Entered: 12/31/2010
Status: Adopted
Age: 3
Color: Black/White
Weight: 27 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Dumfries, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, good in all areas
Temperament: Good with people as young as 5, good with other dogs, good with cats
Update 09/02/2013: “The neighbors baby sit the foster family’s dogs and all of their kids just love Frankie. It seems they fight over who will get to walk him!”
Since settling back into a foster home, Frankie’s completed his required vet check. Great news……he continues to enjoy excellent health. He is ready to go into the home of an adopting family. This personable charmer will be missed by his foster family and their neighbors. The neighbors baby sit the foster family’s dogs and all of their kids just love Frankie. It seems they fight over who will get to walk him!
Frankie is such a cutie. Striking among his many attributes is a fully feathered tail that he loves to wag. His foster mom tells everyone not to let that tail bother them. It’s as expressive as his grin and leaves no doubt that he’s a happy boy.
Let Frankie wag his way into your world and you’ll soon be grinning right back at him………………..
Update 08/21/2013: “Ideal for a farm, home, or an apartment, he is a doll and so easy to care for.”
Frankie has a long tail that he loves to wag. He loved to wag it in his first foster home in 2011 and he is wagging it again with his recent return to MAESSR’s care. Between stays with the two foster families, Frankie enjoyed a good life with his adopting family, but ultimately found their 18 month-old baby was too much. Frankie is obedient, sweet and loveable but, if living with children, they must be 5 years and older.
This rascal transitioned into his new foster situation without a problem. He just walked in and made himself at home. In the mornings he is let outside to do his business and he comes right back when called. This recall extends to other times of day when he is off leash too. He loves to swim and run in open fields. He loves walks and riding in the car. He loves chewy treats and toys with no stuffing. Frankie gets along with the resident dogs and plays tug with them, tries to fetch and loves to chase. At mealtime, he eats in his own space, at the same time as everyone else.
Undaunted by the shortness of his legs, Frankie will attempt to stand and see what temptations are near the edge of the people table. Licking things, if not getting them, is his goal. He is also a determined, if usually unsuccessful, counter-surfer. After an active day Frankie makes himself at home on the chairs and doggie bed. Always reliable with his housetraining, Frankie’s owner used a crate for him when gone for a while. With resident dogs surrounding him now, he does fine with no crating. At night he sleeps next to his foster parents’ bed.
Rarely short on words, Frankie loves to bark whenever he gets a chance. A quick call of his name followed by “be quiet” works well and usually ends his discourse. Frankie has his basic commands down, including ”no,” “sit,” “down,” “roll over” and “high 5.” Fine at both the vet’s office and the grooming shop, he willingly lets you clean his ears and cut his toenails. At his vet check this time around, a wart was found on a rear leg. The vet discussed alternatives for removal with his foster mom in charge of making the call. He is also good with cats……….what a smart dog!!
Frankie is ready for a family who will give him a forever home. Ideal for a farm, home, or an apartment, he is a doll and so easy to care for. He picks up on things quickly without any formal training and is a joy to have around. Frankie’s a grand little boy with his own style of canine happiness. Let him wag his way into your home and he’ll have your heart “furever!”
Original: “He is a bright, cheerful little companion who will fit easily into Springer-loving homes.”
How many times has the best present under your Christmas tree also been the smallest one? Though on the diminutive side, Frankie packs exuberance for people and life that rivals that of the biggest springers his foster family has met. He’s a healthy, handsome and happy youngster who quickly impressed the staff at a southern West Virginia shelter. He had been picked up as a stray with a collar so the expectation was that someone would surely be looking for him. Sadly, no one did so, when his time was nearly up, he became a MAESSR boy. He arrived at his foster home just in time for New Year’s Eve and enlivened what would have been a quiet celebration among the resident pack.
Frankie has been described as “a nice package all around.” He has won over the 3 resident ESSs and is a great playmate for the youngest one. Though outweighed by 20 pounds, Frankie really gets into wrestling and has no trouble holding his own. Indeed, after an hour of this one evening, it was the resident dog who retired to his dog bed first! The other two residents are seniors who are past their play days, and, Frankie respects their space and doesn’t press for games. Frankie is fed separately in his crate and does react if one of the resident dogs comes close before he has finished his meal. Other than that, he is as doggie-friendly as could be.
With people Frankie is as friendly as with dogs. He will give full facials to any one who gives him the opportunity. He has not actually met children since in foster care but really noticed and looked longingly at 2 across the room while waiting for the vet. If the children’s parent had given the OK, Frankie would have been sharing his kisses with them too.
When Frankie went for his vet check, he actually pulled to get in the door! He turned the heads of everyone in the waiting room, and, several commented on what a great looking dog he was. He behaved well during his exam and impressed the tech and vet with his excellent condition. At 22.7 pounds, he is fit and muscular. His coat is thick and soft. His skin is a bit dry which may be seasonal or due to an earlier diet. Either way, it will likely resolve with his being back in a home.
This boy is an easy guest. He is house trained and has run of the home when his family is in. At night he sleeps in a basket alongside his mom’s bed. He is a very quick learner, both of the household routine and commands that he doesn’t know yet. He will “sit” upon request, will “down” with a hand signal and knows what “outside” means. He will “come” and is beginning to learn “wait” at the door or for his meal to be put down. He has tried to counter surf and will choose a chair to sit upon, so he is learning “down” too. In his eagerness to meet people, Frankie will stand up against them………not good manners for any size dog………so his family is working on this and already sees improvement.
He does pull on a leash but his foster mom feels this is likely due to a lack of training. With a little work, she would expect to see quick gains there too.
Frankie loves toys of all kinds, Kongs and tugs especially. He travels quietly in a crate but would likely opt to navigate if not limited by crate or tether. He can settle peacefully when his family settles. He is a bright, cheerful little companion who will fit easily into Springer-loving homes. A small home or an apartment would work for him well. Because of his friendly and trainable nature, he might have a future as a therapy dog. With his agile and toned build, he might excel at agility. Frankie has so much potential packed into a small stature and is almost ready to impress an adopting family. If you believe great things come in small packages, please ask about meeting Frankie!!