Alice

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Life is often full of unexpected twists. Seven adult Springers were suddenly left homeless when their owner/breeder was killed in a freak accident. They ended up in a Pennsylvania shelter where the staff quickly contacted MAESSR for help in placing them. The dogs were in rough shape when they entered the shelter; they had not been altered, they needed socialization, many had ear infections, all were thin, and they were in need of vaccinations, worming, and thorough grooming. When the call went out for foster homes, MAESSR volunteers quickly came to their aid and opened their homes and hearts to the Pennsylvania Seven.

Alice is one of the three females of this group. Like her kennel mates, Alice was very shy and under-socialized; however, she surprised her foster mom by being 100% housebroken and good on a leash, focusing on the handler instead of forging ahead. During her first few days in foster care, she didn’t know what to do with all the new-found freedom, pacing around, and going in and out of her open crate. She seemed to get security from being inside of it, so her foster mom would close it off when she seemed anxious. Her other favorite places were a corner rug under the table or a low shelf in the office. From the start, she seemed to enjoy getting petted, and never showed any fear aggression. Alice quickly began learning from the resident dogs, following around with them, only hiding when the terrier barks harshly. As she is becoming more comfortable in foster care, Alice is using her tail to show her happiness at seeing her foster folks reenter the room after being out of view or being away.

When it’s time to go out, Alice waits patiently by the door for her leash, ignoring the jostling by the other dogs, and goes out in tandem or triple with the others to do her business. She’s definitely crate trained, sleeping quietly from 10 PM until 7 AM. She’s crated when her foster parents are away because she seems to feel safer there. In the morning when she comes out, she wags her tail at the resident female. Her appetite is okay, but she eats at a leisurely pace, so is fed in her crate or with the others gated away. She has no food aggression at all, nor does doesn’t counter-surf or get in the garbage, either.

Alice likes riding in the car and has learned to stay in the back, either with the other resident dogs or on her own. She’s learned “sit” for treats, but with her shyness, her foster parents are taking other new commands slowly. Alice enjoys being petted all over, doesn’t mind baths, and has only recently shown her foster folks that she’ll pick up toys. She bowed and tried to get the resident female to play, but retreated to her crate when the terrier started barking jealously. She seems to like contact with other dogs, which the resident female Springer tolerates, but the terrier does not. Alice doesn’t guard anything, being content to share petting and brushing or even beds with the resident dogs. Still on the shy side and calm, Alice mostly seems to think she needs to stay out of the way. She’ll come when called for pets and then settle at the person’s feet. If you stand up suddenly, she’ll shy away, look at you for invitation and then come over to be near you. She doesn’t get on furniture or laps, though she will put a tentative paw up for more affection.

All in all, Alice has shown great progress since coming into foster care, behaving more like a real Springer every day. She perks up looking at squirrels on the feeder, romps through the house after the resident dogs to follow her foster mom, and is starting to retrieve small toys and carry them back to her crate.

Ideally, Alice perhaps would be better of in a home where loud noises and sudden movements of smaller children didn’t upset her, being a bit skittish at this phase of her life. She willingly accepts any affection thrown her way and is learning to trust people. Despite her fear of the newness of things, this gentle girl has shown no aggression at all. Alice will soon be ready to move to the next stage of her life.