Clackamas County

This is the county shelter for Clackamas County. It is very clean, and the dogs get nice sized runs. I have visited a few times, and each time there are staff members and volunteers wandering around in the shelter itself. Make some eye contact, and they’re right there immediately to help you meet a dog. I have had experiences at other places where there are lines to wait in lines to talk to people before meeting a pet. That’s not the case here.
They deal primarily with stray animals, and they do euthanize animals when they have to, though they seem to work collaboratively with other area shelters, including no-​kill shelters, to ensure that quality pets are transferred over if space runs low here. The hard reality is that we cannot always provide homes for all animals, and the even harder reality is that some animals should not be placed in homes where they can harm people or pets. I respect that hard decisions must be made, and I very much appreciate the hard work that goes into a county shelter like this one to give the quality dogs who come through here a fair shake at a new home.
The shelter is exceptionally clean, and there are buckets of kibble on the doors to the runs so that people can interact positively with the dogs, see them sit, see them take food gently, see them do whatever cute thing they do to get you to give up the kibble, and maybe some space in your home for them. If you are looking for a dog, big or small, old or young, definitely swing down to Clackamas and check out this county animal shelter.

Yesterday, Gentleman Caller and I brought home a 95 pound dog.
I’m saying this like it was a spur of the moment thing, but we have been looking for the right household addition for months. It sounds like it should be easy, right? Two people who want a dog go out and instantly fall in love with the same dog and just victory march on home – or not at all. We had been to so many shelters and met so many different dogs, it seemed like we would never find the dog that combined what we both wanted. How hard is it to find «reasonably lazy but can be inspired for energetic madness but overall gentle and kind»?
Hundreds of dogs need homes and we were both committed to finding a dog at a shelter. After seeing so many shelters and sad dogs though, I was feeling pretty drained on the whole process. I told myself we would spend one more weekend looking, we’d go to this one more shelter whose website suggested 3 or 4 dogs who might be good fits for our home.
I was wary of the whole «county animal shelter» thing. I guess I was expecting sad prison rows of dogs and dimly lit corridors. I actually found a well-​lit and friendly facility. We walked up and down three rows of dogs (who were in nice, clean spaces and fed the dogs treats) and then went to a room with a bench, chairs and some toys to meet our potential new roomies.
Aside from the general niceness of the facility, the staff there was really excellent. They seemed to know more about each individual animal than at other shelters I’ve been to. The staff seemed to really care about finding a good home for each animal and moreover, finding the right home for each animal.
I can’t guarantee that Gigantor (not his real name… or is it?) will be the greatest dog in the world. After 24 hours, he’s still figuring us out. I can guarantee that he came from a good place where staff members could tell us about his history and his demeanor and that he has been well taken care of.