Cocoa

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Updated 2/8/06: Cocoa continues to be the perfect houseguest.  She loves to roughhouse with the resident 9-month-old puppy, and it’s hard to believe, from her energetic play, that she is about 7 years old.  She acts much younger.

Cocoa has also discovered that the resident 7-year-old boy spends a lot of time on the floor and makes a good playmate.  Although the puppy remains her first choice as a playmate, she enjoys being bear-hugged, mugged, and will join in a vigorous game of tug-of-war with the boy.  Cocoa gives a lot of kisses to her foster family.  She has now been left for up to six hours without incident. Canine company is the key to her feeling safe and secure while her family is away.

Updated 2/1/06: Cocoa was returned to MAESSR by an adopting family because she would become extremely distraught when left alone.  She did harm to herself while trying to get out of her crate, and when left loose, would mess in the house.  Cocoa was the only pet in the home.  Back in a foster home, Cocoa is being left loose and has been left for up to five hours without incident.  The difference is that Cocoa has canine company in this foster home, as she did in her previous foster home.

This foster family agrees with everything that has been said about Cocoa by her adopter and her previous foster family.  Cocoa is a sweetheart who is a joy to have around.  She loves to play with the resident dogs, chew bones, go for walks, and runs.  Cocoa was groomed last night and was an angel at the groomers. She now looks gorgeous.

Cocoa is now in a home with a 7-year-old boy and does great with him.  She would rather play with the other dogs, especially the resident nine-month-old puppy, rather than with the boy, but come nap time, she wants to snuggle and cuddle with a human. Any human will do, and she prefers being in your lap.  Cocoa is very much in need of a home with both human and canine companionship to feel safe and secure.

Updated 11/30/05: Cocoa returned to rescue on three different medications, metronidazole, prednisone, and DES.  Slowly, she has been weaned off of all the medications and has been medication free for the last three weeks.  She also has been transitioned from a venison and potato diet to chicken and rice.  The resulting benefit for Cocoa has been remarkable.

The DES had been prescribed for spay incontinence.  Her foster family now thinks that the accidents were caused by her increased water intake as a side effect of the prednisone. She has been dry for three weeks and they expect that she will remain so.

Cocoa is in great health.  She is happy, in high spirits, and initiating play with the other dogs in her foster home.

With her health issue cleared up, Cocoa is about as close to a perfect dog as you can get.  She is waiting to join your family for play and cuddles!

Updated 10/30/05: Cocoa has already endeared herself to her foster family.  They are finding her to be very affectionate, sweet, and a pleasure to have in their home.  The move from her relinquishing home may have her feeling a bit insecure right now, or she simply may have attached quickly to her foster parents.  Whichever it may be, they find that she wants to have one of them accompany her out into the yard whenever it’s time to go for play or necessities.

The reason Cocoa has been returned to MAESSR is that her owner found she was soiling intermittently in the house.  Apparently feeling that the problem was health-related, rather than one of training, Cocoa had been placed on a specialized diet and several medications.  Though she has been in her foster home for just under a week, she has only had one accident and that was on her first night.  Her foster parents really felt they missed her signal which they now realize is to run around in a circle when she needs to go outside.  She has been left home, uncrated for up to 8 hours, and has done fine for them.  They will continue to watch her carefully and will be re-evaluating her meds and diet. Updates will be added as her family has more time with Cocoa and a better understanding of her health and housetraining habits.

Original 10/13/04: Cocoa was one of many dogs owned by an animal hoarder. She is a bench type Springer weighing about 40 pounds with an undocked tail. She arrived at a local shelter with a flea infestation and no vet history. Shortly after that she went into her MAESSR foster home where she revealed a sweet and loving personality.

Cocoa is crate trained and loves to sleep in her crate. She is a very energetic Springer and loves to run in the backyard with the resident male Springer. She was curious about a kitten at the veterinary clinic in a friendly, tail wagging way, but she has not met a cat since in her foster home. Cocoa is unknown with children as her previous owner had none, but the shelter staff guessed she would probably be good with kids.

This gal sits on command, but her foster mom is not sure what else she knows just yet. Cocoa does tend to chew, having compromised a teddy bear and several skeins of yarn! She has had several accidents in the house, so her foster family is working on housebreaking with her. She also counter surfs and is being corrected.

Cocoa’s foster family feels that while she is a little hesitant about new situations, she is a great dog who will love whoever she is around, whether it is people or other dogs. With a permanent home and a family who will give her the time and attention she deserves; Cocoa can finish some training started in her foster home and become a loving companion for her people and other dogs as well.