Entered: 06/12/2014
Status: Adopted
Age: 10
Color: Black/White
Weight: 48 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Altoona, PA
Health: UTD, HW-, Lyme-, supplement for mild anxiety being further reduced, recovery from a cyst removal and intestinal worming complete, blind in one eye and compromised vision in other eye
Temperament: Good with adults, gentle when meeting children in public, good with dogs, not good with cats
Update 08/21/2014: “Bandit is once again looking for a furever home where this sweet boy can get and give lots of lovin’ and, as is known now, he needs a home without kitties.“
Bandit continues to do well in his foster home. He had a brief adoption, but his new owner reluctantly returned him after 3 days as he was not adjusting to her cat. She had nothing but praise for Bandit’s personality and transition to her home but felt it best to return him for a more suitable placement. Bandit was welcomed back with open arms by his foster mom. He seamlessly slipped back into the routine even with the arrival of a new foster while he had been gone. The resident springer who is slow to warm up to some fosters was happy to have his buddy back!
In the past month Bandit’s foster mom worked with him to stop jumping on the screen doors and to reduce barking at cars and pedestrians as they passed the house. The frequency of barking and duration has much improved as well as the jumping on screens.
Bandit does not try to jump up on his foster mom’s bed but would love to chill out on the couch. He usually accepts “no” but at other times, he jumps up and refuses to get down. On those occasions his foster mom has to give him a gentle push off the couch and he reluctantly goes to a plush dog pillow. His foster mom suspected her bed to be too high for Bandit to jump on but learned during a severe thunderstorm that he is able to make it up. He just wanted to be close to her for reassurance. Given the severity of the storm, he got through it like a real trooper.
Bandit continues to use a Gentle Leader for walks. He was recently tried without it and pulled too much, so back on it went. He still tries to remove the Gentle Leader at the start of walks but, after being told a couple times to “leave it on,” he complies and enjoys his outing. It is hard to believe that Bandit had low endurance when he first arrived. He is now taking two 1.5 mile walks most days and his energy is not fading at the end. He still gets excited if he sees critters……bunnies, cats, and squirrels……along the route. Not bad for a fellow with limited vision!
When it comes to crating Bandit is doing well and will now go in with a prompt and perhaps the promise of a treat. There may be some barking as his foster mom leaves the house and always upon her return. Bandit is learning he has to sit quietly to be let out of the crate. Currently he is being crated up to six hours at a time. An inexpensive and natural supplement to help him with crating is used now only if he hasn’t been walked prior to his foster mom leaving.
Bandit is once again looking for a furever home where this sweet boy can get and give lots of lovin’ and, as is known now, he needs a home without kitties.
Update 07/14/2014: “Bandit is a sweet and happy Velcro Springer who doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.”
Bandit is enjoying his transition to indoor life and continues to be well-behaved in the house. His foster mom is working with him to stop jumping on the screen doors and, both indoors and out, to reduce his announcement of cars or pedestrians as they pass by the house. The frequency of barking has not changed yet, but the duration has much improved. Bandit is so smart and quick to learn, it shouldn’t take long to modify the behavior.
There was one incident of counter-surfing: Bandit stole a frozen dinner roll when his foster mom became distracted. How could a boy resist temptation staring him so close in the face? There were some attempts over the next few days to counter-surf, but temptations were limited and it seems to have stopped. Sometimes Bandit picks up a tissue off the floor but will drop it when prompted. What a good boy, Bandit! He is so eager to please his humans.
Bandit also gets along well with other dogs. At the vet’s office Bandit tried to make friends with every dog he encountered. The resident Springer will occasionally put Bandit in his place for very minor offenses, but is also known to groom Bandit’s face and give him kisses. The Prince of the Castle also occasionally allows Bandit to dethrone him and sleep on the pillow under the desk while his foster mom is on the computer.
He continues to do great through the night. When he starts to stir before the alarm goes off, he can be prompted to go lie back down. Thanks, Bandit! When it is time to get up, Bandit will stick his front paws up on the bed to get his fair share of attention and perhaps to encourage his foster mom to get out of bed a little faster. He does not try to jump up on the bed. His foster mom suspects it may be too high for him.
Bandit is doing well with eating. This boy no longer picks at his food! He eats all of his supper and will sometimes check other bowls for possible leftovers. Bandit does not guard his food and he no longer needs to be fed separately. He’s expected to sit before he gets his supper and treats; he is learning that lesson well. Sometimes he will even beg without being asked! He gently accepts treats, although sometimes he may have trouble seeing them if his foster mom does not position them in his line of vision.
Bandit recovered nicely from his neutering and cyst removal. Before his follow up appointment he did manage to tear out the stitches from the cyst removal by using a lilac bush for a scratching post. Helet his foster mom give him first aid to stop the bleeding and clean the wound. Best of all, there has been no marking since Bandit was neutered………woo-hoo!
For walks Bandit’s foster mom is using a Gentle Leader. He walks nicely, although he still has a tendency to weave at times. He is quickly learning to sit to have his Gentle Leader put on and removed. He’ll try to remove it at the start of his walks but soon settles down to enjoy himself. He gets excited if he sees critters, especially bunnies and squirrels, along the route. When children are encountered, who ask to pet the dogs, he has been gentle and a real wiggle-butt with them. On walks he ignores the reactive dogs running and barking at fences. Bandit loves his walks but initially lacked endurance. He can now get through most of a 1.5 mile walk before he starts to tire and lag behind. The heat and humidity bother him, so walks are early morning or after the sun goes down.
Bandit loves to be brushed and is ready for his turn before he is called. His foster mom hasn’t had him groomed yet but will do that soon. He continues to love baths. One evening his foster mom discovered him jumping in and out of the tub on his own!
Bandit has settled down more for car rides but did have an occasion of car sickness after his last vet visit. Over the 4th of July neighbors set off fireworks which caused slight anxiety for Bandit. He was allowed to snuggle up on the couch with his foster mom when he became nervous, which resolved any uneasiness. For a couple days afterwards, his foster mom had to work on keeping him off the couch! He will still longingly glance at the sofa to see if it is okay to join her, but is accepting “no” for an answe
Crating is still a work in progress. There does not appear to be anything yet that will entice Bandit into the crate on his own. When he jumps up on the couch to avoid crating, he is picked up and put in the crate. Sometimes he gets a frozen Kong to occupy him when his foster mom leaves the house. There may be some barking when she leaves and upon her return. Bandit is learning he has to sit to be let out of the crate. Currently he is being crated up to six hours at a time. An inexpensive and natural supplement is still being used to help him with the transition, but is slowly being reduced.
Bandit is a sweet and happy Velcro Springer who doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. He loves to be close to his people, which made it difficult at times for his foster mom to film his video. He kept following her around the yard. There certainly were a lot of close-ups and outtakes!
Wouldn’t you like to get up-close and personal with Bandit? This sweet scamp promises to be a devoted friend.
Original: “Bandit is a smart, sweet, easy-going, and gentle fellow who always has a smile on his face and is eager to please.”
When a shelter in Pennsylvania reached out for assistance, Bandit became a MAESSR boy. He had been relinquished to the shelter when his elderly owner, who had him since he was a puppy, was no longer able to care for him. According to the shelter records, Bandit had been kept chained or in a dog run all of his life. Although he is a good weight, Bandit was very dirty and matted upon arrival at the shelter. He was bathed and some of his mats were combed or cut out by shelter staff. His foster mom has continued the process with two more baths and daily brushing to remove mats and to restore this gentleman to his natural good looks.
Bandit is a smart, sweet, easy-going, and gentle fellow who always has a smile on his face and is eager to please. He is getting along with the two resident dogs and two female fosters. When the resident Springer or one of the foster canines snips or grumbles at him for a minor infringement such as sniffing, Bandit takes it in stride and does not retaliate. What a good boy!
The recent changes in Bandit’s life have naturally brought some anxiety with it; he currently is receiving a natural supplement while he adapts to life indoors. This has been very helpful with his adjustment, and he will soon be weaned off as he becomes more comfortable.
Although being an indoor dog is new to Bandit, he has been well-behaved overall in the house. There have been a few attempts to jump on furniture which were easily redirected; but he has not chewed, trash-dived, counter-surfed, or jumped on people. Bandit has been marking indoors, but that is decreasing and is expected to improve greatly with neutering. Other than the marking, there have been no accidents in the house. All right, Bandit!
He is frequently let out so he has the opportunity to succeed at being housetrained. Bandit will scratch at the door if he wants to go outside, although not necessarily to go to the bathroom. He has good recall when outdoors and is becoming less of a flight risk as he adapts to the foster home. Given his visual impairment, sometimes Bandit will walk into furniture or doorways, but generally gets around okay in well-lit areas.
Bandit is a moderate energy fellow. He pulls on the leash and training will soon begin to address that issue as he recovers from neutering. Records indicate that he likes chew bones. So far he has shown no interest in any of the dog toys or tennis balls in the house.
This sweet boy enjoys being brushed and frequently gives his foster mom his paw during the activity. He was a very good boy for his baths. With encouragement, he jumped in the tub so his foster mom did not have to lift him. Thanks! He was tethered to the tub for his first bath with the expectation that he would try to jump out, but there were no escape attempts. Atta boy, Bandit! In fact, he gave his foster mom lots of kisses during his baths to show his appreciation for the personal attention. Bandit allowed his foster mom to clean his ears. His nails were trimmed at the vet’s while he was under sedation for neutering.
Bandit was crated his first night in his foster home, but has been sleeping in his foster mom’s bedroom on the wood floor or a dog pillow since. He does not willingly go into the crate yet, but that should change with experience and reinforcement. There may be some whining and barking when first crated, but he does calm down quickly. So far he has been crated from four to eight hours while his foster mom was out. There may be some minor anxiety (drooling) while he becomes more comfortable with crating, but he does not display separation anxiety. The house was quiet upon return until everyone else started to bark when they realized that foster mom was home. Except for the crate, there has been minimal barking on Bandit’s part. He will join in sometimes when the other dogs start up.
Bandit was transported in the back of a pickup by his former owner, so riding in a car is new to him. During transport a barrier was put up, in addition to tethering him in the back seat, since he would be riding in the driver’s lap otherwise! He is able to calmly ride if he knows he can’t get up front. With three trips in the car so far, he is showing progress adapting to his new means of transportation.
Bandit is fed separately from the other four dogs because he is a slow eater. His former owner indicated that he picked at his food. The vet’s examination of Bandit’s teeth revealed an apparent history of chewing on metal. His foster mom supervises treats; poor Bandit loses out if he accidentally drops his treat because one of the other dogs will swoop in for the treasure. His training includes learning that he has to sit in order to get his treat. He even sat up and begged on one occasion when prompted to sit. His foster mom has not tried to remove Bandit’s meal as yet, but feels he would not resource guard. He allows her to be very close to him while he eats.
Bandit did well at his vet checkup and for his neutering. The staff commented on what a good boy and pleasant fellow he was for both visits. He is taking his Elizabethan collar in stride, learning to adapt to its awkwardness. Displaying his social skills, he tried to make friends with fellow E-collar wearers at the vet’s office!
Once Bandit is ready for his forever home he should fit nicely into almost any family situation. Most likely he would prefer a canine companion to keep him company on those occasions when his family is gone. This seasoned senior would love to spend his golden years giving and receiving the love he deserves. He promises to live up to his name and steal your heart.