Entered: 06/26/2010
Status: Adopted
Age: 8
Color: Black/White
Weight: 51 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Ashburn, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, benefiting from an OTC anti-anxiety medication
Temperament: Good with people as young as five, great with other dogs and takes his cues from them, will chase cats
Update 10/16/2014: “This cutie is ready for his new family and will be jumping for joy when he finds his new home.”
Riley continues to be a wonderful house guest in his foster home. This sociable boy just loves to greet all of the adults and children that come by to visit.
Progress has been made with Riley’s tendency to bark when his foster dad leaves the house. He now seems to settle down within five minutes, so this is an improvement. Still requiring additional training is Riley’s leash habits. While his foster dad suspects he’ll never be a perfect gentleman in this department, he knows that with further guidance from his adoptive family Riley can continue to hone his leash manners.
For those who want to see how our favorite pups acquired the name “Springer,” just check out Riley’s video on MAESSR’s Facebook page! This cutie is ready for his new family and will be jumping for joy when he finds his new home.
Update 09/17/2014: “Enjoying the life of Riley, he has been spotted snoozing away on the couch when no one is home. At night he likes to get a good spot on the bed.”
Riley was adopted by a very loving individual who did everything with and for him. She made sure he had plenty of exercise to handle his high energy and adjusted her work schedule so she could be home more to handle some of his anxiety issues when he was left alone. Riley tended to bark all day long when no one was home. However, when she had twins this past year, she found it harder to provide Riley with everything she felt he needed; the difficult decision was made to bring him back to MAESSR.
Riley now lives with eight other dogs and is doing well in his new routine. He is given a daily dose of an over-the-counter anti-anxiety medication to help calm him. He has been observed barking for the first five or ten minutes when left alone but settles down to sleep until he hears the garage door open; then he happily barks to let everyone know his human is back home.
The newcomer eats right next to all the other dogs and has no aggression issues with people around his food bowl. He is completely housetrained and has free run of the house. Enjoying the life of Riley, he has been spotted snoozing away on the couch when no one is home. At night he likes to get a good spot on the bed.
In his former home Riley was protective of people and dogs entering his yard and tended to act out in an inappropriate way. However, with all the other dogs around in his foster home, Riley takes his cue from them and has been greeting people and dogs in a most polite Springer way.
He has been around numerous children as young as five in his foster home and is great with them. He loves when they throw the Frisbee or tennis ball for him to chase. When playing with other dogs, Riley is not a quiet boy and will bark to get the other dogs’ attention or just in happiness. Typical Springer, Riley loves the water which is a good outlet for his energy. He may be close to eight years old, but his energy level is more that of a two year-old.
This handsome fellow does have some leash aggression. Toward lessening that, his foster family is currently working on some positive training methods so walking him on a leash is a good experience and not a battle of wills.
This bundle of energy will need a home that can provide a good bit of exercise and folks who can focus on him; a place to run and swim will help him work off his energy as well as his anxieties. A canine buddy would also be really helpful for him since he seems to takes cues from other dogs. Riley will continue his training to properly correct some of his bad habits. Keep an eye out for his progress.
Original: “Riley has the funny habit of trying to catch the Frisbee with his front paws–if only he had opposable thumbs!”
Riley is a beautiful three year old Springer who entered MAESSR’s care when his family no longer had the resources to properly care for him. Riley is on the lighter side for a boy— about 42 pounds— but he has a big personality!
Having lived with a toddler in his previous home, Riley is great with kids! He has been very tolerant of the children he has met while on walks and at the vet since he has been in foster care. Riley used to be an only dog but he is really enjoying the companionship he gets from having another dog around. He loves to play tag and wrestle around with his MAESSR foster sister. The only family members that Riley does not have a great relationship with are the cats. He is very interested in them and will give chase if they run. He also barks at them if they are up on a table or somewhere he can’t get to them. If a cat is on the floor and ignoring him, he does not react to it.
Based on information obtained from Riley’s previous owners, his foster mom decided not to use a crate for him. Riley has had full access to house while his foster family is out and about, and he has not done anything to suggest that he doesn’t deserve this freedom. He truly has impeccable house manners. He is housetrained and does not get on furniture or pick up shoes or other objects that his foster family leaves on the floor. He has shown no interest in the trash and is not a counter-surfer.
Riley is an active boy and needs regular exercise to keep him content. He likes to swim, although he prefers the kiddy pool to the big one. When there is some water in the kiddy pool he will chase a “wave” around with his nose and then “dig” at the bottom while all the water goes splashing out around him. Once he emptied the pool and then spent a few minutes looking around – you could almost hear him thinking, “Where did all that water go? There must be a hole here somewhere!” Riley also loves to play with his Frisbee. He typically throws his body into the air a few seconds before it is warranted, but he loves jumping into the air even though his timing is off. Riley has the funny habit of trying to catch the Frisbee with his front paws—if only he had opposable thumbs! Riley also loves to go for walks, but needs to learn some better leash manners.
A typical Velcro Springer, Riley prefers being in the same room with his person although he doesn’t have to be right on top of you. Also, he does not like to be left alone outside. He will play for hours if he can keep an eye on his foster mom, but if she goes inside, he likes to be inside too. The good thing about this is that he is very efficient when it comes to doing his business.
Riley is a handsome, energetic, and loving boy looking for a new home. Can you give him the fresh start he deserves?