Divot

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When their mom passed away and their dad was no longer able to provide the time and attention they both deserved, Divot and his sister Madison came into MAESSR”s care.

This is a super friendly boy who was very much loved in his previous home. Divot has personality plus! He is a typical Springer who loves to roughhouse and play chase with other dogs. He also loves to get attention from humans. When he is first greeting someone, he does have the bad habit of jumping up on them. His foster family ignores him when he does this and is teaching him that keeping all four paws on the floor is the way to get positive attention.

Divot is not great with the resident cats; he loves to chase them and once he gets them into a corner he will bark like crazy. The cats are trying to teach him better manners, but it may take some time. Divot has not met any children since coming into foster care, but he would probably get along well with older kids. Because he sometimes jumps up, he may be too much for toddlers or young children.

Fully housetrained, Divot hasn’t caused any trouble in his foster home. He does try to sneak onto furniture, though. He comes over for petting and then tries to get those back legs up on the couch! At least he is responsive when told to get down. He has also cruised the counters for snacks at his foster home, but his foster parents are wise to the ways of counter-surfing Springers and there was nothing to be found up there. Divot’s leash skills need a little work. He is trustworthy off-lead, and because of that, he has limited experience with being on the leash. He will return to his foster mom’s side when told “right here” but then tries to forge on ahead.

Divot does very well in the car. His surrendering owner used a pet barrier in his SUV during trips. Divot’s foster family did the same for the first few trips, but then took the barrier down and Divot still stays in the back. He stands for the first few minutes but then settles in nicely. When his foster parents are gone, Divot and the other MAESSR foster Springers have limited free-run of the house– the kitchen/den area is closed off and they have the living room and dining room to themselves. Divot and the other foster dogs have the whole house at night and have been fine with that as well. The three Springers actually curl up together in the bedroom which is a pretty cute sight!

Not much for playing fetch, Divot would rather go for a walk or sniff out some birds in the yard. One thing Divot loves to do is swim! He jumped right into the pool on the first afternoon at his foster home. Unlike many dogs who jump in only to get out, run around the yard, and jump back in, Divot will swim laps! He goes in circles for a few minutes and loves to swim to everyone in the pool to say hi and get a quick pat on the head.

This five year old is in great health. A few years ago, he contracted Lyme disease and underwent treatment. Although he has not had any symptoms since being treated, he will still show a positive test since he was exposed to the disease.

Divot is a handsome, fun-loving, and energetic Springer who is looking for a new, loving home. Can you give him the fresh start he deserves?