Cito

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Updated 1/16/06: Recently a female Springer stayed a few days in Cito’s home, while in transit to her MAESSR foster home.  As with all the other dogs Cito has met, he got along well with her and might even have been disappointed to see her leave.

Cito continues to do well in his foster home. His foster family has been successful in reducing his “departure and arrival” barking down to just a few barks. He still gets very vocal when the leash comes out because he continues to absolutely love going out for walks.  The key is to get the leash on him quickly. This boy will definitely want his forever family to enjoy regular walking as much as he does!

Updated 1/2/06: Cito’s eye correction was checked out by his vet and healing is progressing very nicely.  He is now free of his Elizabethan collar! This makes him one happy dog, and he is looking forward to a new home for the new year.

Cito continues to be the perfect houseguest with one area for possible improvement. Now that he has settled in his foster home, he is an extremely quiet dog most of the time.  There remain only a few very predictable times when he will bark. He will announce his family’s departure and their arrival home, and he gets really excited when his leash is picked up. You see, this boy really loves his walks and runs. His foster parents are working to redirect his barking by sending him to get his bone.  They are seeing some progress and assure that Cito does not bark for a long time when he does bark. Their approach to retraining Cito could easily continue in his adopting home, or might just by chance, be unnecessary in a new setting.  What is certain is that he will continue to love his time with the people in his life, and the time he gets to walk, run, and play with them!!

Updated 12/22/05: Cito is recovering nicely from the surgery to correct his “cherry eye.”  As an added bonus, his teeth were also cleaned, so they are now shiny white, and he is in great shape. The only drawback for him is temporary, he is currently wearing an Elizabethan collar, or safety collar, to protect the eye and that is slowing him down.  It will come off in another week or so, and he will be back to full speed.

Cito has settled in well in his foster home.  He will occasionally jump up to check the counters, but he’s not a hardcore counter surfer, and he ignores the garbage can.  He continues to get along well with his foster brothers.  He enjoys chewing the various bones around the house more all the time but still hasn’t shown much interest in the toys.  He is not toy or food possessive in the least.  Cito will let his foster family, and the resident dogs, take anything away from him without protest.

As in his previous home, Cito loves being outdoors. He loves going for walks and spending time in the backyard.  He will bark when there are strangers in the yard.  And he will bark when his family leaves the house and when they return.  In short, Cito is a very vocal dog.  His foster family is working with him to tone the volume down a bit but can’t fault him too badly for taking such good notice of the comings and goings around him.  More on Cito when he loses his extra collar.

Original: Cito is a sweet dog who is looking for a new home through no fault of his own. His family is expecting a baby, and there are complications that are impacting their ability to give Cito the attention he deserves. He is in excellent health and fit, having been a regular at the local dog park. His only health issue is a very treatable one. He has a “cherry eye” condition in one eye and will have it corrected before he is adopted.

In his foster home, Cito is getting along great with the resident dogs, all males ranging from 7 months to 13 years. He especially likes the youngest one and tries hard to play with him. Cito brought a large variety of toys with him but hasn’t seemed too interested in them. Once he settles a bit, he’ll probably return to them and might even share with his buddies.

Cito is an active dog and LOVES to go for a walk or a run. When he is out on leash, he will pull but is responding well to a training collar. His owners reported that he loves to swim, too. He had been to obedience class with them and knows several commands. He is housebroken and has good manners, with only an occasional indiscretion. He has not tried to get on furniture when his foster parents were around but was caught stretched out on their bed one morning. He immediately responded to a stern “off”, so it is likely he had heard that command before.

This boy loves attention and is good with people. He likes the 7-year-old boy in his foster home and is equally welcoming to house guests. He has been just a bit anxious with all that is new to him, though, and must take the most comfort in being close to his foster mother. He follows her around the house, and when he can’t see her, he will whine and seek her out. Fortunately, she can see that he is relaxing more each day.

Cito is not crate-trained and is being left loose when his family leaves the house. He can be vocal about their comings and goings and will also bark at strange people outside the house. Maybe there’s just a little “watch dog” in this boy, too!

Cito is looking for a new family to call his own. He could be a wonderful “first” Springer for a family who wants a handsome and active addition to their home. He could also be a great companion for another dog who likes to play and share toys. He’ll be ready soon, will you be?!?