Entered: 01/31/2010
Status: Adopted
Age: 7
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 54 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Goochland, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, treatment for a urinary tract infection complete, has a metal plate in left rear leg (reason unknown)
Temperament: Good with people as young as 12 (can be too much for younger children), good with other dogs, good with cats
Update 01/01/2015: “For fun he loves to go for long hikes and is comfortable hiking 5-15 miles!”
Upon his adoption several years ago, Ramsey was renamed Varro. He has now returned to MAESSR due to major life changes in his previous owner’s life. He was staying in a crate ten hours a day, and, his folks did not feel that was fair to him.
Varro is the typical high energy, loveable Springer who adores people and also loves to sniff cats. He tries to play with the resident cat; however, that cat does not want to play with him! Varro also likes his toys, tennis balls, and round ring. When he is excited, he pushes his toys with his nose; the guy just wants to have fun!!
This handsome fellow has had limited training but will sit and knows all basic commands plus “paw.” Varro does not have separation anxiety but will bark for a very short time when left alone. He likes to ride in a car, but will shake…excitement shake…at first before settling down. And, if the window is rolled down, he likes to sniff…there’s a whole wide world out there for a nosy Springer!
Varro is the perfect Springer for outdoor activities. For fun he loves to go on long hikes and is comfortable hiking 5-15 miles! He can be trusted off leash; he flushes out birds, but comes back when called. He is afraid of the water so, when hiking and needing to cross a stream, he will use the stones as steps.
While Varro loves to be groomed, he does not like having his feet handled; his foster mom recommends using a soft muzzle when doing his nails or trimming the hair on his feet.
All in all, this is a great boy who is looking for a new home where he can enjoy the outdoors and the fun activities that come along with it. A well-mannered fellow who is as comfortable inside as out, Varro loves everyone…people, dogs, cats…and especially wants to flush out those birds!! He is a great boy. He’ll keep you active and cuddle too!!!
Update 02/09/10:“He did his usual “sit and look up at them with cute expression until petted” routine. Works every time.”
Ramsey continues to do well in his foster home. He’s dropping weight easily, not being an aggressive eater, and is now mildly overweight. He is playing well with the resident Springer. They’ve been romping in the recent snow. He does trail running in tandem with the resident ESS both on and off leash. A temporary 9 month old non-Springer puppy showed up to be an additional playmate. Ramsey is gentle with her, sharing his toys and eating nearby with no problem.
At his vet visit, Ramsey was a big hit, seeing everyone as a potential source of attention. He did his usual “sit and look up at them with cute expression until petted” routine. Works every time!
His favorite trick at home is two-fold. First, he brings his foster mom toys and puts them on her chair while she works. If she ignores him, he picks up the toy and hits the little ceramic heater at her feet with it, causing the heater to turn on and off. That gets attention, thus reinforcing heater bumping as a game. His foster mom usually ignores him and he goes to sleep. He’s not obsessive; he just wants to make sure she has a handy toy in case.
Ramsey is quite a bright and engaging boy, handsome and quite healthy as well. He’s quick to charm his way into hearts and would love to be your new Valentine!
Original:“With his sunny disposition and inquisitive head and ears cocking, Ramsey is a real charmer who is easy to live with.”
After a divorce, Ramsey spent some months with his owner’s parents in Delaware. They eventually decided that Ramsey would do best to move on to a home of his own and so they contacted MAESSR.
In his foster home, Ramsey takes the non-dominant role in most situations, even with a smaller terrier. He is unknown with cats but, with his low prey-drive towards the squirrel population, his foster mom thinks that he’d be fine with a dog-savvy cat. In outdoor situations, he’s been exposed to children six and older and usually just does a “sit” in front of them to ask for pets.
Ramsey also sits when a leash is picked up, knowing that he’ll be rewarded by a trip outside. He’s also polite enough to sit when he gets back in for unleashing, too, and doesn’t mind going for walks in tandem with the resident dogs. While he does beg a little in the kitchen, he is hard to resist since he assumes his usual “sit” position and looks up at the foster person with cute eyes and ears eagerly poised for the sound of “yes” or “no.” He knows “down” and “stay” but those commands need some refreshing. Ramsey easily picked up “stay in the kitchen” while his foster parents eat, with the usual paws on the edge of kitchen step in a “down-stay” pose.
While waiting at his grandparent’s house to move on to a better situation, Ramsey put on a few extra pounds, but is eager to go trotting with his foster mom, chasing the resident Springer in large circles in the snow, and fetching toys as part of his exercise regime. With this increased activity level, he will soon slim down and be ready for more fun. Ramsey loves to ride in the car, staying in the back and ignoring overcrowding of the two resident dogs. He doesn’t counter-surf or garbage-surf and eats near the resident Springer. They had a minor tiff over a high-value, bread-filled Kong that had been left on the floor, with Ramsey learning who is boss.
Completely housetrained, Ramsey goes into his crate on command and sleeps there at night. If his foster mom goes out during the day, Ramsey will bark and whimper when initially crated but soon settles down. He is usually napping when she returns. When his foster mom goes outside with one of the other dogs and leaves him inside, Ramsey whimpers and fusses, but isn’t at all destructive; he just looks out the window at the others having fun. His leash manners are good and he seems trustworthy off-leash with decent recall in non-traffic situations.
Wanting to be where the action is, Ramsey follows his foster mom around during the day and often brings stuffed toys to her which he places somewhere for her to find and throw for him. Sometimes he may put the toy in the office trash can or sometimes it’s on a nearby handy chair seat. He is not obsessive about getting her to throw the toy; he just thinks his foster parents would appreciate playing with him. Ramsey loves to be groomed, with the daily brushing a real treat for him.
With his sunny disposition and inquisitive head and ears cocking, Ramsey is a real charmer who is easy to live with. Are you ready for this ray of sunshine to enter your life?