Happily Ever After…

”You can’t change a rescue dog’s past, but you can rewrite their future.”

Carolina now Amber

We are excited to announce the happy ending of Carolina, now Amber! This is what her new family had to say:

“We came across Amber while looking for an active playful rescue dog.  When we saw her on NLOL, we knew we just had to have her. Amber is very affectionate, smart and loves to play at any given moment. Amber keeps our family on our toes from the time her tail starts wagging in the morning until we hear her soft snores at night.  Our kids love to play and train Amber and are excited when she learns and masters a new trick. They love to snuggle up with her on the couch while reading a book and winding down for the evening. Whether going for a walk, playing with toys or couch surfing, she has found her happy place.”

Willie Mae

Being a senior dog found in a cage and probably the only life Willie-Mae ever knew, this precious girl had all the odds against her to begin with. Fast forward to just a few weeks of getting a lot of love and care at her wonderful fosters, she blossomed, she flourished. Her personality came out and she was pure joy, funny, soulful, happy, and loving everyone she met. She then patiently waited and waited for her people to come along, while being her fosters’ princess. It took a while, but then we received Hayley and Will’s application and we knew in our hearts that they were perfect for her. Thus began Willie-Mae’s true odyssey.

Her amazing family had this to say, “Willie-Mae has been such a wonderful addition to our lives. She keeps us on a tight schedule with her walks, her meals, her playtime; we don't need an alarm to wake up anymore, and she will tell you when it's time to log off work! We spend a lot more time outside than we ever have before, since Willie would stay out all day if we let her. Her multiple walks throughout the day seem to satisfy her, and we're happy for the added exercise. Probably the most amusing and fascinating thing about Willie is her language skills. She has quite the vocabulary of whimpers, whines, grunts, and oinks - yes, oinks! Willie-Mae is a girl who knows what she wants, and we are excited to learn more about what she has to say, and to have her as a part of our family.”

May you always only know love and happiness now, Willie-Mae! We love you to the moon and back.

Princess Peach now Frances Peach

When Princess Peach came into Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC), we were alerted to a tiny, scared chihuahua mix that came in off the streets and needed rescue.  We did not know anything about her then. She looked a bit battered and dirty, and we thought she was older than she really is. She was so shy and timid, still is for the most part, but the perfect family came along and wanted to adopt our Princess. We were looking to place her with another sibling dog to help her build her confidence and have a snuggle buddy for life. We found them! The adopters have a dog from us, named Holly, and she is the sweetest pup. We had hoped it would be a fit and it is magical how they have gotten close to each other. Her human sibling wrote this happy ending for us. 

“We found our dog Holly seeming a bit bored and spending most of her time sleeping, which isn’t unusual for her, but she was doing it more often. After consistently noticing this, we had the thought that it might be time to get another dog. Me and my sister were already wanting one and found this a great opportunity. The first place we looked was NLOL because we got Holly there. As we scrolled through their site, we spotted a picture of Peach and immediately fell in love. We later adopted her, and we’re amazed how she bloomed from a timid and frightened little dog to a bold and loving girl. All she wants to do is snuggle up with Holly even though Holly takes Peach’s bed and toys. We love that we’re able to give Peach a loving home and add a little zest to Holly’s life too. Me and my sister are excited to come home from school to see two happy little dogs.”  Written by Ellis, Age 11.

You are safe, warm and loved now Frances Peach. Nothing but good things to say about her new family, we are so grateful for them.

Delores now Emma!

Formerly known as Delores, We’re so happy to say that Emma has found her Happy Ending! Her new Mom Ash is part of the nlolcfamily, and once Emma met her other dog Bodhi, it was obvious. This was where she was meant to be!

Ash had this to say: “Emma wears her emotions on her face. She is hilarious to no end. Toy hoarder. Dancer for treats. Snow-bunny. Sun worshipper. Snores like a freight train. Grumbler when she doesn’t like something. Her brother’s keeper. My constant shadow. Between Emma and Bodhi, they are my heart, my life, the reason I come home everyday and forget the world outside, my solace, my strength, and my everything.”

We’re so happy that Emma found such a loving home, and even happier that her new home is with a member of the New Leash on Life family, because hopefully that means we’ll see a lot more of her in the future!

Tater Tot “Tater”

Tater Tot came to us from the South and unfortunately, was heartworm positive.  While it takes more work to treat a dog with HW, we did not hesitate to jump in and begin. Tater completed her treatment and is now part of a wonderful family forever.  Visions of “a boy and his dog” growing up together comes to mind when imagining the road ahead for our beloved Tater.  We are grateful that the adopters (Matt and Marina) also imagined past the medical care needed and knew what a great dog Tater was and would become over the years. We asked her adopters what it is like to have Tater (now Piper) as a part of their family. They wrote this for us... 

“Our hearts were heavy after losing our dog of fifteen years last April. Once we were ready to look for a new rescue, we first turned to NLOL - where we found our last dog. Right away we saw Piper (Tate Tot) and knew we wanted to meet her. She was a little shy at first but warmed up right away. Within the first few hours she was fast friends with our toddler, and now follows him everywhere he goes. He nursed her to health through her heartworm treatment and the two are inseparable. We have loved seeing her personality emerge. She is a sweet cuddler but has a very silly side and big puppy energy. She is laser focused on all the squirrels she sees on walks and is eager to learn. There is nothing sweeter than seeing a dog fit so completely into a family, and we couldn't be happier to be Piper's forever home.”

Welcome home Piper.  Happy tears were shed and happy trails ahead best girl.

Llama!

Some little dogs have big needs, particularly our senior pups. This was the case with sweet Llama, who has pretty severe separation anxiety and chronic kidney issues that require on-going prescription food. This little lady needed a home where she could work on her confidence and independence (without bothering her neighbors with little dog barks) and where she would be loved unconditionally. After some time, we found Llama a magical happy ending. 

Her mom had to say:

"After having big dogs all my life and now at this time of my life - seeing Llama on NLOL, I knew we were meant for each other. I wanted to give an older dog a forever home. Llama and I are the same age in dog years ~ so we are a perfect fit! Slowing down a little, but still super active and adventurous. We've evolved into a nice groove of being companions, and Llama loves all the shapes and sizes of the dogs in our neighborhood. She has even gotten used to my very active 2-year-old niece who adores her!  Since adopting Llama, I often have the last scene of 'Casablanca' in my mind, "Louie (Llama), I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" as we stroll off into the future together. 

A Happy ending as a Happy beginning! "

Jewel now Moira Rose

“Once you’ve been a two dog household, it’s hard to go back to just one little love. There is just so much extra space in your heart and room in your home for all that love and energy. Luckily, the incredible folks at @nlolchicago were able to help us bring in our new love home!! Please meet Ms Moira Rose! She’s just under a year old, has energy for daaaays, loves to cuddle, enjoys a pillow fort, and is obsessed with her big brother. She’s an absolute wiggle monster and so much fun….. “