Entered: 07/06/2009
Status: adopted
Age: 11
Color: Liver/White
Weight:
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Onancock, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, good in all areas
Temperament: Good with adults, said to be good with children, good with both dogs and cats
Original: When Charlie and his Cocker Spaniel companion found themselves out of a place to live due to a change in living situation of their owners, MAESSR stepped up to offer them a new chance on life.
No one who meets Charlie believes his age he is such a vibrant, playful and happy boy! Both housetrained and crate trained, he has essentially good house manners with the exception of an interest in the trash and the contents of the counters. Charlie thinks that trash is for him, and also thinks that if only he could reach the counters, he would find something up there that he would like to have. He is learning the meaning of both “down” and “leave it,” but this is a work in progress. Otherwise, he is trusted loose in the house with no problems. In his former home, he had spent a great deal of time crated, and he is just delighted to be allowed to be loose in the house. On his first day, he did mark inside, but stopped when told.
Oddly, Charlie doesn’t seem to understand many commands, or even respond to his name when he is being called. He will sit on hand or voice signal and sits voluntarily to have his leash put on. He is good about not charging at the door and he is allowed off leash in the fenced yard. Since he does not seem to understand “come,” he has not been allowed loose elsewhere. When called, he will start coming, but if he finds a good scent, he will wander off after it. Charlie is currently being fed in his crate and sleeps there at night, partly for his own safety and partly to make sure that he doesn’t get into anything. When his foster family is eating, Charlie does not beg. As for going places in the car, he rides happily and gets in and out on command with no need to be restrained. In general, his manners are excellent, except in areas where he is simply uneducated.
Charlie’s foster home has four resident dogs plus resident cats all with which he gets along fine. He shows no food aggression, not minding if his food bowl is handled. He does not mind having his ears or feet touched, either. A very smelly and matted boy upon arrival in his foster home, he was good when bathed and groomed. Charlie did well at the vet also, having a small cyst removed from his eyelid and having his teeth cleaned.
The only thing Charlie lacks is a family to love him. This boy is a real keeper!