A Whirlwind in the Garden

With a name like Tornado, arriving quietly may never have been part of the plan.

He came to Schreiner’s Gardens during one of the most colorful moments of the Willamette Valley spring, when lupines lined the paths and layers of flowers filled the display gardens.

Tornado explored it all with bright eyes, upright ears and his best friend, Lief, beside him. A sled dog–heeler mix with plenty of enthusiasm for the world, he brought his own particular energy to the garden—as though something interesting might be waiting around every bend.

And for Tornado, it usually is.

A Valley Grown in Color

Long before Tornado and Lief wandered its garden paths, the Schreiner family was building a legacy—one iris at a time.

The family began growing and breeding irises in Minnesota in 1925. Seeking a climate better suited to the flowers, they moved their operation to the Willamette Valley in 1947, purchasing the land that would eventually become Schreiner’s Gardens.

Nearly a century after that first iris was planted, the family farm continues to fill the Valley with color. Each May, row after row of blooms opens across the fields while the display gardens come alive with irises, lupines and carefully tended paths.

For a few brief weeks, the garden becomes one of spring’s grandest celebrations—and an excellent place for two best friends to explore together.

Valley Field Notes

Location
Schreiner’s Gardens, north of Salem in the Willamette Valley

Color of the Season
Late spring in violet, rose, gold and blue

Bloom
Bearded irises, lupines and the layered plantings of the display garden

Peak Moment
May, when the iris fields and garden beds reach their fullest color

Valley Fact
The Schreiner family moved its iris-growing operation from Minnesota to Oregon in 1947, drawn by the Willamette Valley’s mild climate and fertile soil.

Listen For
Bees moving between the flowers, birds calling from the garden edges and the quiet shuffle of paws along the paths

Look For
Ruffled iris petals, towers of lupine—and Tornado making certain Lief is never far away

Exactly Where He Belonged

Tornado landed in rescue twice during his first year—first at Oregon Humane Society as a puppy and later with 4 All MuttKind. His humans like to think that winding path simply led him exactly where he belonged.

Today, Tornado keeps his family laughing by sprinting toward his giant Squishmallow, occasionally faceplanting into it, and launching carefully planned ambushes against anyone carrying a damp towel—his mortal enemy.

Beneath all that silliness is a very talented nose. Tornado competes in scent work with Julia and is training to become a truffle dog, putting his curiosity and enthusiasm to excellent use.

At Schreiner’s, however, there were no truffles to find and no towels to defeat—just garden paths to explore and his best friend, Lief, close beside him.

Every Story Begins Somewhere

Every dog featured in the Colors of the Valley 2027 Calendar has a story.

Many of those stories found a new beginning through 4 All MuttKind Rescue. Because someone opened their home. Someone opened their heart. Someone believed that every dog deserved the chance to belong.

Today, those second chances are exploring orchards, wandering through fields of flowers and discovering the changing colors of the Willamette Valley—often with a best friend beside them.

That’s the story we’re celebrating.

Next in the Valley → Meet the next 4 All MuttKind alumni as Colors of the Valley continues through another season, another place, and another unforgettable dog.

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Tornado in the Spring Gardens

A Whirlwind in the Garden

A Valley Grown in Color

Valley Field Notes

Exactly Where He Belonged

Every Story Begins Somewhere

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