Welcome! My name is Melina and I bring a lifetime of experience to my work with dogs and pets. From my early years in the 90s working as a Vet Assistant/intake handler for retired racing greyhounds, to volunteering with breed rescue groups such as Min Pin Rescue/IMPS, doing transports, fostering, evaluations, lost dog tracking/search + rescue, and more recently, with Italian Greyhound Rescue, Dove Lewis, Oregon Dog Rescue and currently volunteering at MCAS/Multnomah County Animal Services. I’m also a jewelry artist and much of my work is nature-inspired, and by dogs in particular.

I'm a small dog and senior advocate, and work with dogs of all sizes and ages. I have a life-long affinity for sighthounds(Italian Greyhounds, Whippets, Greyhounds), and understand their unique and sensitive nature well. I always put dogs first in every aspect of life, and feel they’re all part of my extended pack, and treat every dog as such. Another important aspect of what I do is that I always aim to create drama-free interactions and environments, with both the pets and their humans.

Safety is priority for me when working with pets. I’m always watching, listening and paying attention to their body language. I have a thorough understanding of canine behavior and know that each dog has a unique personality and needs, and that not all dogs are extroverts. In fact, many are quite the opposite. I’m naturally hyper-vigilant, yet focus on remaining calm, kind and confident when working with dogs, especially when out in the world. I’m all about force-free and giving dogs cues, not commands or corrections. I’ve completed a variety of trainings with my own dogs over my lifetime, from canine good citizen, to flyball, to therapy dog training.

I’m Pet CPR + First Aid certified, as well as bonded and insured through Pet Sitters Associates. I always carry a well-stocked pet first aid kit in my vehicle, as well as water, bowls, treats, blankets and crates so as to always be as prepared as possible. I’m reliable, punctual, responsible, trustworthy and pride myself on practicing clear and transparent communication.

Services I'm offering range from dog walks and adventures, home visits and drop-ins, pet taxi rides in my dog mom minivan, pet and house sitting, longer distance transports and more.

Lastly, dogs have my whole heart and I’d do anything for them.

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My current pack at home consists of three rescues in order of how long they've been with us:

Noche is a 12 year old Chihuahua/Min Pin Mix who came to us after being pulled from a 24 hour only, high kill shelter in 2018. He is very excitable and can be reactive when out in the world, and is a forever puppy who loves to play with his mountains of toys.

Momo is a 14+ year old Italian Greyhound that I physically pulled and rescued from a very difficult situation myself in 2023, along with the help and support of IG Rescue. He's recently lost his hearing and has syncope seizures, and is such a love. We sometimes call him, “Coach” because he enjoys watching and regulating our other dogs when they play.

Then, we have our newest pack member 5 year old Italian Greyhound, Mira aka Miracle who came to us via Team Inch in S. Korea where she was found on the streets and had to be trapped, then eventually flown to Greyhound Pets Inc. near Seattle. After some bouncing around in foster homes, she landed with us, where she fit right in. She is hilarious, playful, sneaky and will crawl into your shirt just to get closer to you. We recently discovered that Mira has idiopathic epilepsy and this experience has directly taught me so much about canine seizure care.

Hounds of Love PDX - Melina Nikolina Donalson