Entered: 06/30/2010
Status: Adopted
Age: 3
Color: Black/White
Weight:
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Delmar, MD
Health: UTD, HW-, Lyme-, overall good health
Temperament: Good with people of all ages, has lived with a toddler, great with other dogs, will chase cats
Update 07/08/10:
Riley has been adjusting really well to his foster home. He was a good boy during his recent outings, one to the groomer and one to a large pet store that welcomes canine shoppers. The groomer said that Riley was very well behaved. She had no problems giving him his bath or trimming his lovely coat. Riley also enjoyed his trip to the pet store, but his lack of leash manners was quite evident. He did have fun checking out the toys, but the treat aisle was his favorite! Although daily walks with his foster mom have greatly improved his leash skills, the number of distractions at a pet store (Dogs! Toys! Treats! Shoppers! Associates! Oh my!) made it hard for him to remember not to pull. Can you really blame him?
Riley is still very interested in cats. Unfortunately, he is getting some poor modeling from his foster brother in that regard, and, the two of them have been taking turns barking at the kitties. Outside of his interaction with cats, Riley has continued to show himself to be a gentle soul who loves people. He is content to curl up on a dog bed next to his foster mom at bedtime and stays there through the night.
Riley is a beautiful and graceful boy who is looking for his forever home. He would be happy to have a young playmate or two, an adult jogging partner, and/or another canine companion that could help him burn off his Springer energy. In addition, Riley is eager to find someone he can cuddle with at the end of a long day. Could your family be his perfect match?
Original:
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 kiddie 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?