Burl

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Update 11/01/04:

Burl has returned to MAESSR’s care through no fault of his own. His adoptive family had a change of circumstances and Burl was being crated almost twelve hours a day. He was relinquished because his adoptive family felt he deserved more than that.

Burl is still the same active, sweet, loving boy he was when he was first in foster care. He has experienced some changes, namely an obedience class and a weight gain. So, he looks terrific! He quickly re-adjusted to life with his springer foster brother and the resident cats. He is full of energy and wants to play constantly. Burl is the springer version of the Energizer Bunny! He gets a twenty minute leash walk in the morning, and in the afternoon he goes for an hour RUN at the park with his other dog friends. Burl is responsive to commands off leash, but he pulls when leashed. HE NEEDS AT LEAST AN HOURS OF ACTIVE RUNNING EACH DAY!

Burl does not counter surf and is not food aggressive. He loves chasing toys and playing with other dogs, but he leaves the resident cats alone and never bothers their litter box. At the park, he has shown some dominance behaviors with two other male dogs, namely chasing them and growling. He is currently living with two neutered male springers and a spayed female springer and there have been no problems with them. He and the other springers have full run of the house during the day. At night, Burl likes to sleep on his foster parents’ bed. Burl is UTD on all of his vaccinations and is a very fit, handsome field springer. He’s got tons of personality.

Please, only consider Burl if you are committed to off leash exercise of at least ONE HOUR DAILY. Remember, a happy good springer is a tired springer.

If you want a couch potato springer, Burl is not for you.

Burl is not for you if you only could leash walk him.

Burl needs an ACTIVE family who want an ACTIVE springer to share all aspects of life with them. Burl would enjoy another dog who likes to play and/or a child who likes to play. A home in the country with some open spaces for running would be good too. Burl really wants a committed forever home. Are you the ACTIVE family he is looking for?

Original:
Burl was a stray so he is skinny but is eating well. He is currently taking antibiotics for some minor kennel cough. He will be neutered at the end of May once his course of antibiotics is completed. Burl has one articulated dew claw on his right front leg.

Burl is house trained. He had one accident in the basement in his first week here and he got confused about the cat litter box in the kitchen thinking he should urinate there too. That issue is cleared up with the litter box being moved to the basement and Burl getting household bathroom etiquette differences between cats and dogs explained to him. There have been no subsequent issues with the litter box.

The first night Burl was crated and was compliant. After he and the 10 month old resident neutered male springer puppy worked out their differences, they both have had run of the kitchen during the day. It would definitely *not be necessary* to crate him. He spends about 6 to 7 hours inside during the work week without accidents. He now sleeps in our bedroom and generally chooses a rug rather than the bed as a sleeping spot. He will come onto the bed when invited and sometimes bounces onto the couch when he is playing with the resident springer. He does not jump on people and he is not mouthy. He does like to give gentle nibble kisses on your ears.

Burl is not a counter surfer, nor is he a trash picker. He is not a chewer.

Burl knows to sit, come, heel. He knows what “no” means. He learned his name in no time! He is a very smart, responsive boy who is willing to learn and wants to please. Like a field spaniel, he likes to sweep to the left and right on a long lead. He does not really pull on a long lead.

Off lead in the yard, Burl listens to you and likes to be around you although his is sniffing and looking around constantly. He comes nicely off lead and is quite content with praise as a treat. When we are in the park off lead, he will sweep back and forth going about 100 feet into the woods and coming immediately back to check in before moving into the woods in the other direction. The only time his foster mom worries about him is when he starts chasing a bird. He tends to follow it wherever and does not pay attention immediately. When his foster mom calls him back, he circles round and comes to her at full speed coming around to her left in a heel. We don’t know if he was trained to hunt.

Burl’s most favorite thing is chasing birds and butterflies. In the field areas of the park, he is constantly looking up to find butterflies and bees. He will leap 3 feet into the air trying to catch them to the delight of anyone who is watching him. He also likes to swim and fetch sticks in the water.

Burl has been gentle with 5 year olds when he has met them in the park, but he has not been exposed to any toddlers since he has been in foster care. An eight year old neighbor boy and he really enjoyed playing catch in their backyard when he went to visit one afternoon. Burl plays nicely with toys and will drop a toy so that you can throw it for him. He walks with a troop of mostly male dogs and he has never raised a lip to them. There is a young female lab that he enjoys playing chase with, but he has not tried to mount her or pester her.

Burl gets along great with our two indoor cats. They like to sniff each other and Burl has never chased them. He seems quite used to cats and is mostly indifferent to their presence. He has not chased our outdoor semi-feral cat, but she is quite shy of new dogs.

Burl is a very active boy who needs to run and play. A large fenced yard would be great for him and a dog or cat buddy would be nice too. He is not for a family who would only give him a leash walk around the block once a day. Right now he is given a good run in the morning and a three mile park run in the afternoon. Inside the house he wants to play and be with you. Outside, he really likes to be cruising around sniffing or playing ball. He is an active boy for a family who will give him a lot of running, play time, and attention. Burl is one GOOD springer boy!