Curly

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Original:  “For such a young pup, Curly (or Tinker, as his foster mom likes to call him) is a playful yet fairly mellow and well-behaved dog.”

When health issues forced his Virginia owner to find him a new home, young Curly became a MAESSR boy. 

For such a young pup, Curly (or Tinker, as his foster mom likes to call him) is a playful yet fairly mellow and well-behaved dog.  He also appears to have the basics of housetraining down, as there have been no accidents so far in his foster home.  He doesn’t yet have a signal to go out, but he is taken out regularly. 

Crate trained, Curly sleeps quietly crated next to his new foster sister.  When his foster folks are out he’s crated, as well, but not because he gets into trouble when unsupervised.  This good boy does not chew inappropriate objects, nor does he pick through the trash or counter-surf.  Proficient at cuddling, Curly loves to climb into a lap when a human is sitting in a comfy chair.  He would like to get up on the sofa if allowed. 

This beautiful boy loves car rides, snuggling up on a lap to snooze while traveling, or curled up on a back seat blanket.  Upon arriving at his foster home, Curly scared his new folks when he decided that the resident dog, a 10-month old Afghan pup, was some sort of dangerous creature the likes of which he’d never seen.  He managed to jump up and down several times and then scramble up the five foot rail and post gate.  Once over the fence, he waited by the vehicle he’d arrived home in.  His foster mom opened the car door and Curly jumped right in.  However, two hours of “house time” had him openly playing with his new foster sister. Although he’s still not allowed unsupervised yard time, Curly has shown no desire to repeat his climbing feat, nor rush the gate when someone else goes out.  It needs to be remembered, however, that he can do so! 

Playful indoors and out, Curly does like to jump up in greeting, so if a home had toddlers, he would need to be supervised so as not to knock them down with his “happy to see you” attitude. His leash manners are coming along, and he greets new people and dogs with a shy wag and slightly submissive wiggle to his stride.  So far he just knows “sit,” and he has reasonable recall from the fenced yard since he loves his people more than sniffing around or playing with the resident canine. 

An all-around good natured fellow, Curly’s favorite games are related:  “steal the soft toy” or “keep the soft toy away from the other dog” or “’everyone in the baby pool.”  He and the resident pup take turns eating out of each other’s food bowls with no aggression at all.   He doesn’t mind being brushed or handled, already seeming to fall into the “groom me, not her, or maybe both of us at the same time” attitude that most Springers adopt in his foster home.  Curly doesn’t seem to chew or nip, or have any other of the undesirable habits that pups of his age can develop. What a good boy! 

It is important for prospective adopters to understand that MAESSR only places puppies in homes that are committed to training and bonding with the pup in obedience classes. Puppies require a lot of care, attention, and patience, and they do chew on things! The decision to get a puppy and raise it to be a healthy, happy, and well-adjusted dog is a serious commitment. To reinforce this commitment, MAESSR requires all adopters of dogs under one-year old to enroll their puppy in an obedience class within 60 days of adoption.  For Curly, this will only serve to make him even more sociable and well-behaved than he already is. 

Curly is a handsome and lovable guy that would love a home with lots of human contact and maybe another dog to share playtimes and sleeping together. A place to swim occasionally – even just a baby pool – would be a big bonus, too, since Curly loves water.  This sweet boy will make a fine addition to a family committed to guiding him through puppyhood.  In return, he promises to be a fantastic companion for life.