My name is Girlfriend!

Thanks for your interest in a pet from A.R.F.! If you see a pet here, they are still available for adoption and you should apply through our adoption application on our website at  https://www.arf-il.org/adopt/application/  

Lucy, aka Girlfriend, is a 7 year old female Lhasa Apso and is a puppy mill survivor.  She has survived but the scars still remain.  She was rescued almost 3 years ago pregnant with what happily was her last litter forced upon her.  After her pups were fixed and were adopted into their forever homes, it was time for Lucy to work on herself.  She has come quite the long way but by many people’s standards, she has quite a ways to go to become the perfect family pet.  Unfortunately after 7 or so years of being caged, forcibly bred, pups taken from her before they should have been, no human kindness—no kind voice, gentle pets, cuddles, a full recovery to a point where she was the dog she was meant to be at birth is one tall order.

She has bonded with her foster mother and follows her, and the other dogs in the house, everywhere  she goes. Always from a distance but she relies on her “mom’s” presence to ground her/calm her.  She loves her house siblings and will cuddle and nap with them.  Occasionally, she will even try to initiate play with them.  This is always so heartwarming to see because we all know that she never had this opportunity when living life as a breeder at the puppy mill.

But she still has not gotten to the point where she can sufficiently trust that humans won’t hurt her to allow humans to pet her.  She will approach and sniff at human’s finger tips and then slowly back away.  She will take treats from people—if she knows the person and if the treat is good enough.  She does continue to take baby steps forward and I do feel that in time, in her own time, she will get there.  We are looking for someone to take her for what she is now even should she remain the same as she is today.  If someone had a dog that needed another dog to keep it company, she would be a perfect choice.  If you had an affectionate dog that gave you the cuddles and affection that we crave as pet owners but that dog needed companionship while you are at work, etc., please consider Lucy.  She needs a home with another dog and how much better would it be if that dog needs a companion (or emotional support dog of his/her own). The humans in the house would be on the receiving end of their first dog’s affection while that dog was on the receiving end of affection from Lucy. 

She needs a forever home of her own - apartments please.  How miraculous it would be for her to have a forever home for Christmas!  If you have it in your heart, please help her begin her final walk towards normalcy—slowly, one step at a time, no matter how long it might take.  I promise you that nothing you will ever do in your life will touch you as much as when she does finally give you her trust.

Girlfriend is micro-chipped, housetrained, potty pad trained, and up to date on all vaccinations.  

Girlfriend's adoption fee is $175.  A meeting will not be scheduled until you have an approved application, so if you're interested in adopting Girlfriend fill out an Online Application today!

Once your application has been approved, an ARF volunteer will contact you to arrange a meeting.

Thank you for considering a rescue pet from A.R.F.-Animal Rescue Foundation! We are  based in Wheaton, IL and conduct adoption events in the DuPage County area. If you are interested in adopting one of our pets, please submit an adoption application at https://www.arf-il.org/adopt/application/ 

Adoption appointments are scheduled based on the order of applications received, so submit your application early! Submitting an application does not commit you to any animal but does get you a head start with the adoption approval process. Due to a high volume of applications, we are often unable to respond to questions or schedule meetings until your application has been approved. More information about our adoption process can be found on our website here: https://www.arf-il.org/adopt/

As an all-volunteer, foster home-based organization, A.R.F. Animal Rescue Foundation does not have a facility where applicants can visit our animals. Please visit https://www.arf-il.org/events/ for a list of our upcoming adoption events. 

Thank you for choosing to adopt, not shop!