Bernie 3

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Original: A person can find just about anything on Craigslist – cars, trucks, boats. But in late July, there was a listing for something much more valuable. It was an English Springer Spaniel, and his name was Bernie. His original owner had left him with friends due to a change in living arrangements. After four months in their small townhouse, this family with five children knew Bernie deserved a home that would give him more freedom; however, at this point they did not know about MAESSR. Once contacted by the MAESSR volunteer who explained the purpose of the group, this Maryland family relinquished Bernie knowing that a wonderful new home would be found for him. So, the MAESSR volunteer packed him up and took him home. She shampooed him, groomed him, and kept a close eye on him until a foster home was found.

When Bernie met his foster mom and dad, he happily jumped into their SUV for a ride into the next chapter of his life. Five minutes out, he had successfully escaped from his restraint harness and spent the next hour lying down, getting up, attempting passage to the front seat, and then lying down again. This made his foster parents decide that if Bernie wasn’t riding shotgun, he would probably need to be crated.

Arriving at his foster home, Bernie met the two resident male Springers with much enthusiasm all around. Bernie loves to play with these young, canine foster brothers, but can get possessive of his toys at times. He may do better as an only dog, or with a more senior dog who has less interest in toys. Of course, trips to a dog park would always be welcome.

According to Bernie’s foster mom, he has proven to be the perfect houseguest. He is totally housetrained, does not counter surf or trash pick. He stays off the furniture for the most part; if he does stray onto the couch, he gets off immediately when told. He knows the commands sit, down, and come. Plus, he is working on paw and stay. He will jump on his foster mom when she comes home from work but is very courteous to visitors when they enter the house with minimal to no jumping. He met his foster parent’s three granddaughters, who range in age from three to ten, and was very gentle with them. His previous home had young children and he reportedly did very well with them, also.

Bernie is very affectionate and enjoys hugs and belly scratches. He loves to play with tennis balls. . . a lot! In his exuberance, he once fit two balls in his mouth at one time – WOW! He is always ready to play a game of throw and fetch. The sight of a leash means walk time to Bernie. Then, he becomes very animated and may jump up. His foster parents have been working with him and he is improving at sitting when the leash is attached to his collar, although his is still quite the “wiggle-butt.” He greatly enjoys his walks in the country beside the cornfields and by the acres of soybeans which are as “high as a Springer’s eye.” He is a joy to walk and generally does not pull on the leash, but a flock of birds taking flight is almost too much to resist. He responds well to correction when this occurs. In more residential areas he does get distracted by neighborhood dogs and tends to pull a bit more.

Bernie was a little anxious at the vet, but did allow the inevitable pokes and prods that occur during these visits. When it comes time to put the ointment in his eye for his conjunctivitis (which could be allergy related), he lies down and allows his foster mom to apply it without any fuss. He seems to not mind having his ears cleaned, either. He is recuperating well from his neutering. What a wonderful trooper he is!

Bernie is looking for a family with a large yard for him to run, play, and chase birds in. Frequent walks are a must for this active boy. He is a wonderful dog, and his foster parents are going to have a hard time parting with him, but they know he is going to make a lucky family very happy. Oh yes, Bernie adds, “They must play ball!”