Entered: 09/06/2014
Status: Adopted
Age: 9 Months
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 35 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Aston, PA
Health: UTD, HW-, good in all areas
Temperament: Good, but tentative initially with adults, doesn’t like sudden movements by small children, good with other dogs, unknown with cats
Original: “One of the first things Oliver did after arriving in his foster home was to walk straight into the baby pool for a drink and to paw at the water.”
Oliver came to MAESSR from his Pennsylvania home in a round about way. When he hit mid-puppyhood, he became nippy when pulled off the sofa by one of the children. His family turned him over to the trainer they had worked with when Oliver was younger. Because of health issues and multiple dogs of her own, that person felt a MAESSR home would be the best place for Oliver to have a new start. As the result of spending two months with the trainer, this youngster knows “sit,” “shake,” “down,” and the all important “off”—no more need to grab his collar to remove him from a forbidden spot.
With just a brief introduction to the other dogs in his foster home, Oliver was crated near them his first evening and made no noise all night. By morning, he and the resident two year old female were thick as thieves, racing around the yard, playing tug of war and generally having a good time. After being ignored by one senior male dog and growled at by the resident terrier, smarty pants Oliver recognized that they were no good as playmates and just left them alone with no fuss.
Inside the house, Ollie is quiet if not pestered into more play by his new young friend. He likes to flop near a human, respects baby gates for containment and has a positive attitude about his crate as a place to hang out. Since he reportedly had some food aggression and because he eats quickly, he’s fed separately from the other dogs. He does his business outside with no accidents in the house so far.
Though he’ll occasionally put a paw up on the counter to look, a quick “off” gets him down, and he’s shown no interest in the trash at all. During the day or in the evenings while the humans watch TV, he can usually be found sprawled out on the floor nearby. A real wiggle-butt if spoken to nicely, he dances around loving the attention. At night he sleeps from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. in his crate near the other dogs. He is also crated while his foster folks are away and makes little noises to help with the resident gal’s barking greetings when he hears the people return.
One of the first things Oliver did after arriving in his foster home was to walk straight into the baby pool for a drink and to paw at the water. It’s his favorite place to go after playing chase with the resident gal or going for a short trot on leash. This little guy will fetch a toy and give it up if the other dogs aren’t trying to steal it. Sticks are a good simple pleasure for him. He carries them around proudly and plays tug with the other dog. They take turns playing keep-away with an increasingly shorter stick until the whole thing is gone!
On leash, if reminded to be “easy,” Oliver tries his best not to pull, but being a nine month old seeing a whole new world out there, he finds it hard not to be eager. He loves car rides, tethering quietly in the back and getting in and out politely. Reported okay at the groomers, Oliver enjoys being brushed as well.
He and a similar sized MAESSR adoptee recently helped man the MAESSR booth at a Pet Fair. Small treats were available so they could both show kids and some adults how much they’d do for a mere morsel of treat. Oliver was gentle at taking treats and also stayed fairly calm with all that was happening around him, from the miniature working train to the alpacas, horses, people and all the other dogs. He wanted to visit the bunny booth, but, hey, that’s to be expected of a Springer! He preferred the smaller dogs to the larger ones, but mostly just did a sniff greeting and went on with the business of the day–talking strangers out of treats.
Because of his history of wanting to challenge small children over what is and isn’t allowed, Oliver would be happiest in a dog savvy adults only home where he can be the focus of attention. Other requirements of Oliver’s forever home are a fenced in yard and continued obedience training to give him the confidence to choose appropriate behaviors. In fact, MAESSR only places puppies in homes that are committed to training and bonding with the pup in obedience classes. Puppies require a lot of care, attention, and patience, and they do chew on things! The decision to get a puppy and raise it to be a healthy, happy, and well-adjusted dog is a serious commitment. To reinforce this commitment, MAESSR requires all adopters of dogs under 1 year old to enroll their puppy in obedience classes within 60 days of adoption and, in Oliver’s case, will be requiring two series of obedience classes.
Oliver is a sweet and beautiful pup who will make the right person or family a great companion. In spite of his young age, he is an easy fellow to have around and love. Are you the people who can help Oliver become the absolute best Springer that he can be?