Thank You, Thank You, For Saving SuperLevi's Eyesight!

 New Leash on Life has always been amazed by the generosity of our supporters, but this time you
have really outdone yourselves.  When we first learned that Super Levi would need expensive eye
surgery, we started thinking of ways to raise enough money to cover at least part of the $2,700
cost. NLOL is committed to making sure our dogs are and remain healthy while they await their
forever home, so it was never an option not to protect Levi's eyesight.  At the same time, the
number of dogs we can rescue is directly tied to our bank account balance, and it's always sad
 to leave Chicago's pound with fewer dogs than we hoped to rescue just because we can't afford
more.

Thanks to the amazing generosity of New Leash on Life's extended family, the hard work of our
dedicated volunteers, and the incredible support from Two Pitties in the City followers, we managed
to raise a total of $4,600 in a few short weeks!  Super Levi's vision is safe!

We were already planning to make a trip to Chicago's Animal Care and Control in early December
to rescue more dogs. With this extra $1,900 burning a hole in our pocket, we will honor 
those of you who donated to Levi by rescuing another dog in need of medical 
care!   Thanks to your support, we will not only be able to leave the pound with several healthy
new dogs, but also one (or maybe more!) who needs some help getting back on their feet.  We
will be in touch with our favorite staff members at the pound as our intake date draws near to see
what kinds of "medical cases" they have and which ones might be a good fit for the NLOL family.

It's been amazing to see people near and far rallying behind the silly, petite, adorable, and
truly blessed Levi. We are humbled and grateful for all of your support, and we know
Super Levi is as well.  We are also so excited that one sick pup in Chicago's pound who has
been dreaming of rescue will have its wish granted - all because of you and Super Levi.
So we'd like to say one last SUPERSIZE THANK-YOU FOR HELPING SUPER LEVI.  

We’d also like to recognize these folks for donating raffle items, graphic design skills, photography
talents, and their precious time and energy:

• Sirius Republic Collars--http://www.siriusrepublic.com/

• Silly Buddy Collars--http://www.etsy.com/shop/SillyBuddy

• Waldo Bungie Blog Custom Knit Dog Sweaters--http://waldobungie.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/tiennot-knits-tuesdays-2/

• Trissi's Homemade Dog Treat Care Packages--http://foodnetworkwannabe.blogspot.com/2011/11/house-guests-raffles-and-cookingoh-my.html

• Our photographer Rasidel Slika (links to pictures coming soon)

• Claudia Richman (NLOL adopter and all around great woman) for her help on the shirts and event planning -- http://afranklinaday.blogspot.com/

• Frances Almeda for designing the shirts and bandanas: http://www.almedagrill.com/

• Aleksandra from Love and a Leash blog for her ideas and support-- http://loveandaleash.com/
  
• All the supportive members of SociaBulls dog walking group 

• E&A, of Two Pitties in the City fame, for fostering Levi, noticing his eye problems, and dreaming up the entire fundraiser

• Damen Avenue Screen Printing for their amazing service and help getting the shirts and bandannas printed

• And last but not least, all the fantastic NLOL volunteers and supporters who got the word out, shared Levi’s story, and walked in his honor! 

Super Levi just can't contain his excitement! His vision is safe, he's made a million new friends, and he helped rescue another sick pup from Chicago's pound! He's a superhero, indeed!Levi is flying off to his next big adventure, with his vision safe from those evil villains! Stay tuned for more details!

SuperLevi's Super Supporters

We have been beyond astonished by the amount of support flooding in for our little SuperLevi, and seeing how far his story reached has been truly humbling. We have received support from 36 states, plus Canada!
While we know some people are even vacationing and will have photos coming soon, we were beyond overwhelmed to see so many proud pooches across the nation walking in honor of SuperLevi and wishing him well.
From former foster dog Pauley James and his boy, all the way in Kentucky sitting proudly.

Rachel, Joe, Luke (the black lab mix) and Amy (tiny foster fail pitbull!) out in Cream Ridge, New Jersey.

Adorable Nina from the Bay Area, California

Apollo, Laci and Lexi showing support on the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Turk and Rufus out in Kansas City.

Lark and Lola hiking out in California.

Another Levi in West Virginia sending support.

Pink Daisy and Roscoe in California

And even little Mouse who is so small his bandana is more like a cape. But he wore it with attitude.

Jazmin and Maggie with the wind blowing through their ears all the way in Minnesota.

Another Levi and brother Neptune from St. Louis

Who are proud dog siblings to newly born baby Elsa (who has her very own zoo!)

Kamanchi in Ohio who thinks wearing his SuperLevi bandana will give him the ability to move the hamburger into his mouth without his Mom even noticing:

Annika, Chlly, and Flaca proudly representing from northern California

Nabi and Willie taking time for a Superhero stroll while vacationing in Michigan

Beautiful Billy representing, but sad he couldn't come walk in person

Super Leland charging up his superpowers (his Dad designed the shirt and bandanas!)

Fellow New Leash on Life Alumni smiley Wanda

 Sassy Maize representing proudly:

Fellow New Leash on Life Alumni Kameko and Jude. Jude is even showing how excited he is to walk!

Well wishes all the way from New York City from Lucy and My Boy Bill

Kind words from New Leash on Life alumni Bean. Bean and Miss M were in the same 'pledge class' as they were pulled from ACC at the same time.

It has been so amazing to have all this support and see how everyone has really helped out so much. We are still excited to see photos from those walkers who had to be out of town for the weekend.

Here is a sneak peek of our local Chicago walk where 20+ dogs, dressed in Superhero gear, descended upon the Wrigleyville neighborhood. Some of the pooches even do superhero tricks!

We are still finalizing the raffle requests before we have the drawing, and summing up our totals. Stay tuned...

Details on SuperLevi's Superhero Walk (November 12)

We have been very excited about the response to SuperLevi's Superhero walk to save his (super)vision, and here are the long-awaited details about the walk occurring next weekend. We will be returning to one of Levi's favorite places and our walk will be beginning and ending at Chicago's iconic Wrigley Field.

In Chicago
When: Saturday, Nov 12
Place: Wrigley Field (starting and ending) We will have a fun 2 mile walk winding through the streets of Wrigleyville.
Time: "Registration" and T-shirt distribution begins at 9:30. The walk begins promptly at 10:00.
Events: Feel free to dress for our Superhero theme (Spoiler Alert: Miss M is coming as the 'Kissing Bandit'!). We will have photo opportunities with your pooches and photos with SuperLevi, Miss M, and Mr. B, and a couple other fun surprises.
Other: Because we are expecting a high volume of dogs in one place, no retractable leashes please.
RSVP: So we can get a sense of who is coming, please RSVP to Kelsey at kelseynlol@gmail.com

Virtual Walk
We were very excited to receive so many T-shirt and bandana orders from far away, and we would love to see your photos of you and your pooches walking in SuperLevi gear.
Just like on New Years Eve where there are constant reports coming in, please post your photos onto Facebook throughout the day so we can see who is walking and where you're from.
You can post photos:
-On Two Pitties in the City Facebook page here.
-And New Leash on Life Chicago Facebook page here.
-Please also email us your photos, using the envelope icon on the side of our blog, with the photos of your walk and heading 'SuperLevi Walk' so we can use them in an upcoming post.

 There is still time to order your flying SuperLevi T-shirt and dog bandana. T-shirts are $30 (+$3 shipping) and include a bandana. Extra bandanas are $15.Buying 2 shirts gives you 1 raffle ticket.
We are also having an AMAZING raffle where the odds of winning are really, really good. We are raffling off a Ruffwear Jacket, (2) Custom Knit Dog Sweaters, GoPro Camera, Ruffwear Backpack, Sirius Republic Collar, Silly Buddy Collar, and doggy care package. Read more about our raffle here.
Donations can be made securely at Levi's Rescue group, New Leash on Life, here. Note "For Levi" and indicate the size shirt or raffle prize you would like to win.
Thanks again to everyone for your support; the response has been so overwhelming!

PS. Photos taken by Emily of Our Waldo Bungie while she was visiting our SociaBulls walk. Aren't this photos so great?

We need your help to restore Levi's X-Ray Vision

We always joke that our fosterdog, little SuperLevi ,was raised by Superheros. And while he is always trying to help us if he thinks we're in distress, and charm the seemingly eternally grumpy Miss M, we realized that little SuperLevi actually needs our help.
Quite by chance we discovered that Levi has a congenital eye condition that will effect his vision in the near future. He is not in any pain, and he does not have any vision loss at this time, but left untreated he will lose vision in the future. We were so devastated to hear this, especially as he is so young.
But the good news is, there is a corrective surgery that will make him as good as new. The bad part: this surgery will cost about $2,700 (at discount!).
But, we know SuperLevi is really depending on us to help find his Super X-Ray Vision. And we have some ideas...

 One of Levi's favorite Superhero things to do is go for group walks. And since he's such a great walker, we thought we would have a mini Superhero-themed walk to "Help SuperLevi find his X-Ray Vision". And since we know everyone does the walk just for the T-shirt anyway, we made our own limited edition SuperLevi T-shirts and dog bandannas, based on these photos:

 Want to support Levi in his search for his X-Ray vision?
Interested in getting a unique, limited-edition shirt, and snazzy bandana, that will help support Levi?
If you purchase 2 T-shirts, you will get one raffle ticket!

Here is how you can help:
If You Live Outside the Chicago Area:
We would love to see you walking with your pooch in your own area in Levi's honor. Just like on New Year's Eve where they check in to all areas of the country, it would be great to see photos of people from all over posting photos on Facebook wearing the T-shirts and bandannas on the day of the local walk and walking in his honor.
If you would be interested in buying a shirt: you can make a tax-deductible donation on the New Leash site.
-1 Shirt & 1 Bandanna is $33, including shipping within the US.
-Extra Bandannas are $15 each.
-You can purchase them by making a donation clicking here.https://newleash.ipower.com/chicago/donationform.asp
-In the 'description box' make sure to include your preferred T-shirt size.
-Please order by Thursday, November 3 to make sure you receive your items in time. We have a limited quantity, and shirts will be available as long as quantities last.

If You Live in the Chicago Area:
We will be having a fun renegade,Superhero-themed walk for Levi the weekend of November 12. We would love to have you join Levi, Miss M, and Mr. B to walk to find Levi's X-Ray vision.
Check for complete details in a future post, but to 'reserve your spot' and order your T-shirt and bandanna:
--1 Shirt & 1 Bandanna is $30, extra Bandannas are $15 each.
-You can purchase by making a donation clicking here.
-In the 'description box' make sure to include your preferred T-shirt size.
-Please order early. Shirts will be available as long as quantities last.
--You can pick up your shirt at the walk, or by arranging to pick it up at a NLOL adoption event.

Other Ways to Help:1) Please, please spread the word and share on your Facebook page or blog.
2) Any type of donation would be greatly appreciated. Levi's rescue is an all-volunteer rescue so all donations go directly to the pooches. New Leash on Life also seeks to help the under-represented pooches and has been so successful finding many homes for senior dogs, bonded pairs, deaf dogs, and many pit bulls (including Miss M!). They function solely on donations and are dedicated to giving dogs the medical care they need as they search for their future families.
3) Check our blog tomorrow as the pooches host a raffle including brand new versions of their favorite things.

Again, thank you in advance for your support. Special thanks to Frances Almeda for creating our amazing T-shirts and bandannas, Aleksandra for the creative ideas, Claudia for jump starting everything, Kelsey for being so inventive and organized, and all the great people at New Leash on Life and SociaBulls for helping pull things together.
Please make sure to check our Facebook page for updates!

Is your home forever for JLo?

Many of you have heard about our recent addition to the New Leash on Life family.  JLo was abandoned at the vet's office that helps NLOL get their new additions in tip-top shape.  She was brought in to be treated for an ear-ache and abandoned.  She sat there for two months while her former family was contacted, promised to come back and get her, and then broke that promise.  NLOL was asked to get involved and find her a real forever home.

While she was boarding for such a long time, tiny walls couldn't keep JLo's spirit down.  She is fit and active and doesnt' act a day over 5 years old, even though she is an elder dog.

The only quirk she developed during those 2 months was that she now shows some dog aggression, when before she had none whatsoever.  We suspect it is because she was jealous of other dogs she'd see when out on her potty breaks, was worried and unsure of what was happening, and has so much untapped energy built up.  That's a tough situation for any dog to endure! We are hopeful now that she's in a wonderful foster home (with a former NLOL adopter) that this new quirk will work its way back out of her.

While JLo does have a foster home, she is still looking for her forever home.  For now, she would be best as the only dog in the home until we learn more about her and see how she bounces back.  Could your home be her forever home to live out her days? She is quite active and loves running and playing fetch.

Stats:
Breed: Yellow Lab
Age: 11 yrs old
Temperament: very kind and loving
Kids: not tested
Rider in cars: perfect passenger
Walker: fast walker
Challenges: still working out 1 or 2 kinks from being boarded for so long. She developed a challenging intolerance that will need some extra patience and training to help with this new behavior.
Special Requests: Needs to be place as only dog situation.

Adoption Application:
Please click here.

Abandoned JLo

As any true Disney story starts out with heartbreak and sadness, JLo's story ended with a happily ever after.  Through the power of networking, JLo's world turn upside down overnight.  JLo came to us from the vet's office that treats and fixes our dogs before they find their forever homes.  She was abandoned two months ago and became a favorite of all the workers, however, living in a kennel just wasn't the life for this yellow lab.  She was starting to get a bit stir crazy after staring at the same four walls day after day.  New Leash on Life was asked to take this gal on and find her a foster/forever home.  NLOL is only able to take in as many dogs as we have foster homes available, so we put out the plea on Facebook. 

Overnight we received countless offerings and felt so blessed to have such a strong community behind us.  JLo's is now in her foster with the intent to adopt home, she has a beautiful backyard to run and play and she has awesome former NLOL adopter parents. 

JLo was a rockstar in the car, sitting nicely the entire way.

And as soon as she entered the home, she was showered with love and affection.  You can barely see her tail in this picture because it was wagging so fast.

And because JLo had been through so much, we thought she deserved a cupcake as a "Welcome Home" treat.

She is one very happy girl.  Thank you to everyone who reposted this story and spread the word.  NLOL is so blessed to have such an amazing support team and we thank each of you for being able to get this girl into a home so quickly.

Along came Murphy.

This is the unbelievable, rags to riches story about Murphy, the small border collie with a fairytale ending. that might sound a bit dramatic, but Murphy's whole story with New Leash was a bit dramatic. We'll start at the beginning.

One of the hardest jobs for our intake directors is going into ACC and choosing which dogs will be leaving with us that day. Too often, we see dogs who shut down at the shelter. It's loud and overwhelming and even the strongest of pups don't always act like themselves. When we met Murphy, this SUPER shy kid had to be coaxed out of his crate. When we took him outside, it still took him a few hours before he warmed up to the Intake Directors. We knew we were taking on a challenge of a gorgrous pup who needed to be won over, but we were ready. He quickly became a part of our NLOL family.

Every new pup has to wait 7-10 days at our vet's office to get their shots and to ensure they have been throughly checked out before they become available for adoption. During this time frame, one of our volunteers was taking Murphy for a walk when he got a little spooked and backed out of his collar. He looked at the volunteer for a second and then took off running. He was hotly pursued by the volunteer and a couple of good samaritans...but 4 legs are faster than 2. NLOL volunteers swamped the area-hanging posters and asking passerbys if they saw a black and white blur come by their area.  We were fortunate that he had on 2 collars: the one he backed out of, and the one with his NLOL tag on it.

We all went home and were so relieved to have received an email from the Chicago Fire Department.  It simply stated that NLOL dog 443 (Murphy) had been found in the river, was hanging out at the fire station waiting to be taken to Chicago Animal Care and Control, and we could pick him up there. A good samaritan who was out walking her own dog and orchestrated his rescue wrote us the next day to tell us what happened: Murphy ran almost two miles and was spotted by the good samaritan and another woman jumping the wall behind a bowling alley on Diversey...and into the Chicago River. As he swam, she called 911 and within minutes several police cars, fire trucks and 1 diver appeared.  Murphy had found a little ledge to rest on, and a fireman finally got down to the river and pulled a terrified Murphy to safety.

After NLOL got Murphy back, we got an inquiry from a Chicago Fireman about how Murphy was doing. Then that fireman showed up when some NLOL volunteers took sweets to the firehouse as a thank you for saving Murphy. Then that fireman asked if Murphy was available for adoption. And so it was that the fireman who rescued Murphy from the river, introduced his rescuee to his wife, Helen...and then rescued Murphy a second time by officially adopting him a few weeks later. To add to this story, Joel is a young firefighter and Murphy was his first "save". So at NLOL, it just reinforced a few different things. #1-Losing and then finding Murphy reminded us how big and wide our family stretches. #2-That every dog deserves a happy ending.

Murphy's new family had this to say:

"My wife Helen said she knew from the day I came home from the firehouse
talking about Murphy that we were going to be welcoming a new family
member into our home. When the alarm sounded for a person in the river,
everyone was on high alert. Once on the scene, that person turned out to
be Murphy fighting to stay afloat. Murphy's initially shy and uneasy
demeanor only made us want to give him the stability and love that he
needed. Day by day Murphy's timidness has disappeared and his true
fun-loving personality is beginning to come through. Helen and I are
thrilled that we were able to adopt such a fantastic dog, and the kindness
and support we received from Megan at New Leash on Life really made the
whole process feel right. We love Murphy and we're excited to have him as
a part of our family!"

Happy Adoption Day to Murphy and the the Rivamonte Family!



the FIZZ

While the dogs become like family- so do the volunteers, Adoption Counselors, Founders and Alum's become family.  We spend a lot of time together trying to save and rescue pups, and it's great to get together to catch up on life with some great food and a few drinks.  A few weeks ago we met up at the FIZZ in Lincoln Park for a few hours.  While there we came in 5th in an inpromtu game of triva and dined on wings and beer.  You should come next time- we love getting to know our supporters!

Cameron, Rosalyn & Janice

New Leash has been very busy working on saving dogs and finding great homes for them.  This summer seemed like it has flown by and many of the dogs we fell so deeply in love with have officially found their forever home.  Congrats to:

Cameron

Rosalyn:

Janice:

We are so happy to be a part of these dogs journeys in finding their homes.  Thank you adopters for opening your hearts to these lovable four legged animals.

Where do city dog go to relax? Check out NLOL alum Lola (formerly Miss Flo) as she vacations with her brother Franklin in dog-friendly Harbor County, Michigan.
We just returned from a week in Harbor Country, Michigan with our two dogs, Lola (big pitty girl) and Franklin (little shaggy guy). Lola and Franklin Chicago city dogs and don't often get to run in wide open spaces or go swimming, so we decided to find a not-to-far away retreat for our summer vacation this year and take them with us.

We found the perfect rental house on homeaway.com, called "It's A Dog's Life" boasting a large fenced in yard with doggy door and lots to do with the pups. Worried that it might not be as great in reality as it looked online, we loaded up the car, and drove the 80 miles to our temporary home.
As soon as we saw the "Have Fun Lola and Franklin" message on the chalkboard in the entryway, we knew it was going to be as good as we hoped. The back yard was beautiful, and the dogs loved being able to let themselves in and out of the house. They relaxed on the deck

and explored the yard

and chased rabbits.

Not only was the house dog-friendly, but the owner provided a list of places to go with your dog. We took them to Weko Beach where they cooled off in Lake Michigan and hung out on the beach.

We did the tourist thing in New Buffalo.

We tried going for a hike but the bugs were too bad to even stop to take a picture. There was even CDs of pet spa music to soothe the dogs in an unfamiliar environment when the humans went to the nearby brewpub.

And the dogs enjoyed napping on new beds and couches

(sorry mom! I don't always make the bed on vacation). We're planning a return visit with the pups in the fall, when we can get that hike in and see the fall color.

Sweet, sweet Oliver [Calvin]

Calvin came to live with his new family quite quickly after coming into the NL family.  He was renamed Oliver once he was officially adopted making his new family a family of 5.  Oliver already has a dog brother Sinclair, and a cat sister, Mimi.  He is a great dog and really calms down quickly.

When he first came to live in the new family, he didn't know how to play with dogs nor did he realize what toys were used for.  Through continued praising of playing with his brother and learning to give his sister a wide girth when she's in one of her 'moods', he is already part of the family.  His favorite spot is snuggled up next to his mom and dad.

No dog is perfect and although Oliver is a wonderful addition to the family he is still working on space, a little leash aggression and some separation anxiety.  He is also in the process of learning basic commands and is showing great progress with consistency and boundaries.

Oliver's favorite food is cheese.  Carrying string cheese has worked wonders when redirecting him on walks and motivating his basic learning commands.  Oliver hadn't been tried out on kids and we were happy to find out that he was great with his three human nieces.  S (age 5), A (age 3), M (18 months) met Oliver and he was super gentle and just laid down while the girls climb on him.

Oliver is also excelling at the dog park.  He goes daily with Sinclair and can usually be found passed out on a piece of furniture relaxing for the rest of the day.

Oliver was crate trained when he came to us, and that has really helped with behavior modification.  He is a great addition to his family and is constantly adored by his whole family and the most popular with the nieces.

Herman

Herman (Hermie)

Herman came into our lives at New Leash a few weeks ago.  He was the so friendly and so happy and just wanted to be around everyone and anyone.  He was the the glue that joined the entire new class together.  Big dogs, to little dogs Herman wanted to greet everyone with a big smile and a big bundle of fur.  

After many brushes and being put on a bit of a diet, Herman was ready for adoption and has really excelled in his new home.  His family loves him and was already at home by the first night.  

We are so happy to welcome Herman and his new family into the New Leash community!

group pictures

When we pick up new pups from Animal Care & Control, it is quite a long process of picking the right fits.  We typically take the ones that have a rougher past, a longer recovery and are long shots.  They each have a history and a story, some longer than others, however, once we get them, they transition so quickly into a new lifestyle.  They make friends, they become dogs, they are allowed to act like dogs and still be loved, they become part of a family, and part of a pack.

It's great seeing how the pups bond with each new 'class' we bring in and when they met pups from other classes at adoption events there are quick bonds that occur and it's great to watch.  It's also great when the dogs are placed in their forever homes and meet again at alumni events.  It's like they are brought back to the start of their better lives.  These are some pictures that were all happenstance and captures just a few moments in time.

Dave and Diego couldn't be more opposite in size, but they became fast friends.

 Roselyn is quite the social butterfly.  On the right, she and Calvin are sharing secrets and on the left she bonds with a different class member, Janice, at an adoption event.

 Vito & Karma were foster friends and are reunited for play time.  Above, Zelda and Calvin's parents are friends (both NLOL alums) and they have regular play dates.

Kameko's new parents and brother are already part of the NL family.  Here is Jude and Kameko sharing toys.

Kato & Woody, from different classes, met at adoption events and really bonded.

Kameko & Dude (Cletus) at the Wrigley Alumni Event

changes and new arrivals

New Leash on Life has been undergoing a lot of changes recently.  Changes in reworking administrative roles, to adding 7 new adoption counselors into the mix of training and taking roles, plus the dogs.  It seems fitting that new seasons bring change and we are excited to announce our new team. With the extra help we are able to focus more on the dogs and the people that make this organization possible.  We cannot begin to thank you for your donation of time, money, and continued support.

One of the many great foundations that NLOL stands on is that it is completely volunteer run, so all proceeds go directly To the Dogs (TTD).  Every person from the founding officers to the volunteers that we love dearly- none are paid for the work that they do.  We rely heavily on donations and fundraisers to make ends meet. 

This blog is intended to update, educate, and promote community within the NLOL family.  From adopters, to friends of pups, to activists, to volunteers, to extended families that want to know where the pups come from and their backgrounds.  We want to foster a safe place for NLOL families to bond and help each other out with problems or simple solutions to odd behavior.  Also, as committed people within the NL community, many of us fall in love with the pictures of dogs, love their bio’s and stories, and then once they are adopted, wonder ‘where they are now’ or other info.  If you would like to guest blog, please email us at: chicago@nlol.org

 These pictures are from our most recent fundraiser at Shuba's. 

What are some issues or questions that you have?  With our team of experts we are hoping to help with any type of questions.

There's Something about Roselyn

We always knew there was something special about Roselyn. Something that we couldn't quite pinpoint, but we all felt when we met her. Something that has made many of our volunteers consider if there is any way they can squeeze her into their own multi-dog homes to make her their own.
Something about the way she initially seems so solemn and reserved:

But becomes the most outgoing dog in the room:

 The way she knowingly smirks at you:

 Then has our volunteers cracking up for hours:

The way she relishes attention:

And despite being tiny and compact, can still hold her own with the big dogs:

We're all a bit smitten with Roselyn. She is currently excelling in her foster home, but she is still on the lookout for her forever home. If you would be interested in meeting our Roselyn, you can contact us here or  find more information here.

 

From the moment we rescue our dogs from the shelter, we consider them family.