Entered: 07/18/2019
Status: Adopted
Age: 5
Color: Black/White
Weight: 45 lbs.
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Severna Park, MD
Health: UTD, HW-, overall excellent health
Temperament: Good with adults, would be best with older children (too boisterous with young ones), generally good with other dogs, unknown with cats
Original:“If the door to the fenced yard were opened every ten minutes, she would zoom out every time, do some laps, then come back to the door.”
Piper came to MAESSR from a young family in Virginia who had her since puppyhood. A new baby joined the family 10 months ago and Piper had become boisterous and too rough around the baby. They turned to MAESSR to help find her a wonderful and compatible new home.
Piper is a lovely, beautiful girl with no medical issues and an athletic build and temperament. She is mostly black…a boon to those with black pants and black fabric car seats!
She is a curious girl who loves car rides and settles quickly. She was calm at her vet appointment and is reportedly fine at the groomer. Piper likes being brushed and having her stomach rubbed. Cookies are readily accepted from strangers. This smart girl knows the commands: “sit,” “down”, “rollover,” and “shake.” She doesn’t dig in the yard, but she did harvest several cucumbers and enjoys carrying them around instead of tennis balls. She is enthusiastic at the water bowl, aka: messy.
Piper is very welcoming with people and other dogs met on the street. Her original family reported she wasn’t good with small dogs. Her foster mother assumes she’d be bossy if given the chance; she is bold and confident. Piper has a puppy temperament and will paw at the resident dog to get her to play. When excited, she’ll spin and do Olympic caliber zoomies, so she would be best with a family with older children who can withstand her friskiness. She is very alert and will bark briefly when people come through the door or ring doorbells on TV shows.
Piper has one behavioral challenge that needs to be managed. She has anxiety around feeding time and there were arguments with the resident dog who got too close to her. She panics. This guarding behavior is only triggered with a food bowl as Piper sits nicely next to the other dog for treats, and water bowls are fine to share. The two dogs are now separated at feeding time and Piper has shown improvement in the past week. She must sit to calm herself before being fed.
Piper is really good on leash walks. She passes by other dogs, people, skateboarders, and runners; she shows interest but is not reactive. If the door to the fenced yard were opened every ten minutes, she would zoom out every time, do some laps, then come back to the door. She runs to trees and looks hopefully up, as if expecting a squirrel to run down. She might run after a tennis ball but will never return it…she wants to be chased!
Emotionally, Piper is an average Springer. She doesn’t need to be constantly underfoot, but she does wants to be in same room with people. When doors are closed to her, she whimpers briefly but accepts defeat. At night, she prefers the bedroom floor; a sofa is her daytime choice for lounging. Piper stays quiet all night even though she wakes and prowls. She is deliriously happy for the first early morning dash into the yard and first walk.
Piper and the resident Springer have full run of the house when the family is at work. There has been no sign of separation anxiety when she was left for six hours. Her house manners are impeccable as she doesn’t beg, trash dive, or table-surf. Piper’s housetraining is stellar; there have been no accidents. She sits by door to signal her need to go outside.
Piper would most easily fit into a home with a fenced yard, older children, and where she is either the only dog or the family is willing to reinforce calm mealtimes. This long-legged girl reportedly went running with her original family; daily walks are crucial to allow her to feel happy and contented. This beautiful girl is ready for that next chapter in her life with her forever family.