Entered: 09/13/2012
Status: Adopted
Age: 5
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 37 lbs.
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Aston, PA
Health: UTD, HW-, is fed gluten-free food to control a reported skin allergy which causes itchiness
Temperament: Good with adults, has lived with young children but reportedly has food/toy theft issues with toddlers, good with dogs, unknown with cats
Original:
Clover was part of a family in Pennsylvania where she resided with two small toddlers. It seems that Clover was taking their toys and not returning them. Additionally, she would pounce on food dropped by the children. Due to her enthusiastic urgency to “clean up,” the parents were afraid that one of the children might get hurt. It was with reluctance that she was relinquished to MAESSR in order to find her a loving home without small children.
Reportedly, Clover has skin allergies which manifest as scratching and paw licking if she is not on gluten/wheat-free food. Her foster mom has been feeding her the special food and has not observed any evidence of scratching or paw licking.
Although she did not live in a multi-dog household, Clover is adapting nicely in her foster home. In her former home she slept on the owners’ bed; but after her first night in a large, comfortable crate (with a few whimpers), she has settled into self-crating with the crate door open at night. In the house Clover is reasonably mellow, and she is left uncrated when her foster folks are out for shorter periods of time. She respects a plastic baby gate as a barrier. Completely housebroken, Clover’s signal is to stand by the door if she has a need to do her business, but generally she just makes do with the 4 – 5 walks she receives in a normal day.
Clover knows “sit,” “give paw,” and possibly “down.” She is a good houseguest and doesn’t counter-surf or chew inappropriate objects. Clover seems to have a better concept of “personal space” than some Springers; she has come to accept the resident dogs, only expressing concern if one wants to be in her dog bed with her. Reportedly Clover had some fear issues and submissive urination when yelled at by the male in her former home. This has not been observed in her current situation. When the resident terrier gets spoken to in a stern voice for a transgression, Clover’s usual response is to head for her crate. She generally reserves barking for the mailman’s arrival or when she’s excited that her foster people return home. Clover likes to quietly “talk” when something doesn’t suit her, such as being told to stay while another dog gets walked.
An active girl, Clover does better using a Gentle Leader while walking at present. It wouldn’t take much training for this smart girl to improve her leash manners. She loves car rides and settles quietly on the seat after a few minutes. It was reported that she enjoyed swimming when given a chance earlier in life. Clover also loves being groomed. Reportedly she didn’t care for it when her former owner clipped her nails, but was fine having them clipped by a groomer. She displayed no head shyness when her foster mom touched her ears.
A bit of a princess, and a beautiful one at that, Clover would benefit from some obedience training, structure, and affection so her confidence would grow. Her foster mom reports that she’s been surprisingly easy to have around, and she would fit in with most families with older children. With her portable size, her sweet smile, and her shyly wagging tail, it’s obvious that Clover is a happy girl. Looking for your four-leaf Clover? Pick this sweet girl and it will be your lucky day!