Lyndi

---

Updated 1/2/07: Though not unusual, it’s always wonderful to see a dog respond so well and so quickly to medication when a thyroid imbalance is compromising health. The benefit of proper diagnosis and an inexpensive daily tablet is helping Lyndi already. She has lost 5 pounds since being put on thyroid supplement. Her skin is also almost totally healthy……..just a couple of small, rough spots remain. Her energy levels are much higher and she just feels better in general. Her vet and foster mom feel confident that Lyndi will continue to lose weight and have improvement in her skin with continued use of the supplement.

Lyndi has also started Metacam to help with her arthritis. The vet and her foster mom hope that she can be weaned off of it as she continues to lose weight and puts less pressure on her joints.

This grand gal has earned a nickname since back in MAESSR’s care. She is called the “cookie monster” by her foster dad. She will steal cookies at any given opportunity and she’s getting quicker at it as her health improves. The good news is that you can take anything from her. Lyndi is very, very sweet and a joy to have around. Please consider inviting her into your home as a family member. Her happy demeanor and unconditional love can easily brighten your whole day and assure that you’ll never be snacking on cookies alone………….

Updated 12/7/06: Lyndi was returned to MAESSR because of her continued ear and skin infections but, with success on meds, she should make quite a comeback. When Lyndi’s new foster mom took a look at her, she knew that this poor girl had thyroid problems. The thyroid test agreed that Lyndi’s levels were rock bottom. She was immediately started on thyroid supplement which should clear up her skin and ear issues and have the additional benefit of helping her lose weight. Lyndi has arthritis in her knees and it is hoped that the weight loss will really make her feel better.

This is a wonderful girl who is sweet and loves all humans. Lyndi was the head of the welcoming committee at her relinquishing family’s bed and breakfast. There she politely met guests and loved interacting with visiting grandchildren as young as 18 months. She is housebroken and is good with other dogs. Lyndi has lovely house manners: she doesn’t bark much, dig, chew, beg, jump on people, or counter surf. She hasn’t been to formal obedience training, but she knows “wait” and “go outside” and she can even “high five.” Her relinquishing family had given her full freedom of the house. Lyndi enjoys riding in the car and she is good on a leash. She has no issues with being groomed.

Lyndi is getting along well with the multiple springers in her foster home. She does not like them to approach her while she is eating, but even then she just makes faces at them and growls. She loves to play with her tennis balls and is a cuddly girl.

Lyndi would be a fantastic addition to anyone’s home. Is she the one for you?

Updated 3/22/05: Just when it seemed that Lyndi had put her skin problem behind her, she had a brief relapse. The good news is that with a round of antibiotics, her skin is looking much better. She has one persistent spot on her neck, so her foster family tries to put a collar on her when it is only absolutely necessary. The other places on her skin seem to be healing well.

Lyndi and the resident dog are getting along famously. Lyndi has free-reign of the house during the workday and no problems have arisen, other than finding her curled on the couch when her foster parents return home! She is sneaky and usually makes it to the door before they catch her. What she doesn’t realize is how well they see through the windows!

She is still accident free and obsessed with people food. She is a wonderful counter-surfer, table-surfer, and any other area she can surf and has an amazing wingspan! When not helping with clean-up tasks, Lyndi is busy with her tennis ball collection and is always ready to play.

Updated 02/28/05: Lyndi has come a long way since she joined her foster home. Initially, she was a bit grumpy toward the resident springer and 3 kitties. Now she is totally at ease with all of her housemates. While originally there was a bit of friction over food and bones, that has subsided. Lyndi is a good eater and happy with any treat she is offered, including carrots!

She loves to be petted and scratched, and, brushing is a treat for her. She is a very sweet, good-natured dog who loves hugs and cuddles. She will approach her foster family and whine for cuddles and scratches, and if they stop too soon, she will return with additional whines until she is fulfilled.

Lyndi rides wonderfully in the car. She recently ventured out for her first excursion into a pet store. Lyndi was leery of leaving the car and a little afraid at first. However, she was very polite once in the store and the newness wore off. By the end of her big day out, she approached any child she could find to get attention. She is pulling a bit on leash but is completely controllable and very calm when her foster mom stops walking.

Lyndi loves tennis balls. They are her passion and she chooses them over all other toys in the house. She always carries one into her crate for bedtime. Her ears are now clear and her itchy skin is gone. She seems to be a healthy girl! With consistent guidance from her foster parents, Lyndi has improved much when it comes to her trashcan surfing, but she remains almost obsessed with cleaning any crumbs from the coffee table. A firm “no” does not deter her, but works for all other corrections. Her foster family finds her to be a wonderful house mate and feels that she will adapt well into her forever family.

Original: Lyndi is a little nervous, having just arrived in her foster home. She was relinquished by a family she had lived with since puppy hood because they no longer had time to spend with her. Her surrendering family reported that she has lived with two children since birth and is very good with them. She hadn’t lived with other dogs or cats and is a little skeptical of the resident cats in her foster home but hasn’t shown any aggression. She just gets stiff until they pass her. She is being treated for an ear infection and received a bath with cortisone shampoo to help her skin a bit.

Her foster family already knows Lyndi is very sweet to people and loves attention. She is also extremely inquisitive. Her nose is in everything, including the trash and any other bag she can find. She is accustomed to having food available at all times, so they are adjusting her to a meal time schedule without making her feel stressed. Lyndi allows her foster parents to take food from her and pet her when she is eating, so there appears to be no aggression toward people. She is crate trained and slept in the bedroom her first night without a peep!

Lyndi is completely house trained and knows “sit,” “shake,” and “lie down” well. Her original family said she knew how to “speak” too, but her foster family can’t get her to talk just yet. She is doing a lot of lounging since her arrival.

The only issue for Lyndi seems to be some protective behavior over dog bones and a candy dish on the coffee table. When she showed her teeth and growled at the resident dog, her family removed the bones and things got much better. Lyndi is a little protective of the candy bowl as well, with some general grumbling when the resident critters are near it. The resident springer is submissive to Lyndi and trying to make friends, so her foster parents are hoping this behavior is Lyndi’s fear of and the newness of her surroundings.

As this girl continues to unfold in her foster home, updates will be added. Her life has changed much with this move and she will need a bit of time to adjust to a new lifestyle. It may be that she will do best in an adopting home where she can be an “only” dog again, but if the resident dog in her foster home prevails, Lyndi may be ready to love another critter as well as another family soon.