Zack was dropped off at an animal control after his family said they lost their house and could no longer care for him. Poor guy has been a wreck since losing the only family he ever knew and has been very sad and mournfully howls when we have to leave him at home alone. We took Zack in as a foster dog and he has been enjoying his new friends (the Pink Puppy spokesdogs, Gerry and Fletcher), but he still hasn't settled in 100% and longs for a new forever family to call his own.

Shortly after arriving here, Zack picked out his new martingale collar and is very pleased with his choice. He picked the Red Hearts Buckle Martingale Dog Collar. He loves showing it off to people he meets and hope a new family sees how cute he looks and falls

Macy is a 2 year old hound/terrier mix (some thought she might be part PBGV). She was picked up by animal control as a stray (no collar, microchip or any other ID) and, of course, no one claimed her.

I took her in as a foster and she picked out a new Vintage Pink Martingale Collar (with a buckle) complete with ID tag and was later microchipped for safe keeping. I meant to post her online last week, but before I had a chance she was adopted! So, congratulations little Macy. We wish you all the best in your new forever home and know you will never be a forgotten "stray" again.

Ronnie was original bought by a family and was supposed to be for their children. After a few months the parents brought Ronnie to the shelter because the kids weren't taking care of him and the parents didn't want to be responsible for his care. It's a shame Ronnie had to find such crummy family to spend his first few months with, but he's ready to find a new one that will love him for the rest of his life.

One of the first things that any new foster dog of mine gets is a new collar (not a big surprise, I'm sure). Most of my fosters come to me with no collar at all or one that is too worn or ill fitting. Ronnie turned out to be a great "Collar Model" and enjoys trying them on and showing off just how cute he looks in them. Below are of Ronnie showing off a couple of his favorites...

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1st day at my house

My newest foster came to me completely traumatized. He had just been given up by his owner and had little to no socialization with people other than his owners. The poor guy was given up by his family because they were going through a divorce and said they no longer had time for him. He doesn't understand why they won't come back for him.

When I first took him in, Kramer was so terrified that he wouldn't let me touch him. He would give me the "Evil Eye" and even snap to scare me away if my hand came too close. It took many hours of quietly sitting with him, using slip leashes to get him out of his crate and out to go potty and only feeding him if he ate it from my hand (which he did begrudgingly). However, after a week he had transformed and we finally developed a strong

Junior is an 8 week old purebred rough coated Collie puppy that I am fostering through Collie Rescue of Greater IL. Here is his bio from CRGI...

Congratulations! Now that you've seen Junior's photo, you have officially seen just about the cutest thing EVER! Take a minute to recover, because this was a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Junior probably wouldn't appreciate us calling him 'cute', so you may want to use another word when you meet him. Junior is all boy, all the time, and he thinks 'cute' is for sissies. This confident little guy marches through life with his head up and his chest out, and if he had a back pocket it would be filled with string, a shiny rock and a sling shot. He's got stuff to do, and he needs to go get started! Like all puppies, Junior is learning about

Lexie is an 8 week old purebred smooth coated Collie puppy that I am fostering through Collie Rescue of Greater IL. Here is her bio from CRGI...

Strange things happen when you see a puppy for the first time. Your eyebrows wrinkle together & upwards, a big smile stretches across your face, your shoulders go down and your hands stretch out. An involuntary 'Ohhhhh! Look at the baby!' raises up from your heart and escapes your lips and your can't wait to pick that little bundle up and snorgle her neck.

Lexi is a puppy who carries a Level 10 Cuteness Alert - so be prepared for all of the above when you see her. We'll even warn you about the possibility of a Level 11 knee-melt and maybe even a Level 12 Cuddle Attack - this is one little girl who will wiggle her way

My two newest fosters arrived a couple days ago from the Collie Rescue of Greater IL. They are two adorable bundles of fur (i.e. 8 week old collie puppies). Junior (rough coat) and Lexie (smooth coat) were originally purchased from a breeder. After the owner found out they each had a detached retina (which means they are blind in one eye) they didn't want them anymore. That's when Collie Rescue swooped in, saved them, and is now looking for new homes for them who will love them the way they are.

Despite each being blind in one eye, it doesn't phase them a bit. In fact, you'd probably never even notice. They are just a couple of happy-go-lucky pups without a care in the world.

Junior is a typical boy... running and romping and getting dirty is the name of the game. He is outgoing,

Izzy has been adopted! Her new family picked her up and she even had a furry Beagle brother waiting for her when she got home (who was also a former foster dog of mine).

Her family reports... "She and Harley hit it off better than we expected. He actually got all excited and wanted to play with her in the yard... She is currently sucking on his Kong. But that is only fair -- he jumped right on the new mat we got for her and tried to chew her big Nylabone. Nothing is sacred here! She is doing better than he did on his first day with us. Within about 10 minutes of being in the house -- he peed on my nice oriental rug. She hasn't had an accident yet. We are all going to head to bed early as it has been quite an exciting day."

Congratulations, Izzy! I will certainly miss her, but she is a very lucky girl and found an

After rescuing Izzy (my current foster dog) from living chained outside and neglected, she unfortunately tested positive for Heartworm. It's a tragic blow, but is treatable as long as we caught it quickly enough. Only time will tell.

For the last few weeks Izzy has been waiting. There is currently a shortage of Heartworm medication and we have anxiously been awaiting her name to come up on the waiting list. Today we got the call and she has her first treatment scheduled for Monday, April 5th.

She has a long battle ahead of her. It starts on Monday with an injection into her lower back and the whole process will take a minimum of 2 months. The treatment is often quite painful and is uncomfortable for some time after. Her activity level will need to be very restricted. If she gets too excited and active, it can increase the risk

Izzy is a 3 year old, blind in one eye, adorably sweet Rottweiler/Labrador Retriever mix. She was rescued on a Humane Investigation where she had been living her life chained outside with inadequate shelter, food and water. I took her in as a foster and every day since she has pleasantly surprised me. I have fostered many dogs who had only known life on a chain and there is generally an initial period of helping them get accustomed to living inside a house. For some this is lengthier than others, but they all have been wholeheartedly grateful for the safety and extra attention they receive living inside with people.

With Izzy it has been no different, but I noted from the start that she has a remarkable learning curve. Her main goal in life is to make people happy. She doesn't always know how to do that, but she is determined

On many occasions I have had the opportunity to assist a friend of mine, a fellow Humane Investigator, in checking on the animals in a very hairy part of town on the south side of the city. The streets are lined with dilapidated homes - many burned out or collapsed and prime targets for drug dealers and other such illegal characters. It's the kind of town you usually go out of your way to drive "around" rather than "through" if it happens to fall along your route of travel.

In this town I have seen some of the worst of the worst of animal abuse and neglect cases. Dog fighting is a popular "sport" in the area and the status quo is to keep your dog tied on a heavy chain, provide little to no shelter and give food and water only when it's convenient to do so.

It's here where Izzy was found chained to a fence with only an

Chase has officially found a home. He fell in love with his new mom right away (and vice versa) and he now lives happy as can be with his two human teenage sisters and two other dogs.

His mom, who works as a part-time groomer, reports that she was able to finish his haircut and he did very well for it. It had to be cut a lot shorter than she plans to keep him because of all the matting he had, but it's finally even.

He is a very happy little pup now, and is feeling great to finally be in a real home with a family that loves him. Congratulations, Chase!

(Chase was sent home with a matching 3/4" Leopard print dog collar and leash from Pink Puppy Designs.)

After a very nervous first few days, little Chase was finally comfortable enough with me to let me give him a haircut and a bath. He is now clean and fresh and is noticeably feeling much better. I'm not grooming professional, but at least it's better than it was before when he was all covered in matting and filth.

As you can see from the photo, he has begun showing off his interest in toys. He is testing out some of the eco-friendly rope bones that we are considering selling at Pink Puppy Designs. He seems to be enjoying every minute of it. Chase like to play fetch, but after a few throws from me he usually ends up playing fetch with himself. He tosses the toy up over his head all by himself and then runs after it. He thinks that's just the best!

View Chase's online

Chase is Miniature Poodle who is barely 2 years old.  I originally found him while on patrol with my fellow Humane Investigator.  He was filthy, covered in huge mats all over his body and was running loose in a rough neighborhood.  We chased him for blocks until he made his way back home.  After speaking with his owners (who, I might add, weren't too concerned that he was running in traffic) we discovered that their 9 year old son was Chase's sole caretaker and he was quickly loosing interest in the dog.  They decided he was just too much trouble and chose to give him up for adoption.

I decided to foster him and the first night I had him, it took 2 1/2 hours to leash him up and take him outside.  He was terrified and was being very protective of himself.  It was clear he had been shown little to no compassion from

Stephanie Chizek of Pink Puppy Designs is also a Humane Investigator in Illinois. While on a case, she and her partner came upon a dog chained to a dilapidated doghouse. Rockefeller had been living there for 7 long years in a space of about 15 square feet day and night in all kinds of weather.

After speaking with the owners about the inadequate conditions, they signed him over to be put up for adoption. Stephanie brought him home so he would have a comfortable place to stay while he waited for a new home. At first he was very nervous about everything relating to living indoors since it was all very new to him. However, he is now learning what it is like to be an indoor dog... loved, kept warm, given lots of attention... and he loves it.

Rockefeller is currently available for adoption through Animal Education and Rescue (AEAR). For

I was driving back to Chicago From Atlanta and at a pit stop in Tennessee's Blue Ridge Mountains I found these precious puppies at a gas station. So many people had come and gone seeing them and ignoring them. This sister (left) and brother (right) were living in a water drainage pipe amongst jagged stones and broken bottles... covered in fleas and ticks and with bellies filled with icky worms. I have no doubt in my mind that had I not stopped at that very station, they would not have made it. However, now they are adjusting to a warm home and yummy food in a Chicago Suburb and are available for adoption through www.aear.org. Not bad after coming from a bed of broken bottles.

They are about 7 weeks old and adorable, naturally. Firecracker (brown) is a very confident pup who likes attention and likes to be the center

Bear is a 2 year old German Shepherd mix living in rural Indiana that ran into some really bad times. His former family had decided he just didn't fit into their life and they dropped him off at the local humane society. He had hit rock bottom and his luck seemed to have dried up. Unfortunately, a great many dogs were left neglected and unwanted and the humane society was busting at the seams with so many wonderful animals they were trying to save. Bear spent many days and nights wondering if someone would come and give him a home again, but no one did. His time was running out...

However, thanks to wonderful rescue workers and volunteers, a transfer was coordinated to Animal Education & Rescue. As of right now, Bear is still looking for a family to adopt him, but he's safe and warm in a foster home and so happy to