Entered: 07/13/2009
Status: Adopted
Age: 5
Color: Lemon
Weight:
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Wilmington, DE
Health: UTD, HW-, good in all areas
Temperament: Good with people as young as 3, good with other dogs once he gets acquainted, unknown with cats
Update 08/16/09:
CJ is still this Springer’s official name but Happy is what he responds to. He is a very happy boy and a very good dog. He fits in well with a pack and would excel with further training. He wants to please.
With time to settle and become acquainted in his foster home, Happy is now very good with his two housemates. He also has neighbor dogs on each side of his fence that he is very good with. The only dogs he has issues with are ones he meets on his walks. He lunges but is easier to redirect than he was initially. CJ is slowly starting to play with his foster mom and the other dogs and likes the tug ropes. He doesn’t fetch but, if trained, his foster mom is sure he would. He is very smart.
CJ has graduated from his crate and stays 8 to 10 hours with access to his entire home with no accidents. Shoes have been left out and he has not touched them. The resident dogs go out frequently when their mom is home and CJ is right along with them (so his signal to go out isn’t known). He has no issues with bathroom or other trash but, to give all the dogs an edge, the kitchen trash is in a cabinet.
He is allowed on the couch for a cuddle if invited. He shows no interest in the bed and continues to sleep on the floor. He and the rott/shepherd resident get rawhides at night with no issues. There are times when Happy decides to be food aggressive with dogs but not consistently.
Happy continues to be good with children. The human neighbors are also very well received. He visited the nursing home where his foster mom works, and he was wonderful. He allowed people of all ages to pet him and responded to all redirections. He was a perfect gentleman. CJ is equally handsome on the inside and out. He’ll bring much happiness to his adopting family, and he is ready to meet them right now!!!!
Original: CJ was found by a Good Samaritan in a church parking lot in northern New Jersey. Fearing he might get struck by a car, she brought him home. Unfortunately, this kind person has asthma which has been exacerbated by having CJ around, so she is unable to continue to keep him. She contacted MAESSR for help in placing this boy.
This youngster is doing very well in foster care and has earned the nickname Happy because his full tail is always wagging. He responds to both names when called, as well as the sit command. He still does not like to go into the crate, and it takes about 15 minutes for him to settle down after his foster mom leaves the house for work. Neighbors have said he barks quite a bit when his foster mom is at work, though. Housetrained, CJ has had no accidents when crated even up to 8 hours. He only tried marking in the house once and his foster mom put a stop to that. At night, he sleeps on the floor by his foster mom’s bed not needing to be crated.
There are two resident dogs in his foster home, a male and a female. Initially, CJ was very possessive of his foster mom and would let the other dogs know that he wanted them to go away. His foster mom has been working with CJ on this issue. He is improving in his behavior around the resident canines even to the point of joining them in play. CJ is a great eater, and he even tries to eat his fellow diner’s food if they are eating too slowly. When they approach his food, or even the dog food bag though, CJ will resource guard to the point of starting a squabble. He allows humans to touch his food, but not dogs. His foster mom feeds him separately and, luckily, CJ responds well to redirection. When it is walk time, CJ is indeed a happy boy! He loves to go for walks and walks very well with the resident dogs. His Good Samaritan had said that CJ was very protective of her on walks, even grumbling as anyone passed by; he has begun to show this behavior as when other dogs are passed. CJ’s foster mom will be working with the MAESSR training team to counter this behavior and others.
CJ certainly has a good set of springs on him, and he amazes his foster mom with his ability to jump straight up. Unfortunately, when he does so, he knocks into her. This is another behavior that his foster mom is working on with CJ. Taking a set or two of obedience courses will help CJ’s forever family to bond with him, and train him to be a responsive, polite family member. CJ reportedly got along well with his Good Samaritan’s grandchildren, from age 3 to teens.
Watch for more on CJ as his personality continues to unfold in his foster home.