Mission

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Update 05/16/11:

Mission was found as a stray in Virginia and was taken to a shelter where a MAESSR volunteer found him. The poor boy was really upset there and was “looking” for his lost family. 

Though never adopted, Mission did find his family – a MAESSR foster family who loved and cared for him for the rest of his life. He left this world in the arms of his foster mom and will surely be waiting for her at the Bridge. Godspeed, Mission, and a heartfelt thank you to his family for giving this boy your very best.

Update 04/08/11:

News on one of MAESSR’s permanent fosters has arrived, so here is the latest from Mission’s family. All in all, he is doing well. He has his moments of “old age” but then he gets up and just gets going. Some days he bounds around like a puppy. Night-time may find him restless; he will pace before lying down for a while. With the help of pain medication, he doesn’t seem to be in pain. He is also on thyroid medication and doing well with that. He has recurring gum infections so part of what his family does for him is cleaning his mouth. He sure hates the mouth wash! 

Mission is a real trooper. His foster mom watches him like a hawk, truly wishing she had found him in his earlier days. He is enjoying a great life now and can take that with him when he decides to run free at the Bridge. In the meantime, this sweetheart sends some wet puppy kisses to all!

Update 02/05/11:

Mr. Mission continues to be a laidback old man. Although his health issues remain unresolved, he is still enjoying life in his foster home. Mobility is one of his increasing challenges; he has had fairly regular falls of late but manages to get back on his feet most of the time. When he is down for the count, his foster siblings will send a message of very loud barking so his foster mom knows to go help him up. 

Unfortunately, Mr. Mission’s breath has not been a pleasure to be around. He may have an infection or be in need of a dental cleaning. His foster mom and vet are on the case, and he will be back to his charming self in no time. 

Mission’s hearing may not be as good as it once was, but mention a “cookie” and he hears just fine! He has put on some weight and is looking much less emaciated. He is still a love bug and sleeps on his doggie bed. He is a good traveler and has gone on several RV trips where he always makes a new friend of the human persuasion. He has a hard time getting in and out the RV but manages it most of the time with a little assistance. With some consistent door closing from his foster family, Mission’s persistent toilet raids have diminished to almost none. He has tolerated the snow and cold of winter but refuses to cover up his beautiful body with a sweater or coat. 

Like most of us, Mission is already looking forward to the sunny days and warmer temperatures of spring. With the help of MAESSR and his foster family, he’ll be enjoying pets and scratches for many days to come.

Update 11/22/10:

Maybe a meant-to-be? – Mission had continued to do well in foster care. He was patiently awaiting just the right family to settle with for his senior years when an unexpected turn led to his becoming a permanent foster. 

While Mission’s foster parents were away for vacation, he was blessed by their grandson who moved into the home to puppy sit – no boarding facility for this lucky boy! During that time Mission suffered an incident which no one can really explain. He was found lying down, in his own waste, and couldn’t even raise his head. After a trip to the emergency vet and hours of anxious waiting, he was diagnosed as normal. The vet surmised that he might have had a stroke and, with no lingering symptoms, he was sent home. During one of the many phone calls during this time, Mission’s foster mom talked to him via the speaker phone and he perked right up! This made her feel better but she was still quite anxious to get home to see how he was doing for herself! 

As follow-up to the ER visit, Mission’s primary vet reviewed blood work for him and said it looked normal. So, that was good news! Mission has been doing well ever since. He still has some trouble with getting up from a resting position but it’s hard to keep a determined Springer down; he manages after a few tries. Then, on one recent day, he was bounding around like a puppy and shocked his entire family! 

Mission still loves to sneak into the bathroom if the door is open and get a drink from the toilet. This super dog loves people and would like nothing better than to be scratched and petted all day long! His foster family is hoping he has many more days ahead of him and will be the ones to ensure his days are golden. It sounds as if all are blessed to have one another right now. Keep them in your best thoughts and Mission sends his best!

Update 08/31/10:

Everyone in his foster family, kids and adults alike, has fallen in love with Mr. Mission. He is starting to feel a little better and is even starting to do a little (very little because of the arthritis in his hips) wiggle butt thing. Mission’s foster mom is beginning to give him a little more exercise to strengthen his hip muscles. Hopefully that will get him a little more wiggle! 

Mission loves going in the car and will just lay down and sleep for the ride. What a good boy! He is happy to use the doggie door to get into the yard but is having to be very patient while training his foster mom that she is supposed to open the patio door to let him back in. Hopefully she’ll catch on soon!

Mission’s main goal in life is to love and be loved. If you could use a little more love in your own life, Mission might be the perfect Springer for you.

Original:

Mission was found as a stray in Virginia and was taken to a shelter where a MAESSR volunteer found him. The poor boy was really upset there and was “looking” for his lost family. It is not known how he came to be “lost” but he was rescued and now is a MAESSR boy. The vet thought that Mission is at least 10 and although he is very gray in the face and slow to get up and down, he still does have a spark in him! 

Mission has blended into his foster household really well after he and the three resident dogs worked out their some initial differences. They have settled into their routine and everyone is getting along just fine. He has not met any children while in his foster home and there are no resident cats. However, Mission walked right past the resident cat at the vet’s office without reacting. His foster mom is not sure if he saw her or not, but he didn’t seem to notice and she was standing right in front of the door he walked by. Perhaps he just might have been really eager to get out of there and chose to ignore her! 

This sweet senior follows his foster parents wherever they go and sleeps right next to their chairs in the evening while they watch television. He loves to put his muzzle on his foster mom’s lap and have her rub his head. Keep a towel handy because he drools a lot when his head is being rubbed! It feels so good! When it is time for bed, Mission sleeps soundly in their bedroom on the floor. 

It didn’t take Mission long to figure out how to use the doggie door to go out into the backyard, but he barks and scratches to come in the house! One of the other dogs will have to explain to him that the doggie door works in both directions! When he doesn’t feel like using the doggie door, he barks to alert his foster parents that he needs to go out. 

It is an understatement to say that Mission does not like being crated. The trip home from the shelter was spent with him thrashing around and howling in the crate. When his foster mom took him out of it, he lay down on the car seat and didn’t make a sound. Good boy! At home, his foster mom put him into the crate when she had to go out. He howled for a second and then was quiet. When she came home, he had broken out of the crate, bending the wires to make his escape. The whole incident made him sick to his stomach, too. So, Mission is not up to being crated. Now, when his foster parents are gone, Mission has full run of the house and he has not left any negative reminders that he was alone. 

Mission’s only “bad” habit is that he likes to drink from the toilet. As there are three resident dogs in his foster home, his foster family has always kept the lid down to prevent the toilet from becoming a “big dog water bowl.” Well, Mission discovered he can lift the seat and lid with his snout and get a nice refreshing drink of water! His foster family has upped the ante by closing the door to the bathroom! No fair! 

Since Mission appears to have hearing loss, his foster family uses visual cues to communicate with him and this is working well. When being taken for a leash walk, Mission does pull, but not too badly. There is no resource guarding on Mission’s part; his foster mom has taken a rawhide from him with no problems. When he arrived in foster care, Mission was really thin, but his foster parents are working on getting some weight back on him. He loves to eat and is always ready for a “cookie!” 

Mission is looking for a quiet forever home with no small children. He is a very sedate, old man and loves to just be around his people. MAESSR will make sure Mission will land somewhere perfect for his final years.