Frannie

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Updated 7/7/07: Frannie is proving to be a pleasant companion. She has settled into her foster home and is thrilled with her frequent opportunities to chase her sister, Freckles, from end to end in a large yard. She also runs after birds and squirrels and butterflies but was totally disinterested in an uncrated cat at the vet’s office! Good girl!! Flower buds have fallen prey to her fearless hunting skills.

Her foster mom has taken her on a few field trips to the local dog park to expand her socialization. Frannie gets along with dogs of all sizes. Now that she knows not all car rides end at the vet’s office, she jumps in and out on command and rides well in the back seat. She also sits to have her leash put on and off, although she has to twirl around first in excitement when she knows a walk is likely. If she is walked alone and doesn’t have her sister to compete with for lead dog, she stays easily by her foster mom’s side.

Frannie still is shy around new people when they come to the house, but people on the street or in the dog park can pet her fairly quickly. She will chew shoes but drops them on command and is happy with rawhides as a substitute. Because she just turned a year this month, she has some puppy habits that should pass with age and training. She is calm in the house. All Frannie needs now is a family who is ready to train and love in equal measure so her next turn of luck will bring all she deserves!!!

Original: Frannie and her sister Freckles have had a few surprises during their first year of life. When they were five months old, they were shipped from a breeder in Montana all the way to a loving home in Virginia. This good surprise changed when their owner’s daughter came home from college and turned out to be severely allergic to them. As a result, their owner has regretfully turned them over to MAESSR to find them new homes. Will your home be the next good surprise for this little girl?

Frannie is a small tri-colored field-bred English Springer Spaniel, weighing only 32 pounds. She has a lovely soft, silky, and low-maintenance coat. She’s a shy girl, and takes a while to warm up to new people. However, once she accepts a person, she turns into a wiggling, tail-wagging, jump-upping pup! She happily approaches new dogs that she meets on the street, often leaping on the other dog with delight as soon as she is sure the other dog is also friendly. She does not urinate submissively and is not bothered by thunder. Her foster mom has not taken her for a car ride yet, but she is reported to be a reluctant, but well-behaved rider. Her favorite activity is chewing the squeaker out of chew toys. She’s a shy girl, and takes a while to warm up to new people. However, she wants attention and wags her tail and gives a friendly bark from five feet away! She happily approaches new dogs that she meets on the street, often giving a play bow as soon as she is sure the other dog is also friendly. She does not urinate submissively and is not bothered by thunder. Her foster mom has not taken her for a car ride yet, but she is reported to be a reluctant, but well-behaved rider.

Frannie does not jump on the furniture, counter-surf, or trash-dive. She entertains herself in the yard very well and has not tried to jump a three-foot fence. She is not completely housebroken, nor is she good at leash walking. She has a taste for plastic flip-flops and socks that kids should have put in the laundry basket anyway. Any of these problems (other than her foster mom’s sloppy kids) can be fixed by having a new owner spend some time training her. Frannie is food motivated. In just a few days, she has learned “sit.” Her foster mom is working on “go potty.”

Frannie’s best friend is her sister, Freckles. The two spend hours chasing each other around the yard before they wear themselves out. The two of them share a crate and often cuddle together outside of it as well. A simple command of “time for night-night” and both girls will go right into the crate at any time of day. They are used to being in a crate during the workday and at night. To entertain herself in the crate, Frannie will chew off Freckles’ collar. Frannie has some bossy-dog tendencies, so being your only dog would be a good start on her new life.