Jerry 7

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Update 05/07/09: Jerry has remained with his foster family into spring. Work with him continues. Despite scant news to share, be assured he is not overlooked nor forgotten.

Update 01/15/09: In the late fall Jerry was returned to MAESSR through no fault of his own. He is a fit and vigorous youngster who needs a fenced yard so he can run out some of his energy while off leash. He has that in his current foster home. His family is also continuing training with Jerry, and he is making progress. More news as he readies for a new beginning.

Update 05/02/08: Neutering went well for Jerry. His biggest problem in the aftermath is that his resident canine buddy was licking his incision more than Jerry was. Innovative foster parents came to the rescue. They rigged up a pair of pants with a bib overall for Jerry to wear and it worked. Wouldn’t you love to see that!!

Jerry is a very sweet guy but definitely has a high hunt instinct. He goes bonkers when he sees the neighbor’s cats in the yard and tries to visit them, so, no cats or anything smaller in his new home. He is very skittish with new experiences and new people at first but warms up quickly. Even with his foster parents, he is very submissive and falls to the ground when approached in any manner he is unfamiliar with. His foster mom tried to leash him, and he would not come, so she approached him with it in hand. Jerry immediately dropped down and seemed afraid that she would hit him with the leash. He must have had a hard childhood but work on gaining his trust goes on daily and he improves each day. He was ecstatic when his foster dad picked him up from the vet after his neutering. He may have though he had been left there and was so glad when his dad came back for him!

Despite his uncertainty of new things, Jerry has never snapped or tried to be aggressive in any way. He is not food aggressive and shares his food with the two resident dogs, although more often than not, he is eating their food as he eats faster than they do. To be sure everyone gets his share, Jerry has been eating in his crate and he does not mind being there. He is not crated at any other time, though, since he has great house manners.

Jerry’s only bad habit is that he loves to lick, and his foster parents are trying to break him of that habit. If given the chance, he loves to curl up in a bed and lick you all over! Jerry would do best in an active home as he loves to run and play. He would love a doggy brother who will play with him when they are home alone. He should attend an obedience class as he is young and has not had a lot of training. This will also help build his confidence and bonding to a new family.

Jerry is ready to get his new beginning underway. Give him the chance he needs to succeed and you’ll have a loving and devoted companion for a lifetime!

Original: Jerry was found as a skinny, dirty, stray in Baltimore by a Good Samaritan who took him in, named him, cleaned him up, and started giving him regular meals. This kind person was unable to keep Jerry, so she contacted MAESSR and helped in transporting him to his foster home.

Despite his difficult earlier life, Jerry is a sweet, gentle, affectionate field-bred Springer whom the vet estimates to be around 14 months old. Even after two weeks at the Good Samaritan’s house, Jerry came into foster care weighing 48 pounds but still had his ribs clearly showing. He was wormed and the vet started his regime of vaccinations which will take place over a three-week period. The vet pronounced him in good health and after Jerry has the remainder of his puppy shots, he will be neutered. Then, he will be ready for his forever home.

Although initially timid and leery of new situations and new objects, Jerry has decided that it’s nice living inside a house and being treated with love and kindness. He is losing his skittishness with new household sounds and activities and is gaining in confidence daily. Jerry was frightened by the chuck-it ball thrower when it was lifted to toss a tennis ball, so he may have been beaten in the past. He will cower at unusual times like when he is being called to come into the house from being in the yard. So, his foster parents have been doing a lot of praising Jerry to build his confidence and trust. Jerry is good and quiet riding in the car. Once at the destination, Jerry is hesitant getting out of the car, but after repeated trips to the same place, like the park and back home, Jerry loses this timidity and does get out on his own.

Jerry did not know how to respond to the four-year-old resident Springer’s invitations to play, initially, but now he play bows and invites his buddy to play with him. He gets along very well with the people and dogs he meets at the park as well, greeting them as if they were long lost friends. He definitely is submissive. Jerry loves playing chase, running around sniffing, and chasing squirrels. He has a high chase response so life has not been so great for the timid resident cats. Although his rescuer reported that Jerry was good with cats, this has not been the experience in his foster home. Jerry’s forever home should be feline-free unless the resident cats are tough and willing to swipe at a fresh Springer boy!

Jerry is mostly housebroken just having a few accidents during his first days in foster care. His foster parents are making sure Jerry goes out after eating and after playing and they are using lots of praise to reinforce good housetraining behavior. Jerry has not done any marking indoors, but certainly marks his territory outside.

Jerry must have been crate trained at some time in his life, because he went right into the crate that is kept open for him. While crated, he does not bark or whine and he has stayed dry for the seven hours while his foster parents are at work. To pass the time, Jerry chews on bones stuffed with peanut butter, gnaws on rawhides, prunes his stuffed animals, and sleeps. Once out of the crate, Jerry loves to play with his Springer buddy, but he seems to be equally happy rolling around with a stuffed animal on his own. His rescuer said he chewed one of her shoes until she bought a rawhide bone for him. Footwear in his foster home has not suffered this fate. Instead, Jerry has learned to find whatever toy he wants to play with in the toy box. Still a puppy, he will try to nibble on fingers but stops when corrected. A little wiggly-butt, Jerry likes to cuddle when he is invited onto the couch or his foster parent’s bed. At bedtime, he either sleeps on the dog bed beside his foster parent’s bed or he sleeps at the foot of their bed. He definitely is a funny bunny!

Jerry knows the commands come and sit and he is learning to stay as well. Jerry really pulls on a leash, so he needs more training to correct that. Taking Jerry to the required obedience lessons will really help his forever family to bond with him and will help to make him be an even better family member. Jerry sometimes puts his paws up on the table where the resident cats are fed, but quickly gets down when told off. He has not counter surfed elsewhere, though. His foster family has closed wastepaper baskets for the most part, so Jerry has only had one episode with grabbing a piece of paper and chewing it. He is generally quiet in the house and settles down nicely after playtime.

Jerry is a resilient boy who shows a big heart and a wonderful temperament. He is a very affectionate, sweet Springer who will wiggle his way into your heart! Make him yours!