Entered: 07/19/2012
Status: Adopted
Age: 3
Color: Liver/White/Tan
Weight:
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Aston, PA
Health: UTD, HW-, overall good health
Temperament: Good with adults, good when meeting children as young as 6 while on leash, good with other dogs, ignores cats and rabbits
Original:
Jaunty and his son Tommy came to MAESSR from a Maryland shelter, where they’d landed after being given up by a backyard breeder with too many dogs. Very matted and none too clean, Jaunty tolerated home grooming without complaint. He didn’t even flinch when his foster mom was trimming the largest mats from his ears and tail area. Jaunty loves being brushed and doesn’t mind having his ears cleaned. The one aspect of grooming that Jaunty was not fond of was the bath. He tolerated the water for a few minutes, but then jumped out of the tub and proceeded to shake off a ridiculous amount of soap and water! Having someone at Jaunty’s head to distract him kept him in the tub for the remainder of bath time.
Despite his background, Jaunty seems to have been nurtured and given a fair amount of house exposure. He has been completely housetrained and hasn’t marked or given a single growl at the resident dogs. He stands by the door if he needs to go out, crates with a minor “in you go,” and sleeps on a dog bed with the residents at night. Jaunty loves to be with his people, and challenged a window in his foster home when he was left with free run while they were gone. His foster folks now crate him any time they go away to avoid any possible tricks. In his crate, he soon settles and waits quietly for people to return.
Jaunty fits right in with the resident dogs, napping on the floor in a pile with the resident female Springer and ignoring the grumbles of the resident male terrier. Initially jumping up as a greeting, he is learning to keep all four feet on the ground, and to “sit” for treats. He doesn’t trash dive or garbage surf, and has shown no food aggression. In fact, he seems to prefer eating out of a bowl near other dogs or perhaps shared by other dogs. He has to be coaxed into eating separately from the over-zealous resident dog so that he gets anything and doesn’t get his nose nipped for peacefully trying to share a bowl.
Jaunty is just starting to play with toys. If thrown, he’ll pick up a toy, but then drops it and looks to see what’s next. He plays “rough and tumble” with the resident dogs and would probably prefer to live with other dogs. With humans, he’s always wearing a warm smile. He doesn’t mind having his collar grabbed and being placed somewhere. He’s learned to “go in the kitchen” with the resident Springer while the humans eat, joining her in flopping on the floor in the doorway to watch from three feet away. A nearby rug is a good spot for joining the crowd to watch TV. On leash, Jaunty is reasonable, hanging near his humans without pulling. In tandem walks with other dogs, he just goes their pace. Jaunty would probably be trustworthy off leash in safe conditions because he just wants to hang out near his folks. In the car, he settles down in the back seat and just watches the world go by.
This handsome tri-color boy is easy to have around. Other than his escape attempt, Jaunty has been “flawless” as a foster pup. His foster dad was heard mumbling something about how he never gets to choose the dogs that stay or Jaunty (aka John-T) would have a place already. Lucky for you, he is still on the hunt for his forever home. If you’d like to add a sweet and happy boy to your family, Jaunty just might be your guy!