Entered: 05/22/2022
Status: Adopted
Age: 1
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 47 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Madison, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, overall good health
Temperament: Good with adults, unknown with children, but would probably be good with those over 10—he might knock over youngsters (and steal their toys) given his exuberance, good with other dogs, afraid of the one cat he met (but probably could learn to co-exist)
Original: “Any fans of the movie ‘Elf’? Imagine a canine version with Jax as the star – a big, goofy, overly lovable dog who sees only the good, never the bad, thinks life is one huge playfield and doesn’t possess a mean gene in his body.”
Through no fault of his own, this lovable fieldie from Maryland has already had two owners. The first found him far too much to handle; the second took him in with the hopes of rehoming him but was unsuccessful and thankfully sought MAESSR’s assistance. MAESSR was told that Jax was 8 months old. However, given his physical development and dental growth, his foster mom’s vet advised that he’s 1 year old.
Jax is a very handsome, very active, happy-go-lucky pup. Despite devouring four cups daily of high quality food, this lanky lad’s body is still playing catch up to the size of his head. He has very symmetrical facial markings and delightful brown and white swirls on each hip. He’s still a tad puppy-clumsy when playing/chasing but WOW – can he jump!
Although thought to be housetrained, Jax needed more training. He’s improved greatly and now rarely has an accident in the house. He doesn’t signal to go out, but stands at the back door most of the day waiting to go outside –99.9% of the time to play, no matter the weather. Given his high activity level and summer heat, he drinks a lot of water. Therefore he’s kept to a fairly strict schedule of potty breaks every two hours followed by his favorite game – chasing as many balls as possible.
Jax shares his foster home with five resident MAESSR Springers, aged 1, 3 (a fieldie), 5, 7 and 13 plus two new MAESSR fosters – no lack of playmates in that home! Jax and the resident 1 year old are BFFs and love pushing the limits on play. Jax is crate trained though, like a child fighting bedtime, he goes In very reluctantly unless given treats. In fact anytime treats are given, whether or not it’s crate time, he runs into his crate – good boy! Jax was clearly allowed on furniture (especially a bed) sometime in his prior life, and also allowed to drink from the toilet. Unfortunately for him, due to the number of resident Springers hogging up his foster mom’s bed, there’s no room for an additional 4-pawer. He sleeps in his crate next to the bed. He originally was not allowed on the bed at all. Finally wising up and realizing that some battles are not worth fighting, his foster mom began allowing him on the bed during the day. This has greatly aided in alleviating some of his over-zealousness. His foster mom’s heart sings just seeing the peacefulness on his face while sprawled out. This also provides the alone time he seems to need; the cool of the tiled bathroom floor is another favorite spot.
Jax doesn’t jump up on people. He’s rather shy when first meeting folks but warms up quickly. His house manners are a work in progress; as a very curious puppy, his nose is into anything and everything. He’s a very intelligent pup and very, very food motivated, taking treats very gently. He is fed in the same room yet on the opposite side of the resident dogs. He’s fine with his foster mom’s taking his food dish yet protective if any other dog comes near. Jax’s thinking is that his food is his; everyone else’s food is his as well – a concept he’s very slowly learning is incorrect. Post dining, it’s a wild 6-dog dash to clean each other’s dish. He is protective of his foster home and gleefully joins the resident dogs in barking at anyone passing by as well as at the multitude of wildlife. His deep bark transitions into a great howl. With the freedom of a huge fenced-in backyard, Jax is rarely leash-walked. Those times on-leash are spent nose-to-the ground soaking up all the wonderful country smells with very mild pulling. He’s walked on a freedom harness with treats available as needed. Jax loves being touched all over, especially when it includes belly rubs. Cleaning ears, feet and all over is no problem – he welcomes the attention. He loves car rides and behaves very well in his crate. If tethered, he’ll pull a Houdini. If not restrained at all, he’ll gladly help drive.
Any fans of the movie “Elf?” Imagine a canine version with Jax as the star – a big, goofy, overly lovable dog who sees only the good, never the bad, thinks life is one huge playfield and doesn’t possess a mean gene in his body. Unlike Elf, Jax isn’t allowed sugar yet–he is on Elf’s continually happy “sugar high.” Jax is the epitome of what every experienced ESS owner knows–a Springer’s #1 goal in life is to have as much fun as possible no matter the consequences. In this, Jax reigns as supreme commander.
Jax is definitely not a hyper dog; he is a true Fieldie–an extremely active dog who finds pure joy wrestling, playing tug-of-war, and endlessly chasing balls with his resident siblings – especially in mud or sliding on the grass. While he’s yet to mimic his BFF in carrying two balls simultaneously, he continues to try. He has mastered some amazing air jumps, showing strong potential as a dock diver and frisbee dog. Whether inside or outside, rather than moving around an obstacle while playing, Jax merely leaps over it, no running start needed–comically impressive.
When not provided enough exercise, Jax often gets into trouble to which, of course, he’s completely oblivious. Examples? Sneaking into the spare room containing several storage boxes, settling down and blissfully shredding a few. When discovered at his misdeed, his goofy look is not one of shame, rather “Yo! This is great stuff! Want some?” while dangling a large shred from his mouth. Other times it’s when foster mom notices the tomatoes (potatoes, container lids, etc) that were on the counter are now missing, the only trace of which is the tomato stain on his paw. Or the shredded rolls of toilet paper. Or paper towels, newspapers, fireplace wood, etc. Jax is still very much a puppy – anything he’s able to get his paws and/or mouth on is fair game.
When his resident siblings have pooped out, Jax is excellent at entertaining himself (and his foster mom) as he runs around the house with toys, tossing them in the air. His favorite is dribbling balls on the deck; Steph Curry he’s not yet but his low dribbles are still very impressive as he alternates among 3-4 balls.
A perfect day for Jax begins with outside time perusing the yard and just hanging out, chasing balls, wrestling with his BFF, breakfast, food coma, chasing balls, short snooze, chasing balls, nap, chasing balls, quick nap, chasing balls, chasing balls, dinner, dribbling balls outside, food coma, chasing balls, wrestling with his BFF, bedtime. Life is sooooooooooooo good!!
When chasing or wrestling with his BFF, Jax’s play level sometimes becomes too crazed, and he’s put in his crate for a timeout. While his energy level can sometimes be exasperating, the tilt of his head and those beautiful eyes easily grab hold of his foster mom’s heart. Though high energy, he has many moments when he settles down nicely and loves to cuddle. He is a super lovebug and literally melts into his foster mom when being loved on. And, oh, those puppy sighs of contentment!
While some of Jax’s energy is due to puppyhood, the rest is innate to his fieldie breeding. MAESSR will require the adoptive family to take Jax through a series of obedience classes within 90 days of adoption. MAESSR only places puppies – even older ones – in homes that are committed to training and bonding with the pup in obedience classes. Puppies require a lot of care, attention, and patience. MAESSR believes the decision to get a puppy and raise it to be a healthy, happy, and well-adjusted dog is a serious commitment.
Jax is not for an apartment/condo/small yard home, regardless of whether he’s sent to daily doggy day care. Neither should he be in a home with very young children or others who may be unsteady on their feet. Jax’s forever home must be a loving, active and dog-experienced household; i.e., one that truly ‘gets’ an active Springer. A large fenced yard where he can freely play and hang out is also a must. While long multi-mile walks are a plus, he definitely requires a lot of additional off-leash play time. Jax will be excellent at any sport – nosework, frisbee, dock-diving, fielding little league, tracking, being a running buddy (once his bones mature at approximately 2 years old) and would be an awesome hiking companion. The list is endless for this happy-go-lucky luvin’ life pup and his forever family.