This is Mimi ( Protege #0120) ; she is a 3 to 4 year old spayed Border Collie/Jack Russell Terrier mix and weighs about 20 pounds.

Mimi was found several years ago as a stray in a sheep yard in Oxford and was taken to the vet to be euthanized. Mimi instead found herself a new home. Recently, however, her owner has had changes in the family and can no longer give Mimi the time and exercise she deserves. Consequently, she has made the difficult decision to find Mimi a new home with someone who can get her the exercise and time she needs.

Mimi is a very high energy and sometimes timid little girl. She loves to run and play with other dogs. She can be very vocal when she is playing. Her personal mission is to rid the yard of any small critters. She is always trying to find something to do. In the evening she becomes very snuggly. Mimi is good with other dogs and cats. She lived with young children and is good with them.

Mimi has been learning flyball for the last year or so and has continued her training in her foster home. We are clicker training and working on perfecting her down and come commands. She is completely house trained. She is also kennel trained and is usually quiet while in the kennel. During the day while her foster mom is at work, she is kenneled, thought she could probably be left free in the house.

Here is a short video of Mimi racing around the yard with her foster brother Marley: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZt8CNiczvQ.

Mimi needs to find a home that understandsthe high energy level of her breeds. We would like to see her go to a family that will continue flyball or start agility with her. She must have a securely fenced yard. Her new family could also just be very active and willing to take her along.

Mimi is current on vaccinations, and on heartworm and flea/tick preventative. If you might be interested in this energetic little girl, please contact Jayne at mcjayne@yahoo.com.

Jo
Iowa

This is Emily (#0117), she is a small red-bi Australian Shepard with beautiful golden eyes, about 37 pounds. She is a very sweet and intelligent girl who loves people.

Emily and her sister Claire (just below) have a sad past and are looking for a new family and a happy future! The girls are less then 2 years old. They were abandoned in their owners' backyard when the couple divorced and moved, so were living on their own with no human intervention except for a kindly neighbor who would take food over when she could. The neighbor contacted Protege and we eventually arranged for the dogs to be brought into our program. Both girls had to be bathed and to have matts and burrs shaved out of their coats.

Despite their sad past, both girls are delightfully sociable and friendly. Emily loves to snuggle and have her belly rubbed, but she will also lay quietly by herself. She is becoming well-adjusted to being an indoor dog, she prefers to lay on the bed or the couch. She loves playing fetch especially with a squeaky ball or any toy that makes noise. She also likes tennis balls and playing tug with her foster mom.

She is completely house trained. Emily is kenneled while her foster mom is gone. She is showing some slight separation anxiety, but we are working on that. She would probably be fine being left out in the house once she got used to her new home. She will go into the kennel for a treat and settles in quickly, though is obviously a bit anxious.

Emily is learning sit and down. She seems to know come, since every time she is called she comes running. Emily walks nicely on a leash when by herself or with other dogs. Sometimes on walks she gets a little nervous with loud noises, such as dogs barking at us, but she is easily reassured that she is safe. There are so many new things to learn about since she is living in town and not in the country any more.

Her current foster home includes 2 cats which she doesn't mind, and 2 dogs. It took a couple days to warm up to the dogs, but there was very little growling on her part. She is very good with children also. We think Emily would make a nice therapy, and she might enjoy some dog sports; she'd definitely benefit from an obedience class and this would be a lovely way to bond with her.

We would encourage adopters to consider adopting Emily and Claire together. They have been together their entire lives and are obviously very close. They would be an easy-care pair and we think would give each other confidence. However, they are not being fostered together and will be fine if adopted separately, too. Both girls are being fostered in Cedar Rapids. Both have been spayed and fully vaccinated and are on flea and heartworm preventatives. If you might be interested in Emily, or in talking about adopting both Emily and Claire, please contact Jayne at mcjayne@yahoo.com.

Check out a short video of Emily here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyu5dKMkLos

Jo
Iowa

This is Claire (#0118). Claire and her sister Emily (just above) have a sad past and are looking for a new family and a happy future! The girls are less then 2 years old. They were abandoned in their owners' backyard when the couple divorced and moved, so were living on their own with no human intervention except for a kindly neighbor who would take food over when she could. The neighbor contacted Protege and we eventually arranged for the dogs to be brought into our program. Both girls had to be bathed and to have matts and burrs shaved out of their coats.

Despite their sad past, both girls are delightfully sociable and friendly. Claire is a happy little black-bi girl, about 36 pounds, who loves to snuggle and be petted and to give soft kisses. She seems to be especially good with small children! (But she isn't too picky about who she snuggles with.) Claire has a bit of white just under her mouth, white on her chest and belly, and one white foot. She has beautiful brown eyes. We think Claire would make an excellent therapy dog because of her quiet, patient, and friendly character.

Claire is a little skittish of noises that are new to her -- such as passing cars when walking on leash along the street, but she will calm down as she adjusts to hearing a world she hasn't been exposed to before. She has been a very quiet girl so far, no barking or whining. She will go into a crate, though doesn't want to, and once in settles fine and is content and well-behaved. However, she is completely trustworthy and housebroken, so has been fine left out of her crate when her foster mom is gone.

It's taken her no time at all to adapt to living inside and she will be the first to assure you that living outdoors is no kind of life compared to snuggling into the pillows on the couch or up with her human in bed. She is learning to play with toys and has enjoyed chewing the stuffing out of a few soft toys. She will chase some of the tennis balls in the backyard, and is really happy to get to one before her foster sister -- she runs all around with it showing off -- but doesn't want to bring it back yet.

Claire does get carsick; we hope she will get over this as she gets used to going places. She is quiet and well-behaved in the car, enjoys putting her nose out the window, and waits well when need be.

She walks very nicely on leash, despite never having been on a leash before she came into foster care. She is sometimes growly with new dogs, but does seem to get over this and the behavior doesn't seem to go beyond growling. After a few days, there was no more growly behavior at all with her two foster sisters.

We would encourage adopters to consider adopting Claire and Emily together. They have been together their entire lives and are obviously very close. They would be an easy-care pair and we think would give each other confidence. However, they are not being fostered together and will be fine if adopted separately, too. Both girls are being fostered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Both have been spayed and fully vaccinated and are on flea and heartworm preventatives. If you might be interested in Claire, or in talking about adopting both Claire and Emily, please contact Jayne at mcjayne@yahoo.com.

Check out a short video of Claire & Emily here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4PnYEMWCfY

Jo
Iowa

Daphne (Protege #0103) is a 2-ish year old Border Collie, with the softest most amazing coat I have ever seen on a BC. We call her tail “floofy” since none of us has ever seen such a fluffy tail on a Border Collie!

Daphne loves ALL people, and has a great talent for cuddling. Her specialty, is sitting on your lap and tucking her head under your chin. She will stay there for a very long time, simply getting love, and returning it!

We have very little information about Daphne’s history. What we do know, is that she is completely housetrained, and she is without a doubt, the easiest Border Collie I have ever lived with …. and I have lived with quite a few!!

She has been on livestock (sheep) twice in this past week. She is a natural at herding sheep, and seems to know exactly what she needs to be doing. Daphne did a lovely job performing a quiet gather and keeping the sheep in a calm group. She does need to learn to “lie down” at her shepherd's command, but all that comes with time and experience!

I am unsure at this point if she can adjust to a home with a cat. She is more than willing to chase anything that will run (as in a cat). We have a semi-feral cat that has chosen our sheep as his social group. The first time we tried her on the sheep, she slipped under the gate and started a merry chase for the kitty. She did not get hurt, but perhaps a little healthy respect for cat claws would help her in this department!

Daphne’s recall is not good (yet), so she definitely needs a fenced yard. We are working on her leash skills. They vary in quality, depending on the level of distraction. Other dogs she does not know are pretty distracting and she needs more work on the leash at a distance. I consider her a very soft dog, meaning that if spoken to harshly she becomes alarmed to the point of shutting down. She definitely needs a home with positive training methods and gentle handling. Daph will definitely reward quiet, gentle handling 100-fold with love, cuddles and companionship!

Daphne has been living in our home with our 3 dogs and another foster dog in fairly peaceful coexistence. There has been very little snarking since the initial day she was here, from either side.

She crates very nicely in the house, goes in with no qualms and crates quietly. She loves to sleep under the bed, and I confess to indulging her in this respect. She would crate fine at night too, if that is what her new owners prefer! Daphne does not seem at all alarmed by teenagers, they are just more people to love!. She has not been exposed to young children since she has been here. I suspect that she would take them in stride.

Daphne is definitely a lovely dog, looking for just the right forever home. Daphne is spayed, up-to-date on vaccinations, and on heartworm and flea/tick preventative. Daphne is fostered in Muscatine, Iowa. If you might be interested in Daphne, please contact Jayne at mcjayne@yahoo.com.

Jo
Iowa

Rudy is a gorgeous 2-3 year old red bi with a bobbed tail. He is current on vaccinations, neutered, HW negative and currently on Interceptor. Rudy was found as a stray but appears to have been in a home at one point as someone did teach him to shake which he likes to do with everyone he meets. Rudy loves people and other dogs. Rudy enjoys riding in the car and walks very well on a leash. We’re not sure how Rudy feels about cats.

Rudy is still coming out of his shell but he’s a very loving dog. We think he was mistreated at some point in his young life. Certain noises and movements tend to scare him but he’s adjusting more every day to inside life. Rudy loves to snuggle on the couch and lay his head on your chest. Rudy is a gentle giant and doesn’t jump up on people. He’s content to sit and have you rub his head. He loves affection and is taking full advantage all of there is to offer in his foster home. Rudy seems to become attached easily, so we hope he’ll have a “forever” home soon.

Rudy is a quiet boy and rarely barks, even if other dogs are barking at him. He enjoys being close to his foster family including his two Aussie foster sisters. He is crate-trained and I dare to say house broken but he hasn’t been with us long enough to start testing that. When Rudy first came to us he wanted to potty in the house but a few “No’s” and making sure he’s taken out on a regular basis and we’ve had no accidents.

Rudy doesn’t play much yet with toys. We don’t think he’s ever had any before but he’s started to get involved more with his Aussie foster sisters when they have their toys out. Rudy will be completely devoted to his forever family and would make a fantastic companion for someone who is just looking for a friend to spend time with or as a new addition to the family. Rudy would do well as an only dog or as a companion for an existing doggie. Rudy’s heart is so full of love regardless of his past life and is looking forward to starting over with a family who truly appreciates him.

If you would like to add this handsome boy to your family contact Jane Hills at augiehills@yahoo.com

Jane Hills
ARPH (Aussie Rescue)
Kentucky

I'm very loyal and protective of my best friend. I don't want to share my best friend with anyone else. I want to sleep with you on your bed. I want to go with you everywhere, and am on my best behavior when I ride in your car. I am house-trained. You can walk me on a leash, but I'd rather run alongside without restriction. Tasty treats will get me every time.

I'm probably better in a home where there are no other dogs, no cats, and no children. I don't like the unpredictable behavior of those little ones. Cats look like a good snack. I'm very energetic, too. I respond well to my name. I am a red merle, 2 years old, UTD on all my shots and neutered.

My foster dad took pictures of me the other day. I think I'm very photogenic -- I should have been a model. More photos of me are available.

Contact Anne Pritchett at apritch@roadrunner.com or Jane Hills at augiehills@yahoo.com for more information about this handsome guy.

Jane Hills
ARPH (Aussie Rescue)
Kentucky

This handsome boy is Scout, a 3-4 year old male blue merle with half brown, half blue eyes, a full tail and weighing about 55 pounds. He is neutered, UTD on shots and housetrained. Scout is good with children of all ages as well as dogs of all sizes. He loves to run and play with his doggie pals, but settles down easily. Scout loves to go for rides and is a wonderful passenger. His exposure to cats is unknown, while squirrels look like lots of fun to chase! Scout is very tolerant of his 6 month old foster sister, playing the part of chew toy and trampoline for her.

Scout was adopted in 2006 by his current family who now find they must move due to a job change. He is now back in his former foster home waiting for a new family to call his own. Because Scout has lost his home again, we want to be sure the next home he goes to really is his forever home.

If you are looking for a great dog to go running with, be pals with another dog or just to relax on the deck or by the fire, Scout fits the bill.

If you are looking for a great dog to go running with or be pals with another dog, Scout fits the bill. For more information email Jane Hills at augiehills@yahoo.com

Jane Hills
ARPH (Aussie Rescue)
Kentucky