Nola Shiba Inu Mix Chicago, IL

Hi everyone! I'm Nola and I'm a 9-year-old female Shiba Inu (mix?) who came to SIRA as a stray. I may be little at 20lbs, but I have a big personality! My foster parents say that I am a very loving girl and have brought so much joy to my foster home. My favorite things are to welcome my humans when they come home, cuddle on the bed, get good pets, go on walks, and to to go outside to search for chipmunks in the yard. My least favorite things are to be crated and the sound of wheels that zip by me (bicycles, cars, etc). I am a good girl when I'm left at home uncrated all day while my foster parents are at work (no accidents, no chewing). The minute my foster parents get home, I rush to the door to give them tons of kisses and tell them how much I missed them! I love people and give lots of attention to my human friends. It might take me a little while to feel safe and secure in a new home. You see, I get anxious in a new environment and will bark a lot to let you know that I'm feeling unsure, especially if you step out of the room or leave home without me. So it will be important for my new family to be patient and plan for ways to help me to adjust during the transition (if you live in a home where barking won't disturb your neighbors, that's good too!). I get along great with my foster Shiba sister. However, I don't get along well with dogs that I don't know. Because of this, my foster parents think that I might do best in a home with no other dogs. I might learn to enjoy living with other even-tempered similarly sized dog(s), but my new humans would need to commit to a slow, gradual integration process. I have not lived with cats before, but because of my strong prey drive (yeah, I really like to chase those chipmunks!) a home without cats or other small pets would be best. I really like being outside and love to go for walks in my secure harness. Like most Shibas, I need to stay on-leash at all times when outside or be supervised in a very securely fenced backyard to prevent me from getting loose. My foster family says that I'm a generally healthy girl, with a few things that need monitoring. My left eye was removed in June of 2018 due to glaucoma. It doesn’t slow me down at all and I still have some vision out of my right eye, even though that one has a cataract and is at risk of developing glaucoma too. I get eye drops every day to help maintain healthy eye pressure. Like many older girls, I have a few other issues to be aware of, which mostly don’t bother me: occasional back pain, a slight heart murmur, airway sensitivity, and luxating patella (loose knee caps) in both knees. My foster parents say I'm a tough cookie (and also a sweetheart)! If you'd like to be my forever family and you live in the midwest, visit www.savingshibas.com/adopt for more information and to download an application to become an approved SIRA adopter. I am being fostered in Wisconsin.