All puppies are adorable, right? Well, yes — but some are definitely more telegenic than others.  And deciding which should be given their television close-up on National Puppy Day is one of the many decisions that Barbara Baugnon, the Oregon Humane Society's Marketing and Communications Director, has to make today.

Here's what you need to know about Amy Sacks, founder and executive director of Portland's Pixie Project: She's tri-lingual, intent on world domination, and if you get between her and a pie, well, you might have trouble. 

You know that pretty professional anchorwoman you watch on Fox 12's Good Day Oregon every morning?

If the animal welfare world had a Hall of Fame, Kelly Peterson would deserve to be in it — and to have George Strait play at the induction ceremony.

Like most young adults, Mitch Elliott had a list of things he wanted to do when he finally moved out of his parents' house in Atlanta and into his own place.   Top of that list?

"I'm getting a dog!" he remembers telling his folks all those years ago. 

If you were to describe Amy Johnson in one word, it would be FUN.

Born and raised in Portland, “just about a mile from where our offices are now,” Amy, along with partner Vanessa Wright, has in three years transformed a once severely ailing event into one of the top three award-winning annual pet events in Portland. 

Known and loved throughout the NW animal welfare community¸ Cathy Nechak was one of five people who founded OFOSA (Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals) in 2001.  Today Cathy is Board President of the rescue which, following some highs and lows in recent years, is going strong today.

Steve, a golden-auburn rescue Greyhound, had never donated blood before.  He’d never before been to the VCA-NWVS Critical Care Blood Bank.  He didn’t know he was a model blood donor dog — 1-6 years old, over 50 pounds, calm demeanor, and, had he been female, never bred.  All Steve knew was that he was in a small room with four people, three of whom were strangers, and it seemed something was going down.  It is said that Greyhounds have a “dignified sense of duty.”  Steve seemed to know that his job was to relax and place his trust in Dr. Heidi Houchen.  

This week we stopped by 42nd Avenue to visit with Morel Ink’s Bill Dickey; liberal-leaning philanthropist, pet owner and fashion icon — and the man known as, “The Printer Who Loves Pets.” 

This week Spot was fortunate to spend time with one of the most well-known and beloved celebrities in town.  Nope, not Portland Trailblazer Marcus Aldridge . . . not the lady who does the mattress commercials . . . not even the bagpipe-playing unicycle-riding fella himself.  Nope, better than all that, we were able to hang out with the Number One-ranked therapy llama in the whole entire United States of America:  Rojo the Llama. 

Climbing the steps to the tidy bungalow in NE Portland that is home to Poison Waters and Kevin Cook, I wondered exactly which of the two I would interview this day for Spot Magazine.  Would it be the loud, hilarious, often brash Waters herself — known to many as the most glamorous drag queen in Portland — or would I be with Kevin Cook, activist, advocate and popular host/emcee known for his talents with humor, a mic, and an audience. 

If you’ve lived in the Portland metro area for, oh, say the last 16 years or so — and you’ve ever turned on a TV — you’ve likely spent time in the engaging company of Helen Raptis, co-host of KATU’s long-running morning talk show, AM Northwest. 

Minutes after meeting to interview Scott Beckstead, Oregon Senior State Director of the Humane Society of the United States, a battle for supremacy ensued.  Mere moments after sitting down I was faced with the defining question of contemporary American interactions — the question that would determine the pecking order of our time together —  

Scheduling Debbie Wood’s interview over the phone was like talking with a lifelong friend, despite the fact that we’d never met.  Her humor and niceness proved utterly sincere and delightful from the moment the smiling compact dynamo of energy greeted me at the door of the Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal Shelter in Hillsboro. 

Venturing out in the recent freezing temperatures Spot Magazine caught up with veteran sportscaster Ann Schatz in the warm wood-hued living room of her NE Portland home. Twenty-year locals, especially those tuned into sports, know well the gravel-voiced Schatz, who in 1989 became the first female sportscaster in Portland television history when she was hired by KOIN. 

Spot readers first met Dr. Shawn Thomas in January 2011 as he was opening and welcoming new patients to the Tanasbourne Veterinary Emergency Clinic.  Today the clinic is thriving, serving pets and their families in the western metro area.   Let’s catch up now with Dr. Thomas — Mr. Mom by day, ER vet by night.

On a recent mercurial Portland weather afternoon I met up with the handsomely bearded Byron Beck, Portland’s best-known media gadfly, at the outdoor seating area of North Portland’s brand new up-scale convenience door Green Zebra. Why this location? Because, “It’s in the neighborhood” smiles Beck, referencing this series,

An icon in the local pet community and widely known as a huge supporter of animal welfare, Heidi Liedeker is quintessential ‘Portland’ — all smiles, tats, and success.