Entered: 09/12/2014
Status: Adopted
Age: 8
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 67 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Goochland, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, benefiting from an inexpensive medication for anxiety, losing to a healthy weight, treatment for ear, skin and urinary tract infections complete, treatment for Lyme disease complete
Temperament: Good with adults and teens (younger unknown), good with dogs, not good with cats
Update 01/15/2017: “Jerry was excellent for his grooming and he has played well with the many other dogs in his foster home.”
Jerry is doing much better now that his skin and ear infections are being treated. A nasty urinary tract infection is being treated as well. Once his infections are cleared, Jerry will be treated for Lyme disease.
This is one sweet boy! Jerry was excellent for his grooming and he has played well with the many other dogs in his foster home. Because he’s a little anxious at times, he was started on an inexpensive anxiety medication which seems to be helping. He’s a little anxious when riding in the car but he does settle down.
Once Jerry’s health issues are resolved, this boy is going to be a wonderful companion for some lucky family!
Update 12/16/2016: “He’s just looking for a home where he can smile up at his humans and get pats right back for the effort.”
When Jerry’s owner needed to make a major downsize, Jerry had to come back to MAESSR through no fault of his own. A six hour trip to his new foster home had him all tired out, but he greeted his new foster siblings with no issues at all. First night minor whimpers changed to, “Oh, I guess I’ll sleep in this open crate” by night two.
A good house guest, there have been no housetraining problems at all with Jerry. He had a couple of days of itchiness from a change in food, but two minor doses of an antihistamine got him past that and he settled right in. Jerry loves his people and will carry around a toy from time to time. He has no food or other resource guarding issues at all. Because he eats quickly, he is tethered so that he doesn’t bother the resident hounds that eat more slowly.
During the day, this handsome guy just hangs out on whatever dog bed is open. Good on leash and decent in his foster mom’s car, which is a wagon where he can see out, this boy is an easy foster. He sleeps on a dog bed or in whatever crate is left open at night and he greets the humans with his form of ‘talking’ when they come down in the morning. A few pounds overweight, Jerry likes to sit by his humans while they eat, but keeps all four paws on the ground. Good boy that he is, Jerry doesn’t seem to counter-surf or trash dive. He loves taking hikes, either in tandem with his foster sister or on his own, and is learning to jog in a straight line…always a challenge for spaniels who want to sniff.
Jerry’s foster mom finds him to be a great guy. He’s just looking for a home where he can smile up at his humans and get pats right back for the effort. Jerry will make a wonderful Christmas present and will continue to be a gift every day of the new year.
Update 11/04/2014: “His foster mom took a contraband peanut butter cup from him with no problems….good boy!“
When Jerry entered the MAESSR family, he was fragile mentally and physically. His body was battling ear and skin infections caused by allergies and most likely poor nutrition and lack of medical care. Mentally he was withdrawn, very tired and not sure if he should trust people…..very understandable since he was a boy with few survival skills who was dumped in an urban area. His foster mom is happy to report that six weeks later Jerry is thriving. His tail now wags, he can hear (very well), his skin and ears are looking good and he is starting to trust that no one wants to hurt him. Since Jerry required ear treatments twice a day for several weeks to very sore ears, it wasn’t easy to convince him that he was in good hands.
Jerry has been through three different antibiotics, several anti-itch medications, various ear treatments, medicated baths and an anti-fungal tablet. His foster mom also provides complimentary supplements, known for their anti-inflammatory properties, to boost his ability to heal. He eats a grain-free kibble and snacks on apple slices and carrots. Allergies in dogs are largely attributed to flea bites, food or environmental causes. It seems most likely that Jerry has an environmental allergy that is responding well to the grain-free kibble.
A combination of treatment has brought much relief and improvement to Jerry. His skin no longer has open lesions, he is no longer unbearably itchy and his ears are not sore. His fur is growing and filling in on his back. There are areas under his legs and on his back paws where the fur may not grow back due to skin-thickening from years of scratching, but they are not overly visible and don’t detract from his handsome appearance. He also has spots on both front elbows where the fur is worn away, most likely due to time spent on a hard surface. Jerry is currently taking one antihistamine each day to keep scratching to a minimum. As the colder weather approaches, he may not need this but, come spring, he may need to resume along with medicated baths.
Toward managing his apparent allergies, Jerry should avoid fields of weeds and pollen as much as possible. He does have a slight wheeze (which is not a heart or lung problem) and his eyes sometimes are watery, most likely due to allergies. He tried a steroid for a week and it absolutely took the itch away but he acted like the switch in his brain that says “I ate” was off. He was demanding food every waking moment, which was a bad side effect of the medication and drove his foster mom batty! With the vet’s nod, Jerry was weaned off the steroid over the next week; the benefit just wasn’t there for this boy.
Vigilant ear care is bringing about healing. Jerry still isn’t fond of this but the routine is getting easier for him and his foster mom. Initially his ears required twice daily treatments. After consulting with the vet, it was decided that Jerry should wear a muzzle for ear treatments. His foster mom worked out a routine where by Jerry is rewarded highly at each cleaning. Now that he is down to twice-weekly treatments, his foster mom is starting to work on some counter-conditioning to help Jerry learn accept ear care more easily. With recent ear treatments, Jerry barely grumbled and thoroughly enjoyed the extended ear rub and treats afterward. A desensitization program has started for his ears too. His foster mom sits beside Jerry for a few moments several times a day; she touches his ears and he gets treated. He has been accepting her touching and rubbing his ears……….so good to see this for both of them!
Jerry was under the weather for a few days after neutering but is recuperating nicely. He cut back on daily walks during the early days after surgery but has started back with a few nice slow one mile outings. He really enjoys getting out and smelling and doesn’t like to be rushed. He might grumble if you try and rush him away from a particularly good smell. The neutering has reduced his interest in marking the mail box posts considerably! He still nails a few but it’s not so high on his “like to do” list.
While maintaining pretty good manners in the house, Jerry has been caught stealing from the Halloween candy basket. His foster mom took a contraband peanut butter cup from him with no problems….good boy! Jerry has never guarded his food from his foster mom or the other dogs. He does sometimes guard his bone when lying down; he quietly grumbles and wraps his body around the bone. To dissuade this tendency, his foster mom keeps kibble in her pocket and tosses two or three at Jerry whenever she sees him lying with a bone. After some time, he will learn that people approaching is a good thing.
Something new…….Jerry has been barking a bit more when he wants something. He started this when he was on the steroid and hasn’t quite gotten it out of his system. When he barks for something, he is not looked at or spoken to. The person walks out of the room. Jerry is ready to start working on foundation skills like “go to your place”, “targeting”, “down”, etc. Training is beginning while in foster care and, when continued by his adopting family, will help him build a bond of trust and understanding in his new home.
Jerry is great dog that was dealt a bad hand. He will require a bit more care and consistent guidance but, when he looks up at his new family with those eyes, they will realize he is worth it. Please revisit here for more news as Jerry undergoes a much deserved new beginning.
Original: “Although Jerry’s foster mom sees him gaining strength every day and becoming more animated and responsive to his environment, this sweetie is going to be a MAESSR boy for a little longer as he regains his health.”
Jerry was picked up as a stray in eastern Pennsylvania. He was kept for a week at a shelter with the hope that an owner would come forward. When no one did, MAESSR was contacted to help get Jerry started on the next chapter of his life.
Since Mr. Jerry wasn’t in great shape, he was taken immediately to the vet and started on antibiotics, high quality food, some anti-itch mediation and medicated baths to help heal his skin and ears. Jerry most likely has suffered skin issues for a very long time. He is now enjoying yogurt, raw honey, and coconut oil to help him build his immune system back up. He is making progress, but these things take time. He cannot be neutered until his health is back to 100%.
Jerry is doing really well in his foster home. After a few days, he had the routine down and acts like he’s been there forever. He is perfectly housetrained and has had no accidents or marking. He is let out into the yard often for potty breaks and is taken for walks several times a day. He’s up to three walks a day, totaling about three miles. At first he walked very slowly and was always a leash length behind his foster mom. Jerry now keeps up with her. He absolutely loves to walk and is a pleasure to take for a walk since he doesn’t pull unless he sees a pesky squirrel.
Because of his medications Jerry is drinking quite a bit, but he still can hold his urine all night long. His foster mom suspects that he would go to the door and bark if he really needed to go out. Jerry has not been crated. He was introduced to the crate a few times and cried. Because he has not gotten into any mischief, this good boy is allowed free run of the home. When his foster mom goes out, Jerry usually stays on a dog bed in the kitchen to wait for her return. At night he sleeps on the floor in his foster parents’ bedroom. He has come up on the bed a few times but it is waaaaay too crowded with the three resident dogs up there!
Jerry is showing really nice house manners: he has not counter-surfed (although he might get into the trash if it were available,) he doesn’t jump on people, and he does not dig or chew inappropriately. He hasn’t really played with toys but does like to carry something around in his mouth. His foster mom thinks that smelling and peeing on mailbox posts are the activities that Jerry likes most! So far Jerry doesn’t seem to have much interest in chasing a ball, although he doesn’t really have the energy to run around very much yet.
Jerry is a very handsome Springer with a big head and stocky build. He weighs 61 pounds but he isn’t overweight and he sports a nice waist. Jerry does have some flabby skin under his belly which makes his foster mom think he has lost weight recently. He arrived at his foster home with little muscle tone but he’s improving with every walk. When Jerry is walking, he rarely looks at the dogs that charge their invisible fence lines until he is past their homes. What great self-control! Currently Jerry is living with three other dogs and has no issues with any of them. He doesn’t play with them, but is relaxed around them.
In the car Jerry is a pretty good passenger, although he does bark at times. His foster mom isn’t really sure what elicits that response from him.
At this point Jerry’s ears are very sensitive. Because of this, his foster mom thinks that he would be best in a home with older children. He has been great with the teenagers he’s met.
Although Jerry’s foster mom sees him gaining strength every day and becoming more animated and responsive to his environment, this sweetie is going to be a MAESSR boy for a little longer as he regains his health. Check back for updates on Jerry. When he’s feeling in tip-top shape, he’ll be a wonderful addition to a lucky family.