Entered: 12/27/2020
Status: Adopted
Age: 2
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 52 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Owings, MD
Health: UTD, HW-, Lyme+ and treatment completed, treatment for urinary tract infection complete, small hernia along previous abdominal incision is being monitored
Temperament: Good with adults, good with children but best with those over 12 due his size and exuberance, good with dogs, unknown with cats
Original: “He is a sight to behold when he runs. His coat is long and glowing, and he has the gait, stance, and posture of a champion.”
Originally hailing from New York, Henry was placed in a shelter when animal control removed him from an unhealthy living situation. Henry had an incident in which he acted aggressively while allegedly defending himself. After a month at the shelter, MAESSR became involved and Henry quickly made his journey to his foster home.
Neither the shelter nor his foster parents have seen any aggression from Henry. He is a most gentle soul and yet a ball of energy – 52 lean pounds on a large frame! Very unaware of his size, Henry is just too exuberant to be placed with younger children. He is fostered with an old, crotchety resident Yorkie whom he mostly ignores or possibly is fearful of as the Yorkie growls upon any sighting of Henry. There is also another resident Springer. The two Springers are working out their pecking order. The resident is very possessive of her food, bed, and her dad. Henry is learning what she holds dear. Each day is getting better and they have even slept touching each other. Henry is unknown with cats, but squirrels require much barking from him.
Henry possesses (mostly) excellent manners, although he attempts to check out the kitchen counters. While in the living room, his foster mom has distinctly heard the click of Henry’s nails on the kitchen floor! Then there is the issue of his foster mom’s bed versus his bed! Upon retiring on his first night, Henry promptly and firmly planted himself directly in the center of HER bed. It appeared he was smiling. He ignored commands to exit. A circus ensued as she would get Henry off one side, only to have him jump up on the other side. Henry thought this was great fun. The resident dogs joined in the fracas and, at one point, no one was in their correct bed! Finally, order was restored, and all slept in the correct beds. Fortunately, Henry knows to sleep in his bed now. However, his foster mom came home from a required outing to find that her nicely made bed was completely trashed. Henry must have had a party! The blankets were hanging off the bed and the pillows were in disarray. Oh, Henry!
Henry does not get into the trash, but he will bring his foster mom magazines, shoes, etc. He is not chewing anything…he just likes to bring her gifts. Henry has been known to chill on the couch, but easily gets down when he is told. One quirk Henry has – he likes to stick his very large head in the shower! One will never shower alone with Henry around! His foster mom keeps a towel handy for Henry, too.
Henry is housetrained, although with his UTI, he is urinating more frequently. He does indicate the need to go out by going to the door and barking. Although a crate was available for him, he did seem fearful of using it the first night. Because of some unknowns with his history, his foster family removed the crate. Henry has free rein of the house.
Henry likes being in his foster mom’s upstairs studio. She believes it is mostly just Henry being a Velcro dog. But maybe it is that there is a (human) cookie stash there! Henry cries and paces if his foster mom leaves him, despite having his foster dad in the house with him.
This boy is very intelligent; “sit,” “stay,” “down,” “out,” and “shake” are all easy for him. Henry does not always come when called, and he is working on his recall. It is unclear if Henry ever walked on a leash, as he pulled very strongly on initial walks. He has improved so much that his foster mom can take all three dogs out on a walk, although they are not always an orderly procession! Henry is interested in other dogs and people he meets on walks. However, with COVID, his exposure to others is extremely limited. One family his foster parents continue to interact with has met Henry and he was overjoyed to have them petting and fussing over him. He will jump on them and his parents are working on that jumping.
Outside Henry likes to run in his family’s field with the resident Springer. He is a sight to behold when he runs. His coat is long and glowing, and he has the gait, stance, and posture of a champion. He does get some one-on-one time, either throwing a ball or frisbee; if it’s raining, he gets his exercise in the basement. Henry seems to have a light about him when he is learning a new task and he is very eager to please.
Henry plays with some stuffed toys and particularly likes a squirrel and a tug-of-war toy. A Kong ball stuffed with peanut butter is also loved! And a frisbee! Henry does not resource guard food and has even let the Yorkie nibble at his dinner.
Henry has not been to the groomer yet, but it is scheduled soon. He does allow his foster mom to brush him without any drama. His vet visit determined that he was Lyme positive and he had a UTI. Both are being treated. A small, dime-sized hernia was detected on his abdomen at the site of a previous incision. It is not presenting a problem and the vet wants to monitor it.
Getting into the car, Henry was hesitant as his parents have a tunnel to restrain/constrain him. After he was inside and zipped in, he was an angel in the car.
The ideal home for Henry would be one where someone could stay home, possibly a work at home person. Henry would need frequent outings until his UTI resolves, and he would need frequent exercise as he is still very much a pup. Henry would be well-served to continue with leash walking and recall. He would need to be learning new milestones, possibly gaining a Good Citizenship designation, or becoming a therapy dog. His temperament and his desire to learn, coupled with his gentle spirit, would make him an ideal candidate.