Happy endings

Lina has is now living with her new family in Indiana. She is very happy and very loved!

Adoption pending!!

Great news - Lina is officially adoption pending! She is being adopted by a wonderful family in Indiana and will be so loved and spoiled! They are finishing a few things around their house, so in the meantime Lina is hanging in Chi-town (something she's very good at, obviously). Congrats to Lina and her new family!

Lina's week out

Lina stayed a week with IBR president Lisa and had a blast with her other fosters. Here she is frolicking with her new best friend Hudson (LOVE their matching spots above the tails):



Since returning she is even more playful with Tucker - often challenging him to a wrestle match with a flick of her head or a play pounce.

Strong like bull...

Tucker and Lina's latest favorite game is tug of war with the rope bone. Tucker has size on his side but Lina usually manages to wrestle it away from him - or she drags him around until he lets go...

Summer fun

I've got my rope, how about some tug o war? Or I can chase a tennis ball - I just might not bring it back. I'll chase anything that squeaks, really. If you're busy, just give me a stuffed toy and Ill entertain myself by throwing it around and chasing it. Just make sure you leave some time for love - I really love to cuddle and can't imagine a day without it. :)

Cutie

I am smiling so big because Tucker is at the door behind me barking at all the attention Im getting. What a baby! He had to suffer watching me play for a few minutes because my foster mom wanted to get some video and pictures of me - I'm very good at entertaining myself!

You can kind of see the new freckles that are showing up on my chest and front legs - aren't I so darn cute?

Road trip!

Praline came on her first road trip this weekend...this meant a 4 hour car ride then a weekend at a very dog friendly hotel with the family. She did beautifully...slept for most of the car ride, enjoyed the balcony as much as possible, and mastered the elevator much faster than her goofy brother. The two of them loved having their very own bed to wrestle on and she even let Tucker use her as a pillow when they were pooped out.

Chow time

Miss Lina always makes me laugh when its time to eat...she starts dancing as soon as she hears you scoop her food. I was finally able to catch her on video:

Almost there!

Miss Praline is so ready to hit her 2 month post heartworm milestone next week...we are making plans to take her out to a big park and watch her run. She is such an athletic girl, it will be fun to see her cut loose without a fence in her way...

Happy Memorial Day!

Oh say can you see...Lina looks like she is saluting the flag in this pic. Makes for a good story, but really she is watching for the squirrel family to come back to their nest in the neighbor's tree. Its like turning on cartoons for toddler - she could sit out there for hours!
We brought out the doggie pool to see what she thinks about water. She didn't hesitate to step all the way in to get a drink, and once she realized that big Tucker left her alone if she was in there, she took great pleasure in splashing around to drive him nuts.
When the fun was done she settled in between her foster mom and dad to watch the Blackhawks win game 2...if she's not outside watching the tweeties she is looking for a human to cuddle.

Hot time in the city

The warm weather is finally here! The birds and squirrels are out in full force and Lina loves to be outside watching them. She surprised me last night by jumping up on a tree to get a closer look at what might be happening up there. Tucker was not impressed - he just gave her a look to say "ummm, not sure what you're doing 'cause there aren't any cookies up there".

I love this picture because it shows the little spot above Lina's tail that doesn't make its way into shots very often.

On the market!

We found out this week that Miss Praline's adoptive family is no longer going to be able to take her. Well, the kids are perfectly fine with that - they were starting to dread the day that she got the all clear to leave us. Lina went for all her follow up bloodwork today and we'll have all the results soon. Now all we need to do is find the right family for her!

She posed sweetly for her picture - sitting pretty is a new thing for Lina - but was too busy trying to spot all the birds and squirrels she was hearing to look at the camera.

Restless and ready!

Exactly 2 weeks post treatment and Lina is most definitely back to feeling like herself. Yesterday she made us smile by getting atop her perch at the front window. Brett said he'd know she was feeling better when he saw her up there.

She is getting increasingly antsy when we take her out to the bathroom; she pulls towards the park where she is used to walking or to the backyard gate. When she gets to the backyard she is clearly disappointed that her leash is not coming off. It will not be easy to keep her subdued!

After an unfortunate de-stuffing incident we had to replace Rocky Raccoon with Bunny but he can't come out til bedtime or Lina gets too riled up. We want to make sure she stays healthy for her forever mama!!

She does still love her downtime - like late night weekend Xbox lounging with her foster brother.

Lina's back!

Yesterday was such a good day for Lina-boo. She greeted us (on all 4s) at the baby gate throughout the day and even felt good enough to help her foster sister with homework last night. She has stopped shaking and her tail is officially out of its home between her legs. She clearly feels better! She is still sleeping a lot, which is good as its what she needs right now. It is so good to see her eyes looking happy again!

I've noticed that not only has she stopped panting but her water intake has dropped drastically. When she came to us she would easily drink an entire bowl at one sitting; now its closer to finishing the bowl over the course of the day.

Not now, Im sleeping...

Lina is still doing a lot of sleeping but she is eating like a champ - not only at mealtimes, but her cookies throughout the day as well. When she is awake her little tail has been wagging, and she's been giving her little groan lately - the one she usually lets out as she is getting settled in and comfy for the night. All feel like good signs!

Heart(worm) breaker...

Praline's heartworm treatment went well this week! We heard so many warnings that for the first few days I almost thought they forgot to do the treatment! She was her regular self, and we really had to work to keep her calm. After about 3 days, though, she started to slow down...the worms were likely dying off and breaking up into her system. She is not herself, and it is so sad! I can't wait for her to start feeling better again, but love knowing that she's started on the road to her new life!! Pictures to come if I can get some that aren't too heartbreaking!

A country girl can survive...

Miss Praline accompanied us to a baseball tournament out in West Chicago this weekend where she generated a lot of attention from parents and players alike. She sat patiently, hanging out through the afternoon like a seasoned veteran. Her hour-long romp in the neighboring dog park likely helped to wear her out, but she really was such a well behaved girl and she got a lot of affection from the crowd. She was so in her element with the trees, tall grass, woods, and wildlife all around; I know in my heart that the city is not the place for this beautiful girl! Fortunately, Lina boo got the chance to meet a potential forever mommy this weekend, and the prospect of a wood-romped filled future is looking better and better every day.

This was Lina's last hurrah for a little bit as she went in for heartworm treatment early this morning and will be on-leash only for the next two months! More updates to come as we hear how she's doing!

Home again, home again...

Praline's spay was completed this week and she came home with her head in the clouds! She took a few days to clear the fog, but today (4 days post surgery) she was out at the park enjoying the weather and clearly feeling more like her old self . She is still very subdued in the house, though. Even Tucker can tell that he needs to be calm, and sticks to just licking her ears.

Next step is her heartworm treatment in two weeks!

What a difference a month makes!

Praline is starting to show us new little tidbits of her personality. First it was her playfulness with big burly Tucker, then her love for lounging. Up until now she's been go-go-go with an occasional break for a few minutes of love. This week she started really giving it up for some good belly rubbing. She is still on the move - she makes Tucker jealous with her ability to entertain herself with her best friend Rocky Raccoon - but she is really making the most of her downtime. We also heard her bark for the first time this week - she gives us a polite word when there are folks out front and she would like the blinds pulled to take a look.

Lina goes in for her spay in a few days; we are hoping for a quick and easy surgery and recovery!

"i heart rocky raccoon"

Spring is in the air...

...and while mom is away, dad lets the dogs out to play. Big news on this first beautiful (80 degree!?!) day of the year! Brett took a chance after a nice long walk and let Lina and Tucker off leash together. Lina is a smart cookie - as her brother would strong arm one toy away from her she'd find another to wave in his face. Atta girl, Lina...

Week 3: So much improvement!

This has been a great week for Miss Lina. She and Tucker were caught in a moment of love - standing on the baby gate kissing! We have also noticed that her panting is significantly less than it used to be. We did find out that she is heartworm positive, so after her spay in April she will need to have heartworm treatment. So much in store for this little sweetheart! Now that the weather is getting nicer she really loves being outside and watching the birds and squirrels. We are going to have to find a way to put her kennel closer to a window so she can do more gazing while were out!

Week 2: Diagnosis!

We got Praline's RMSF diagnosis this week. A positive result, but not suprising! She has been on antibiotics since we brought her home, so we are ahead of the game in treating her. We have installed a baby gate to separate Praline and Tucker inside the house, but still walk them together with no problems at all. Praline loves her foster brother and sister...we've noticed that she loves all kids! On walks she gets excited to see smaller kids and does not jump up or even lick on them when they come to say hi.

Praline is a complete love. She loves attention and wants nothing more than to have someone by her side. She will often stand up unsupported to peer over the babygate and see what were doing on the other end of the hall - her balancing act has earned her the nickname "Lina Ballerina" (along with Lina Boo, Lina Butt, Lina Love...).

Lina has stolen Tucker's squeaky monkey - we discovered that she prefers plush toys to rubber toys - with or without a squeaky.
















...and she loves to sunbathe after a good play.

Week 1: Praline comes to Chicago

Welcome to Chicago, Praline! Praline came to us from Southern IL where she was turned in to a shelter because she lost her interest in hunting. On March 6, several volunteers carpooled her from Vandalia to Effingham to Kankakee to the big city of Chicago! She handled the car rides beautifully, riding one leg with her head in the drivers lap, and another happily sitting between her new foster brother and sister (the human ones).

Praline does a lot of panting and moves 100 miles a minute except when she is getting love...then she will sit still for as long as you're giving attention. She just lays her head on your lap and takes in the love!

Praline met her foster doggie brother Tucker when she got home. Tucker is 75 lbs and only a year old, and he loves to play rough. We took them on a walk together and Praline happily pranced alongside, but as soon as we got to the backyard and he wanted to play Miss Praline decided she'd had enough. We decided to give her some time to relax from her trip and settle in before throwing full scale Tucker at her!



This week Praline also met her vet and got all her bloodwork taken care of, then met her new dogwalker who agrees with one of the volunteers who got her to us - she is a "love sponge"!

Meet Praline