Meet Effie: She's breaking all the stereotypes - in a good way!

I love puppies. I love to snuggle and smoosh and play and squeeze them. And then I like to let them go home with someone else. I've always felt like they're just too much work. Puppies have crazies in them. They just have a lot to learn. And then there's the potty training. Uff. We adopted our own PRC dog, Callen, when he was around two years old. I REALLY like to skip the puppy stage.

"You thought you didn't like puppies - but that was only because you hadn't met me yet!"

And yet, I agreed to foster a puppy. And to be honest, it's not even fair. I haven't really put a lot of puppy time in, so I feel like we just don't deserve Effie. I haven't paid my puppy dues, but we won the jackpot. Effie is so perfect. She hasn't had a single accident and I don't know where she's hiding her puppy crazies, but I haven't seen them. I even tried to find them. Brought out some squeaky toys and everything. She plays, but she isn't insane. Effie is calm and fun and sweet. We love her. And she loves us, but she clearly prefers our 15-month-old human daughter, Tilda. And Tilda prefers dogs to anyone, so they've got a mutual love fest going on.


"I love my furry foster brother almost as much as my human foster sister. I even like the cats!"

Effie is living in a house with three adults, a baby, a dog and two cats. She took NO time to transition, she just goes with it. She hasn't been nervous or needed any time to adjust. She's just ready to live life as a family dog in her very own home. Whoever gets to call this pup their very own is going to be one lucky family. Effie loves to hang out with you, but she's also crate-trained. And not just your normal crate-trained. She walks right in there and will hang out even when you're not crating her. She slept in her crate last night and didn't make a peep.

Effie is incredibly smart and we've been testing her sit and recall. She catches on so fast. She's going to be someone's little rock star. And while looks aren't everything, she's just ridiculously adorable. Like, SERIOUSLY beautiful.

"I'm trying to teach my foster momma that when I sit, she gives me a treat. She keeps forgetting and takes my picture instead but I know if we keep practicing, she'll get better at her trick."

I never would have thought a puppy could be so easy. I like to think I'm a person who will read the book before judging the cover, blah, blah, blah. But I wasn't living by that and you've proven me wrong.  Thank you, Effie.

"You're welcome!"

Thanks to Effie's foster mom Amy for this sweet introduction to our beautiful Effie. For more information about Effie and how to meet and possibly adopt her, please visit our website.

Meet Koorie—She's Ready to Take You to a Whole New Level

So one of the first things I said when I met Koorie was, "Seriously. Are you kidding me? I hate her."

No you don't! You loooove me!!

 You see, I'm committed to being a dog foster mom. And Koorie is the kind of dog that sets a girl up to fail. I immediately started reassuring myself that I can do this.

The very moment you meet Koorie, you know her. She is 100% sugar. She loves absolutely everything, everyone, every dog. She is all goodness. That's pretty much all that needs to be said about her. So why would I give her up? Why not adopt her?

Because there are others out there that are looking for the dog love of their life and I have to be true to my own personal mission. She is an amazing gift. I have to let someone else experience her love. But I have some hopes and dreams for this girl. While she would be great with anyone, in any situation, I'd love to see her with someone who will be as committed to her as she is to them. Have you been looking for a dog that can show you how meaningful and special that human-dog bond can be?

Maybe you're thinking about trying out a therapy dog program? This is your girl. I'd love to see Koorie get to share her love in that way. She would be a perfect candidate. Or maybe you'd like to try agility or flyball? Koorie is the kind of dog that would love to have the opportunity to do some of those really rewarding activities that show a person and a dog exactly how and why we are made to not only cohabitate, but to share our lives and hearts with each other. Koorie might be your doggie soulmate.

Truthfully, she could go to anyone, anywhere, and thrive. But maybe you or someone you know is looking for a dog like her. Maybe you want to explore all that the dog world has to offer. I guarantee that whatever love and devotion you give to her, she will give it back to you ten times over.

Oh, and did I mention she's great with dogs, cats, and our one-year-old? Yeah. She's just awful. :)

I'm also very photogenic, in case you haven't noticed.

Many thanks to Koorie's foster mom, Amy, for this wonderful profile of one of our favoriate pups. We're also very pleased to say that Koorie has been adopted and is doing well with her fantastic new family.

Are you interested in becoming a foster home for Project Rescue? If so, please reach out to us at info@projectrescuechicago.org.

Indy: A Surprise (and Well Deserved) Happy Ending!

We are a happy, two-dog family, but our story wasn’t always so great.

In February of 2011, we adopted Indy (formerly known as Raef) from PRC.

We expected to have a few accidents in the beginning, but about a week after his adoption, the accidents were getting worse. Indy didn’t just poop and pee in the house…it was as if he would paint and grout the floor with his messes. The anxiety spread to tearing down every single curtain he could reach each time we left the house. He became anxious around doorways, hallways and stairs. There were times when we would be home and we would hear him crying from another room, simply because he went in the room and was too fearful to walk through the doorway to get out.

We took advice from everyone and we tapped into dozens of resources, but nothing worked.

After three months of this, I emailed Bridgid, feeling defeated. She mentioned that Indy might have isolation anxiety and that adding another dog to the house may help the situation. That’s when we decided to foster!

We fostered two dogs. The first dog, Foster #1, was young and adorable. The first day we came home, the dogs had torn apart the Sunday paper and made a huge mess, but there was only one accident in the whole house and the curtains were all in place! This gave us hope that Indy could be happy at home. We were so happy, we even took a photo:


One week later, Foster #1 was adopted and Indy reverted to his old ways.

At this point, our vet prescribed a medication called Reconcile for isolation/separation anxiety. Within the first three days, we saw a difference so we emailed Bridgid for another dog. That’s when we got Foster #2.

Foster #2 was the perfect dog. We contacted Bridgid right away to see if we could foster-to-adopt.  Once we brought Foster #2 home, Indy had the same positive reaction. Indy loved her, we loved her, she loved us…but she did not love Indy. We thought she would grow to love Indy like we had, but unfortunately, she became aggressive towards him.
I cried the day we made the heartbreaking decision to return Foster #2 to PRC, so that she could find the right family. But due to our situation, we couldn’t leave without another dog. This is when Tessa came into our lives.

Tessa was a big girl, and she had no problem playing with Indy. She was awesome, but this time we put our guard up. We couldn’t fall in love with another dog, only to give her back again.

Things weren’t smooth at first. There was definitely an adjustment period where things weren’t so great. Bridgid explained that this is the way siblings are at times. They fight, they steal from each other but they still end up loving each other. And as the weeks went by, they did learn to love each other.

BFFs in the making!

They started to get more playful; they napped in the yard together, started having sleepovers in the same bed and even cleaned each other’s lips after meals. I started asking Joe, “Can we adopt her?” but he kept giving me a line about needing to be sure that she is our dog before we made that commitment. That didn’t stop me from asking at least once a week.

She kind of hogs the blankets, but I still love her.

On Thanksgiving Day, three months after taking Tessa into our home, I walked into the kitchen and saw a PRC adoption contract sitting on our stove, signed by Joe. I cried again that day. (I later found out that he and Bridgid had been emailing, setting up Tessa’s adoption as a surprise.)
 

It’s been 10 months since we adopted Indy and it has been a crazy journey of ups and downs. There were times when we wondered if we were doing the right thing. There were days when we seriously considered giving Indy back, but we knew he would do the same thing for another family, and who knows how many times someone else had given up on him. We were determined to make it work.

Although Indy’s adoption was grueling for the first few months, and things still aren’t perfect (Indy still gets stuck in rooms at times, items get eaten and we still find the occasional accident) we couldn’t imagine not having him in our lives now. He’s constantly making us laugh and taking us on new adventures. And through fostering (and medication), he is truly happy! And because we made the decision to foster, we met Tessa! She’s the sweetheart of our home, giving unconditional cuddles and kisses. But none of this would have been possible without the help of PRC. For any new adopters out there, we would strongly encourage you to reach out for help from PRC when you are feeling discouraged – they will go above and beyond to help you determine the best solution for everyone.

Thanks again, PRC!
Laura, Joe, Indy & Tessa
A big thanks to Laura and Joe for going the distance for Indy and Tessa, and for sharing their story with us.

Shelter Shiver: Crazy Fundraising Event!

Oh, it's no secret that we're crazy about our Project Rescue Chicago pups. We gladly dedicate our days, evenings and weekends to finding them in the various city in-take facilities; getting to know them so we can begin the search for their perfect families; sharing their ups when they fall in love with someone and their downs when it sometimes just doesn't work out. We teach them manners if no one else has done so. We learn their play style so we can ensure they find homes that match their energy level. We celebrate their virtues and help them learn to minimize their less desirable behaviors. We give them everything we've got.

What we didn't know until just a year ago is that we're not just crazy for our PRC pups, we're downright crazy in general! A year ago we participated in our first Shelter Shiver to raise much-needed funds for Project Rescue. We turned in late on New Year's Eve 2010. We woke up early on New Year's Day. We headed down to the shores of Lake Michigan—and then we went in. Yep, in January. In Chicago. When it's guaranteed to be fridgid and windy and snowy. And it worked! We raised over $6,500, which went a long way toward ensuring that we would continue the good work we committed to when we founded Project Rescue Chicago.

And now we're asking for your commitment, too. Not to us, of course, but to the dogs in our program that we're crazy about and the dogs you've met through us who captured your attention (and maybe your heart). We're asking you to join our Shelter Shiver team in one of three ways:

• Stone Cold Chilla: Join us for every crazy step of it (this is the one where you put your head under!)
• Shiver me Timbers: A nice introduction for new-comers—legs only
• Warm and Dry Barfly: A perfect way to be part of our team if you're traveling or just can't bear the thought of Lake Michigan in January (we won't hold it against you!)

And if you need a little motivation, meet some of the crazy-good inspiration we use to make jumping in Lake Michigan in January seem like a perfectly sane idea:

Jubilee

Jubilee is one of those dogs we thought would be with us for a minute, find her forever home right away and have her happy ending. Her gentle demeanor, her love of play, her sweet manners, her affection for everyone big and small, her whip-smart mind—they all said "incredibly adoptable" to us. And yet, after nearly six months in our program, Jubilee is still waiting patiently for her forever family to find her.

We jump for Jubilee and our other dogs like her, who remind us that even when you have everything going in your favor, sometimes your happy ending is a little slow in coming.

Leah
Leah will always hold a special place in our hearts. Leah was living the life we try to give all of our dogs: She had a comfortable home. She had a family who loved her, a warm bed, plenty to eat—she had it made. Then one day she waited at the door as her mom went down the driveway to get the mail from the mailbox. As Leah watched, a driver sped through the cul-de-sac, struck her mom and then raced away. She broke down the door to try to help her mom. She stood watch over her and howled for help until a neighbor came home from work. Unfortunately, her mom did not survive the impact and Leah came into our program. We posted her profile online and immediately heard from a woman who had been looking for an adult mastiff. Nikki came to meet Leah and it was love at first sight. Leah now lives with Nikki and has a labrador brother, Gator. She is happy and safe.

We jump for Leah, for your dogs and even for our own dogs, in the hopes that if tragedy strikes, Project Rescue will be there to soften the blow.

Quinn

Quinn's story is a true rags-to-riches one. Quinn, pregnant and emaciated, was tossed over a fence and into the yard of an abandoned house. As crazy luck would have it, the house was right next to Animal Welfare League's Wabash facility. Someone saw poor Quinn and took her in out of the 100 degree weather and into the shelter. But there was more work to be done. Quinn had likely never known an act of kindness in her life. She didn’t know how to take treats, snuggle into our laps or smile. But we knew there was a happy dog in there waiting to be introduced to the world. First through her time with us and then through the love and attention of her foster mom, Pam (who would soon become her forever mom), Quinn has blossomed into the happy, loved and loving, confident dog she deserves to be.

We jump for Quinn and other dogs like her—those in our program now and those we will surely meet in the coming year—who are just one lucky break away from escaping a lonely and undeserved death without ever knowing love.

Martha

Martha is a doll and we loved having her in our prgram, but she is one of those "thanks for the memories" kind of girls. Martha put her best self out there, met her forever family right away and headed out the door without a backwards glance. Of course, we couldn't be happier for her! We jump for all of the Marthas in our program who really just need a little help in getting to the right place at the right time in order to meet the people who will call them family.

In memory of Annie and her puppies

Annie was supposed to be one of our success stories. Annie arrived at Animal Welfare League's (AWL's) Wabash facility underweight and very, very pregnant. We don't often take puppies into our program, but something special about Annie prompted us to make an exception and we agreed that when she and her puppies were ready to make the move, they would come into the Project Rescue program. Annie and the pups were set to come "home" with us the same day we hosted a volunteer event at AWL. As our volunteers excercised dogs, cuddled with them, folded laundry and sorted donations of food, Bridgid checked in our new recruits—only to find several of the puppies showing signs of parvovirus. Extremely contagious, parvovirus has an over 90 percent fatality rate when left untreated. Unfortunately, treatment is lengthy, expensive, intense and has a low success rate. It quickly became clear that the entire family was infected. With heavy hearts, the obvious decision to euthanize this young family was made. We were forced to say good-bye to this spunky little lady and her puppies before we'd even finished saying hello.

And so, for Annie, her puppies and all of the dogs who miss their lucky break by an inch or a mile, we say, "Yes! We will jump into Lake Michigan in January—gladly!"

We hope you're feeling inspired, too, and invite you to join our Shelter Shiver team, either literally at the lake front or in spirit through a donation. Your participation will allow us to tell more stories with happy endings—there's nothing crazy about that!

Dear World, It's Me—Roscoe!

Hello, world! My name is Roscoe and I’m looking for my forever family.

"I'm Roscoe! Pleased to meet'cha!"

My first family gave me up to a shelter either because they were moving or because they couldn’t afford vet bills. Either way, I was sad because at the shelter I didn’t get to spend any time hanging with humans—which is my favorite thing.

I had been there two months when Project Rescue Chicago discovered me. PRC took me outside and it was so nice to finally stretch out in the sun and get belly rubs. I was in heaven. Before I knew it, I got the best ride of my life—a ride away from the shelter. I knew I was on my way to a better life.

But, sadly, my troubles weren’t over just yet. When PRC took me to the vet, they found out that I had a bad case of heartworm.

"Boo crate rest; hooray no heartworm!"

It was a terrible time to have heartworm—there was a medicine shortage because some factory shut down or something. But PRC and some amazing volunteers scoured the ends of the Earth and found me the precious medicine!

After two months of treatment and bed rest, I was totally cured! Now I’m as healthy as can be. I love to run and I just learned how to swim.

As you can tell from my pictures, I’m a pretty dapper dude with my one blue eye, athletic build and shiny coat.

I’ve even got this cool white thunderbolt on the back of my neck. Speaking of lighting, I should warn you that I may steal some of your thunder. People actually stop me on the street to comment on how good-looking I am.

My foster sister is a hound/pointer like me and we get along great. We like to run, wrestle and steal chew toys from each other. I love to hang out and watch movies.

I’m also into yoga—I let my front legs fall off the bed, then I walk out so my hind legs are on the very edge of the mattress for an awesome stretch. I adore car rides and every day I get better on the leash.

When my foster parents are out of the house, I stay in my crate and chomp on my peanut-butter-filled Kong. I snuggle at bedtime, but after an hour, I usually go to my crate to curl up for the night. I’m pretty close to being fully potty trained—I can hold it until 8:30am!

As I'm about to become a free agent, here are my vital stats:

• Breed: Hound, Australian shepherd mix (We think the shepherd half gives me my coloring and my one blue eye, and the hound part keeps my hair short and gives me my athletic profile.)
• Gender: Male
• Age: ~1.5 years
• Weight: 67 lbs.
• Vaccinations: Yes
• Microchipped: Yes
• Dog friendly: Yes
• Cat friendly: I do great with my foster brother cat, but I get a little curious with cats I don’t know, so I need to be supervised when I meet a new cat.
• Favorite foods: Ice cubes! Duck and beef treats.
• Food aggressive: No
• Awesome: Absolutely!



"What?! You want to meet me?! I'm coming!!"



Can’t wait to meet you!

Love,

Roscoe

Many thanks to Roscoe's foster parents, Meaghan and David, for taking dictation from Roscoe so he could share his story. To learn more about meeting or adopting Roscoe, please complete an application with Project Rescue Chicago.

Meet Gracie: A True Lady

Gracie looks like a tough lady, but she's much more lady than tough. She keeps quiet, and she's not demanding. She follows her people around most of the day and sleeps happily in her crate when they're gone. The other day I came out of the shower to find that she pulled the throw blanket off the couch and made a little bed out of it in front of the bathroom door. When I opened the door and laughed at her, she looked up at me as if to say "What did you expect? You were taking too long and the linoleum was not very comfy."

"Enough with the camera—let's do something else!"

We used to have a no dogs on the couch rule in our house, but Gracie snuck her way into our laps little by little. If you're reading book on the couch she'll put her head on your thigh, a few minutes later her paws will come up, then her front legs, followed by half her body, and by the time you finish a chapter she's curled up in your lap and you're wondering how she got there. She has an incredible ability to turn into dead weight right as you want to get up off the couch. "No," she insists, "It's much more comfortable on the couch. Stay on the couch."

She trained us with the couch business, but we are training her on some basic commands. She has a very solid "sit" and she's doing well with  "touch," "come," "stay," and "down." Though, she doesn't so much lay down as she melts—she's a character. Gracie is naturally very attentive to people, and she easily figures out what you want from her. She waits very patiently in her open crate as her breakfast and dinner are being poured, and that takes a lot of restraint. 

Gracie and our dog have a ball playing tug and chasing each other around. The games don't get rough and when we tell them play time is over, they obediently quit. The one thing that makes Gracie go wild is toys. We took her to a softball tournament and she really wanted to catch every single ball that went in the air. She had most everyone watching laughing and feeling bad for her. "Oh man, stop throwing that ball, and someone give it to the cute dog!" Her toy drive makes her a lot of fun to play with. This girl's got some hops, but the only time you see it is if you hold a ball or rope up for her to jump for. She will snatch up any shoe or sock that's left lying around, however, she hasn't destroyed anything yet. The reason is, she likes to be by people, so she'll carry her find over and plop down next to you before she starts chewing. Um, no. Give me that, Gracie. She's not a squirrel chaser or dog barker, though, which makes walks very nice. She doesn't even flinch when other dogs go nuts on the other side of a fence or in the park. She's just happy to be walking along and sniffing. 

"I'm even good during bath time!"

On walks we get comments about her all the time. "Wow, that's pretty Pitty!" Yeah, you can't beat those amber eyes. "She's going to get big, isn't she?" No, actually, she's full grown. "How did you get her to sit at crosswalks?" Um, we told her "stop" when we reached a corner, and she figured it out. My favorite comment was, "She's so chill with you, how long have you had her?" One week. We didn't make her chill, she came that way.


Gracie has a good tolerance, and doesn't react to much at all, really. She'll give one low bark if someone is at the door. She lovingly greets all visitors. She's not the kind of dog that gets excited about baths, but she doesn't mind taking one. She doesn't care if her ears are tugged, her toes are inspected, or you reach into her mouth. Gracie doesn't even care if you lift her in your arms or pick her up over your head. She just loves being with people. She wants to hang out and make you happy. I have no doubt she's going to be some lucky person's best dog.

"I think someone's coming—maybe it's my forever family!"

Many thanks to Jubilee's foster mom, Monica, for sharing Gracie's story. To learn more about meeting or adopting Gracie, please complete an application with Project Rescue Chicago.

Meet Jubilee: Every Minute is a Celebration!

Jubilee is an enigma. Spuds McKenzie mixed with 101 Dalmatians. She is calm, stoic, goofy, athletic, energetic, gentle, obedient, independent, smart, clumsy and agile. She is learning SO fast. She will learn anything anyone wants to teach her. She has these "old soul" eyes that just look at you and say "I get it."

Jubilee challenges PRC alumni Callen to a Soulful Gaze Contest.

But then she has the goofiest puppy smile when she runs and plays.

"I'm also part Tigger."

Jubilee is living in a full foster house. Two cats, a dog, and a seven-month-old baby! She's just good with everyone. She loves every dog she meets but she doesn't overwhelm them. She is a master of balance. She wants to greet every child she sees, but she doesn't jump on them. A perfect sit paired with a slow lean in for a sniff and, if they stay invitingly close to her face, a quick kiss. Not too much, not sloppy or slobbery. Those perfect dog kisses that you only see in the movies. :)

And then there's the playful, goofy Jubilee. We took her to one of the dog-friendly areas of the forest preserve. And she ran. Like I have never seen a dog run before (well, I saw a greyhound on a near full-on run once... she is an athlete). She was overjoyed to run on the trails with other dogs. She bounced and hopped and threw it into fifth gear for some all out sprints. She swam. Jubilee is a lover of the outdoors. She can go anywhere. She loves meeting dogs, kids, people, everything and everyone. Jubilee is an absolute joy to take anywhere.

But then, there's this girl:

Zzzzzzzzzz....

The napper. The cuddler. She'll curl right next to you and sleep. She cuddles so well. She doesn't smother you. She just finds herself a good fit right next to you. She has so many great aspects to her personality. She will find her perfect, forever fit. No doubt about it. Maybe it's you. Maybe it's someone you know. She is very patient. She'll wait. That perfect match is out there.

"Is it you I'm waiting for?!"

Many thanks to Jubilee's foster mom, Amy, for sharing Jubilee's story. To learn more about meeting or adopting Jubilee, please complete an application with Project Rescue Chicago.