Aqua

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Update 11/30/07: Aqua has returned to MAESSR after some jealousy issues with his adopting family’s four-year-old son. It was felt that he would do better in a family with older children that didn’t have quite the demanding needs of a young child.

He returned to his former foster home just as if he had never left. Aqua greeted the two resident Springers and the resident cat like old friends. He checked in at the vet and got a good report on his foot. There is no sign of any regrowth of the tumor he had removed. He continues on the supplement for his hips and an occasional Rimadyl when he has been out in the cold. He discovered he likes the snow very much! He enjoyed romping around the yard and helping with all the snow shoveling.

Upon his return Aqua did have one surprise awaiting him. His foster mom had taken the carpet off part of the stairs. He went up the stairs with no problem. When it came time to come back down though, he got to the landing that was carpeted on the first section and refused to budge another inch. He barked for a bit and finally just laid down with his head hanging over the edge. His foster mom put a leash on him and led him down. After that he decided he would go up and down the back stairs that had carpeting all the way. So, no hardwood stairs for Aqua in his new home although he does fine on the two wooden steps off of the deck.

Aqua seems to have gotten over a lot of his neediness. His foster mom has been working on encouraging his independence. He is still a Velcro boy but he will explore the yard by himself or just hang on the back porch looking out into the yard. He is fine when his foster mom leaves for work in the morning, but he does not like it when she is just leaving for any other reason. His foster dad will give him treats during that time to show that “good things happen when she leaves.” Aqua has gotten much more comfortable with his foster dad and accepts that he is fun to hang out with when his foster mom is gone.

In his adoptive home, Aqua was allowed on the couch. He has found that he likes this very much, especially with a nice fire going, but he will get off when his foster mom asks. He is quite funny in that he can only jump up on one end, due to the location of the coffee table. It doesn’t matter if one of the resident dogs is already in that spot. Aqua will just climb up on top of whoever happens to be in his way without a second thought. Sometimes the other dog will move over. Sometimes Aqua will just perch half on top of the other dog. No one seems to mind this! Aqua has discovered the tropical fish too. He watches them zip around in the tank, following them with his head and woofing at them. What a sight!

Aqua’s hair has grown in thick and soft. He reminds his foster mom of a big soft teddy bear now. He loves to be rubbed and enjoys being part of his pack these days. Aqua needs forever parents who will be firm in their “alpha” role in the household. He does well with “sit” if he is barking for attention. He will sit with maybe a couple of additional woofs. He knows he will only get petted if he is sitting and quiet.

Aqua spent the holidays last year in the shelter. He so loved being part of his foster family’s Thanksgiving this year. Aqua is ready to spend the rest of his holidays in his forever home with his forever family. Do you have an empty spot on your couch just aching to be filled by this soft, sweet boy?

Update 9/9/07: Aqua is enjoying life to the max these days. The transformation of his personality now that he is pain free and off medication has been so heartening and fun for his foster family to watch. His fur is growing in thick, shiny and soft. He is a tall, handsome fellow with a beautiful dark chestnut coat and silver ears. He grins all the time displaying his newly cleaned teeth. He moves around easily now after regular exercise and glucosamine supplements. He has been on outings to field hockey games and enjoys meeting everyone. His surgical incisions healed now, Aqua has become quite the hiker. He must have been a big outdoors dog in his former life. He has been on a few hikes around a nearby state park. When Aqua sees the hiking boots come out, he will bark and race around excitedly. He rides in the back of his foster mom’s SUV with the two other dogs. He would rather be sitting up front, but his foster parents keep reminding him that this is the best place for doggies to ride. Aqua is up to about 2 miles and would keep going all day if he were allowed.

This boy is surely misnamed. Aqua totally ignores his name and refuses to associate with it, even though he hears perfectly fine. He has decided he is waiting for his forever family to give him a cool, new name. Aqua enjoys sloshing in water rather than swimming. One night it was pouring rain when it was time to do the last bathroom run. Aqua stood on the porch as the two girls charged out. He looked out at the rain, turned and looked at his foster mom as to say, “You have got to be kidding me!” and then announced he would just hold it, thank you very much. And he did too until the next morning!

Aqua’s foster dad found that Aqua enjoys playing fetch, but it is Aqua’s version. He likes balls that are hit by sticks. His foster dad was chipping golf balls in the backyard when Aqua went bounding after one. Then a game ensued to see if Aqua could grab the ball before it was hit. He loves tennis balls hit by a golf club (Not too far! He is an older gentleman, after all) and will bring them back when he feels like it. One of his favorite things is run after one and then go deposit it in a spot in the yard. He will then run back to his foster dad and bark to have him throw another one. After a few of these, he will lie contently down in the middle of the tennis balls with one in his mouth. What a sight! He also enjoys helping the resident teenager fetch her field hockey balls.

Aqua must have been fed people food in his past. In the kitchen he will sniff with his head up in the air at any of the exciting goings on and what a noise he makes! When he holds his nose up to smell, he makes a sound like the snuffling of a pig. He will sit patiently as food is prepared. After a few minutes of being ignored, he will get his food bowl and slide it over with his nose to his foster parents to let them know they should put something good in it for him. It is so funny to watch. And, the small fact that it hasn’t worked so far hasn’t curbed his enthusiasm! After accepting that nothing exciting is ending up in his bowl, he will eat his dog food. During dinner he will lie right under the table but doesn’t beg.

While his foster family is away, Aqua has been left alone for up to 9 hours in the house and does fine. Getting this sweet boy into a daily routine has helped him settle in nicely. He also enjoys the company of his canine and feline companions. One day Aqua was sniffing at the resident girl’s door. His foster mom couldn’t understand why he wanted to go in there. When she opened the door, there stood the resident cat. She rubbed back and forth against Aqua as to say “thank you, thank you.”  Aqua does like everything to be just as it should be in his foster home.

Aqua is a big, sweet boy who loves lying right at his foster mom’s feet at all times. He rarely asks for any attention. He does enjoy immensely the brushings he has received. He will put his paw out to let her know he wants more. He will lie contently for hours if need be. But bring out a leash or say the “W” word and Aqua is bouncing around, ready to go. He knows “sit” and is always the first one to sit after coming inside for a treat. If his foster mom forgets, he will bonk the closet door with his nose to remind her.

Aqua’s biggest desire in a forever home is lots of companionship. He will need a family that is home a lot during the day or other fuzzy family members to keep him company. Do you need a hiking/walking buddy that will share your love for the outdoors? Someone who will devotedly follow you around in peaceful companionship? Then make sweet boy Aqua part of your forever family.

Update 8/13/07: Aqua is recovering quite nicely from his surgery. The mass on his toe was found to be cancerous so the whole toe was removed to give him the best long-term prognosis. An x-ray was done of his lungs to see if the cancer had spread. The x-ray came back clear and while we can’t guarantee that Aqua will never have a recurrence of cancer, right now things look great for him.

Through this whole experience Aqua has been quite the trooper. He has to go in for regular dressing changes at the vet, which are painful. He patiently sits while his foster mom wraps plastic bags around his bandages to keep them dry each time he wants to go outside. He has become a favorite at the vet’s office. After he had his x-rays taken, the assistant offered to take Aqua so his foster mom could talk to the vet. When his foster mom came out, Aqua was sprawled out on the floor surrounded by about 5 ladies in the office doting on him. Aqua loves women!

Aqua can’t wait to get back to his walks. He will grab the leash as to tell his foster mom “Come on, let’s go!” As much as he enjoyed his walks with his sore toe, his foster mom can’t wait until he can go pain free. When Aqua first came to his foster family, he was very stiff and sore from being in a shelter for so long. His arthritis in his back hips didn’t allow him to get in and out of a car by himself. He was awkward going up and down stairs. What a change! Now he jumps in and out of the car and races around the backyard. He follows his foster mom up and down the stairs all day long if need be. Inside the house Aqua has wonderful house manners and, after an initial excited greeting, is happiest calmly lying right at someone’s feet. Aqua sleeps on a dog bed next to his foster mom’s bed at night.

When his foster mom left the house, Aqua used to howl and bark. He was not destructive in any way, just mad that he was being left behind. His foster mom has started a routine of showing Aqua her keys and gathering her things. Aqua now will run up the stairs to go back to sleep with the resident teenage girl without a peep.

Aqua is a true Velcro spaniel who has been through so much and has remained a very sweet boy. He attached himself to his foster mom immediately. He is so looking for someone to give all his love and devotion to. He would love a forever family of his very own to take long walks with or just hang around the house and snooze with. He would really love a family that is home a lot during the day. Keep this sweet boy in your thoughts and prayers as he recovers.

Original: Aqua’s road to MAESSR has been a long one. He and another dog were found as strays almost a year ago and taken to a shelter in Newark, New Jersey. From there they were transferred to an associated shelter in central New Jersey. Shelter workers were trying to get the pair adopted together so they were featured in the shelter’s newsletter and on a public service television segment for homeless animals. Despite the staff’s hopefulness, no one came forward to adopt Aqua or his friend. MAESSR volunteers had been monitoring Aqua’s stay at the shelter and after repeated offers of help, the shelter agreed to relinquish Aqua into MAESSR’s care.

It is always heartwarming to see the transformation that shelter dogs undergo once they are in a home environment again. Aqua was patient while his foster mom cut the large mats from his coat and then bathed him. He clearly appreciated being clean and mat free. He was then taken to the groomer so now he looks and feels much better. The groomer gave him an excellent report and he enjoyed playing with another dog who was also there for the spa treatment!

When Aqua first came into foster care, his teeth had lots of tartar and looked terrible. His foster mom has been tempting him with some real bones and after some good gnawing, his teeth are looking much better. During his stay at the shelter, Aqua developed a mass on one of his toes. He is on pain medication now for this as he awaits an appointment at the vet to have the mass evaluated. The vet will see if the toe must be amputated or if the mass can just be removed. A thorough blood screening will be done at this appointment to assess his overall health. Aqua will be in foster care for a while during his convalescence.

Despite his hard luck, Aqua is a very friendly boy who gets along well with people and other dogs in his foster home. A Velcro dog, Aqua likes to follow his foster mom wherever she goes. He does not like it when she leaves the house, but soon quiets down and is not destructive. Aqua is housetrained and has not had even one accident. He doesn’t counter surf, but he will beg for people food. Aqua would like to get up on the furniture, but his foster mom has had to let him know that the couch is for people and not Springers. As much as he’d like to get up on furniture, Aqua does not like to be confined in a crate. Since he has such a strong aversion to being crated, this training is on hold while his health issues are being addressed. This low activity boy likes to go on walks and enjoys car rides, too.

With time and attention, Aqua will become a very nice looking and healthy dog. Keep watch for updates on how he is doing!