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Hi, I'm Mario. I am a 2 year old (born 9/10/2011) black-tri male. Unfortunately my mom has a very sick relative she needs to take care of and she doesn't have time to give me the attention I so deserve. She is totally heartbroken, but feels it's the best thing for me.

I am very friendly and loving, awesome with a great personality. I love everyone and love playing with other dogs, but I have not been around cats before (though I don’t have a mean bone in my body). I have done some obedience and I think I'm quite good at it. I weigh 50 lbs, and am obviously good looking! I am housbroken, crate trained and love to go for walks. I really want a family to love and spoil me like my momma did when she had time.

I like to play with toys by throwing them in the air and catching them and I also love playing ball. My only, um, bad habit, is that I like to bark when you are on the phone and ignoring me. I think that's pretty smart of me and I'll save you minutes on your phone bill! When my mom gets on the phone I like to bark at her to tell her “enough…play with me now!” My mom made it a game and chases me. I am the most beautiful and loving boy. And I am SMART! (I can open drawers if I think there are treats inside.) So I’m ready for new challenges.

I am up to date on all my vet stuff and I will be neutered before I go to my new home. I am located in Quincy, Illinois; for more information, please contact Anne Heckle at anne.heckle@att.net. (listed 05/15/13)

Adopted 05/06/13!

Meet Chester (#0279). This fluffy boy came to us from a shelter in Illinois, we think he was a stray. Chester is a red-tri neutered male Aussie around 2 years old. He weighs about 48 pounds. He looks much larger than he is because of his fluffy coat. He has one striking blue eye and a brown eye.

Chester is a very friendly dog who really enjoys being petted. He loves to play with his foster brothers. They are often either wrestling or chasing each other around the yard. He likes to pounce on balls, and is learning how to play fetch. Chester is housebroken. He is kennel trained, but prefers to be left out: he is kenneled during the day when his foster mom is at work. He knows sit and come. We are working on down and walking nicely on a leash. He has learned to sit and wait for his meals. Chester loves car rides and does well in the car. He likes to play and hang out outside when the weather is good. In the house he will lay down on the floor or a dog bed to rest, but he does enjoy climbing into your lap for snuggle time.

There are two cats in his foster home and he gets along with them, but does try to chase them sometimes. Chester does have a little storm anxiety. He is not destructive, just paces and pants. He will relax a little if he can get next to you and lay down. He is good with kids and loves it if they will give him belly rubs.

Chester is being fostered in Cedar Rapids. He is current on vaccinations, heartworm testing, on heartworm and flea preventatives, and he is already microchipped.

If you might be interested in learning more about this dog, please email us at info@protegerescue.org. While we welcome your questions about this dog, all adopters are required to complete a Protege Adoption Application before being considered to adopt a Protege dog; our adoption fee is $250. (listed 04/28/13)

Adopted 04/28/13!

We are glad to share Panda (#0259)! Panda is about 1-1/2 years old, and is a neutered male border collie mix. He is around 45 pounds. Panda has adorable speckles on his face and a curly tail. His coat is easily groomed and he loves being brushed and combed. This cute guy was originally an owner surrender because they just didn't have the time for him. We recently adopted Panda to a family on a trial basis because they were very interested in a dog but knew one of the children might have an allergy problem; unfortunately, they’ve had to return him. But their reports of life with Panda were unconditionally positive!

With his trial family, Panda lived with four children (ages 6-14) and did very well. He was gentle and enjoyed romping in the back yard with them. He even tried to jump on the trampoline! It did take a while for him to warm up to the 14 year old boy, but with lots of treats and patience he came around quickly and learned he was the most fun. Panda loved being with the family, and was always nearby to be a part of whatever was going on. He enjoyed snuggling, playing, and just being a part of a family who adored him. The mom says, “We had not had a dog for years and wanted to try having a pet again even though we knew allergies were an issue for our youngest. We found Panda to be very well-behaved and he had a loving personality. It broke our hearts when our youngest child displayed asthmatic symptoms shortly after we had him. We would have adopted him immediately if not for that.” The family is willing to talk with an approved adopter about their experiences living with Panda; he’s such a great family dog, they want to make sure he finds a good situation.

Panda is completely housetrained. He did not have one accident in the time he was placed. He loves to play catch with a tennis ball. He is a very devoted dog to whoever takes care of him and loves to snuggle up next to his person on the couch. Panda is kennel trained but may require a little coaxing to go in; he would rather not be kenneled and is fine loose. In his original foster placement, Panda had started grabbing a toy when he was let out of his kennel and then prancing around with it in his joy at being released. At night Panda will lay by your side in bed and does not wander the house.

He has learned to sit and wait for his meals, and has learned sit and down. We are still working on not jumping, but he does this very gently. He walks nicely on a leash and enjoys his walks very much. Panda does better meeting new people where he is comfortable, but he warms up pretty quickly – especially if you give him his space and let him warm up to you. Panda loves going for car rides and looking out the window; he especially loves the bank because they give out treats!

Panda is good with other dogs, and though he’s okay with cats, has a tendency to bother them, so we’d recommend a house without cats. In his original foster home, wrestling and playing tug with his foster brother were his favorite things to do.

Panda is current on vaccinations and is on heartworm and flea preventatives. He is living in Cedar Rapids. If you might be interested in learning more about this dog, please email us at info@protegerescue.org. While we welcome your questions about this dog, all adopters are required to complete a Protege Adoption Application before being considered to adopt a Protege dog; our adoption fee is $250. (listed 01/06/13; updated 03/11/13; updated 04/13/13)

Adopted 04/23/13!

Hi my name is Belle (#0274) and I’m a 5 year old black-bi Aussie with minimal white. I weigh approximately 47 pounds. I was turned into the rescue because my family was no longer able to take care of me.

When I first came into the rescue I was living at a doggy daycare. I really enjoyed being there getting to interact with a variety of other dogs and the staff that works there. After staying at doggy daycare for a while they figured that I should get used to a regular home routine and that is what I’m currently doing.

I’m a really easy-going girl. My foster mom sometimes says that I’m kind of a Velcro dog. I don’t know what she means by that however I do know that I like to be near her or at least keep her in my sight. When given the chance I love to hop up on the sofa and snuggle and have been told that I’m a good little furnace. At night I sleep on the floor or on the dog bed.

I’m pretty low-maintenance when it comes to entertainment. I love to play fetch. It is a lot of fun playing fetch out in the snow where I can root my nose around in the snow. I am not interested in other toys, bones or tugs. My foster brother, who is an Aussie too, will play with a toy that squeaks. I just think he looks silly standing there going squeak, squeak, squeak with a toy.

I am not a fan of riding in the car at all. I don’t know what all the hype is about it. I tend to drool quite a bit when riding in the car. My foster mom tries to reassure me that everything is ok and pets me but I just don’t believe her. My foster brother must be senile or just doesn’t know any better because he seems to enjoy riding in the car. Once we arrive at our destination, I am a happy girl. It is fun going shopping in dog-friendly stores getting to sniff all the neat things and see people. My foster mom laughs at me because when I see people in the store I stop and wait for them to come over to pet and meet me. Honestly, why wouldn’t people want to meet me?

My foster mom says that I’m quite a Houdini. I really don’t know what that means, however I will say that I am not a fan of being in a crate at all. I go into the crate very nicely before my foster mom goes to work but a couple of times when she got home I was not in the crate. I was just standing at the door waiting for her with a big smile on my face. She is now letting me have the run of the house with the resident dog during the day and she says that she’s impressed that I’m being such a good girl.

I am up to date on my vaccinations and am on a heartworm and flea preventative. I am currently living near Iowa City. If you might be interested in learning more about this me, please email us at info@protegerescue.org. While they welcome your questions about me, all adopters are required to complete a Protege Adoption Application before being considered to adopt me; my adoption fee is $250. (listed 03/11/13)