Entered: 11/18/2020
Status: Adopted
Age: 1; born 12/24/2019
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 36 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Health: UTD, HW-, treatment for Lyme disease complete, treatment for whipworms and roundworms complete, surgery completed for intestinal blockage, receiving medication to calm him post-surgery, receiving special GI diet and pro-biotic to help repair his gut, gaining to a healthy weight
Temperament: Good with adults, reportedly lived with children but has not been exposed to them in foster care, good with dogs, will chase cats
Original: “His foster parents find Remmie to be a super happy boy that loves to eat and play. He is great with people and loves to get attention.”
Pennsylvania boy Remmie came into MAESSR’s care when his previous owner was unable to provide life-saving emergency surgery. MAESSR stepped in, taking care of his surgery and settling him in a loving foster home as he recovers.
Surgery was necessary when Remmie developed an intestinal blockage due to an intussusception caused by a high parasite load. As a result, a portion of his intestines had to be removed. Currently he is on limited activity but is recovering very well. In fact, Remmie is now walking over two miles each day and has been playing in the yard. He is now eating, drinking, and pottying regularly. After his illness, this boy is beginning to put on some needed weight. His food is a GI diet to which his foster parents add a pro-biotic. This will help as his gut heals. He also is being treated for whipworms and roundworms along with treatment for an asymptomatic Lyme positive diagnosis.
His foster parents find Remmie to be a super happy boy that loves to eat and play. He is great with people and loves to get attention. He does not show aggression towards people or other dogs; he seems timid and unsure of new friends at first but warms up quickly. Remmie seems to like other dogs. Although the resident canine is not too impressed with him, Remmie loved playing with relatives’ Springer. He has not been exposed to children in foster care but reportedly lived with them in his previous home. While he has not shown aggression towards the resident cat, he does think that he is supposed to chase it when the cat runs.
Remmie is getting along well in his foster home. He is mostly housetrained and will whine when he needs to go out; sometimes he heads toward the door. He does pee submissively or on occasion when he gets overly excited. Crate trained, Remmie stays in his kennel when unattended to prevent him from eating inedible objects. Unfortunately, he cannot have any toys or blankets in his kennel because he will eat them. He must be supervised with toys at all times because he will eat them. He will go in his kennel when commanded with some reluctance and at least one set of sad eyes. Once he is inside, he tends to whine but will settle down and sleep. Remmie does exhibit anxiety when left in his crate home alone for more than one hour; he becomes destructive and chews the crate. He was able to break bars on a wire crate, so a large plastic travel kennel is recommended. He has been kept in his crate when riding in the car and he behaves well.
Although Remmie will counter-surf, he stops when corrected. The trash gets inspected as well but he stops when corrected. If left unattended Remmie would likely get on the counter or into trash. He does get up on the furniture and loves to lie his head on his person’s lap and snuggle.
Remmie has not mastered any commands yet but he is getting good with “sit,” “down,” “stay,” and “off.” Good boy! The leash seems like a new experience to him as well, but he is working on walking manners every day. His parents have been using a leader leash and saying “easy” when Remmie starts to pull too hard. They are seeing quick improvement with him and he loves to walk. When they pass other dogs, Remmie seems disinterested and would prefer to move away from them rather than toward them.
Remmie gets super excited for any toy but he loves to play ball the most. However, he gets fixated and obsessive with toys and has trouble relinquishing them when playtime is over; he will eat toys if left unattended. His foster parents are practicing with trading a treat for the toy but he still attempts to take the toy back and will get rough if he sees them it.
At mealtime Remmie is fed away from other animals and does not seem possessive of his food. He gets super excited when it is time to eat and quickly hoovers it down!
He has not been to the groomer, but his foster parents have given Remmie a few baths. He is mostly cooperative and only tries to squirm away on occasion. He loves being toweled dry but was afraid of the hair dryer. His foster parents have not trimmed his nails, but he was good about getting his ears cleaned. His behavior at the vet was good as well.
Remmie, although approaching two years old, is still exhibits puppy tendencies. MAESSR will require the adoptive family to take him through a series of obedience classes within 90 days of adoption. MAESSR only places puppies – even older ones – in homes that are committed to training and bonding with the pup in obedience classes. Puppies require a lot of care, attention, and patience. MAESSR believes the decision to get a puppy and raise it to be a healthy, happy, and well-adjusted dog is a serious commitment. Love bug Remmie will be well worth the effort!
A forever home for Remmie needs to have someone who will be home with him most of the day. His energy level is very high – he is a full-blast Springer with extra spring! Remmie needs a person or people that have time for daily walks, lots of playtime, and training. His manners are not the best yet, but he seems eager to please. With some work, Remmie will make a great loving dog!
Remmie is scheduled for neutering soon; then he will be ready to head to his next foster or forever home where he will need some further training and lots of love!