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Entered: 02/15/2013
Status: Adopted
Age: 5
Color: Black
Weight: 22 lbs.
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Palmyra, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, dental work complete, overall good health
Temperament: Good with adults, unknown with children, not comfortable with meeting new dogs, unknown with cats
Original: “As far as house manners go, Fancy is too small to get up on furniture, but she asks to get a lift to sit beside her people on the couch.”
When their Virginia owner developed major health problems and could no longer care for her English Cocker Spaniel Fancy and her ESS kennel mate Charlie, the family relinquished these former show dogs to MAESSR.
Fancy is a small girl who is a little on the thin side. Though the vet basically approves of her shape, he says she only needs a tiny amount of filling out to make her perfect. She is not a picky eater so gaining a bit of weight should not be a problem. The vet felt that Fancy will need some dental work in the near future. Fancy is good about having her paws and ears handled which pleased both the vet and her foster parents. When she came to her foster home, Fancy had been recently closely clipped but she will become even more of a beauty when her feathering grows back.
Housetrained and crate trained, Fancy spends time in her crate at night and when her foster family is gone from the house. Her foster parents haven’t discovered Fancy’s signaling clues for going out yet so they just take her out often. As far as house manners go, Fancy is too small to get up on furniture, but she asks to get a lift to sit beside her people on the couch. She is also too small to counter-surf, but if the pantry door is left open, she will be into everything! Trash and closets are prime targets for “toys” otherwise known as paper and shoes—her favorites.
Fancy came into foster care not knowing many commands; however, she is usually responsive to “come.” Her forever family would benefit from taking Fancy to obedience lessons and Fancy would too! When being leash walked, Fancy does fairly well except the spaniel blood in her makes her want to sniff out all the animal scents she encounters! When it is time to ride in the car, Fancy is “perfect” according to her foster mom.
Her foster parents have enjoyed watching the frequent and vigorous playing that Fancy and Charlie engage in even there is some serious “grumbling” and some barking. Fancy is the instigator of most of the battles but Charlie is big enough that he can bully her in the end. She does have a trick, though. When she has had enough, she does the “complete submission flop” to her back. As soon as Charlie lowers his guard, she comes back with a quick ankle nip or two. She also tries the same trick with people if she doesn’t want to follow a command—like to come (usually out of a room with door mistakenly left open). Her foster parents are discouraging this behavior.
Fancy is not very good meeting strange dogs. Her barking sets off an aggressive reaction when she and her foster parents approached the gathering at the local dog park, for example. Fancy is also the watch dog, with strange noises setting her off. She seems fearful of lots of things. Although she barks at strangers initially, when they get within tongue range, she licks them to say hello. At the park she has had an opportunity to meet some children but she has not had any extended exposure with them.
Do you have room for a cuddly, comical cocker in your family? Fancy may be the girl for you!