Holly 5

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Update 03/17/08:

Holly has settled into her foster home well. She is beginning to associate more with the rest of the 4-footed hooligans who live there. If she joins a home with other dogs, it might be better if they were males as she seems a bit afraid of the female canines. She has also begun to bark occasionally at one of the five resident cats but she is not chasing or trying to get at the cat, just barking. Holly would probably like him to play with her, as the younger cats do. Or, perhaps she just doesn’t like black cats.

One night her foster mom gave Holly a chewy at bedtime. She promptly “buried” it under a coat rack for later and apparently forgot it. One of her canine housemates found it the next afternoon and tried to dig it out. Holly sat on her bench, making grumbly noises but nothing more in protest. The next night, another dog’s food accidentally spilled all over the floor. Again, Holly just sat and waited while that dog and her foster mom cleaned up the mess. Holly did not move until the dish with her food was offered. She’s just this mellow all the time.

She seems to realize that “Holly” means her now and is responding to more commands. Holly knows “sit” when the word is combined with a hand signal and also a treat in hand. Her foster mom teaches both words and signals, just in case of vision or hearing impairment in old age. Holly also knows come, although she doesn’t come immediately while outside. If she has a really wonderful sniff going at the moment, she likes to finish it! 

On occasion, while her foster mom is sorting leashes, Holly will circle around, but as soon as the snap that goes on her collar is found, she will stand still. Though not sure about her recall, her foster mom has been able to drop her leash and Holly not only doesn’t try to run off, but she doesn’t even move far away. Good girl – she passed that test!

Since coming to her foster home, Holly has met several people, all of whom are apparently her long-lost best friends. She likes men and women equally. She loves to be petted and talked to. Holly is as nearly faultless as a dog can be. She loves the outdoors, loves people and would be very happy to have any family who will love her to call her own…

Original:

Holly came to MAESSR after she was returned to the SPCA by adopters who said she was deaf and had bad hips. Her MAESSR foster mom has found neither of these things to be true. Holly hears very well, but does not know many commands. Kennel, up, and inside are three that she definitely knows. Her hips are fine. She goes up and down stairs and in and out of the car with no difficulty. 

Holly is submissive toward the six resident dogs with whom she is now living and she ignores the five resident cats. When treats are being handed out, she patiently sits and waits for hers. Holly is not a barker in the sense that she does not tell her foster family about every leaf blowing down the road. She does occasionally give a little woof if the resident dogs are barking. She eats in the same room at the same time with one of the resident male dogs and makes no attempt to try to take any of his food, even though he eats slowly and tosses it all over the place.

This polite lady has good house manners and is given free run of the house as a result. She seems to think she is supposed to stay in one room all of the time, which leads her foster mom to believe that she has spent a lot of her life confined. Holly does not countersurf, nor does she try to play in the trash. She also does not beg when foster mom is eating, although she will sit and watch from a distance of about ten feet. The only piece of furniture she attempts to climb on is a deacon’s bench in the laundry room. Holly is housetrained and when it is bedtime, she goes to her bed and sleeps through the night. She is not demanding of attention, although she does love to be petted. She loves to explore the outdoors, too. When she is taken on a leash walk, she is very well behaved and does not pull. Holly is also very good in the car and does not want to drive! 

The vet gave Holly a good health report- no skin issues, ear problems or eye problems. At some point she will need her teeth cleaned, but they are in good condition now. As common with many dogs, Holly has a fatty tumor, but the vet is not worried about this at all. When it comes to grooming, however, she is not happy to have her nails and the hair on her feet trimmed. She will scream and struggle throughout the procedure but never attempts to snap. 

Holly is such a sweet Springer who would do well with almost any family who will love her. She apparently has never met a stranger, only friends. Holly is looking for a best friend. Is that you?