We took in an Aussie the other day, turns out she is a mini-me regular Aussie, she weighs, but a really cute little girl, about 2 years old, up to date on all her shots and spayed. She comes to us and is heading to MARS, the Mini Aussie Rescue in IL. She is available for adoption. But we expect she will go fast since she is so darn cute, and so darn smart.

We recommend you contact MARS for more information, or you can leave a comment and I will forward on to the right people. She has a great temperament, loves people and other dogs, she is a little bossy, but what Aussie isn’t?

We helped place a little fellow named Kip threw MARS, who is a mini Australian Shepherd, he was in Paris IL, and was said to have been abused for nipping his 2 legged children in the home. Kip was adopted by a nice family in Illinois and is now said to be settling in quite well with his other mini Aussie pal and a cat. Congrats to Kip, who is now called Sam as a new start with a new name!

Cheri is a 1-2 year old red-tri Aussie. She is on the small side, standing about 17 inches tall, with a thick coat, docked tail. She could use some grooming to remove mats. She was found as a stray in rural Iowa and taken to the Safe Haven Shelter in Williamsburg.

Protege evaluated her, and she is a very sweet girl, she loves, loves, loves human attention in any way possible. Once you start petting her, she flops over on her back for belly rubs & she can’t get enough belly rubs! You can touch her anywhere, it’s all good with her!

We would have taken Cheri into our rescue program but she does have 1 flaw, she does NOT get along with other dogs. She can coexist with a non-reactive dog peacefully in the kennel run next to her, but if she’s in their presence outside of the kennel she’d really like to start a fight, even with a submissive dog.

Cheri will need a home that can keep her from getting into trouble with other dogs, she will need to be managed on walks or in public places with other dogs. If you are interested in additional information please contact the Safe Haven Shelter directly via their Web site or by phone at (319) 325-0150, and they can tell you more about her.

Liddy is an adorable 14 week old Australian Shepherd/Cattle Dog puppy. Out of the three puppies from this litter that Protege got in, Liddy is by far the largest. Of course, we aren’t sure how big any of the puppies will get but are guessing Liddy will end up being on the larger-side.

So far Liddy has been quite the charming house guest. Although she is not completely potty trained yet, she does generally go when she’s taken outside and can make it overnight (or during a 6-8 hr work day) in her crate with no accidents. She has had some small accidents in the house when given the chance to roam free, but she is learning.

Liddy sleeps through the night quietly in her crate and generally sleeps during car rides. Although Liddy doesn’t love her crate, she is usually quiet in it after one or two corrections. Liddy is too young to have a LOT of training, but so far her recall is very good inside and out. That of course is something that will stick with practice. Liddy would benefit from beginning puppy obedience. She is good with other dogs and all humans.

Although Liddy’s foster home does not have cats, her brother is decent with cats and Liddy may be as well. Liddy loves all toys, especially soft toys, bones and tugs. She is also a great eater and is very food motivated. Liddy does tend to want to chew shoes and she likes to carry other articles of clothing around the house. She is a typical puppy and needs to be molded into a well-behaved dog. Liddy is outgoing and incredible happy.

Liddy is being fostered in Cedar Rapids. She is up-to-date on puppy shots and will be spayed before adoption. For more information about Liddy, contact Jayne at mcjayne@yahoo.com.

Ella is a black-bi 14 week Aussie/Blue Heeler mix who came to us along with her sister and brother. She is a super puppy with lots of energy and a great disposition. Ella is learning her manners and is very good about pottying outside. She loves other dogs (from very large to just her size) and will play for long periods of time before calling it quits and plopping down to rest. She is sleeping thru the night and is quiet in her crate.

Ella is fantastic with our children ages 9-14 and likes to tug on hair, chase balls, jump over obstacles and earn her treats. She is working on her puppy mouthiness and being gentle on human hands. Ella eats like a champ and usually licks the big dog bowls clean to be sure they got it all!! She does enjoy leaping and jumping on just about everything so her new home will want to continue to work with her if you don’t want her on your furniture. She wants to be where you are!! She is up-to-date and will be spayed before being adopted; she is just waiting for some lucky family to take her home.

Please contact Jayne at mcjayne@yahoo.com for more information. Ella is being fostered in Marion, IA. Download an adoption application and see other Protege dogs at http://protegerescue.org.

Meet the very handsome Charlie (Protege #0145), a black-tri Aussie who is just over a year old. Charlie is an active boy and weighs about 40 pounds. In his pictures he may look like he weighs more but he has a very thick coat of fur. He was found as a stray so we don’t know any background information on him.

Charlie loves to play with dog toys of all sorts; the stuffed sqeaky, vinyl squeaky, tug toys and bones. He likes to play with the toys by himself by tossing the toy up in the air and chasing after it but he really likes to play tug or even wrestle with his foster brother. He enjoys playing fetch. Charlie also enjoys running around outside with his foster brother and along the fence line with the neighbor dogs.

Charlie is housebroken and is crated during the day while his foster mom is at work. He is quiet in his crate unless he hears you, then he’ll bark as he wants to be out where the fun is. He knows sit, down, shake, he walks fairly well on a leash and rides really well in the car.

Charlie is just a young boy, so is still learning his manners. We’re working on some minor bad habits, such as jumping up on people and counter surfing; his new family will just need to keep up with his training to teach him these things aren’t appropriate.

Charlie is neutered, up to date on all vaccinations and is on heartworm and flea/tick preventative. If you think Charlie might be a good addition to your home, plead contact Jayne at mcjayne@yahoo.com. Charlie is being fostered in North Liberty, IA.