Entered: 12/09/2010
Status: Adopted
Age: 3
Color: Black/White
Weight:
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Goochland, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, overall good health
Temperament: Good with people as young as four, good with other dogs, unknown with cats
Update 11/28/11:
Oreo returned to MAESSR when her itchiness and feet-chewing returned. Her adoptive family felt this was too much to deal with, on top of Oreo barking at the windows when people passed by. Oreo has been back in her original foster home for a week and, with a return to the food she was eating when she left, all issues have resolved.
This energetic gal continues to love going for car rides and is still the sweet, loving girl her foster mom remembers. Ask about bringing this beautiful Oreo home today – all of the sweetness, with none of the calories!
Update 08/08/11:
Oreo was returned to MAESSR’s care because of her high energy levels, some anxiety and two situations with another dog in her adopting home. With her return Oreo moved to a foster home with many other dogs. She has settled well and has not had any issues the other dogs. Rather, she is more interested in loving on the people around her and likes playing ball with her new family.
Oreo is proving to be a LOVER of car rides too. Her foster family says she will ride anywhere with them and then still be happy about going some more! She has been started on an inexpensive medication to assist with anxiety and it really seems to be making her feel a lot better. With a little more time to adjust to the changes around her, this sweet girl is going to make an adopting family extremely happy. More to come on this beautiful fieldie…………..
Original:
Oreo came to MAESSR when her New Jersey family realized they did not have time to give her the attention she deserved. A delightful, high-energy girl, Oreo is perfectly named. The front of her snout and all four legs are the mottled black-and-white color of Oreo cookie ice cream. She has a full tail that wags whenever she’s around people and is a petite Springer, weighing just 28 pounds.
Since coming into foster care, Oreo has been getting along easily with the resident female cocker spaniel. The cocker is much older and doesn’t want to play, but they love walking together. Oreo pulls just a bit on the leash. She shows no aggression or possessiveness over food or toys. While she would much prefer to sleep in her foster parents’ bed, she willingly goes into a crate for the night and sleeps quietly. When her foster dad is reading or watching TV, she’ll gladly sit beside his chair and take all the scratching and rubbing he can dish out. When she is worn out, she curls into a tight ball and naps. She prefers a blanket on the floor to a doggy bed.
Oreo is a ball girl! She loves to fetch a tennis ball and, if her foster dad makes a good toss, she often is able to leap and twist to catch it on the first bounce. She brings the ball back all the way, drops it, and then backs off to await the next toss. Occasionally, she gets distracted on the way back and stops to sniff for moles or to check out evidence of rabbits, but she always returns to the ball. Oreo would love to continue this ball play in the house, but her foster parents do not allow this so she is left to play with the resident dog’s collection of stuffed toys. Since she has been gnawing at her toes, her foster parents are experimenting with various bones and chew toys to find her an alternative that she will enjoy chewing, but that won’t be consumed too quickly.
Since she came into foster care with an ear infection, Oreo has been undergoing treatment that includes ear drops, which she does not enjoy. She does like having her ear massaged by her foster dad. When taking her medicine, even the chewable pills have to be disguised in sliced turkey; cheese just isn’t appealing enough! Originally, Oreo wasn’t much for having her feet played with but, after a few days, she has become much more tolerant of this.
This smart girl knows “sit”, “come”, and “stay”, and her foster parents are working on “wait” at the front steps so they don’t get dragged off the porch! While her adults are at work, Oreo stays in the kitchen with the resident dog. She jumped a 24-inch fence into the living room, so now she stays in part of the kitchen with taller baby gates. She does stretch up to look over the counter, but a quick warning gets her back on the floor. She has not explored any trash cans. Completely house-trained, Oreo goes to the door to signal if she wants to go out. However, her foster dad has noticed that she doesn’t always need to go – sometimes she just wants to play outside!
Oreo rides easily in the car with no barking and even waits for the driver to get out before jumping across from the passenger seat. On a visit to a local big-box pet store, she behaved perfectly. There were a few other dogs in the store, but she showed little interest. She got nose to nose with a very large German shepherd and it was a pleasant greeting until the shepherd barked. Oreo jumped back, but wasn’t cowed. She showed no aggressiveness at all.
Her foster parents have only a young adult daughter at home, but Oreo had the chance to meet three girls between the ages of two and four, as well as a baby, at a recent party. When Oreo was introduced to the girls, they accepted her kisses and tossed the tennis ball for her. She fetched the ball (of course!) and soon all the girls, including Oreo, were engaged in a game of running circles around the pool table. What a cute sight!
As sweet as her name, Oreo needs a family who will provide her with many opportunities for active play and plenty of attention. She’ll be sure to shower her forever family with lots of love, affection, and kisses in return.