My name is Bear and Im looking for my forever home. I just turned 10 years old and until recently, I had my very own human who loved me very much, but who was elderly and got really sick and struggled to take care of me properly. So SIRA came and brought me to my foster home outside of Chicago. Im basically a big-ol, laid-back Teddy Bear who never passes up an opportunity to stretch out on the sofa for a nice nap. But I can be playful too sometimes. I like playing fetch, especially with squeaky toys!  Im a big boy. A very big boy! I weigh 54 pounds, but Im working on changing that. Ive already lost 5 pounds! Foster mom says that losing weight is important to help me stay healthy. Ive got a knee problem that doesnt interfere with my mobility, but it could in the future if I dont lose more weight. Im a friendly, social guy who likes to meet new people. I get happy and excited when I meet people on walks and they pet me. Im also very smart. I know commands like sit, lay down, paw, speak, and come. But Im a typical Shiba. That means I will almost always be happy to do all of my tricks IF you have TREATS for me. Yup. Its all about the treat. Ill bark at you the whole time if Im not getting my treat fast enough. Despite a bit of Shiba-sass, Im a well-behaved Bear at home. Im completely potty trained and never had an accident in my foster home. Ill whine or bark to let you know that I need to go out. Im also crate trained. I like napping in my crate with the door open during the day. My foster mom says that Im very good when she leaves me alone at home with free-run of the apartment. I love to go for car rides, especially if the windows are rolled down when the weather is nice. I like big windows in general. I love to watch the world walk by and to lie in the sun in front of the balcony door here in my foster home. There arent too many things I dont like, but one of them is BATHS! Ill try hard to get out of the tub and will yell at you to STOP. I dont get aggressive, but since Im such a big boy, it might take two people to keep me in the tub. My perfect forever home would have no other dogs or maybe another older dog that is also laid-back. Im more comfortable with smaller dogs than bigger ones. Not sure how Id feel living with a cat, but my foster mom says I dont seem to have a high prey-drive. Id do just fine in an apartment or in a house. I dont need a fenced yard to play in as long as you can take me out for walks and potty breaks. One thing to know is that I dont do well on slippery tile or wood floors. But I am great with carpet (and I like to roll around on it). Im not a fan of stairs - you know, the knees and my weight... But my foster parents have this thing called an elevator at their apartment, and I ride it like a king!! Im fine with kids, but I can get mouthy sometimes when I get excited, so it would be best if the kids are old enough to be dog-savvy. My forever home will need to make sure that I take my allergy meds. Im not sure what Im allergic to, but the meds help keep that under control. They used to get really bad before I came into foster care, so I have some fur loss around my neck and belly that the vet said might not grow back fully. But Im feeling so much better now that I dont mind. its just one of the things that makes me a special Bear. Im neutered and up to date on vaccinations. So, if you live in the Midwest and youd like your very own Bear to be your pal and keep you company, then Im your boy!  The best next step is to visit www.savingshibas.com to start the process of becoming an approved SIRA adopter. The application process helps SIRA learn more about you and your home environment to make sure wed be a good match. Once youre approved, theyll connect you with my foster parents so we can meet. Id love to meet you and be your Teddy Bear!