Entered: 07/09/2015
Status: Adopted
Age: 1
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 57 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Goochland, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, Lyme+ not symptomatic but receiving antibiotic treatment
Temperament: Good with people as young as older teens (younger unknown), good with other dogs, previously lived with an older cat but probably would chase one that ran
Original: “And remember, the owner of a high-energy dog doesn’t need to be an Olympic athlete. In Charlie’s case, he or she just needs the time to spend outdoors while he runs around!”
Charlie lived his first 14 months with his Pennsylvania family who found his exercise needs to be too great and thought he needed kids to help tire him out. They relinquished him to another rescue and he was adopted for three weeks. This second family found him too rough with their ten year old. MAESSR brought Charlie into their program to assist him in finding the right home for him.
This incredibly handsome boy is much taller than the typical Springer. When he stands on his hind legs, he is just about five feet tall! He will be a big boy when he fills out his frame. Charlie has beautiful long ears and a silky soft coat. Besides being a handsome youngster, he is extremely devoted to his people and is a true Velcro boy indoors, often touching his foot to a foster family member or resting his head on a lap. Outdoors, he is way too busy and excited and he hardly notices his foster family. Although, at times when the other dogs and his foster mom go inside, he will follow along.
Charlie is doing very well in his foster home. When he first arrived, he was thoroughly overwhelmed with the three resident dogs; however, after a few days, he calmed down considerably. Housetrained, Charlie will stand by the door when he wants to go out. He is taken out into the fenced yard frequently and takes care of business promptly. Although he has spent some time crated, it is not his favorite spot. When his family goes out, all of the dogs are gated in the kitchen and Charlie has not done any damage. At night, he prefers to sleep on the bed. Also, he does get up on the sofa as do the resident dogs.
For his age, Charlie is reasonably behaved in the house, but his forever family will need to keep things off of the counters since he has an interest in counter-surfing. Charlie is tall so he can easily reach anything left out. His foster family has removed everything within his reach after he stole a stick of butter left softening in the mixing bowl in the center of the island. He will investigate any smelly trash but didn’t bother the bathroom waste basket that held only hand towels. Since Charlie’s not much more than a puppy, shoes and clothing need to be put away. His second home said he did chew the ten year old’s glasses.
Charlie’s foster mom has been using many training techniques to help mold this pup. He needs to be trained to stay when doors are opened. He watches when the kitchen door to the garage opens and will bolt out into the garage. Hos foster home has gates containing the dogs away from most outside doors.
There is still a bit of puppy clumsiness and impulsiveness in Charlie as he frequently knocks over the old resident dog as he rushes around. He has a competitive side and rushes to be the first out the door or down the steps– not seeming to notice that he jumped over a dog or pushed one out of the way. He does need to get to puppy school! He either had no obedience training or not enough. For a boy as big as Charlie will grow to be, it will be necessary for him to be well-behaved. His puppy exuberance still is in gear and he hasn’t quite learned self-control. Charlie also jumps up on his family and is mouthy when he gets excited. This jumping up was a big issue with his second family’s ten year old. With obedience training, Charlie will be much safer around kids and feeble elders.
Please note that MAESSR only places puppies (even 15 month old ones) in homes that are committed to training and bonding with the pup in obedience classes. Puppies require a lot of care, attention, and patience, and they do chew on things! The decision to get a puppy and raise it to be a healthy, happy, and well-adjusted dog is a serious commitment. To reinforce this commitment, MAESSR requires all adopters of dogs 1 year old or younger to enroll their puppy in obedience classes within 60 days of adoption. Charlie will be required to take two sets of obedience classes.
Charlie does know “sit” and “paw.” He is learning to take turns with the resident dogs and is learning to “come” when called indoors. His foster mom has been giving him treats for responding when called indoors; outdoors, he is so distracted by birds and everything that moves that he is kept on a drag leash to help with recall. He pulls strongly on leash so is being walked with a gentle leader which he hates. When he sees it come out, he runs away. It does make a tremendous difference on walks, though. A regular harness did not work so well with Charlie.
When Charlie meets people on walks, he stops and says hi if his person does, but otherwise keeps going. He does the same with dogs that he meets. Luckily, all of the dogs he meets regularly are calm. He gives them a sniff or two and then seems disinterested. Charlie is a gem in the car. He sits up and watches or lies down and takes a nap. He is kept tethered for safety.
Charlie is a higher energy boy who will require several hours of exercise every day. He has an outside persona and an inside persona. Outdoors, he is absorbed by the birds and loves to run back and forth in the yard. He jumps straight up in the air at times like he is on pogo sticks. Sometimes he jumps up into the butterfly bush and says hi to the butterflies. He has been patrolling the fence a bit and barks in a high pitch tone at times. His foster mom watches and tells him to move along when this happens. He is supervised in the yard since the fence is just four feet and he certainly could jump it if he wanted to. Inside, Charlie has periods of time when he wants to play. He will engage one of the resident dogs in a spirited game with lots of jumping around and hip butting. He did play nicely with the older resident by lying down beside her and starting a little mouth wrestling match. He has also plays some tug with his foster mom, but he has no interest in balls. Charlie does chew bones at times. He loves a puddle but his foster family does not know if he likes to swim.
Charlie did live with an old cat in his first home and he was reportedly good with that kitty. However, his foster mom thinks if a cat ran, Charlie would chase it. He is fed apart from the resident dogs in the laundry room. He has grumbled a few times if another dog comes to the water bowl if he is there. He has also grumbled once when he was on the dog bed and another dog approached. He was corrected and the other dog was allowed to come up. He also had a scuffle with one of the dogs when he was standing surrounded by ten or twelve bones and the other dog was getting near the bones. Again, he was corrected and all the bones were picked up and put away. His foster mom can take anything away from him. He had some plastic from a water bottle in his mouth and his foster mom stuck her hand in and pried the plastic out. One of the young teens in the home said he grumbled at her when she held his collar holding him back from an open door; obedience training will help Charlie learn where he stands in the household pack.
An excellent boy at his vet appointment, Charlie stood still when his blood was drawn, when microchipped, and when receiving shots. There was not a peep from him. His foster mom has been cleaning his ears daily and although he isn’t terribly fond of having the cleaning solution put in, he thoroughly enjoys the rubbing that follows.
Charlie needs a forever home with a dog-savvy owner. He would probably be excellent for someone who wants to do dog sports like agility or hunting. He also would probably be a great golf course dog who was responsible for chasing geese since he is definitely a bird man! This spirited player would benefit if matched with another dog that complimented Charlie– probably an easy-going dog that likes to play hard.
And remember, the owner of a high-energy dog doesn’t need to be an Olympic athlete. In Charlie’s case, he or she just needs the time to spend outdoors while he runs around! Whirlwind Charlie is a diamond in the rough. Make him yours!