Entered: 08/04/2022
Status: Adopted
Age: 3; born 11/2018
Color: Black/White
Weight: 44 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Lanoka Harbor, NJ
Health: UTD, HW-, treatment for Lyme disease completed, receiving medication for significant anxiety
Temperament: Good with adults, unknown with children, good with both dogs and cats
Update 11/30/2022: ” Miles loves mischief, and he is acrobatic.”
Miles swam in his foster parents’ pool until the last week of October, and since then he has occupied his time digging holes all over the yard. He misses swimming! While Miles is becoming more confident in the house, he is still afraid of strangers and new situations, although he did warm up to the groomer and looks so handsome with a new haircut.
Miles loves mischief, and he is acrobatic. His foster parents discovered that he can leap onto the countertops with all four paws, giving new meaning to “counter-surfing.” He has most enjoyed eating dinner rolls and loaves of bread he snatched from the countertops. His foster parents are just relieved to know that they were not imagining that things were left where they thought impossible to be reached.
Miles is extremely affectionate and loves to snuggle. His perfect home would have people who were home with him all day and who want a friend for adventures. He will thrive with a family that will be patient while he learns to adapt to new situations.
Update 09/12/2022: “His love of water and mud continue to amaze his foster parents, and Miles will just as happily splash in the baby pool on the deck as jump into the in-ground pool.”
Miles continues to enjoy his days at what must feel like Springer summer camp, with lots of fetch and swimming (even when he’s not supposed to be in the pool.) His love of water and mud continue to amaze his foster parents, and Miles will just as happily splash in the baby pool on the deck as jump into the in-ground pool. Miles also REALLY loves food, and his foster parents discovered that Miles figured out how to lift the lid on his foster brother’s food and has been snacking away. Smart boy! He gained three pounds in the past month but will burn that off easily. The vet did not seem to think his weight gain was a concern, but the food container has been secured!
Miles has not had any more accidents in the house and his foster parents are working on training him with bells. The only signal that he has to go out is sitting by a sliding glass door, so his foster parents assume he has to go. They take him out frequently while they are working on the bells with him.
Miles continues to navigate living with other dogs, and his inability to sometimes read other dogs resulted in a dust-up over a tennis ball. Both dogs felt passionate about it in the moment but were cuddled on the sofa together again quickly. That incident seemed to help him figure out his relationship with one resident Springer, and they are back to high-energy play. They never get out of control, and outside the pace of play is easily controlled by humans who will call off a game if the action seems like it might become frenzied.
When his foster parents leave the house, Miles struggles with being left in his crate. His agitation has required some of his medication to be adjusted while his anti-anxiety medications build up in his system.
Miles will need a special family who will focus on his needs, giving him attention and keeping him active daily. He will need his daily medication schedule to be observed and regular assessment with a veterinarian for his medication needs. The family willing to put in the effort for Miles will be rewarded with a wonderful companion.
Original: “Where the resident Springers only swim to retrieve from the pool, Miles will swim around the pool aimlessly from the shallow end, to the deep end, lazily swimming in loops, just happy to be swimming.”
Miles came to MAESSR when his previous owner had several major life events that meant Miles could no longer get the attention and exercise he needs. This Pennsylvania boy was clearly well-loved and loves to be with people.
Miles has had a few urine accidents in his new home, at least two incidents because he drank too much water outside and couldn’t keep up with the trips outside. He will whine sitting at the back door when he needs to go out.
For Miles, the crate is his safe space. He retreats there if he feels he needs a break from the other household dogs or to escape an uncertain situation, such as when he had an accident on the floor and didn’t know what would happen (he was so happy all that happened was a trip outside!). Miles stays in the crate whenever his foster parents are not home. He has a separate crate in their bedroom that he sleeps in at night without any issues.
Miles so far has shown excellent house manners. He has not attempted to get into the trash, but it is covered at all times, so it may be because he lacks access. While he apparently was known to counter-surf in his previous home, he has not attempted it in foster parents’ home at all. He seems like he might eat off his foster parents’ plates if given a chance, so he hasn’t yet been tested by temptation. He does like to sleep on the sofa with the resident Springers, but the command “off” sends him anxiously scampering to his crate. His foster parents are working on a “go to bed” command to replace “off” to reduce his stress.
Miles only picks up toys and chews bones when they are given to him. He has not picked up anything that he shouldn’t have and does not chew anything else in the house. He does love to shred toys, however, so he is given toys to play with under supervision. Miles does, however, love to dig! When told digging holes under the hydrangeas was unacceptable, he was more than happy to begin a new hole in the middle of the yard! Anyone adopting Miles needs to know that Miles loves mud and lots of it. He loves to dig holes and then wash off the mud in the swimming pool, and then go make more mud. His foster parents rely on a pool robot to keep up with the mud from Miles, and the other dogs are happy to follow Miles’s lead and join in the mud party!
The work put into training Miles is clear: he comes when called, knows how to walk on a leash without pulling, and knows “sit” and “down.” He follows directions when asked off-leash to walk with his foster parents in his house, and he “comes” off-leash consistently in the yard. Miles would love someone who had time and energy to teach him more obedience, rally, agility, or nosework, and his foster parents are hoping to get him started with nosework soon.
Miles is polite meeting other dogs and ignored all the other dogs at PetSmart and the vet. His previous owner said he does not do well with larger dogs but this has not been observed while he has been in foster care. Miles is anxious in the car but did not resist being tethered with a harness. When he could escape his dog seatbelt harness, however, he did. So, his foster parents bought him a harness that fit more snugly to thwart future escape attempts in the car.
Miles loves to swim! He does not follow the rule the resident Springers understand, which is no swimming without permission. One of the resident Springers appointed himself lifeguard and barks daily to announce that Miles is in the pool again. He will dive in without warning and would excel at dock diving–he is fearless and dives in off the side of the pool before the toy he is retrieving is even thrown! He loves standing on the pool steps and slowly waving his front leg in the water to make bubbles to snap. Where the resident Springers only swim to retrieve from the pool, Miles will swim around the pool aimlessly from the shallow end, to the deep end, lazily swimming in loops, just happy to be swimming.
Miles also LOVES retrieving games in the pool and on land! He will chase toys, tennis balls, and his current favorite, frisbee! He brings it back and returns it to his foster parents’ hands, and if they bobble it, he picks it up and gives it back to them. Miles can get overly excited playing fetch which led to a brief quarrel with a resident Springer since both thought that the thrown ball was theirs. Happily, they are still friends. Miles is joyful when he is playing in the yard, and he will need a family that is dedicated to giving him a lot of playtime every day. His attitude is positive and he seems to really want to please his foster parents. He seeks them out for affection and cuddles often.
Miles will run with the resident dogs around the yard, and they like having him around. They often watch him as he runs around unsure of what he is doing, but happy to join him. They will sleep curled up next to him. One day he was sniffing the resident female Springer’s paws, which she allowed, but when he began sniffing her face closely and didn’t get the hint when she turned her head away a few times, she lifted her lip at him, and he left, understanding that she had had enough of him at that moment.
In his first few days, Miles showed some resource guarding, putting his paw on a dropped bag of treats and letting out a low snarl to tell the other dogs it was his, but he was fine with giving it to his foster parents. He also showed some unwillingness to share some toys the first week, but now that he feels more confident, that behavior seems to be lessening. He loves any toy he is offered, but frequently wants to take the one his foster brother had last and has taken toys out of his foster brother’s crate and put them in his own. He is easily distracted by a new toy and will give up the one he had. Because of the incident with the dog treats, he is fed in his crate. Miles tends to gulp his food, so he eats from a slow feeder bowl. Miles is learning to wait his turn and will push his way in front of the other dogs to be first for anything.
Miles has a lot of energy and is frequently anxious and hyperactive. When he is separated from his foster parents, he becomes frantic. Miles was on medication to treat his anxiety when he came into his foster placement, and his current vet has changed his medication in hopes of finding a combination and dosage that allow him to be his happy-go-lucky self. The vet feels Miles will likely need to be on anti-anxiety medication all the time. The vet says it will take weeks for his current medication to build up in his system and really be able to fine-tune the dosing.
Miles has a short coat and hasn’t been to the groomer yet. The vet and vet techs reported that he was easy to work with, but due to a computer issue, he needed to spend the day there. He was anxious, crying, pacing, and drooling while there, but he seemed to do better when they moved him to the larger dog pen without a low ceiling.
Miles needs a family that is dog-savvy–he’s probably not a great choice for someone’s first dog. When something happens that he isn’t sure about, he is afraid and hides in his crate. His foster family is working on building trust slowly and building Miles’ confidence. His forever family must continue this training.
Miles will also need a home that is committed to his daily exercise and can give him his medications consistently on schedule to keep his anxiety in check and to allow him to be his best dog self. His ideal home will allow him to be with his people as much as possible during the week and weekends. He is not a dog that can be only exercised on weekends. In return, he will be a loyal, playful companion who is up for outdoor activities and adventures! (Oh, and he wouldn’t mind having a pool!)
Miles is smart, well-trained, fun dog who will be a joyful addition to an active, experienced dog family!