Caitie

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Update 02/15/09: Caitie is a dog of love. She wants to be lying in your arms, or on your body with her head on your shoulder, just like a real baby. If she becomes an only dog in her adopting home and the family doesn’t mind her in laps, then she will be in heaven. There is nothing her foster family does with her at any time that does not pay back in anything but love.

That said, don’t think Caitie is a sissy, but she does remain shy when outside of the home. She also is defensive of her crate when the resident dog comes near. Her foster mom has continued working on Caitie’s shyness and can see she is already much improved over when she arrived. Patience, steady guidance from her adopting family’ and perhaps a basic obedience class once she has settled will all help grow Caitie’s comfort in a bigger world.

With her parasites all gone, Caitie is gaining weight and certainly feels much better. This beautiful little gal never slowed down after her spaying. She managed a great escape from her crate, jumped on the couch and suffered a setback by opening her stitches. That G collar went back on and she is healing all over again.

The way Caitie minds is excellent. She has learned the boundaries of her yard and will stay within them. When her foster parents walk over to the neighbors and tell her to stay, Caitie will sit and wait for them to come back. She comes right away when called.

As soon as her healing is complete, Caitie will be ready for that forever family she wants so desperately. She will be perfect for the family that thinks they can “handle” this much love!!!

Original: Caitie came to MAESSR from a North Carolina breeder who had too many dogs. The veterinarian found that this new patient needed a lot of attention. With intestinal parasites, tick, and flea infestation, plus ehrlichia, Caitie wasn’t feeling too pert. All of that is being treated, though, so Caitie is on the road to recovery.

This sweet girl loves the idea of living inside a house although she has considerable in-house training to do. For potty training she is fine as long as one’s voice isn’t raised; a raised voice makes her urinate a little. She only wants to go outside to eliminate; then, she wants to go right back into the house! No more outside living for her!

When her foster parents are at work, Caitie is crated, something she is just getting used to. She has proven she can be a Houdini, too. This little escape artist once slid the crate’s tray out, turned the crate over, and came out the bottom! After that, some modification of the crating process was done so that she couldn’t repeat this feat! Caitie is being taught that jumping on furniture and counter surfing are not acceptable Springer behaviors, but with her tinkling at a raised voice, this training process might be a bit slower. When a Springer like Caitie has not been raised in the house, she has to learn noises like the vacuum humming and the dishwasher running and even change in voice. Her foster mom sees improvement in her every day.

Outdoors, Caitie comes when she is called and is wonderful on a leash; however, she is skittish and even seeing a shadow scares her. She has come a long way in the short time she has been in foster care, though. As she is exposed to more and more of the world, her foster parents are confident that her shyness will dissipate and new things will not frighten her as they seem to do now. One new thing she likes is going for a ride in the car. She thinks her foster mom drives best when she has a Springer girl right next to her as co-pilot.

Caitie has not crossed paths with any cats at this time, but her foster mom thinks they may not be an issue for her. With other dogs Caitie is shy and does not interact with the resident dog. Caitie loves human attention, though. She was even very good with some toddlers she met! At the vet’s office Caitie had a rambunctious five-year-old child old pulling on her and she could have cared less! Good girl, Caitie! She wants nothing but love; no toys, treats, or animal playmates just human love! If her foster parents tell her what a good girl she is, Caitie beams, or rather, wiggles in true Springer fashion.

Are you ready for a beautiful, sweet love bug in your life? Caitie is waiting for you, and she has an infinite love to share!