Entered: 07/16/2022
Status: Adopted
Age: 7; born 06/21/2015
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 47 lbs.
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Altoona, PA
Health: UTD, HW-, treatment for Lyme disease complete, eye issues improved, bloodwork indicates possible decrease in kidney function, dental work with extractions for stage 4 dental disease complete
Temperament: Biscuit is a sweet and gentle senior gal, good with adults, unknown with children, good with two slightly smaller resident dogs, unknown with cats
Update 11/19/2022:“Biscuit is starting a brand-new life now that she is spayed, and her dental health has improved.”
Biscuit continues to do well and has had health issues addressed since her last update. Most recently she had her dental work completed, having teeth cleaned and some extracted as her dental needs had been ignored for quite some time. She also has been spayed and has recovered from her surgery.
This sweetie is starting a brand-new life now that she is spayed, and her dental health has improved. She seems more chipper now that the effects of her surgery are diminishing. She will be even happier when she can resume her treats but is happily putting up with cream cheese as a substitute in the meantime. Now that Biscuit has had her dental problems addressed, she might not require antihistamines, lubricating eye drops, and coconut oil rubs on her belly if her symptoms were from dental issues rather than allergies, but time will tell. She will still get salmon oil and coconut oil at separate meals. Additionally, she will need monitoring to observe her kidney function.
Biscuit continues to do well in the house with no objectionable habits other than one which is actually fairly amusing. She suddenly developed the habit of shrilly woo-woo-wooing to let foster mom know that she wants something. That in itself is fine, but she will continue to do it until she gets what she wants. Foster mom had to start limiting this continual verbalization after she woo-woo-woos a couple times.
Even though two dog pillows are available in foster mom’s bedroom, Biscuit usually chooses to sleep on the carpeted floor. She can be a very sound sleeper and may need to be called loudly to wake up.
Car rides are getting a little easier for Biscuit although she is still not thrilled with them. She continues to be very restless and moves around even when tethered in the back seat. She still will not jump into the car and needs to be lifted up.
Biscuit’s foster mom still has not found activities that this sweet girl likes other than going for walks. Sometimes she would like to join in when resident dogs play with each other but doesn’t seem to know how. She may find more interests now that her health is improving.
One thing Biscuit enjoys is getting brushed. She needs to be clipped, but her foster mom wants to wait until hair grows back where mats were cut out. Having a Springer clip may reduce shedding, which is found in every corner of the house.
Although her foster mom has not seen Biscuit jump onto anything, Biscuit is finally ready to make the leap into her furever home…and she will make a great companion!
Update 09/19/2022: “Biscuit is doing well and continues to be a real sweetheart; foster mom thinks she must not have a mean bone in her body.”
Biscuit is doing well and continues to be a real sweetheart; foster mom thinks she must not have a mean bone in her body. She is adapting overall to life “on the inside” and absolutely loves being a house dog. She enjoys receiving attention, will occasionally seek it out but is often content to nap.
Biscuit continues to coexist peacefully with the two resident dogs and will kindly let the male dog know when she does not appreciate his amorous advances. She does not play with the two resident dogs although they have tried to engage her. A couple times it appeared as if she was considering doing so, but interaction is mostly limited to sniffing. Biscuit has not yet fully learned to wait her turn when getting treats and will still try to squeeze out the other dogs to get the treat first. Usual protocol is that sitting is required to get a treat, and Biscuit seems to definitely understand this when foster mom shares her leftovers and is starting to realize this when receiving dog treats. Biscuit appears to be a slow learner and caught on to the “sit” command bit by bit. It seems that she prefers to comply to the sit prompt on a rug rather than the ceramic tile floor. Foster mom is a slow learner, too, not realizing this for a while!
Housetraining continues, and Biscuit has not had an accident in the house since her initial write-up. Foster mom continues to let her out every 2-3 hours. She and foster mom do have differing opinions as to whether occasional toileting on the deck is permitted. Most of the time, Biscuit still likes to run to the back door as soon as she is done outside. Sometimes she is prompted to go back down into the yard so she can finish. She will still stand at the back door or get antsy if she needs to go out.
On those occasions when Biscuit is outside while foster mom does yard work, she will lie on the deck or near foster mom. She does need monitoring outside as she might eat dirt – yuck! Apparently, she feels foster mom is starving her even though she gets highly-rated kibble (with occasional scraps) and treats plus the cream cheese that she loves so much. Her 2.5 pound weight gain since arrival is not proof enough to Biscuit that she is being adequately fed. Due to her dental issues, foster mom soaks her kibble to soften it up, and Biscuit can get a little antsy waiting for her meal. She is still gated in the foyer to eat as she finishes first, will often give foster mom a woof or two to let her know that she is ready to join the rest of the family.
Biscuit is being taken for occasional walks and, amazingly, does not pull on the leash as have most fosters before her. In fact, Biscuit has a tendency to lag at times, getting her leash tangled around her chest/harness when she walks behind foster mom. So far, she tends to be all over the place and has a decent pace so she just needs more practice to be the perfect walking companion. Walks have been limited to about a half mile, but she could easily do more, and she does enjoy a good sniff along the way.
Biscuit continues to do well when foster mom goes out two or three times a week with most excursions ranging from one-half hour to a rare two-hours. The first few weeks Biscuit was very quiet but recently started to howl as foster mom was leaving. Giving her a lickimat with cream cheese resolved that. Foster mom recently returned after half an hour to find the foyer gate closed and Biscuit with the resident dogs. Further investigation found that the clever gal had squeezed through between the doorway and the single outer metal rung, breaking it off at the base. The girl just wanted some company! Now, Biscuit is left with the resident dogs, one loose and one crated, with no known problems.
Initially, foster mom thought Biscuit might have a slight hearing loss but has since noticed that she does hear most things unless she is napping. She definitely recognizes her name now. Hand signals paired with verbal prompts still work well with her. She continues to be low energy and does not like the heat/humidity. (Ideally, she would prefer a home with some form of A/C!) She occasionally chews on dog bones but that is the extent of her activity. Perhaps she will increase bone-chewing once she recovers from dental work. Poor girl does not have the best set of choppers with broken canine/incisors and a lot of tartar on her back teeth. Foster mom picked up Biscuit and put her in the wading pool, but she had no interest. She did finally take a drink out of it one day when she was hot. Biscuit is becoming a little more active outside, will sometimes lead the charge toward the fence when it is thought a wild critter is among the trees beyond the fence.
Biscuit has not had much exposure to riding in cars and was crated the first couple times. She was very restless in the crate, often turning in circles. She has since ridden tethered in the back seat, restless and panting a lot. Biscuit does not seem to realize she can jump up as she had to be lifted into the car. Given some continued experience, she may learn to love car rides. Time will tell.
Miss B. isn’t an excessive barker but will let foster mom know when danger is lurking outside. She will stop upon prompting. Biscuit did go porch visiting foster mom’s brother and SIL after her second vet appointment. She was a bit shy but handled it well, quietly sat and lay down. She accepted being petted while sitting beside foster mom.
One thing Biscuit enjoys is getting brushed. She has a beautiful coat which is thick and luxurious with the cutest little cowlick on top of her head. She needs to be clipped, but since she had mats cut out before coming to her foster home, her foster mom feels it would be better to wait until that hair grows in so she doesn’t need to get clipped all over. Biscuit is very good getting her nails trimmed but is a little ticklish with her back feet.
Biscuit did well at the vet’s office for her vaccinations and pre-surgery blood work. Her blood work indicates she will need to be monitored for possible kidney failure. Dietary changes can help prolong the onset of kidney failure, and Biscuit is currently receiving a couple supplements and veggies in her meals. She is also receiving over-the-counter allergy medication which has helped reduce her scratching.
If you are looking for a faithful and quiet companion, Biscuit is your girl. You’ll never go anywhere in your house or on your property without her.
Original: “She is a sweet and gentle girl overall, and foster mom is sure she will continue to blossom in her new life.”
Biscuit, a beautiful, sweet and gentle senior gal, came to MAESSR following the death of the Virginia owner of her breeding kennel. She was somewhat overwhelmed by the move but started to settle in and become braver after a couple days. She surprised her foster mom by coming into heat on her third day and has been accepting of the indignity of wearing a doggie diaper during “her time.” Coming into heat (and Covid) will delay her spaying and dental work scheduled to be completed at the same time.
Biscuit is residing in a single person foster home with two resident Spanish Water Dogs. The three dogs have had minimal interaction, mostly sniffing each other. There have been no tiffs or squabbles, but Biscuit does need to learn to patiently wait her turn for treats without getting in other dogs’ faces and unintentionally intimidating them.
No need to fear that Biscuit won’t take her meds if they are hidden in cream cheese. Biscuit LOVES cream cheese! Her first occasion was getting it on a lickimat — no leftovers whatsoever in the crevices. It took a couple days of being offered other treats for her to decide that they are also a good thing. When she comes inside now, Biscuit knows where to go to wait for treats. She has been eating her softened kibble without issue, separated from the other dogs as she usually finishes first.
Biscuit appears to have had limited life experience but is exploring and learning. Foster mom was not sure that Biscuit knew her name upon arrival (but seems to be recognizing it now) and questions if she might have hearing issues. She appears to respond better to hand signals rather than verbal cues and sometimes appears startled when foster mom raises the volume of her voice in order to get her attention. She appears not to know any commands but so far has been appropriate on leash and gently takes treats.
The weather has been overly hot and humid since her arrival so activity has been limited. Biscuit appears to be low energy at this point, but it is too soon to tell given current circumstances. When she is let out in the fenced yard, Biscuit usually requires encouragement to go down off the deck, then wants to go back inside immediately after toileting no matter where foster mom is outside.
She is not quite housetrained — has had three accidents over a two-week period. Foster mom lets her out about every two hours during the day. Usually, Biscuit will start to get antsy or stand by the door if she needs to go to the bathroom. Sometimes this sweetie wakes up foster mom in the early morning hours (5 – 6 a.m.), but foster mom isn’t sure if she just wants attention or wants out, so out she goes. Biscuit has recently begun barking to alert foster mom of “dangers” outside but doesn’t bark excessively. Take a lesson from Biscuit, resident dogs!
The new girl in the home is crate trained but has not been crated at the foster home other than during transport — she had no prior experience riding in cars. Two crates in the family room stand open, and Biscuit finally ventured into one to take a nap on day ten. She is now going inside on her own to nap. She is spending nights in foster mom’s bedroom on the carpeted floor, even though dog pillows are available. During waking hours, she generally naps on tile floor, carpeted floors, and now the dog crates but is discovering that dog pillows can be quite comfortable. When foster mom goes out, Biscuit is gated in the foyer where it is cooler and away from other dogs until they become more familiar. The first time when foster mom arrived home after an hour, the gate was mysteriously open, and Biscuit was with the male SWD. Subsequent outings resulted in her remaining in the foyer. Upon return, the house has been quiet, and there is no observed damage, so hopefully no worry about separation anxiety.
Biscuit’s house manners are generally good despite having lived in a kennel, but she needs to learn safety skills; e.g., avoiding hot stoves/grills. She has not expressed any interest in the trash cans, and has only once jumped up on the counter to get a look at what foster mom was doing. On occasion Biscuit will jump up on foster mom if she desires attention. She has not climbed up on the furniture or bed, but will stand with front feet on top of the mattress, batting her paws and pulling foster mom in to pet her. She has not engaged in any inappropriate chewing. She tolerated a thunderstorm without incident and will go to the bathroom in the rain. (You go, girl!) Foster mom has not observed any issues with resource guarding so far. She is fairly sure, if allowed, that Biscuit is going to be a beggar at meal times. She shows a lot of interest in foster mom’s meals which are usually consumed on the couch and is sometimes allowed a few scraps at the end of the meal if she waits patiently and doesn’t try to get into foster mom’s food.
As for toys and balls, Biscuit did not show any interest in chew toys until day nine. Then she proceeded to pull bones out of the toy box and gnaw on one for a few minutes before going back for another. The wading pool in the back yard has not piqued her interest. At this time, she has not required a lot of stimulation although she enjoys her interactions with foster mom. Biscuit sometimes will bat foster mom with her big paws or chew on her hand in a playful fashion. She tends to tag along wherever foster mom goes in the house. It took her a couple days to take the plunge and do the cellar steps. Biscuit will lie at the back door and watch out the screen but doesn’t really want to be outside. She appears to be the quintessential house dog.
Biscuit has accepted grooming without issues so far. She is on the second round of ointment applied twice daily for her eye infection and easily accepted treatment in her ears. She was cooperative for a bath and her toenails were clipped without issues. Biscuit is okay with brushing although she did walk away during the process. At the vet she was slightly anxious and needed to be carried to and from the back to get blood work done.
At this point, foster mom feels that Biscuit, given a chance to acclimate, would do fine in any quiet environment, although she is unknown with kids and cats. She would probably be a good match for seniors even though she has a habit of being underfoot at times. She is a sweet and gentle girl overall, and foster mom is sure she will continue to blossom in her new life. Once she is feeling better, the sky’s the limit!