Myrtle

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Update 02/03/10:

How quickly puppies learn things! Here’s the latest on Miss Myrtle!

She has mastered the doggie door. Myrtle runs at a full sprint, goes up on her back legs, throws her front legs at it and bounds through in either direction. It’s too cute! Then she races up the four stairs to the kitchen but takes things much slower on the way down. She still has accidents in the house, but baby gates in her home may come down in the next couple of days to see how she does. She will go off in a corner to do her business if her foster mom is not immediately watching but this is a great sign. She has the desire to not go in her living space, so housetraining should continue along beautifully for this little darling.

Myrtle is OK in her crate for 3-4 hours if the timing is right for her meals and potty time during the day. However, she will soil in the crate if she has to go. This goes with puppy hood. She will go into her crate at about 10 PM for bedtime and wakes up to go out between 1 and 2. With a quick trip out, she will sleep till 7 AM without a mess. Yeah!!

Commands are being taught. Myrtle knows “sit” very well. She sits for her meals, her treats and for her foster mom to throw her toy outside. She will fetch and retrieve! When she gets back to you, she likes to play tug so she is also working on “give.” Like most puppies Myrtle loves to chase the other dogs in her foster home and also loves sticks and leaves.

Myrtle loves her snuggle time and has done great with 2 year old and 4 year old children she has met. She allows them to handle her all over, hold her leash and lead her around. She will sit for them to give her treats! Very cute!! If the children drop to the floor, however, it’s game on! Myrtle will do the full tackle like she’s playing with other puppies so little kids need to know to stand up when she acts this way so they don’t get scratched.

As with all MAESSR youngsters under one year of age, Myrtle’s adopting family will be required to take her to an obedience class. The benefits that come from a pup and her family learning the basics together in a group setting is simply invaluable.

Myrtle is getting off to a great start. She’s ready for an adopting family to take her leash and love watching her learn!

Original:

Everyone loves puppies, so there is always lots of excitement when MAESSR brings little ones into its care. This time is no different. A litter of 6 Springer mix babies were dropped at a shelter in South Carolina, all in need of care and homes, so MAESSR is helping. Since they were without names, lots of suggestions by volunteers and members of the main MAESSR group list were made over the days before their arrival. With many great and fitting themes to pick from, names bringing to mind South Carolina won out, so with 4 females and 2 males, they are Breezy, Dewey, Myrtle, Pawley, Sunny, and Surfer. Springer Air sped them north and each pup is now in its foster home.

At approximately 10-12 weeks old, each puppy is ADORABLE beyond words. Like her siblings, Myrtle is off to a great start in her foster home. Myrtle loves to play and also loves to cuddle. She is a chewer and is easily redirected to her toys. Her personality is easily spotted as submissive and she offers excellent dog social cues to the older resident dogs in her foster home such as looking away, dropping to the ground and lifting a paw, all submissive calming signals when they are displeased with her. She already has established that she loves to play with toys and play tug and will run after and fetch toys.

More news will come as unique personalities emerge and each puppy makes progress. Soon they will be ready for loving families who will take them to obedience classes, be their new playmates and soon their very best friends. Check back soon! This won’t take long!