lynne Shinen
Beaverton, OR.

Trek

We have a busy family but the kids and I wanted a dog. With 3 young children to raise, I don't have a lot of spare time so a puppy was out of the question. I had my doubts that we would find an adult dog that would not require a TON of work and be good with kids AND cats AND not be terribly demanding for exercise.

While we were on a shopping trip way out to St. Helens, OR (a fair distance from the Portland metro area) we stopped in at the shelter where I had previously adopted a cat a few years ago. I had done some prelim research on the internet through Petfinder and had some ideas of the dogs they had there.

We did not anticipate adopting a dog but wanted to get a weekend "dog fix". We all love to visit with dogs we meet and pet them and cuddle them. My oldest daughter (6 years) and I went in first. My husband stayed in the car with our sleeping 2 1/2 year old son and youngest daughter. We walked through the kennels and read the descriptions on the doors, looking for a candidate for our household. I kept thinking to myself, "this dream-dog probably doesn't exist and if it did, its owner would probably be keeping it".

I inquired about a particular dog I saw in a kennel but was told she was not good with cats at all. I asked if they could point me toward a dog that would be good with kids AND cats. The lady said they didn't have any. A head popped out from behind a computer and said "how about Trek?".

This woman was a volunteer and a Board member at the shelter. She had taken one of the dogs at the shelter under her wing and had been working with him on the days she was there. He had been an insecure, needy dog that cried when left alone. He was in the office with her.

We took Trek into the cattery to see how he behaved around the cats. He had no interest. He knew how to sit, lay down, shake, roll over. I asked if he was housebroken and was informed that he never messed in his kennel. He was gentle with the kids (eventually the whole family came in).

The nice lady asked if we wanted to take him on a 5 day home visit. My husband and I agreed to, with some trepidation. We figured surely he would revert to his insecure self once removed from his current environment.

We loaded Trek in the car. We secured his leash for fear he might try to jump into the back seat and land on one of our children. He sat in the back and whined a little bit but was ultimately fine.

It took a little effort but we introduced him to our resident cats, on leash of course, and he was actually kind of scared of them. It took a while but he warmed up to them and now is fine with them walking under his belly or jumping over him while he's laying down. He doesn't even care if they eat out of his bowl.

We ended up extending our home visit to be sure we wanted to officially adopt him. We changed his name to "Jake" because our children had difficulty with the name Trek. He comes to it beautifully. He thrived in our home environment. He acted like he had been here for years. He did not rip up the house, potty in the house or cry or bark. He just followed us around everywhere. When we left to run errands or whatever, he laid on his bed quietly.

We officially adopted him after a week and a half. He is such a treasured friend now. Since we adopted him, we have learned that he knows how to "speak" and "sing". He has obviously had training. I wonder how he ended up in the shelter. Such a good dog shouldn't end up at a shelter. Yet, there he was. I believe he was once loved and lived with a family because once he was in our home, he behaved like he had just been away for a visit somewhere. He even barked when someone came to the door.

We wish we could teach him to talk or at least to write so we could hear his life story. He is such a soulful spirit and a joy to be around. I love having him around. He watches over us when my husband is gone to work late. He loves cuddling and enjoys hugs best of all. He is what I would have to call a "plug & play" dog!

I can't say enough good things about our dog. I am so glad that we went into the shelter and expressed our wants/needs to the staff there. We bypassed the puppy stage and came home with a dog who had lost his way in life and needed a home and love. We are one big happy family!

Oh by the way, he is a lab/shepherd/border collie mix with probably a lot of other stuff too. He is about 55 pounds, black sable in color and has the softest velvety ears that can't decide whether they want to stand up or stay down. Either way, he is perfect.

Stephanie Dodson
Portland, OR.

JinShing

Hi,
I would just like to share a success story with you all. I adopted JinShing back in April of 2005. After her first introduction to my kitties, all is well. On her first venture into the backyard she chased them full boar out of the yard, and it had me wondering oh, no, this won't work. But she is wonderful, smart, and loves to learn and please. She now knows those are her kitties, and although she loves to tease them and play with them, they are the best of friends.

Shortly after adopting JinShing, we attended obedience training at PetSmart. She loved it. She did so well that our trainer asked me if she could use her on an appearance on AM Northwest. Of course I said yes, so JinShing got her moment of fame on the show. She demonstrated how to sit, stay, and several other tricks. Our trainer made sure to mention also, that she was a shelter dog from the Columbia County Humane Society....nice plug!

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that yet another of your efforts has resulted in one very happy dog, and very happy family.

Here she is at the beach:
 

And then of course with one of her stuffed furry victims
 

Thanks All!
Susan Reid
Scappoose, OR.

Daisy

When I first met Daisy I swear I fell in love with her the second I saw her!   She is such a good dog and we are best buds now.   It took me a couple days to convince my dad but everything ended up working out.   Daisy is extremely happy to be apart of this family and im glad she is too.   We have two cats and they deal with her and she always trys to play wiht them.

Daisy has made LOTS of friends around the neighborhood!!!

David Leadham
Scappoose, OR.

One of Columbia Humane Society's long time residents has Finally found a home! That's right, after staying here at our humble shelter for over a year, Nanny is home at last.

Nanny

Nanny has moved to a country type setting where she and her new owner love to run together daily. They are very pleased to have found Nanny after their family pet of many years had passed away just a short 6 months ago.
Congratulations Nanny!!!

Kodi, a female German shepherd mix, was adopted by Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California.

After many attempts at finding that forever home, Kodi finally found her place in this world. Becoming a very needed companion and loyal friend to a member of our Blind community.

Yeah Kodi!!! We're so proud of you!!!

Kodi (now Kokie)

Hello, I just wanted you to know that "Kokie" is doing well and is going into a puppy home in April.
KATU news was here this morning filming segments for this morning's news and she was in one of the shots! She was in one of our fenced areas running with other dogs during "recess".
We continue to be pleased with her progress. I'll let you know when she gets close to being matched with a blind person.
Thanks for letting us have her!

Margie McMahan, Training Supervisor
Guide Dogs for the Blind

   

Reece

Hi all. I just wanted to give a quick update on Reece. We had a long ride home but Reece was quite great in the car--slept a fair amount of the ride and leaned into me giving me kisses for a good part of the remainder. What a sweetheart! We took a long walk when we got home and he was admired by a good part of Seattle's dog-loving citizenry!

He's doing well at home and has been quite the gentleman. I've gotta say, I love the guy.

Thank you so much for helping me adopt him -- know that he will be well loved and well taken care of, as no doubt, will I.

Mary Kernic, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Seattle, WA.

Gadget

We just wanted to send you a quick note to let you know how pleased we are with our adoption of Gadget. She is turning out to be a wonderful addition, full of the kind of energy that only a kitten possesses, yet "demanding" plenty of lap and love time.

She adjusted to our home in the first hour and has been going non-stop since. Our border collie Bailey may not share the same level of enthusiasm, but is tolerating the presence of competition surprisingly well.

She's already had her check up and is putting on weight steadily. She is going to be a gorgeous cat.

Thank you for making her available to us.

Brent, Michele & Kaitlyn Horn

Mayhem

You may remember me, Dirk (D-2), that sweet tabby who was all alone in my cage? Well, now I am known as Mayhem, or Hammy / Hampstead / Ham Bone for short and I live with a wonderful family in St Helens, Oregon.

I have a new Mum called Kylie and a Dad called Tyler and most importantly I have a sister kitten called Mischief, or Missy. She's about the same age as me.

Missy and I didn't really get along at first, it was a hard couple of days because she was already at the house when I arrived. I spent alot of time hiding under the couch and the desk in the office, but now Missy and I get along great. We love to play together and we curl up and sleep together when we have exhausted ourselves running up and down the stairs.

My Mum & Dad really look after us. We get a yummy breakfast of a morning and crunchies during the day and we get fresh water twice a day - they even use the filtered kind!! They also make sure we have plenty of clean litter. And when we are really good or take our medicine for worms they give us a really yummy treat - but sometimes Mum gives us a treat just because she loves us, but don't tell Dad!!!

Mum & Dad are sometimes strict on us if we climb the curtains or scratch up the couch. If they catch us, we get a squirt with the spray bottle of water. That normally pulls us back into line. For the rest of the time though they give us lots of love and attention.

We have plenty of toys to play with and a nice bed to sleep in, though Missy and I usually curl up together on the office chair or the couch to sleep.

We are having a great time and I hope you are all finding wonderful families like ours to go home to. I will come and visit you soon, I promise.

I have to go as Mum has just got home and I get in trouble if I use her computer too much. In the meantime, stay well. I will write again soon.

Love to all of you,
Mayhem & Mischief Stansbury

PS - Check our me and my sis, Missy in the attached pix!!

Sabbath

Last year in March I adopted a black male cat named Sabbath. I call him Sabby for short. He is polydactyl. What a joy he has been to me and my other cat Annie. He jumps from one object to another on command. (He is sooo smart.) He waits patiently by the mail slot for the mail to come and goes crazy and runs around when it arrives. He knows when the mailman comes so he is ready and waiting!
Just wanted to let you know that I am very happy with my sweetie cat.
Sharon Dibble

Kodee (a.k.a. Chinook)

My husband and I adopted Kodee (known as Chinook while at CHS) back in August of 2002. Back then he was a shaved and skinny Samoyed – now he’s a fluffy, robust Samoyed who loves "cookies" and dinnertime. He is the apple of our eyes and is the sweetest and most gentle dog in the world. He has the typical temperament of Samoyed and can be stubborn sometimes but it’s all worth it when he looks at you with his blue eyes and Samoyed "smile". He is an absolute joy and loves his "brother" that we adopted from a rescue shelter in Spokane, WA. They get along extremely well and are best buddies.
THANK YOU CHS FOR ALLOWING US TO ADOPT SUCH A WONDERFUL DOG.
Regards,
Joe and Maureen Malek
Hillsboro, OR.

Sugar

I adopted a Yellow Lab/Golden Retriever on 02-15-2005 named Sugar. She has added lot to our family and is exactly what I was looking for in a dog.
She is very good with my 3 year old grandson. They play until she is tired. Sugar is a very loving dog and quite a character. She seems to love being a "house" dog.
Thank you for having such a great dog available.
Sharon Naylor
St. Helens OR

Antares (or Aries)

Hello -
I was in there last Saturday and adopted Antares or Aries (there was some confusion on which name applioed to which cat). Anyway, he's the one with more white on him. I just wanted to say that he is doing just fine. I bathed him the other day, which he took to wonderfully. His coat is beautifully shiny and soft. We named him "Miso" since I am half Japanese and he seems to like it. My little girl just loves him and he enjoys being stroked by her and even likes our five-month old little boy, Miso crawled onto Joseph's feet while he sat in his bouncy seat, My husband and I talked it over and if you've not yet adopted out Miso's brother, we may be interested in him as well. If he melts someone else's heart, that's fantastic, but we are open to the idea of keeping the two brothers together, Thank you so much for your assistance while we were at your shelter and for taking care of such lovely, sonderful kitties while they're waiting for forever homes.
Stephanie Dodson
Portland, OR

Odette (a.k.a. Keara)

Odette (named Keara when she was with you) has been with me for three years now. She is a beautiful, gentle cat who gets along well with two dogs and one other cat.
Valerie Schuyler
Portland, OR

Posie (a.k.a. Ruth)

Hi Columbia Humane Society,
We adopted Ruth on Nov 29, 2003. I just wanted to let you know she is doing well and has a wonderful, happy home with us. We renamed her Posie. She is very active and wants to play all the time. Our other cat, Parker, was grumpy for a month but he gets along with her now. I think he enjoys having another cat around. We really enjoy having Posie in our lives, and thank you so much for taking care of her those 7 months she was at your shelter. We hope to come out and visit again someday, and walk some of the dogs for you. Here are some pictures of her in her new home.
Sorry I didn't get this to you sooner.
Sandra and Alex

Olivia Deville (a.k.a. Guinevere)

We thought you might like to see some pictures of Olivia Deville, a.k.a. Guinevere. She was my 16 year old daughter's Christmas present. She has become quite a large member of our household. The "Deville" comes from the fact that she has terrorized our Greyhound and Chihuahua, they however are getting used to taking orders from a kitty. She is currently "helping" me type this e-mail. It will be a miracle if I can actually send it. We thought you might like to know how well she is fitting in our family.
The Hanks Family,
Mike, Renee, Alex, and Madison