Entered: 11/08/2014
Status: Adopted
Age: 11
Color: Black/White
Weight: 46 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Little Silver, NJ
Health: UTD, HW-, Lyme-, treatment for whipworms and ear infection complete, dental evaluation complete, mostly deaf
Temperament: Good with adults and children as young as eight, good with both dogs and cats
Original: “A complete Velcro Springer, Jeb follows his foster mom around like her shadow all day and when his foster dad returns from work, Jeb shadows both.”
Three years ago, Jeb was a roadside stray in New Hampshire who was rescued by a Good Samaritan. This handsome fieldie had a good life with this new owner in Virginia until a change in her living situation. She had to move to a place that allowed only small dogs and not a Springer. An alert MAESSR volunteer saw Jeb on Craig’s List and contacted the owner to tell her how rescue would be a better choice for this boy. So, Jeb is now a MAESSR senior looking for a new forever home.
This sweet, easy-going boy has acclimated well to life in his foster home. Jeb is housetrained and has full run of the house when his foster parents are gone. When they return, Jeb is happily sleeping on a big, fleece covered dog chair in the kitchen. Jeb signals his need to go out by going to the door and acting agitated. Inside the house he is not destructive in any way and does not counter-surf or get into the trash. His softie foster parents allow him on the couch, but at bedtime, Jeb contentedly settles onto a dog bed in the bedroom with them. He has not shown any interest in jumping onto the bed. His worst offense is that he is a beggar, but his foster parents have not relented to his “starving dog” look.
A complete Velcro Springer, Jeb follows his foster mom around like her shadow all day and when his foster dad returns from work, Jeb shadows both! The laundry room is in the basement and Jeb made many trips up and down while he was helping with the wash. When his foster mom went outside to fill the birdfeeders and left Jeb inside, he did not appreciate being excluded so he barked for the first time. Since his foster parents do not have a fenced yard, he now drags a long leash when his foster mom is doing something that requires two hands. He did not mind being tethered on a long lead when he and his foster mom were raking leaves.
Jeb has some hearing loss and probably cannot hear when he is being called. Clapping hands in close proximity elicits no response from him and when he rests, he sleeps the deep sleep of a deaf dog. His hearing loss may explain, in part, why he is such a Velcro boy. So, he is never let out without being leashed and is closely monitored in the yard when he is dragging a long leash. He is able to hear a high pitched whistle, so when his foster parents want his attention quickly, they whistle and use a hand motion to “come” which he obeys. He is easy to walk on either a short leash or an extended leash; he does not pull.
Although Jeb likes to rummage through the toy baskets, he hasn’t played with any toys. He just likes to chew briefly on a big beef bone. What he loves to do is sniff for scents on his outside walks! If his foster parents would let him loose, he thinks he could make the neighborhood squirrels scramble! Now he can chase them only as far as he can reach on the extended leash.
There is only a resident cat in his foster home now and she has quickly learned the Jeb is not a threat. He likes to sniff her but respects her space. He has met the neighborhood dogs and has responded to them with a wagging tail and appropriate sniffing. The youngest child he has met is an 8 year old neighbor boy walking his puppy. Jeb greeted the pup, but really wanted to get pets from the boy. On his walks when he sees children playing, he stops and looks at them longingly. He would do well in a household where the children are dog-focused and where there were other dogs or cats. He loves attention and companionship.
Since he was originally found as a stray, nothing definitive is known about Jeb’s age or past health problems. At least 10 or older, he limps in his front left leg slightly and occasionally stumbles as he walks. His foster parents limit his walks to a mile, but he does this distance several times a day. Jeb is receiving joint supplements for arthritis. The arthritis has not stopped Jeb from wanting to go on walks or going up and down stairs, though. A stool sample showed that he has whipworms, so he is receiving treatment for those. His body has several fatty tumors and quite a few growths seen on older dogs, but the vet is not worried about these. His teeth are badly in need of dental cleaning which will occur soon. He is not much of an eater and likes to pick at his food, spilling kibble along the way. The hard kibble may hurt his back teeth and that may change after his dental work. He is fed a grain-free, chicken and turkey based kibble and wet food.
The MAESSR volunteer who picked Jeb up from his owner bathed him and cut out large mats from behind his ears. She said Jeb jumped right into the bathtub and cooperated with both the bathing and the mat trimming. His current foster mom trimmed up his feet and he was compliant with that too. He was rather wiggly when she cleaned his ears but he didn’t grumble. Jeb’s fieldie coat is light enough that he probably won’t need his body clipped and normal brushing will be fine to keep him looking good. The vet tech trimmed his nails and Jeb did not fuss at him.
Sweet Jeb is a true gentleman who is looking for a forever home where he will be loved and cared for. Watch for updates on Jeb as his health improves.