Clover

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Update 12/07/09: It must have been Clover’s positive spirit and vivacious energy that got him through such a difficult past. If Clover could speak English, his first word would be, “Ready!” Since coming into MAESSR care, Clover has been enthusiastically ready for anything. He is eager to run, eat, play, please, sniff around, curious to meet new people and other animals, and enjoy life to its fullest every minute of the day. He loves new experiences and is always up for an adventure, even vet visits. When his foster mom has to go and he’s put in his crate for a nap, he soon settles down as if to say, “Sure! I can roll with this, too!”

Now, his health status is also ready. Clover’s skin allergies turned out to be sarcoptic mange. It cleared up nicely with medication and his fur is coming in and softening up beautifully. He has gained the much-needed weight and is looking even more handsome and fit than ever. His foster mom found two small lumps on his neck under his collar, but the vet checked and said they were only benign sebaceous cysts that could easily be removed.

On a cold, rainy afternoon, or after the sun goes down, Clover is even primed to snuggle with his foster mom on the daybed allowed for pets. There can’t be many things more wonderful than the dead weight of an exhausted, happy Springer against you, giving that long, deep, contented sigh and drifting off to sleep in your arms.

So, now, Clover is just waiting for a fur-ever family that is as energetic and lives life with as much gusto as he does. He’ll be thrilled with that special someone who will take him to obedience classes to perfect his manners so he can focus all that energy on loving you.

Update 11/13/09: Getting Clover established in his new foster home has made a big difference. He’s no longer the emaciated wild child he was a month ago. Now he’s just good, energetic, Springer fun! Without knowing any history of Clover’s life before the shelter, his foster mom has been picking up some clues.

Clover gets nervous on a tether if there isn’t a human nearby or attached at the other end. He quickly becomes bored with toys, but a raw hide is a delicious way to pass the time while his foster mom works in the yard. He’ll wait patiently only so long before he’s ready to get off the rope and onto a leash or, better yet, a free-range run to release all that energy and show off his stellar sniffing and tracking abilities. His nose is a veritable GPS. Clover would do best in a fur-ever home that could let him run long and hard in a large, enclosed area like a baseball field, for at least an hour a day, until he matures more and can settle down. Otherwise, his family will need their own GPS to find him!

He has never been aggressive or had an accident in the house and the more exercise he gets, the better his manners. Clover has proudly added “Peace, Dude!” (shake) to his sit, stay, come, down repertoire and really tries hard not to jump. He’s just so excited to learn new things and get more treats! Could you blame him? This is probably the most food and freedom he’s had in a long time. How could he choose between the two? Now that Clover has figured out, he can choose to go in his crate, he does so on his own. He doesn’t have much to say, though. So far, he’s only expressed two kinds of barks. When a stranger comes to the door, he gives the “I-don’t-know-if-I’m-allowed-to-like-you-yet” bark, and the “Urgent! -Get-me-out-of-here” bark when he needs to be let out of his crate in the morning for business outside.

Amazingly, Clover has about doubled in weight, from 23 to 41 pounds, and the vet says he could still stand to put on a few more. Clover came to his foster home newly altered so now the sutures have been removed. All is okay despite the fact that he was anything but subdued while he had them in! The rest of Clover’s health still needs to improve. His vet and foster mom are still trying to determine the cause of his allergies, since initial flea bites and food have been eliminated from the list. A cortisone shot is helping reduce the inflammation all over his body and he’s on antibiotics for infections from chewing/scratching so hard, for so long. He is also trying a medication for the type of mange that is only contracted from mother to pup.

As Clover learns to play with the female resident dog, he is cautiously optimistic that someday the curmudgeonly old feline will want to play, too. Wishful thinking, but his top priority is to be with humans. If Clover feels his human might not fulfill his needs, he will look for them himself and sometimes get into trouble. Although he no longer counter surfs while his foster mom is in the room, when left alone, he sometimes snoops and tries to get into things.

Clover seems grateful to have found at least one human willing to give him the few things he, clearly, rarely got before – consistent meals, exercise to wear him out, and lots of love. Can you be another?

Original: Clover was found in a high-kill shelter in Kentucky and then was brought into MAESSR territory to West Virginia. Despite his unknown past, his body and behavior tell the story of neglect. Although this young, long-legged Springer has the slighter build of a fieldy, he was extremely underweight when he came into foster care, and his fur is still thin, dry, and patchy. He is itching all over from lack of good nutrition and allergies to poor quality dog food. It will take time for the quality food he is now receiving to make his hot spots disappear and his coat to improve. Once this happens, his feathering will grow in, too. He does not need encouragement to eat, so the pounds should begin to come on, filling his body out to a healthy weight.

Clover’s past has not brought down his spirits! This tall, dark, and handsome young Springer has boundless energy and will need a lot of consistent training to learn some house rules and commands. It is clear that he is happy to be in a foster home where he is loved and given attention. The resident dog and cat are much less interesting to Clover than foster mom who carries the treats. Clover practically ignores both of these four-legged housemates. He’s so eager for attention from his foster mom that in just one week he’s learned to walk on a loose leash and is working hard to learn sit and stay. “Come” is another story since there are so many good scents to explore in the yard. Although he’s slightly wary of strangers, when he gets a good sniff and a friendly hello, he’ll start to jump up on his newly found friends. There are so many things that a boy has to learn in order to be a well-behaved Springer!

Although Clover is not all that keen on going in a crate, a treat makes it more bearable and then he settles down. He sleeps in his crate nightly and whenever foster mom is away, but he prefers to roam free in the house or lie on a mat next to her desk. He’s definitely a Velcro dog and wants to be part of the action wherever it is, including counter tops, tabletops and windowsills! What he’s looking for MOST is positive praise and lots of petting and love His foster mom doesn’t think it will take long for him to learn better manners. To help him understand car etiquette, Clover rides in his crate where he quickly settles down for the drive.

Once Clover is reassured that a human will be around to love and care for him, he won’t demand as much attention as he does now. Each day he’s in his foster home, Clover is settling down more and more. Routine, structure, and one or more hours of walks, sniffing and romping outdoors all help to release that extra boy-energy, too!

Keep an eye out for Clover’s progress. He’ll be a real doll to have as a member of your family.