From “just looking” to “just found”

By Holly Shumway
The Portland Upside
November 2009

Panda, an 8-year-old Australian Shepherd mix, found a new home with the Shumway family.

It is not often that you find a panda in Portland, but on a cold day three years ago, my family did just that.

Snow falls as we huddle in front of the computer screen to “just take a peek” at the dogs and puppies available for adoption. My three children and I navigate the Oregon Humane Society’s website, as the mantra “just looking” plays in my head.

Scrolling through the pictures, my sons laugh at the names that seem so fitting, their furry faces staring back at us: Marshmallow, a fluffy Pomeranian mix; Charlie, a curly cocker spaniel; and Dusty, a dirty brown Labrador mix.

The boys click on every dog, trying to fit the two-dimensional images into our three dimensional lives. Each boy locks onto a different dog and begins his own personal mission to convince my husband and me that it’s perfect for us.

Their chosen dogs become real as each boy races around the house outlining where his dog would sleep, where it would eat, and how wonderful it would be for us to watch him walk his new friend everyday. The boys even remind us of the importance of exercise.

Listening to my sons’ antics, I scroll to the very last page of the dog listings and see a single older dog. The boys stop their pleading and sidle up beside me.

On the screen, an 8-year-old Australian Shepherd mix captures our undivided attention.

“Panda,” black and white and resembling a very canine panda bear, stares back as if waiting patiently for us to find her. Her message states, “Sweet older gal looking for a family.”

My oldest son exclaims, “We’re a family!”

In that moment, I know that our “just looking” has transitioned to “just found!”

Panda has been an amazing addition to our family and to our neighborhood. Little did we know that she would become a hearing aid to our deaf Jack Russell terrier, modeling behavior to sounds that he is unable to perceive.

The kids in the neighborhood soften at the presence of Panda. She is, as one little boy describes, “a reverse panda bear in dog clothing.”

Whatever Panda is, we know one thing for sure, we feel fortunate to be just the family the Oregon Humane Society was searching for.

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To learn more about the Oregon Humane Society and browse adoptable pets, visit their website: www.oregonhumane.org

Or expand your search to other shelters in the Portland area by using www.petfinder.com

Holly is balancing motherhood with graduate school. She spends most of her time writing papers for school, but makes time to capture the eventful and treasured lives of her family.