Meet one of our newest NLOL addtions, Nick. Nick is a gentle giant of a puppy who is what we like to call a Chicago Brown Dog. This means he has any mix of different breeds in him but he is gorgeous to us all the same.

We met Nick on a recent trip to Chicago's overcrowded Animal Care and Control. We passed by his cage twice before stopping to take a closer look. He sat still-watching us with huge brown eyes as we tried to decide who would be going home with us that day.

We couldn't pass by a third time and pulled him out for a trial. This big kid nailed it with his goofy face, oversized paws and huggable qualities. We pulled him into our family.

Unexpectedly, Nick started limping right as we were going to test him with one of our partner daycare facilities. On further inspection, it was quickly determine that this limp had to be X-rayed. Nick had somehow fractured a growth plate in his knee and last week had pins put in to help correct it. He obviously could not now go to daycare-as it could cause further injury through playtimes. He just needs some time to recover (and the docs are anticipating FULL recovery!)

We NEED your help. Nick needs to go into a foster home as soon as possible. This kid was patiently waiting his turn to get out and be loved-and we are determined to help him get that. It has been recommended that he go into a foster home to recover, where he'll need to spend a month resting. He'll have a sling to help him up any stairs for the first two weeks, so that he doesn't put pressure on the joint. After the first two weeks, he can start to do some, but not all the time. He should be crated when he's not sitting with someone, and only go out for bathroom breaks, not walks. We prefer a no-dog home for this month recovery.

Please help us help this puppy get over this small hump. NLOL provides all food, crate, materials, and will pay for dog walking services if needed by the foster home. Contact us at chicago@nlol.org OR amy@nlol.org if you or someone you know can help!