Mr. Magoo

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Update 6/18/06: Magoo has made great strides since he came to his foster family from a shelter eight weeks ago. He had been found as a stray, dumped in the woods, helpless, and alone – a disposable, unwanted blind dog. In the confines of the shelter, he had to be carried from spot to spot and was very fearful of the surrounding world. He would circle constantly and bark out of frustration or fear.

Here in MAESSR foster care, he is just a Springer who loves to be loved and who wants to please. New things may take a bit more time for Magoo, but he is a smart boy who is remarkably adaptable. He just needs to find an extra special family who has patience and love and time to allow him to grow comfortable in his new home. With that growth of confidence, he can reach his full potential.

Magoo likes stuffed animals, but he is very hard on them. He views ripping out the squeaker of a new toy as a mandatory project. Toys don’t really need to have stuffing in them, right? If a stuffed animal isn’t available, a tennis ball, or a squeaky toy, will do.

Magoo is rather self-reliant when it comes to play. Resting on the grass and trying to de-fuzz a tennis ball or rolling it around with his nose is good fun. His squeaky toys are best dealt with him standing up, with the toy between his front legs. Magoo then digs like crazy at it which usually makes it shoot out behind him. It takes him a minute to figure out that it is no longer there, but his enthusiastic digging continues with grass flying. The minute you pick up and squeak the toy, Magoo freezes and cocks his head. He is listening intently to where the sound is coming from and is ready to have another go at it.

Magoo’s most favorite outdoor activity is going to the local wooded park where there are wonderful smells for him to sniff. He walks along beautifully on his leash, and no one would ever know that he is not a sighted dog.

In the yard Magoo is very self-assured now, so his foster parents really have to keep track of where he is. In the house too, he is moving much more freely. He still is fearful of accidentally walking into the resident grump whose intolerance is not lost on Magoo. Fortunately, the other resident Springer is much more patient with Magoo and will often go and help him out if Magoo needs assistance. Those two are good buddies enjoy dog play together and mouthing each other.

Magoo is now going up three steps with encouragement and is doing nicely with the commands “sit”, “down”, “step up”, and “wait.” Magoo is also doing well on house training and is reliable for about 8 hours at a time. Marking has stopped. He is a good sleeper and only gets up at night if the older resident Springer needs to go out.

The highlight of Magoo’s day is when his foster parents come home from work. There is much tail wagging and a definite need for lots of petting. He is a happy boy who likes to be around his people or one of the other dogs. Magoo is worth the investment of time and patience and love that comes easily from people who meet him. If you like walks in the park and have a steady supply of tennis balls, you could make Mr. Magoo’s life complete………and perhaps he can do the same for you!!!!

Update 5/20/06: Over the last month, Mr. Magoo has had appointments with a veterinary ophthalmologist as well as his regular vet. The specialist concurred with Magoo’s original eye diagnosis and wants him to have yearly checkups and daily eye drops to prevent the start of glaucoma which could cause him pain. The regular vet found him to have both a urinary infection and a parasite called giardia which came from drinking contaminated water and contributed to his thinness. Now he is done with his treatments, gaining weight, and feeling much, much better.

Mr. Magoo has made very nice progress on the homefront too. He is certainly feeling more confident in his environment. Outside, he is finding his way around with little difficulty. He loves to be in the yard, sniffing around or playing with his toys. His typical play behavior involves standing above his toy, digging at it until it shoots out behind him, and then, barking and sniffing in circles until he finds it again. Magoo enjoys life!

Another stride that Magoo made within the first week of being in foster care is walking on a leash. Leash walking in the neighborhood has helped Magoo learn how to step up and down from a curb. Magoo likes to keep a loose leash and he stops if he feels he is being pulled at all. When he does stop, he just needs a second to get his bearings and will then move on. A MAESSR trainer gave his foster parents tips on helping Magoo learn basic commands and he is a good student! He loves going to the park and sniffing and meeting new dogs and people. He especially likes it when treats suddenly appear from new hands!

Inside the house, Magoo is doing well on his house training. He stays in the kitchen while his foster parents are at work, and he is able to be accident free for eight hours. Magoo occasionally marks in spots that the resident Springer had marked, but the vet thinks this problem will be diminished once he is neutered.

Location finding in the house is improving too. Mr. Magoo goes up and down the one inside step and his foster parents just clap and call him to them if he is barking for location help. The older alpha Springer in Magoo’s foster home will bully him if given an opportunity, but he plays with the younger resident Springer and gets along great with the house cats. The only thing his foster parents have found him to be truly afraid of so far is thunder. He shakes all over when he hears it but doesn’t bark.

With his increased confidence, Magoo’s loving, trusting personality is coming out more and more. He hopes to find a perfect match with a quiet family who has time and patience to help him confidently adapt to his new environment. That family will be amply rewarded with a loving, playful companion for life!

Original: With likeness to the cartoon character and his namesake, Mr. Magoo is blind, but that doesn’t stop him from being a loveable coot. He had been abandoned in the woods of Pennsylvania, but a kindly person found him and brought him to a private animal sanctuary. The staff there helped him considerably but knew that Magoo would benefit from living in a foster home, so MAESSR was contacted.

Magoo is a striking field-bred Springer with a lustrous coat and beautiful ticking on his legs and tummy. He is adapting well to his foster home and is learning his way around house and yard. His vet says within two weeks, Magoo will be maneuvering like a pro! When Magoo is uncertain of himself, he just sits down or gives a yelp to let his foster parents know he needs some assistance. right now, stairs are frightening to him, but his foster family is working on this. As confidence in his foster family and his environment grows, work will begin on basic commands that will further help him negotiate in the world. The resident Springers are helping by wearing different toned bells to let Magoo know of their location. The resident cats are just watching him and trying to figure out this new foster brother.

Mr. Magoo was great at the vet he was squirmy but essentially good while being bathed. Having his paws trimmed, toenails cut, and ears cleaned did not faze him. He has a healthy appetite but is not food aggressive nor does he counter surf. He has not made any attempts to get up on the furniture. Since his background is unknown, his foster family is treating him as if he is not house trained. They are getting him out frequently and praising him lavishly for taking care of his needs outside.

Although he is a low activity boy, Magoo likes to play tug of war with stuffed animals, chew on tennis balls, and gnaw on soup bones stuffed with peanut butter. He travels well in the car sitting on the back seat but does NOT like to be crated in the car. He has gone in an open crate for a nap in the house but has not been crated otherwise. At bedtime, Magoo sleeps at the side of his foster parent’s bed in his own dog bed.

Currently, Magoo does not go on leashed walks, but he does like to explore the yard. Leash walking may come with patient hands on the other end of his line. He always has his tail wagging when he senses his foster parents are nearby. They are his safety net and are leading him toward a happy and near-normal life. This is a sweet boy who is looking for a very special family, one that will be at his side when necessary, yet encourage his independence and self-confidence, and of course, share a lifetime of love with him.