Hunter 7

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Update 04/19/10:

Hunter has had a busy week. Her brother of 11 years moved to another foster home and she noticed his leaving. The biggest change in her behavior is that she cries when left downstairs for the night. After about 10 minutes of whimpering, her family has been bringing her into their bedroom where she then sleeps quietly on the floor. Another noticeable change is that she does not eat her food as soon as it is put in the bowl. She picks at it instead of gorging it right down. She still wags her tail and seems to be adjusting to being an only child. She can still be trusted with limited run of the house. Outdoors Hunter did find a soft spot in her fenced-in yard, the only dog of 4 who have lived there to do this! She slipped out of the yard, but not unnoticed, and was quickly brought back.

She has also gone to a doggie daycare for an evaluation and her family is happy to report that she passed and is welcome to return on a regular basis. At the evaluation she met a Golden, a young Springer, a Westie and a puggle and showed no signs of aggression. As she was only there a short period, she did not begin to play with any dogs, but future visits should be fun as she makes new friends.

Hunter also went on a long walk along an area trail. Given the beautiful weather, the trail was packed with adult walkers, bicycles, dogs and children. She did not bark or cower from any of these encounters, though she did not approach anyone for pats on the head. She was a bit nervous, perhaps a first-time experience for her, but did well.

The biggest challenge with Hunter so far has been getting her out of the car. She just loves to ride shotgun and will move from one seat to another in order to avoid getting out!

Overall, she is a very sweet, well mannered, and good tempered girl who will make someone very, very happy. Becoming part of a family again will make Hunter very, very happy too!

Original:

Hunter VII and housemate Woody III came to be MAESSR Springers because of a divorce situation. Their mom could not bring them along to her new living situation and was heartbroken to give them up. She knew that MAESSR would find them new loving homes, though.

This very sweet senior is well-behaved and yet full of spunk! With good house manners, Hunter does not counter-surf, trash pick, bark, dig, or chew. When her foster mom is not with her, Hunter does not whine or cry, either. At first her foster family thought she was deaf, but they realized she was ignoring them. This aloofness passed after a few days and now her personality is starting to shine. Hunter’s hearing is poor, but if you raise your voice, she can hear you.

Hunter responds to “sit” and “stay.” On the leash, she pulls a little but is generally very good and easy to walk. Totally housetrained, Hunter can be trusted in the house although her foster mom does gate off certain rooms. She is very respectful of the gates and never tries to push them down. To her foster mother’s dismay, Hunter does like to drink out of the toilet! No Springer is perfect.

At the vet Hunter was fine with other dogs she met. The vet pointed out that there was a lump on her neck but felt this was nothing to worry about. Although Hunter is a bit stiff getting up from a nap, the only arthritis supplement she gets is in the glucosamine that is in her senior dog food. At the groomer, Hunter was very good while getting her nails clipped and she enjoyed her bath and grooming.

While on walks, Hunter is not afraid of strangers she meets; she welcomes anyone to give her a pat on the head. Quiet and friendly, she greets her foster parents with a wagging tail and a roll on her back for belly rubs! When she is eating, Hunter allows her foster mom to touch her with no problem. For car rides, Hunter insists on riding shotgun! She loves car rides so much that sometimes it is difficult to get her out of the car when the ride is over!

A senior Springer is a joy to have as part of one’s family. How about making Hunter a part of yours? You will be blessed!