Check out the Aussies Available in Illinois:
All Aussies listed below are from ARPH (Aussie Rescue Placement Helpline) a Non-Profit Australian Shepherd Rescue. These are the Aussies available in Illinois.
You will need to complete an application and be approved to adopt an Aussie from ARPH.
Meet Walter, he needs a foster home
Illinois is in need of more foster homes. If you are able to provide an extra bed, some extra time, and lots of love, we could use your skills. We are always taking new Aussies into our program, many will be euthanized if we can’t find homes to place them in, and many are so scared from being with a family from puppyhood to then find themselves 3 years later taken to a shelter, and listening to the cries of other dogs now abandoned and left to die.
So if you can help, we would welcome it, we can also offer food to off-set the costs when we have extra food on hand, all medical expenses are covered, we just need your home to save this wonderful breed from what is a certain death.
Complete an application today and see just how rewarding being a foster home can be, and teach the lesson of life to your family. Foster Home Application
ARPH # 12091 Chew Chew
ARPH # 12091 Chew Chew
Have you been craving the perfect companion? If so, then meet Chew!
Here is a 1-2 year old red merle male who was found on a Good Samaritan’s doorstep—anxiously looking for a warm place to sleep. We don’t know much about this handsome boy’s background, but we can vouch for his desire to please and love his human companions. Chew is always sure to greet you with a smile, a kiss to say hello and is constantly at your side.
Chew has an abundance of young dog energy and likes to play all day if you are up to it! He loves to engage all of his male and female foster siblings, and interacts well with all of them. He can run lightning fast and jumps while playing. A ball, a Frisbee….any toy will do!
ARPH # 12091 Chew Chew
This beautiful redhead weighs 50 lbs, is neutered, up-to-date on vaccinations, is heartworm negative and is micro-chipped. Chew has multi-colored eyes and absolutely drop dead gorgeous merle markings and already has learned sit and stay. His foster family is working on his ‘enthusiastic greeting’ behavior—and he does pull a bit on a leash—but what can we say—he is a young boy who loves life and everyone he meets!
Chew is very sweet with a constant wiggle in his Aussie butt. He will make a wonderful family pet.
He is currently playing with his foster family in Huntley, Illinois. Contact David Thurman via e-mail at david.e.thurman {at} gmail(.)com or by phone at (309) 222-5211.
ARPH # 12002 Ozzy
ARPH # 12002 Ozzy
Ozzy is a handsome black-tri Aussie who is estimated to be around 3 years old. He came to ARPH after being abandoned and taken in by a cat rescue.
Topping Ozzy’s list of favorite things to do is going for car rides, taking walks and playing fetch. You might even think he doesn’t like riding in a car because he gets so excited he just quivers all over. And when the leash comes out and his foster mom puts on her coat, he’s so happy he just spins around in circles and gives lots of butt wiggles. His favorite “toys” include a purple stuffed animal that he carries around with him and a red blanket that he likes to drag around behind him—he is very gentle with both of these items and does not chew them up.
ARPH # 12002 Ozzy
Ozzy is quite food motivated and can catch a treat from across the room or steal one out of your pocket if you aren’t paying attention. He is also very much a velcro Aussie who follows his foster mom everywhere, occasionally nudging her arm for some petting. He is crate trained but prefers sleeping on the floor next to his foster mom’s bed or sometimes even under the bed.
ARPH # 12002 Ozzy
Ozzy is continuing to learn how to trust his foster family when it comes to his toys and his food—and he has yet to figure out how to play with the other dogs in the home. He is usually the first to bark to let you know the mailman or another delivery person has arrived, but does not show any aggression toward them and is well behaved with visitors to his foster home.
He is fully vetted, neutered, up-to-date on all shots and micro-chipped, and is currently enjoying walks in the woods in Bloomington, IL.
For more information about Ozzy, please contact David Thurman via email at david.e.thurman {at} gmail(.)com or by phone—(309) 222-5211
ARPH #11848 Angel ADOPTED 
ARPH #11848 Angel
A little piece of heaven! Angel is a 7 year old black bi Aussie and is a bit on the small side, currently weighing in around 35-40 lbs. If you are looking for a friend to snuggle up on the couch with you or to warm your feet on a cold night then this is your girl! She will often rub her whole body against your leg in the hope that you can take a minute to give her some love.
Angel and her brother Pepper were forced to leave their home in Southern Illinois when their owner lost their job and subsequently their home. Angel is the kind of dog who just goes with the flow, and she has quickly bonded with her foster dad and loves to play with the other dogs in her foster home. She does well in a crate but her excellent manners really do not dictate the need for one…she has free reign of her foster home currently. Walks and rides in the car are at the top of Angel’s wish list…and she will give you a small bark when she feels it is time for a belly rub!
Angel is spayed, up-to-date on her shots and although she came into rescue positive for heartworm she is now healthy and ready for her forever home following successful treatment. Though she has done great with every person and dog she has met, we recommend a feline free home for Angel since she loves a good chase when the opportunity arises. Angel is currently being fostered in Elmhurst, IL. If you are interested in this sweet girl please contact David Thurman at david.e.thurman {at} gmail(.)com or give him a call at 309-222-5211.
ARPH #11848 Angel
We thought we would show you Mom, she also came into rescue, she taught her daughter well, and taught her manners to boot.
Meet Angel's Mom, this is Cookie, she is still going great at 14 years old, and was caught helping Santa this year.
ARPH # 11944 James ADOPTED
ARPH # 11944 James
What a sweet face! This handsome boy is James, a black-tri Aussie that is between 1 and 2 years of age. He is neutered and is completely up-to-date with his shots.
James came to ARPH as a surrender from a family that could not give him the love and attention that an Aussie deserves. Each day James is learning how to return the love he is now receiving in his foster home. He is a wonderful companion dog and loves to be around his human friends.
He also is respectful of other dogs, reading their signals very well and he loves to wrestle with his foster sister each day. He is housebroken and walks on a leash properly. And if he must, James will tolerate a crate, but he would really much rather be hanging out with people—just in case they are in the mood to pet his head or hand out treats! He knows how to ‘sit’ on command and we are sure he is ready to learn other tricks and commands in his forever home.
James in currently being fostered in Chicago, IL and while he is enjoying the sights and sounds of a great city, he is very much looking forward to finding a permanent home. We are currently working on James’ need to guard his resources, so for now we recommend an owner with prior dog handling experience.
For more information about James please contact David Thurman via email at david.e.thurman {at} gmail(.)com or by phone (309) 222-5211.
ARPH # 11944 James
ARPH # 11944 James
ARPH # 12004 Oreo
ARPH # 12004 Oreo
Everyone likes an Oreo, right? This is our Oreo, named such because she is one of the sweetest dogs we have had in Aussie land for a long time. Oreo is extremely mellow, and very Velcro—she happily goes wherever you go throughout the house. She is black with a white chest, and we are guessing she is around 5 years old.
Oreo is currently undergoing treatment for heartworm, but we do anticipate a full recovery.
ARPH # 12004 Oreo
This black and white tri weighs around 38 lbs, and is enjoying the quiet environment of her foster home while on the mend.
We believe Oreo will be ready for adoption in 3-4 weeks. If you think Oreo might be the dog for you, please contact David Thurman david.e.thurman {at} gmail(.)com, or at (309) 222-5211. We are also gladly accepting donations to defer Oreo’s treatment, and David can talk to you about that as well.
ARPH # 11950 Nora (from Aurora)
ARPH # 11950 Nora
Nora is an example to all of us at ARPH of why we do what we do….here is a beautiful, snow-white young girl who was close to being euthanized because of poor breeding. You see…Nora is deaf, and her vision is somewhat impaired—but she is a sweetheart of a dog who will bring love and companionship into a home for years to come.
Nora has blue eyes and a hint of black and grey fur on her back end and shoulders. She is on the smallish side, about 37 lbs, and we are guessing she is only a year old. She has been spayed, is completely up-to-date on her shots, and tested negative for heartworm.
Her deafness and limited vision really does not slow her down—she sees well enough to chase her foster brother around the yard, and she understands hand signals for sit, lay down and come. She also walks well on a leash, is completely housebroken and sleeps quietly through the night next to her foster parents’ bed. She curiously watches the cats at her foster home, we are wondering if she has ever met a cat before!
ARPH # 11950 Nora
For such a young girl Nora has a very mellow nature…often crawling up in a lap to be cuddled and give kisses…which is Nora’s way of saying thank you to those who have helped her to this point in her young life.
Are you looking for that special dog to be an example to the people in your world? Nora would make a wonderful therapy dog for anyone trying to overcome a handicap or another type of physical limitation. She is very responsive and we are sure she would learn additional hand signals and a few tricks quite easily. Nora is currently enjoying winter in Park Ridge…for more information on this special girl please call David Thurman at (309) 222-5211, or send him an email at david.e.thurman {at} gmail(.)com.
ARPH # 11737 Bandit
ARPH # 11737 Bandit
I would like to introduce a very special little boy named Bandit. Bandit came into rescue late last summer as a wild dog, we think he never had contact with people. He was very scared, shy and timid, would attempt to bite if you got too close but LOVED to play with the other dogs. Bandit was found running wild with his brother and was finally trapped by a farmer after months of trying. We decided to give him another chance at life and just let him be a dog for the first month he was in our care. We never approached him and since he is such a smart boy he learned our routine very quickly. All we had to do was open the door to his room and he would RUN out as fast as possible and do the same thing when it was time to go back to bed, this only took him a few days for him to figure out. It made things very easy for us as we did not want to interfere or have to put a lead on him.
ARPH # 11737 Bandit
About 3 weeks after he arrived Bandit decided to make contact with one of my employees (he is fostered in a doggie daycare). He is one of the sweetest most vocal dogs I’ve ever met. What I mean by vocal is he sings to you when he’s excited and wants attention. In the morning when we come in to let him out he squeals with delight and jumps all over us. That to us means the world! As I said before he absolutely LOVES other dogs, it doesn’t matter how big or small, young or old, all he wants to do is play and he has a good time doing it! He is getting better and better each day with strangers too. He has started to take treats from people he’s never met before, which is a huge step in his progress. We do know that he is afraid of children, so he will not be placed in a home where they will be around. The ideal home for Bandit would be a place that has a secure fence with someone that is dog behavior savvy, willing to be patient and has an outgoing friendly dog to help teach Bandit that things will be ok.
We think Bandit is around 2 years old, he is a smaller red tri and has the sweetest face you’ll ever see. Once Bandit gets to know you, he’ll be your best friend in the world. He LOVES his food and treats, but has not mastered too many commands yet as it seems to scare him when we try to work on them. We think it’s time for Bandit to move on to a forever home where he can settle and become more confident.
Bandit is neutered, up to date on all of his vaccinations and heartworm negative. He is currently fostered in Northbrook, IL. Contact David Thurman 309-222-5211 or by email at david.e.thurman {at} gmail(.)com
ARPH # 12089 Remy ADOPTED
ARPH # 12089 Remy
Remy came to ARPH as a result of a lost job…and a lost home…three months ago. It now seems that he will not be able to return to his original owner anytime soon, so we are looking for the perfect forever home for this lover boy.
This is a guy whose foster family would keep if we could…but they don’t have a fenced yard and that makes it hard to keep this guy close. You see, Remy is deaf, so when he starts to get away from you calling to him is of no avail. And he is a curious sort of guy, so if a good smell is close he just can’t resist. He has always found his own way back to the door, but those 10 or 15 minutes that he is gone can be quite worrisome.
Remy is a short, stout, male Blue merle…and he sort of resembles a panda bear with his white head and black body. Mealtime is Remy’s favorite time of the day, he is quite food motivated and he expects a treat when he comes back in from outside like he should.
ARPH # 12089 Remy
We don’t know what his history really is, but this is a dog that has gotten happier and happier each day that he has lived with his foster family. Remy gets so excited when you take the time to rub his head or belly for an extended amount of time. He is just thankful for any love or attention that you can share throughout the day and will give you a quick kiss of affection now and then. He enjoys playing with his foster sister—a mini red merle, they like to wrestle and play chase off and on. Another dog is important to Remy, not just as a playmate, but someone that can tell him when there is something to get excited about, like the UPS guy at the front door. Long walks on the trail are also on his top 5 list of favorite things to do.
Remy does not bark, simply because he cannot hear what there is to bark at. He likes to cuddle up on the couch with you when you are watching a show…but will only join you on the furniture when invited. He responds extremely well to hand signals for come, stay, sit and bad boy. When you come home you might find him asleep in a favorite spot and not at the door to greet you—he just can’t hear that garage door going up like the others can!
Remy is up-to-date on all shots, tested negative for heartworm, and has been neutered. He is 5 years old, and in three months there has not been one accident in the house. He sleeps on a blanket next to the bed, or against the wall. Tight spaces seem to comfort him for some reason.
Remy is currently enjoying life, along with great dog treats in Bloomington, IL . Contact David Thurman at 309-222-5211 or by email at david.e.thurman {at} gmail(.)com
