Happily Ever After…
“Dogs, for a reason that can only be described as divine, have the ability to forgive, let go of the past, and live each day joyously. It’s something the rest of us strive for.”— Jennifer Skiff
Noelle now Zoey
Shortly after we pulled Noelle, we received an email from previous adopters letting us know they were ready to adopt again. They weren’t just any previous adopters, but our beloved alum Wallie’s (who passed away in 2018 after a hard battle with cancer) family. Just as they were ready to open their hearts again, we had found a really, really, great dog - we were so excited to see if it was a match. And as you can see, It was!!
Thank you for opening your hearts to Zoey Bobor family. Here’s to many, many beautiful years together.
Ponyboy now Cooper
Often times with rescue animals, you just know immediately when they've found their perfect family. You can't describe it, it just is. That's what happened for Ponyboy. Once he was let off his leash to explore the backyard, he just knew...the adopters knew, and we knew.
Ponyboy (now Cooper) was home.
"My parents love him! They said if they could have written down what their perfect dog is, it’s everything he is. You've changed their lives!"
Ferdinand “Ferdi”
Nick was one of our first new fosters to come onboard during COVID. Following his first foster experience, he readily opened his home to a second dog in need soon after. When it came to Ferdinand (Ferdi), though, it was clear from the start that there was a special connection. This might be Ferdi's last stop.
"Ferdi has been the best companion during quarantine. He’s super goofy and sweet and thinks he’s a lap dog. He’s also very content chilling out next to me while I work from home. It was a pretty easy decision to keep him around and adopt him."
Sodapop now Daley
Sodapop is one of those dogs that really needed that special family to help him completely let down his guard and become his best self.
“We lost our last dog in December of 2019. It was unexpected and a terrible blow to us. This spring, we started looking for a new dog. Luckily, we found Daley. He has filled a void in our lives and given us a new lease on life. We feel invigorated by his energy and unconditional love. Thank you NLOL!”
Darcy now Bella
Our favorite girl Darcy (now Bella) found herself some little humans and it was love at first sight. These pictures speak a thousand words.
“We are beyond thrilled that Bella is part of our family! It’s been so great seeing her personality come out as she’s become more comfortable in our home. She has the sweetest disposition and has yet to meet a human or dog she hasn’t liked. She’s loving having a yard to run around in and two human sisters to snuggle with and play on the slip and slide! Thank you NLOL for saving sweet Bella."
Blueberry
Sweet Blueberry, our very first New Leash dog to test out the COVID quarantine, has found her forever home. This once super timid pup has really blossomed during her journey to find her people. This girl’s future sure looks bright!
“We'd been really excited to adopt a dog for a long time, and when we saw Blueberry available for adoption online, we knew we had to meet her. One hour in the park (and a lot of kibble for B) and we were sold. It may have taken us 45 minutes to convince her to come inside on her first day (smart girl for not blindly following strangers without concern!) but she's figured out we aren't so bad :) She's got quirks for days, and with a little cheese and a lot of new napping spots to test out, she's settling in to her new home a little more every day :) “
Rasha now Gigi
Rasha joined the New Leash family this spring from down south. She was our youngest member so far this year. 6 months! She was sweet, playful and a little mischievous 😉 but aren’t all puppies?! We were thrilled when Melissa came along and had the perfect application and attitude for adopting such a young dog! We knew they had to meet. As you can see, the rest is history.
“Gigi has been a great addition to our family! She loves every human and dog she meets, sunbathing, and playing fetch. Of all the decisions I’ve made in my life, adopting Gigi is the best thing I’ve ever done. She is obsessed with me, but I’m just as obsessed with her. She is ridiculously happy all the time. We are pretty inseparable, and she comes everywhere with me! Thanks NLOL!
Bow Tie
Bow Tie charmed the New Leash family the moment we laid our eyes on him. Slightly timid at first, he quickly came out of his shell, and the sweetest, most playful puppy emerged. When meeting Justin and Erika, we knew right away that they had the love Bow Tie craved and the patience needed to work through some cute puppy antics.
Bow Tie’s new family had this to say about him:
“When Erika and I started this process 6 months ago pre COVID, we knew we wanted a dog in our lives. It took 6 months and a new house, but we didn’t just find a dog, we found the perfect dog for us. We couldn’t be happier with Bow Tie in our lives and as a part of our family, and we can’t thank NLOL enough for all the hard work you guys do!”
Nico
“Foster Fails” are big here at NLOL...and we had a feeling when we placed Nico in Foster with Christa and Dave that he was “Home”. We couldn’t be happier for this little nugget. Many happy adventures ahead.
“The minute we met Nico we knew he was the dog for us. He was so sweet and shy but lit up on walks and absolutely loved snuggles. After a few weeks his little personality really started to show and we fell in love. He is the happiest dog you've ever seen just being with his humans. He is getting so much more comfortable and it's so rewarding to see him grow! He needs eye drops multiple times a day and he just runs to his bed to let you give them, so excited for the treat he gets afterward. Initially he was timid with walking but now he prances on his walks and in the last week we've even seen him run a few times! We can't wait to spend more time getting to know Nico and feel so lucky to have him in our lives!”
Heidi Ann
Heidi came to us by a family that needed our help. They loved Heidi, but circumstances made it impossible for them to care for her the way she deserved and with a tearful heartbreaking goodbye we promised to find her the absolute best home.
Life moments can sometimes happen in such a magical way. You don’t always get to experience these moments, but when you do you understand what rescue means again. One afternoon our volunteer brought her to a farmers market to pass some time before her veterinary visit and just like that, two lives changed....
“I have been without a St. Bernard in my home for about 5 years now. I took a break since I lost my dad, sister, brother and then Edna (my St. Bernard) within a two year period. I just had to recover from all that loss of my loved ones. I was planning on adopting a rescue St. Bernard in Fall of 2021 but then I ended up at the Farmers Market in Elmhurst today and saw Heidi and found out that she needed a forever home. I have never been to that Farmers Market before. God put her there for me.”
After meeting Heidi’s mom and reading this in her adoption application, we knew we couldn’t tempt fate and Heidi was home. We finalized her adoption last week, and here’s a little update.
“Heidi has brought such great happiness into my life. All of my friends have stated that there was an emptiness in my heart and bringing Heidi into my life has put the biggest smile on my face and such playfulness into her life. She has all the room to play and sleep now. She loves everyone, and running around the yard in the pouring rain! “
This is what our volunteers live for, this is the story we all want for each and every dog that touch our lives in rescue. Happy Happy day’s to come sweet girl. We are so grateful that you came into our lives, and for your new mom. 💜
Patch
Patch caught our eye this past June at CACC. It was clear that Patch’s journey hadn’t been the easiest. He was in and out of the shelter for the past 4 years and had an obvious leg issue that was hindering his mobility. With several months of operations, rehabilitation and love from his foster, we were finally able to start the search to find patch his forever home! And boy did he land the most amazing family. Patch is the true spirit of NLOL, and we are so thrilled to be a part of his happily ever after.
“Becca and Dave didn't expect to have another dog in their life so soon after losing two 13 year old pups this spring, one after another. But, sometimes life has different plans than you do. When they started fostering Patch it quickly became obvious that he was a perfect fit in their family.”
Atticus now Gus
Many times in rescue you meet a dog that immediately pulls at your heart, and you know you aren’t leaving the shelter without them. This was the case with Atticus. His soulful presence was overwhelming and we instantly fell in complete love and quite frankly our obsession with him will never go away. When we read kaleen’s adoption application, we couldn’t have loved it more. Then when they met for the first time, we knew he was home. We hope you enjoy reading their happy ending below as much as we did. We wish them a lifetime of happiness.
“Someone recently told me that you “don't get the dog you want, you get the dog you need.” In my case, I got the dog I both wanted and needed. Gus is a truly special dog and he was meant to be mine. From the moment I saw his picture, to meeting him for the first time he has always made me smile. Gus is the sweetest, goofiest, most peculiar little dog and I am lucky to have found him. Now that I have him I can't imagine my life without him and now that he is adopted, I don't have to. Thank you so much to New Leash on Life for everything they have done and most importantly for finding me Gus, the dog that I wanted, and needed.”
Daisy now Goose
Daisy, like many Chicagoans, is a midwestern transplant. New Leash on Life partnered with both Heart of Alabama and the Hinsdale Humane Society to bring this sweet southern gal to Chicago. It was love at first smooch for our team, as Daisy immediately made it clear that she wanted nothing more than to give love and to be loved. Daisy, like many rescue pups, tested positive for heartworm. Although very treatable, we knew we needed to find a home committed to her treatment.
Daisy, now Goose, found the perfect family, where she is happily healing and thoroughly enjoying the love of her new family.
This is what Goose’s family had to say: “Our beloved, enormous greyhound died unexpectedly, and I swore we weren’t getting another dog. That lasted about a week, and now we have Goose! She is so full of love and joy it’s unbelievable, and she even realizes our three cats aren’t squirrels and never tries to eat them. In the short time she’s been in our lives, she’s become indispensable, and everyone who meets her is charmed by her radiance. We are so very grateful to her foster mom and Holly and everyone else at New Leash on Life for taking such good care of our girl and getting her to us. They are the best!”
Skylar
Skylar is one of those senior pups who immediately captured our hearts with her sweet nature and resiliency despite having lived such a rough life. She smiled from ear to ear with pure joy and gratitude the day we rescued her. This 13-year-old girl was able to somehow forgive the past and open her heart wide to all the love we were ready to pour in.
During her journey with us, Skylar had amazing fosters who healed her heart and allowed her to become the dog she was always meant to be. While in foster, we realized that her health issues needed regular management and that a fospice family would be ideal to help her live her twilight time in comfort.
When Skylar’s family offered to provide her with a loving home, they did so selflessly, only knowing that a senior dog needed care. Little did they know that they would instantly fall in love with this sweet girl. They have named her Reya after Rey from Star Wars because in addition to being huge Stars Wars fans, she is truly a “ray of sunshine” in their lives. Reya’s mom describes her as a “happy little old grandma” and says that she “inspires happy”. Her forever family says that she is definitely the best part of 2020 for them.
Wishbone
Wishbone stole our hearts immediately with his sweet demeanor and adorable antics. His photogenic nature attracted quite the fan base during the holiday season. We have no doubt that this sweet boy found the home he was meant to call “forever”, complete with a human sibling and two dog siblings.
His dad had this to say “Katie randomly saw Wishbone on Instagram and immediately fell in love. She sent me the link and I agreed, we need this dog. We weren’t really looking to get a third dog, but there was something about Wishbone- both of us knew immediately that we needed him in our lives. Wishbone is a super silly pup! He’s the world’s best cuddler, and his zoomies are random and hilarious. He loves to nap as much as he loves to play. He is so inquisitive, and he loves both of his new fur brothers! He has been the best Christmas/New Years gift we could have ever imagined.