Harley 8

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Update 06/11/10:

This biker dude is one hunka, hunka love! Harley is one of the best-natured dogs his foster family has ever met. He’s very laid back, easy going, and playful, to include entertaining himself! He’s rarely without a stuffed animal in his mouth. Harley and the resident Springer get along fine when going for walks and sniffing all the same spots together. However, Harley doesn’t seem the least interested in playing with other dogs. The very playful resident dog has only been able to engage Harley in play on one occasion, during which Harley played the submissive role. This completely surprised his foster mom as he has more an alpha manner. He’s just a true Velcro dog and loves to be around humans. He is perfectly content sitting with anyone who’ll offer a hand to pet him and then an inch, all that much closer to master their lap.

Harley is a huge teddy bear, even grunting like one when playing. Because it comes out sounding like a growl (but is definitely a playful growl), the resident Springer sometimes shies away from Harley when this happens. Harley does great at dog parks but is much more interested in sniffing around rather than playing with the other dogs.

The only negative issue with Harley is an important one that has been difficult to decipher due to its randomness. When on a leash, he can be overly protective if other dogs are near. He’s fine with some dogs; with others, he’s quite the opposite. If any dog barks or nips at him, he doesn’t take this lightly and will not back down. His foster mom continues to work on this issue but, given some surprise situations as well as minor growling at the resident dog over toys, it will be best if Harley is the only dog in his household. He also would do best in a setting with more rural than city/suburbia living. Harley, along with the resident dog, barks when anyone comes to the door. However, unlike the resident dog, Harley stops once they enter, sits at their feet and begs for attention.

Other than protective issues, Harley is the perfect love bug who easily tolerates regular ear cleanings and is a piece of cake to give medicine to. He loves car rides and has picked up the “twirly-whirl we’re-going-for-a-ride” dance from the resident Springer. He’s the perfect passenger. He’s quiet and truly enjoys the scenery and breathes in the fresh air. He’s doing well with his leash walking but still needs more work. His first run with his foster mom and the resident Springer went very well, even though his pace put them to shame.

Harley would benefit from more work with basic commands but his house manners have improved dramatically since arriving. He continues to have complete run of the house and, with the exception of the kitchen garbage, has done very well. No matter how the garbage is hidden, he’s managed to get to it. Although very reluctant to go in, he remains very quiet and calm while in a crate. It’s definitely not his favorite place to be and, because he is such a good boy, there’s no reason for him to stay in one in his foster home.

If given the chance, Harley loves chasing squirrels and will tree them. He loves walks, hikes, baths and most of all . . . WATER!! He’s an unbelievably strong swimmer and would surely stay in for hours if he could. He also has quite the nose! Watching him in a field, one can only imagine what an amazing hunting dog he could have been, or, perhaps may still be.

This biker dude is a sweet, sweet boy who doesn’t know his own strength and will shine in a dog savvy household. He’ll hog your heart in a wink, so add on a sidecar, strap on his goggles and let him cruise with you to his furever home!!

Original:

Harley’s original owners had him since he was a puppy but they decided to move to the Bahamas and leave Harley behind. They advertised him on Craigslist where a good Samaritan who does independent rescue of cats and dogs saw the ad and took him in. Although her original intent was to keep Harley, she felt a bit overwhelmed given the number of special needs rescues she currently has. So, she contacted MAESSR so Harley could join our family.

Harley is a huge, lovable teddy bear who immediately adapted to life in his new foster home. Since he even grunts like a big old bear when playing or rolling around on his back (a favorite sport), his foster mom has inadvertently called him Bear several times. This boy is 64 pounds of solid muscle who thinks he’s a lap dog and clearly doesn’t know his own strength. In true Springer fashion, he’s happiest when playing and being loved. Upon arrival in his foster home, he jumped right into the bathtub, surely thinking it was a mini pool and was an excellent boy throughout the bathing process. Though reluctant, he endured an ear cleaning without problem. When taken to the vet for his check up, Harley rolled on his back with all four in the air and allowed the vet to examine him thoroughly!

In his previous foster home, it was reported that Harley had aggression issues with toys and food when around other dogs, as well as being protective of his human if a resident dog approached. His current foster mom has put him to the test several times but has yet to see any signs of this aggression. However, because the resident Springer is still recuperating from surgery and not yet allowed full activity (much to his chagrin), mealtime and playful interactions between the two dogs has been very limited. Harley’s real tests will come within the next few weeks, once the resident dog is up to being a Springer again. On the feline front, Harley is a good boy with the three resident cats, basically paying no attention to them or to the resident cockatiel. He is interested in the cats’ food, though, trying to steal it whenever possible. Luckily, he is not interested in surfing the litter boxes!

Harley’s favorite things– food, the kitchen trash can, and toys–do include some no-no’s. So, his foster mom is helping him brush up on some of the finer points of house manners since he begs at the table, counter-surfs, and jumps up on people. He has made great strides with the latter and now only does so when invited. Harley clearly was allowed on furniture in his former life, but not so in his foster home. At night he has been encouraged to sleep on his own bed in his foster mom’s bedroom.

Although he is perfectly housetrained, Harley does not appear to be crate trained. His foster mom has tried luring him into a crate but it seemed foreign territory to him. He certainly is familiar with riding in the car. Harley is the perfect traveling companion. He truly enjoys taking in the views while cruising along! On his home turf, Harley and the resident dog will bark at strangers but Harley has shown no aggression towards anyone including strangers. Having come from the country and now living in noisier suburbia, he does bark at various city sounds but hopefully this will subside as he becomes more accustomed to them. When his foster family is out for the day, Harley is given free run of the house.

On strolls in the neighborhood, Harley walks very well with the resident dog, often sniffing at the same spots simultaneously. He’s been welcomed by the neighborhood dogs and has been a gentleman around the several less-than-well-behaved of the group. Although he doesn’t pull, his foster mom is working with him on needed leash walking etiquette. It was reported that he can be trusted off leash but this has not yet been tested in his foster home. He’ll “sit” on command when food is around but not otherwise. He knows “come” but no other commands. Harley would do well with an obedience training class. He’s smart and very eager to please.

Harley loves to play! He’ll often walk around with 1, 2 or even 3 stuffed animals in his mouth, entertaining himself with them along the way. He’s fascinated by shadows and will pounce or chase them — almost as if he’s mesmerized by (but not obsessed with) them. So far, Harley is just one very happy-go-lucky bear!