Successful Adoptions

Tail Wagging "Happy Endings"

I once thought that I was part of a forever family, but after seven years my former humans brought me to the shelter and left me there! You can imagine that I was broken-hearted and terrified. I’d never been away from a nice home, except a few stays at nice kennels, and then… The people at the shelter were afraid of me because I would snarl at anyone who came near my kennel. Things were looking pretty bad because I was almost 10-years-old, too.

Then, just a few weeks before Christmas, 2009, a very dog-loving couple came into the shelter and met me. They were both willing to play ball and pet me, and I sort of liked them right away. Imagine my surprise when I was not taken back to my kennel, but to their car instead! Yes, I was scared again, but not for long. They took me to their den and let me sleep on their bed (which was good because I was having nightmares). Both of the humans have something called “disabilities,” and I took right up in learning how to help them. They soon talked about how we all were helping each other, and I felt like I really belonged to a pack. It was great!

Now I get to do things I never dreamed about before. I get to take lots of rides in the car (my old humans told the shelter people that I get carsick!), go exploring lots of places with incredible new smells (I really like Division Street), and I am not left alone all day. Best of all, we play a lot of my favorite game, slimeball (which is “fetch” with a tennis ball), sometimes five or six times a day. At 10-and-a-half, I have my good days and slow days, but our pack makes them all seem good. My pack really loves me, and I am so happy to be with them.

My people are so happy to have found me that they became volunteers at CCDS in June, so they can help as many other dogs as possible find their forever families. I am so glad they do this, because it gives me time to rest a bit. If those people had their own way, I think they’d have me playing and exploring and riding around all day long! And them being “semi-retired” and all.

Lexi Dog, TS and RGS

My name is Annie, and I am a border collie-cattle dog mix. I found my forever family way back in 2003 when my person found me at the old CCDS building in Oregon City. She and I are made for each other. She likes to snuggle on the couch, and so do I. She likes taking long walks, especially near the river, and so do I. She likes being clean and takes lots of showers, and so do I. She likes taking rides in the car, and so do I. Why, we even share similar tastes in food, friends, and movies on DVD.

There is one little thing I do that she does not share with me… I love to get wet and then roll around in the sand at the beach, especially if there is a dead fish to roll over! Wow, what a perfume! But my lady must be allergic or something, because as soon as we get home, she gives me a bath. I LOVE baths! They are way more fun than showers.

Now I am seven (human years) and going strong. I have several good doggie friends, and my lady makes sure we all have lots of time to play together. My lady has told me many times how important I have been in her life, and I have told her how much she has meant to me, too. I just hope she understands the nuances of dog-talk.

Being in the shelter was scary at first, but the people there treated me really great and helped me get ready to meet my lady when she finally found me. I’d like the dogs who are at CCDS now to know that the humans there are really working hard to help your forever families find you, and have you ready to go when they do. Thank you CCDS for helping my lady and me become a wonderful forever family!

Annie and MB

We adopted Kol (Onyx when adopted) June 18th. We were lucky that the 1st family dropped out of the running to adopt this sweet loving lab – he’s amazing!! He has immediately captured our hearts and has become a welcomed addition to our family. The day we adopted Kol, he went camping for the weekend and had a blast! Since then, he’s enjoyed more camping trips, hiking and a new hobby, geo-caching! With no children in the home, Kol’s new mom and dad have lots of time to play ball, go on walks and try out all kinds of doggie treat recipes for his Kong toys. He’s enjoying life while learning new tricks and training very well.
I’ve included a picture of Kol on a picnic with us this last weekend.
Thank you for all you do!!
Jen

hi! we adopted Rowan, now named Bruce, under 2 mos ago and we are all in love! it goes to show what amazing dogs you can find at a shelter- he was a stray that came to the pound in the middle of the night, poor guy! he has all of the training- he sits and stays, doesnt bark, plays ball, walks well on a leash, plays well with others, doesnt need to be crated and is so great overall. we are so happy, thank you for our new family member!!!

My husband and I adopted Sparky on February 27, 2010, and he is doing great! He seems to be adjusted to our routine now and is really enjoying his new life with plenty of walks, exercise, and even running with me. He just finished his first Beginning Obedience training class, and we might take him to more classes as well. He loves learning and is enjoying the challenge of new things. His leash walking has really improved, he sits and waits at the door before we go out, he can roll over on command, and he is learning to play fetch with tennis balls. He is a little lovebug and enjoys affection and especially tummy rubs.
He is a great dog and we are happy to have adopted him from Clackamas Dog Services. We hope that all of your dogs find wonderful homes, and we wish you all the best. I've included a few photos so that you can see how he is doing :)

Thank you,
Hope H.

Probably too many pictures... but Bela is a joy.
I dont' have the time to volunteer regularly right now, but if you ever need someone to recommend senior dogs, just let me know! Or for an adoption outreach day.

Thanks for the great dogs!

I adopted my newest, most wonderful addition to our family on November 28, 2009. (She is in the center of the picture) I had been looking for an older dog to add to the two we already have and I came upon a sad little girl named "June". She was a dog that would easily have been passed over and she was a mess. I brought my grandchild to see her and I fell in love. She was smelly, had overly long hair, long nails, and cowered when we met.

I took her from the shelter to my groomer and it was as though a Cinderella from the dog world appeared! She was beautiful! I brought her home to be with "the boys" and she fit in like she had always been there. It took a while for her to open up, but she is now coming out of her shell and running with the boys to greet us when we come home.

I call her my "Velcro dog" because she is everywhere I am. She also has an affinity for my grandchild and they are always together. It is hard to imagine that such a dear dog could end up at the shelter. I look at her all the time and give thanks that she is cozy in our home for the rest of her life. I don't know why I zeroed in on a dog like her, but we were meant to be. I have re-named her "Oma", which means "grandma" in German. She and I will grow old together and I thank the kind people at Clackamas for making this possible.

Many Thanks!

Hi,

I just wanted to give you an update about Ranger. I adopted him November 9th 2009. Although he had a hard transition (obviously abused by prevoius owner. ) He has become very comfortable (as you can see in picture) and is a GREAT! addition to the family.

Thank you,
April

I just wanted to give you an update on "Joey" (who now goes by Billy), the dog we adopted from you last week. All of us are absolutely ga-ga over this amazing animal.

He is one incredible dog; affectionate, sweet, polite and totally charming. As a bonus, his is incredibly smart and was well trained. Everyday he shows us something new that he knows how to do! We found out early that he knows sit, down, come, stay, off, shake and wait. But then he showed us some of his other tricks, including that he knows how (and love, love, loves) to play soccer; he travels with the ball and passes it back and forth!

It was our first experience adopting from you, and I think because we were able to spend so much time with the animals in such a healthy setting, we were able to see Billy's potential and wonderful qualities. He is a "poster child" for dog adoption; already, so many people have been amazed that such an incredible animal came from a shelter.

When we were in the process of looking for a pet, I cautioned my kids, "There is no such thing as a perfect dog." There will be certain inevitabilities, but so far, I have been proven wrong!

Thanks for helping bring Billy into our family!

The Haroldsons
Matt, Amy, Caroline and Drew

Thanks so much for letting me know, hope she will have a happy life. I will keep checking. If any of you do run across another Shepherd needing a home, please do let us know. Kaen is such a wonderful dog, truly a diamond in the rough. He even likes our barn cats...they sleep with him in his kennel/dog house, isn't that funny?!! Kaen was so good with kids that were visiting over Memorial weekend. We have a pond and they all hung out there alot. Kaen was SOOO protective of them all and stayed by their sides the entire time they were in the water. He was so amazing, people could not believe how attentive he was to them, especially when he hadn't met them before that weekend! I love him SO much!

Connie Barnum

I just wanted to let you know that our new Dog (Mico) we call her and my husband and very happy together !! Please see attached picture, she is a wonderful, very well behaved and loved dog!

We even contacted the owner because we found an add for missing dog in our neighborhood and he didn't want her back, can you believe that!

Thank You
Dennis & Jennifer St.Clair

Gracie has been returned home. Her posting was seen by Brie from Beaverton and Brie took her straight home.

Thank you for maintaining the website. Gracie is home, safe and getting her medication because of the great work you do and the kindness of a stranger.

Regards,
Dave And Kay Bower

Thank you for your services. I called today to report that my dog, Roxie, had been found. Your site, however, was able to confirm my lost dog with the vet's office. A fellow Canby dog owner found her on Saturday and her teenaged kids took care of her as she lived as a family member with the two BIG dogs they owned, until this morning. The dog owner took her to her vet (who happened to be mine, as well) Upon confirming her AVID ID chip information and using your site to look for reported lost dogs, they were able to ascertain that it was their own "patient" and contacted me to let me know she was there, safe and sound.

Thank you for your quick response in posting her "lost". The services provided helped us. My vet's assistant immediately recognized her, but your services allowed positive confirmation.

Thank you again

One happy Dog Mom!!!!

Hey There:
We adopted Bella as you called her but now her name is TESSAA, and she has really enriched our lives and hearts. We go for walks and to the dog park, what an experience that was. Tessaa has made new friends with all our grandchildren.

Jerry and Beth Lehman

Just thought I’d send you guys a couple pictures of our girls. Diosa (the one we adopted) is on the left and Kahlua (our original Ratweiler) is on the right. The girls played very hard this weekend, and needed a nap… Neither are spoiled…. Diosa is doing very well… When we adopted her, she had been roaming around Sherwood for almost a month and went from 4lbs to a now 7lbs in the last year. She fits in VERY well in the house, and is now litter box trained, because neither of the girls like the rain. We still wonder why no one looked for her, or tried to get her back. She’s an AWESOME little dog. Kahlua and Diosa both share a 4x8 pen during work hours and most times can be found after work in the same bed under the covers together. They are best buds!!! Diosa now knows sit and lay down. She’s very smart and learned the two tricks about a month ago in about 3 days in 20 minutes total. She’s definitely our girl. If others come over or we take the girls to my mom’s house, she’s on my lap, following me, or laying under my chair. She’s great with my 4 year old niece and my 12 year old sister. My sister has two Chihuahuas also so they all 4 get to play together and go to the park. She loves clothes, chasing the cats, treats, going bye-bye, and talking. She’s very much a talker. They go for “Spa Day” at PetSmart, and Diosa’s very good with groomers, and vets. We LOVE her! Thanks for a wonderful dog!

I adopted Gilbert, who you called Tino last month and thought I would give you an update. I took him to my vet to get his rabies shot and to schedule a time to get him fixed. My vet will not do either as he is over 12 years old…he felt thatit would be to hard on his little body at this point and he did give me a medical release to get him his license. He also told me that he has the doggy version of Cushings disease and that his walk is due to him not having kneecaps where they should be…throw in a little arthritis and some allergies and the little fella has a plate full. But you wouldn’t know it to look at him…he gets out in the yard with the rest of the dogs and barks and protects the place from all manner of people, cats, birds, paper, etc…I have him on a high end dog food and add allergy drops to it twice a day. And we’ve bought him several sweaters to keep him warm. He has the sweetest disposition despite everything and just goes along with what everyone is doing, thank you for this little angel.

Kathy King

Hi there,

I adopted Hank on Feb. 2 2008 (he went by Spot there). He has been an excellent companion and just a great dog. He was listed as a Shar Pei mix when I got him, I thought he had some German Shorthair Pointer.

I was part correct, recently I had a DNA dog breed analysis and was quite surprised to find that he is: 20-40% german shorthair pointer, 20-40% english springer spaniel, 10-20%english setter, 10-20% keeshond, 10-20% chihuahua, and 10-20% pappillon. I always assumed Pointer/Lab. The G.S.P. explains his endless amounts of energy (minimum 1 hr @ dog park per day) and instinctual hunting and retreiveing. His sister was also there as they were owner surrenders, I would love to get in contact with her owners or have them contact me if possible for some play dates. I encourage all who read this to strongly consider adopting a shelter animal. I hope to see in the near future a shelter pet in the whitehouse w/ the Obama family. I think this would encourage a lot of people to do the same. Thanks again for the best dog a man could ever want!

Eric Wolff

Hello,

I adopted Libby aka "Josie" January 20, 2009. I cannot begin to tell you the happiness she brings me. Libby is the most affectionate, loving and gentle soul. It had been 6 years since my last dog passed away so I really needed something special to fill that void..........well I sure got it with Libby! She loves to play and acts goofy as a puppy should. She has adapted very well to her 3 kitty house mates and loves to run around and play with her 2 cousins, chocolate labs Blue & Cooper. I still cannot believe she ended up at the pound. She is so smart and knew so many commands when I got her not to mention housebroken! I feel VERY lucky to have found her, or should I say lucky she found me and could not image life without her. Thanks to all of your staff and for making this a very "Happy Ending" for Libby.

S. Wiley

We adopted Bella Blue on January 7th of 2009, her name with you all was "Cookie".

As you can see in this picture she is best buds with our border collie/german shepherd mix. Bella has a great life now and spends her days going on walks and playing with Marley all day long. She has been such a blessing to our lives, and I encourage everyone I know to please rescue a dog, they make the best pets. I cannot imagine our lives without our Bella in it.

Thank you....Colleen H.

Hello all, my name is Ziggy. I was adopted by my new family November of 2007. I came to the shelter a very scared lost boy who needed a family to love me. When you found me I was roaming the streets of Lake Oswego and I was almost blind in one eye from an injury that wasn't properly taken care of. My grandma saw my mug shot online and took great interest because I looked very similar to my sister Gidget.

When my dad brought her into visit me it was love at first sight. I was finally taken to my new house the next day where I was instantly loved more then I have ever been loved in my life. I learned how to go down stairs and jump on the couch and soon I was running around playing tug-of-war with my new sister. I just moved up to Seattle with my parents and am loving my big backyard where I can chase my sister and bark at the neighbors through a hole in the fence. I love to sleep but I also love to bark at my dad while he is eating so he will pay attention to me and not his food. Thank you to Clackamas County for taking such good care of me while i found a new home!

With Love,
Ziggy Magoo Hesson

I adopted Brodi nearly two years ago. Those at the shelter will remember him as Fosbury; he's an unforgetable dog! He was nearly at the end of his time. One of the gals there was desperately trying to find a place for him as he is such a nice dog. I came in looking for an older dog, I thought, who'd do well with the old husky mix we already had.

At two, Brodi wasn't exactly 'older', but he was so friendly and beautiful, we took him home. And oh, my goodness!! We're so lucky to have him as a member of our family. I started him in agility training nearly a year ago and what an experience that's been! Because he's very athletic and focused, he's moved along at an incredible pace. He's learning faster than I am and makes me look good at trials - well, we've done two! He's excelled in his class and for those who know agility, he's qualified at his level. He is absolutely dog friendly, luckily for the pitbull pup (in the picture of two dogs, she's the lighter, smaller one) my son got and passed along to me. (He didn't have an appropriate place for her to live.) She's so exuberant and eager to play rough, but Brodi has remained patient with her - and it's been a year! I just can't say enough about the good qualities of this amazing dog. Some might say that he's lucky we chose him, but I'd say an angel was looking over my shoulder that day at the shelter and I'm the lucky one. Thank you, folks at the shelter, for saving him for us. I can't imagine why someone gave him up, but happily for us, they did. We love him so much.

I wanted to share with you my great find. I came to you at the end of July to donate my previous little girls beds, food, leashes etc. I had no plans to adopt another dog. But, I ended up adopting Kerry, a small, 8 yr old terrior mix on August 1, 2008. He had been with you for a month I believe, lost weight and clearly was depressed. Well, he has turned into the most adorable little man! I named him Kibou (Japanese for "HOPE"). He jumps, runs, plays, kisses and knows so many tricks~! He is Just quite smart! I have a car seat for him and he loves it. He just jumps in and sits in it proudly.

You all do such a wonderful job and I was so touched by your kindness and compassion for all of the dogs and to me. Thank you again

~ Terri

Hi,
My name is Lucy (the blond one) and I was adopted from the Clackamas shelter two years ago by Buster brown and my new mom. I love my new life where I hike everyday and Buster Brown is the best brother anyone could ask for. He lets me be the boss and licks my ears and face every night. I pray for all the dogs who don't have a home that they find someone that will love and take care of them.

~ Lucy

Hi ,
I got adopted from Clackamas County Dog Control in May. The name the County gave me was Candy, but my new name is Cedar because my mom loves Cedar trees. My new family is a human mom, dad, sister, and I also have a 4 year old German Shepherd sister named Aney, a 5 year old brother named Gianni who is a black cat, and a 5 year old sister named Isa who is a feral cat and she lives outside. RJ the racoon stops by sometimes, and Aney and I just go crazy. Mom and dad are trying to get us to be calm when he's on the deck. They don't want him to come by and they're working on discouraging him from coming over. Aney and I sleep on our own pillows in mom and dad's room at night. I'm pretty spoiled.

We get puppy treats, our fish oil capsules are rolled up in deli ham everyday, I have about one acre of their six acres to run around in (we're trained on the Invisible Fence), and Aney and I LOVE playing tag in the yard. We've been pretty hard on mom's flower beds, but mom knows we're just playing and having a good time. When we get too wild, we go into the dog run for a little while. When it's hot, they fill up our swimming pool so we can play in the water. At first I wasn't sure about water, but Aney showed me how it could be fun. I really love the water now! I've had my first bath. Again, I was a little nervous, but it really wasn't that bad. Mom says I smell better now, too. Another of our favorite treats is peanut butter in a nyla bone. That is so good!!

I love my new home, and I know they love me. I get petted and snuggled all of the time. I've hardly had any accidents in the house - they always tell me I'm a good girl. When I got here I had a pretty bad cold which I gave to Aney. Mom and Dad had two pretty sick dogs. They originally thought it was kennel cough, but it turned out to be a stubborn virus. I also had to wait awhile to get my surgery. Aney and I got well and now we're really energetic.

Thanks to the people at Clackamas County Dog Control for taking such good care of me and helping me get to my new home!!

~ Cedar

Hi Guys,
Just wanted to let you know that Grace has settled into her new home in Redmond very nicely. I am sending some pictures of her in her front yard (one acre of fully fenced natural Central Oregon landscape) and a picture of her in her back yard (3 fenced acres of grass lined with trees). The first day she was in her new home she walked the fence line with my brother-in-law and there has been no problem at all with her trying to jump the fence or run off. She is a great addition to the family and appears to take great pride in her job which is to keep the deer out of my sister's yard :) Grace seems very happy. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Michael and his family for allowing her to make the move to Redmond. I'm sure it was hard on them, but it seems to be working out great for Gracie. Thanks to all of you too for all you do to help the animals of Clackamas County.

Sincerely Reta Price

Hello, I just wanted to update anyone who may remember a blue heeler names sophie that I adopted over a year and a half ago. I know she was there for a while before I come and got her, though I still don't understand why no one wanted her! She an amazing dog, fun with some quirks. She often goes on trips to the dog park, to go see the horses and she loves my boyfriend's lab. I have seen her use her herding instints and managed to keep a small herd of llamas, goats and sheep together one day. She tries to herd up the cows, though she is more afraid of them then they are of her. This last weekend she went on her first camping trip and did great.

She does have some issues with peeing in the house, and sometimes eats bags out of the garbage, but she is so great otherwise. She gets along great with my boyfriend's neice who is 2, and loves kids at the park. She also loves loves loves playing fetch, swimming and running up and down the fence with the dogs on the other side. My mom was so afraid she would tear up the house when we brought her home, but she is great. Has only chewed on one shoe (made out of a weird cork material) and knows the difference between my stuffed animals, and hers! Her and the lab have a great time playing tug-o-war and tearing the stuffed animals they are given to shreds.

I am so glad she is the dog I adopted, I can't imagine having anyone else. Thank you to everyone at the shelter!

Do you have comments or a story about a dog or cat you recently adopted from Clackamas County Dog Services or which Clackamas County Dog Services helped you find when it was lost? If so we'd love to hear them! Some might even end up on our webpage. You can send a picture and your comments/story along with the date you adopted or lost your pet via email to dogservices@co.clackamas.or.us or you can mail them to us at: Dog Services "Happy Endings", 13141 SE Highway 212, Clackamas, OR 97015.