Entered: 10/23/2009
Status: adopted
Age: 2
Color: Picardy Blue
Weight:
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Aston, PR
Health: UTD, HW-, good in all areas
Temperament: Good with people as young as six, may accidentally knock over younger children, good with other dogs, unknown with cats
Original: While MAESSR is an English Springer Spaniel rescue, sometimes exceptions are made about who becomes a MAESSR dog. When contacted by a shelter in South Carolina about a Picardy Blue Spaniel named Elwood, MAESSR felt that the traits of Picardy Blues were similar enough to Springers that they agreed to take him. This breed is recognized in Canada, where Elwood is registered, and in France, where his dad was born and bred; however, there is no rescue group for these dogs in the United States, but MAESSR folks have big hearts. Elwood was sent to the shelter after his owner fell and broke his hip and gave Elwood and his sibling to the owner’s brother. They only wanted one dog so off Elwood went.
After being taken from the shelter to a boarding facility by a kind vet assistant, Elwood was neutered and then sped his way north with a MAESSR volunteer to his foster home. Not knowing what to expect from the breed or from the individual dog, his foster mom was pleased to find Elwood completely housebroken and a big, sweet goof!
Elwood has had some obedience training. He will heel if, reminded that it is what he should do, and he will stay close if on a long line. He can’t really be trusted off leash, though, because he loves to flush birds, deer, squirrel, and any outside critter that moves. Inside, he has to put up with two small terriers and a toy-possessive foster male Springer, but he has shown no aggression at all to these canine housemates. Elwood has not really been taught to play but will drop and roll with a goofy grin if spoken to sternly. He is learning more house manners on a daily basis. His foster parents think that he’s like a foreign exchange student whose grasp of English is limited, and he really wants to do what they ask, but needs a translator. They are helping him with the dog-to-English translations involved in daily life.
Because of his size about 60 pounds, and height about 22 inches at the shoulder, and about a yard from top of head to butt, Elwood can easily reach the counter, but hasn’t gotten into too much trouble yet. He doesn’t beg either, and he responds to no and off. Elwood loves to ride in the car, stretching out to watch the world go by. He also enjoys trotting around the dog park, watching the other dogs play fetch. He’s just now investigating balls, but he hasn’t played with them yet. Elwood knows how to sit, and when told down he will drop his front end first, rear in the air and then crash it to the ground. He has a full setter type tail with his breed originating from crosses between Gordon setters and spaniels in France, and his tail wags almost constantly when he’s awake, thumping the floor or aggravating the terriers by bopping them accidentally.
Elwood doesn’t have too much problem with being crated, but his foster mom’s largest crate is a bit tight for him, so he’s not sent there often. Reportedly, he pulled apart his dog bed when confined in boarding, so should probably just get a soft towel as a bed when contained. He doesn’t get on furniture, sleeps on whatever dog bed or rug is handy at night, and, though reported to be a barker in boarding, has yet to have barked in his foster home, despite UPS and oil deliveries.
Elwood’s ideal home would probably have a fenced yard so that he could stride around, and his new family should take this active and happy boy for additional obedience training. He warmly greets people and other dogs on leash and in the dog park. He loves just being near his humans and enjoys getting groomed. He will even lick the other dogs for cleaning if they let him. Despite his size, Elwood is pretty low-key in the house, stretching out near whatever human is around. He would make someone a fine companion!