Flipper

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Original: The “Flip” man and his brother, part of the Springer Sixpack, were flown to northern Virginia by a wonderful volunteer who wanted to make sure they both could quickly get the care they needed so badly. Anxiously awaiting, the foster families knew which plane carried these guys when it landed and both doors immediately opened so the volunteers could get some fresh air. As you can imagine, Flipper smelled REALLY bad, and his coat was fully matted. He was very shy at first and his foster dad ended up carrying him to the car for the short ride home. After a quick introduction to the four dogs at his new home, his foster dad decided to weigh him. At that point Flipper weighed 50 pounds. After his grooming appointment to be shaved, he was 37 pounds. He is feeling so much better now and can actually run around the yard at full speed.

Per the vet Flipper is four or five years old. While there he was de-wormed. His ears were checked and in bad shape, so he is currently on medication. Thankfully, they are looking and smelling much better already. He is scheduled to be neutered and will also have his teeth cleaned. He was so wonderful at the vet’s office. He has had little human contact in the past and did so well with everyone poking and prodding at him.

Flipper has done wonderfully with the four other dogs in the house and is slowly learning how to play with them. He shares his space well and has no problems sharing the water bowl. He does eat away from the other dogs right now until he is used to sharing with the others. His foster dad has put his hand in his bowl and petted him while eating with no issues.

At first, Flipper went to a crate as his safe spot whenever he felt nervous. However, within just a few days, the only time he spends in his crate is when his foster dad is working. He is very used to a crate, so with just a treat or two, he happily goes in. So far the longest he has been left alone is for 6 hours and he has done fine. He now gets very excited when his foster dad comes home and will bark until the crate door is open and he is free. While he does have free run of the house when his foster dad is home and at night, Flipper is still not fully housetrained at this point. He still marks every once and a while, but this is expected to stop once he is neutered.

Due to his very limited experience with people in the past, Flipper is given some privileges that others may not give, he has found the couch a nice spot to rest on and to be close to his human. He also likes to take his spot on the bed at night. Based on his lack of socialization with people and him being easily frightened by quick movements, his foster dad would only recommend a family with children above the age of 12 for him.

He rides in the car reasonably well and has stayed in the back of the truck while his foster dad ran some errands. One stop was a local pet store where Flipper got to go in. He was very unsure of himself. He stopped walking in the middle of shopping, refused to budge, and had to be carried back to the truck. That told, a very patient and loving family is needed to provide him the necessary guidance to help him overcome his fears and grow into a widening world. Right now, he has a fenced in backyard, so he feels comfortable and has not been asked to go on too many walks until he feels a bit more confident. The good news is at he did not react at all with all the big thunderstorms lately!

Flipper has made tremendous strides in just one week. His foster dad can just imagine that in a month he will not even recognize Flipper as the same scared boy who came into rescue. If you are looking for a true diamond in the rough, then Flipper is the dog for you. He has plenty of love to give and sure needs some of his own.