After 933 days with PAWS, Tracy is home!

Aug 19, 2025

Tracy had become a favorite of staff, volunteers, and fosters, but the connection she had with adopter Laura Nalley was undeniable: “She and I locked eyes as she came through the door and she put her muzzle right in my hand.”

Tracy spent 2.5 years with PAWS Chicago, and we are thrilled to announce that she has finally been adopted.  

Originally from Chicago Animal Care and Control, Tracy came to us at just 3 months old. As a high energy puppy and even more exuberant teen, she had difficulties finding a home in the close quarters of urban city living. This led to Tracy getting passed over for calmer, smaller breeds for months.  And once fully grown, Tracy weighed 70 pounds, which significantly limited her adopter pool.  

During her time with us, PAWS trainers, caregivers, and volunteers worked closely with Tracy to develop all the skills she needed to become part of a family. And when she wasn’t at PAWS, she was in PAWS foster homes—109 days total—learning about comfort and companionship.  

Then, finally, Tracy met the people who would change her life forever: Laura Nalley and her family. Tracy chose them without hesitation. And they chose her right back.  

Laura Nalley describes their journey to Tracy, the magic of their meeting, and how everything is going now:  

“We had adopted a dog from PAWS back in 2013—his name was Howard when he was with PAWS, but our son renamed him Tickle. He was a wonderful dog and we loved him very much. He died earlier this summer at 14 years, and as time passed, we wanted to come back to PAWS to see if we might again get as lucky as we did the first time around.  

We made an appointment about 3 weeks in advance to coming in, and during most of that time I wouldn't let myself look online because I was afraid of getting attached to any dog that might then be adopted by the time we got there, but in the week leading up to July 18th, I did let myself start to look, and I shared profile pics with my husband and son.  

We were most interested in dogs that were somewhere between 1 and 3 years old, and Tracy was in that age group, so she was one of the dogs we were hoping to see. There were some great pictures with her profile as well as a short video of her on the rooftop at PAWS, and she looked very loving and friendly.   

In the days leading up to our visit, I said a little prayer and asked that our previous PAWS dog Tickle might help us find the right match that day. As we walked through the hallway of suites, I felt like I knew a fair number of the dogs a little bit, having looked at their pics online, and so two of the amazing team members—Jordan and Buffie—started letting us visit one-on-one with a few dogs. Each one that came in was very sweet, but somehow I just felt like they weren't our dog.  

We mentioned wanting to see Tracy, who was out on a run with volunteer James, and as soon as they got back, they brought her back to see us. It was pretty amazing. She and I locked eyes as she came through the door and she came and put her muzzle in my hand, and I just immediately felt drawn in to her. I just right away wanted to hug her and talk to her, and eventually I let my husband and son have a turn too, and they also felt a strong connection. I feel like it took about 5 minutes to fall completely in love and from there, it was just a matter of sorting out all the details.  

After adoption, we kept the name Tracy. She had, of course, had the name for a very long time, but more than that, it was clear that she had been greatly loved by the team at PAWS who had all called her that, so we thought it made the most sense to keep it. 

Today, she's doing great! She's found lots of favorite spots inside, and she loves taking lots of regular walks through the neighborhood, as well as taking the car to a variety of nearby parks for more fun walks in the evenings.  

She loves the car, she loves playing tug of war with rope toys, and she's learning to play hide and seek with us around the house. She also loves Petco. Most of all, though, she just really loves sitting and being together, being petted and scratched, being talked to, being loved.  

We are so grateful to have Tracy. One thing we all love about her is that way she shakes herself out—it starts at her head, goes through the middle of her body, and then finally the wiggle reaches her rear end. It's pretty fantastic! More than that, though, we love how kind and loving and attentive she is. She follows us all around the house like we're the most interesting people ever, and she gives us her welcomes, her smiles, her full-body lean, and her love.  

I also find myself reflecting on how loved she is by the team at PAWS. She's won so many people over with her love—despite being in the shelter so long, she held onto her spirit and her pride and her joy of life. The love she received from PAWS must have helped her retain her resilience and her hope. Nothing about her is a victim. She's strong and confident, and she knows how to love because she was loved by the people at PAWS. 

We are just so grateful for the team at PAWS—so many people worked with Tracy over the years to help her learn and grow. I know that she received great training from Brian and his behavior team, and that they oversaw her times in foster homes, and those stints seem to have really primed her effectively for a transition into a forever home.  

The PAWS model is inspiring—you stick by animals, you have faith in them, you work with them, you ensure their safety and also their hope—and the fact that you did that for so long with Tracy meant that when we were ready to bring home a dog, Tracy was there and ready for us.  

We are so grateful to have Tracy. An animal who finds their way to PAWS is truly blessed, as are people like us.”  

To watch Tracy’s going away party at PAWS, click here.