Bullet

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Bullet’s first twenty-four hours in MAESSR’s care were no doubt a whirlwind for him! From the Virginia shelter where he was left when his owners did not have enough time for him, he made a three hour journey north to his foster home. The next day, he went to the groomer for a bath and haircut, and then went to the vet for his health check. Despite all the activity, he was perfectly friendly and adorable at the vet, winning over the staff as well as the families in the waiting room. 

As his pictures show, Bullet is a strikingly handsome fieldie boy with a full tail. At ten months old, he is still very much a puppy and has several endearing puppy traits. He is bouncy and very playful. One of his favorite activities is grabbing a stuffed toy from the box and prancing around the house with it in his mouth, stopping occasionally to toss it in the air and play catch. The sights and sounds of a normal household seemed to be a bit foreign to Bullet at first. He barked at the vacuum cleaner for a few seconds before deciding it was probably better just to hide out in another room and he steered clear of the dishwasher the first time it was turned on. After some wary glances and cautious investigation, he decided that the dishwasher was probably not a threat and will now stay in the kitchen when it is working. 

Fully crate-trained, Bullet barked for less than a minute before sleeping quietly for the remainder of his first night in foster care. He also stays in his crate during the day when his foster parents are at work. Bullet is housetrained, but doesn’t have a signal when he needs to go outside. His foster parents keep him on a regular schedule to avoid any accidents. Bullet leaves the trash alone, but has been known to check out the counters and also jump up on the furniture, although he will get down if asked. He has confused the throw pillows on the sofa with stuffed toys and needs to be redirected occasionally. 

Bullet loves to play with the younger dogs in his foster home and met the three resident cats without incident. Although he has met kids as young as four nicely, it might be best for his forever home to have older or dog savvy children so that they aren’t knocked down by his puppy exuberance. Bullet doesn’t yet respond consistently to any commands. MAESSR requires all of its adoptees under one year of age to take obedience classes with their forever families. Bullet will likely enjoy this opportunity to bond with his new owners and learn what is expected of him. For a dog of his size and energy level, Bullet walks surprisingly well on leash, just pulling at the start of the walk or when he sees something of interest. 

When attending a local 5K run and dog walk, Bullet was a great ambassa-dog for MAESSR. He met kids and adults gently and wasn’t bothered in the least by the costumes or masks that some participants were wearing. He especially enjoyed meeting “Chewbacca” and couldn’t get enough hugs and pets from him. 

Bullet did not do very well on his car ride north to foster care and got sick a few times. His foster mom has taken him on several shorter trips since then, and he has been happy to ride quietly in his crate. It is likely that the stress of being in the shelter and not knowing where he was going or who he was with contributed to his nerves and upset belly for his first ride. He’ll continue taking rides in the car while in foster care so that he learns there is no reason to be so nervous. 

This sweet and handsome guy is looking for a forever home where he can spend the rest of his puppy-hood and grow into an upstanding Springer citizen. With his intelligence and energy level, he would likely make a good agility dog or running companion. At the end of a day full of playing in the park or walking through the neighborhood, Bullet will be very happy to settle in with his new family for the night. Don’t let this Bullet speed away!