Brady

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Original: Brady was taken to a shelter in central Maryland after a puppy mill raid that yielded thirty-nine dogs, four of them springers. When he first got to his foster home, he was scared and very wary of people. Everything seemed so new to him. He did take quite quickly to the resident springer but acted submissively to the resident alpha cocker and the resident German shepherd. Upon meeting the two resident cats, Brady just sniffed them and walked away. Soon he attached himself to his foster mom and now follows her everywhere.

Within a very short time, Brady’s confidence has grown in the safe, loving environment of his foster home. Watching the resident dogs go in and out of their opened crates, Brady has learned that his crate is a nice, secure place to be. He plays with the resident springer who has taken on the role of Brady’s mentor. Through patient repetition, his mentor showed Brady how to go down the basement steps!

When he’s outside in the fenced yard, Brady loves to run and jump in the leaves. He and the resident springer run around, chasing each other and playing. Brady loves his toys and plays hard with them, rolling around on the floor and retrieving them when someone throws one for him. If he picks up something he is not supposed to have, his foster mom can take it right out of his mouth with no issues at all. He is doing very well with his house training and has learned the basic commands, “sit” and “come.” He does a great “shake paw” and is working on “stay” and “down.” This youngster is very eager to learn and to please.

Brady behaved very well at the vet and was good with the other dogs and cats there. He enjoys riding in the car and is a polite passenger. He walks well on leash, takes treats very gently and rarely barks. He shows no food aggression. He does counter-surf a little but is learning not to.

Though still a little wary of people, especially males, Brady is slowly learning to trust. Given time to warm up to new people, he does very well with them. With all the bustle of Christmas, he did great. He played with all his toys, ripped up the wrapping paper and seemed genuinely at ease with all the activity. A few times when he played a little too hard, the resident springer let him know to calm down a bit.

Brady loves to snuggle. He was at first scared to be picked up but now accepts it without any fear. He plays hard and then sleeps hard with a lot of snoring going on. At night after a busy day, he settles on his own blanket on the floor next to his foster mom’s bed. He just plops down and is out for the count.

Brady is enjoying the freedom he has in his foster home very much. Every day is filled with new adventures and he is having a great time growing into his new life. Brady will definitely make someone a great companion. Will that person be you?