Akaliko

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Update 05/19/08:

Akaliko has come through his neutering with flying colors. The vet techs stated that while being with them, he was very timid in the new surroundings. Kaliko was very happy to see his foster mom and come home to his resident Springer buddies. He is recovering very well from his surgery.

Once comfortable in his surroundings, Kaliko is a very happy, loving dog. He needs constant reassurance when out in the world among people that no one will hurt him. He has made progress and will allow strangers to pet him, as long as he is next to his foster mom. He will reach out for treats from other people and venture a little ways from his foster mom to take a goodie. On occasion he will offer his paw to other people. Kaliko loves to be with his foster mom and snuggles tightly up against her at every opportunity.

Akaliko loves his resident Springer buddies. He loves to play and romp in the yard with them. He is doing much better at being outside for play and exercise, as long as he knows he can escape from anything that scares him through the doggy door into the house.

This youngster would love a forever family that offers him the security of a loving, patient home and would continue to work on his confidence. Kaliko has the most doleful eyes and is full of life. Could his new safe, loving haven be your home?

Update 05/07/08:

Akaliko is doing better and better in his foster home. He keeps busy with his walks and playing with the resident dogs. He still will not venture near the resident cats but will sit and watch them. Kaliko, for short, totally loves tennis balls and continually will play with them by himself. He will chase them when his foster mom tosses them for him, though he doesn’t always bring them back. He is starting to feel a bit more comfortable outside in the yard, though anything that scares him or he is unsure of will send him running right back into the house through the doggy door. Oh, the fun of pups!

This smart youngster has not had any accidents in the house and will let his family know when he has to go by whining a bit. Kaliko knows command sit very well and has done an excellent job on learning to shake paw. That’s not to say that, sometimes when he is getting a treat, he will give not only a high 5 but a high 10, too!

There have been three outings for Kaliko since arriving at his foster home. He went to a birthday party in a pet store that welcomes doggies. He did well with sniffing other dogs but would not allow anyone to approach to pet him unless he was Velcroed to his foster mom. He also went to MAESSR’s picnic at Langhorne. He did quite well there but still was shy on people approaching him. When walking in the park’s field and seeing all the birds flying about, he so wanted to be let loose to go chase them. His full attention was on the birds and the ducks in the water!

Kaliko also went to a Walk for Paws event. Still on the shy side, he did make approaches to people there, only to back away when they approached him, but that was a major step for him. He did allow people to pet him once he felt a little more secure and he would take treats from strangers. He loved taking a walk through the trails in the woods with the foster mom and the resident Springer. Kaliko did great with meeting other dogs there. He was also very patient while his foster mom got lost en route to home – he slept on the backseat all the way!

Akaliko is a wonderful, loving Springer who just loves to snuggle up. As each day passes, he is taking steps to feel more confident and comfortable with being around other people. With time, patience, and a lot of praises, he will emerge to be a very confident boy. More to come on Kaliko as his life unfolds in his foster home…

Original:

Akaliko’s owner had rescued him from his initial living situation where he was very matted, neglected, and very frightened. Due to difficulties in living arrangements, his current owner could not keep him so MAESSR was contacted to find a good home for this very timid boy.

Although Akaliko was very scared when he came into foster care, he quickly attached himself to the resident Springers and his foster mom, following her everywhere. At the vet he decided that hiding under the bench by his foster mom was the safest place to be when new people and dogs were around. Although he was frightened throughout the examination, he showed no aggression nor did he grumble.

Akaliko, or Kaliko as his foster mom calls him, is adjusting better and better with each day in foster care. His relinquishing owner is Hawaiian-American so his name in Hawaiian means “timeless.” And not only is his name Hawaiian, but he is also bi-linqual knowing a few Hawaiian commands! He even understands them when his foster mom tries to say them, but he definitely knows some commands in English as well. Kaliko responds to come, sit, and down although somewhat inconsistently. Additional training will benefit him greatly in his future home. He does well on a leash, only pulling a little, and he loves to go for walks. He was very interested in a flock of birds in a field on one of his expeditions of walks. A true Springer! When going for a car ride, Kaliko will jump right into the car. Although a bit nervous at first, he will eventually sit in one spot, look out the window, or just lay down. He has not gotten car sick. 

Kaliko gets very excited when his foster mom comes home from work. He jumps up and down, twists and turns with the other resident dogs to greet her. He very gently jumps on his foster mom for some additional petting. Initially at bedtime, his foster mom would have to lead him down the stairs to the bedroom on a leash since he was so timid. Now, Akaliko will join with the resident dogs, going down the stairs when told time for bed. He will either curl up right away for bed or play with a toy for a little before settling in for the night.

Akaliko is not a counter-surfer and he shows no food aggression to his foster mom or to the resident dogs. Now that his is more relaxed in his foster home, he has shown a hearty appetite. Akaliko will wait patiently to be fed while the resident dogs are getting their bowls. His foster mom can pet him now while he is eating and she can take the bowl from him with no problems. Also, he takes treats very gently. 

Kaliko is crate-trained, going into his crate when told to do so and, once in, he is fine. He has proven to be trustworthy in the house when no one is home and is now given full access to his foster home. Kaliko quickly learned how to use the doggy door and will go in and out as needed. Also, he peeks his head outside to see if everything is safe! Being outside still makes him nervous even when his foster mom and the resident dogs are outside with him. If anything seems to scare him, Kaliko will run through the doggy door to go back into the house.

Kaliko loves to play! He and the resident Springers and German shepherd chase each other and play tug-of-war with a toy. Kaliko and the year old resident Springer play hard and look like rabbits playing in a field, with lots of jumps, hops, twists and turns. They all run and chase each other inside the house, but as of yet, Kaliko will not initiate play with the resident dogs outside of the house in the fenced-in yard; he responds to others’ invitations to play though. He has made no attempt to jump the fence.

Kaliko loves the toys in the foster home and will play with them independently sometimes chewing one up to see how many pieces he can make! He plays with a tennis ball by himself, picking it up and tossing it or hitting it with his paw and then chasing after it. Kaliko has limited his chewing to appropriate dog toys. His foster mom can take a toy out of his mouth with no issues. 

Although Kaliko has not met any young children in his foster home, his foster mom feels he would be afraid of them as he is of other new people at this point. Kaliko’s first cat encounter was with a neighbor’s cat. He watched the cat but would not approach it. Finally, after watching a resident Springer approach the cat to greet it, he thought he’d give it a try. Unfortunately, the cat gave him a swat across the nose, so Kaliko quickly retreated back to his foster mom while still staring at the cat. Kaliko has met the resident cats and he is afraid of them. He won’t even go near them. 

This alert, handsome young boy is very loving and snuggly with his foster mom. He lays his head on his foster mom’s lap for some major petting. With time and patience for him to learn to trust, Akaliko will prove to be a very good companion. Watch for more to come on this handsome guy as he begins to bloom in his foster home. Aloha!