Entered: 03/29/2008
Status: Adopted
Age: 4
Color: Liver/White
Weight:
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Galloway, NJ
Health: UTD, HW-, good in all areas
Temperament: Good with people as young as ten, would be best as an only dog, good with cats according to previous owner
Original:
Chester was relinquished to MAESSR by the family he had been with his entire life. He previously lived with his owner and her two children, ages four and six. Problems developed when the family got another dog and Chester has now found himself looking for a new forever home. Although Chester is adapting to being with other dogs, he would do better as an only dog.
Since coming to live with his foster family, Chester has had to adjust to living with three other resident dogs. It took Chester more than a week to decide he was going to eat but, now that he is over that hurdle, he has made himself comfortable enough to show his Olympic abilities at counter-surfing and high jumping of gates. This boy will go to great lengths to live with and eat as a human!
Chester is a real people Springer and though he generally gets along well with most dogs – he is better with females – he would rather be with people than other dogs. Since he has spent his early years on a large property with few visitors, he will bark an alarm bark when anyone comes to visit, but once he understands the visitor is welcome, he enjoys the company. Chester was cat tested and passed with flying colors! He was completely fine with having a cat pass in front of him and with being approached by a cat.
Chester is housetrained and does well off leash. He has almost no experience on leash and will pull. He has had no real obedience training, just a class or two with no follow-through. His new family needs to take him to obedience class so that he will listen to them. He knows sit and down but will run the other way when you tell him to come. When he is at the groomer, he behaves quite well.
Chester is due to go to the vet for a heartworm test and to have his teeth looked at. His former owner reported Chester has skin allergies each fall but responds well to a short term of prednisone. His skin does well when he eats food made from sweet potato and fish.
As a puppy, Chester was crate-trained for house-training purposes, but he has some anxiety when placed in the crate now. He has been given free roam at his foster home and is doing well. He loves riding in the car and playing with stuffed animals. At night he would prefer sleeping in bed with his human but will get off and settle on the floor next to the bed when told.
Chester needs the security of a forever home where he can learn obedience so that he can thrive and live a long and happy life as an only dog.