Romeo 5

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Romeo was relinquished to a Pennsylvania shelter by his owners who did not have the time for a seven month old Springer puppy and who were no longer able to afford his care. The shelter manager had worked with MAESSR many times in the past and knew we could find this great puppy a great home. So, Romeo became a MAESSR boy.

When he came to his foster home, Romeo immediately took to the resident year-old male Springer. Together they entertain each other by playing, wrestling, and running in circles around the yard. Ah, nothing burns off puppy energy like another young Springer! The two resident cats have not taken to Romeo as quickly and are still keeping their distance from him. He shows mild interest in them, but mostly ignores their presence. When he gets too close to the cats, a firm no is all it takes to re-direct Romeo’s attention way from them. Good boy! Housetrained and enjoying full run of the house, Romeo has been left alone for up to five hours with no problems. When it is bedtime, Romeo sleeps in the master bedroom on a dog bed. During the night, he does react to new sounds by getting up and circling to see what is going on but quickly settles down again. 

While not a vocal dog, Romeo will bark when someone comes to the door; however, once introduced to visitors, he happily greets them. Romeo likes to put his paws up to get a better look at people, but he is being taught to keep all four paws on the floor. Romeo does not counter-surf or show an interest in trash picking. He patiently sits while waiting for his food and is a fast eater. During his first days in foster care, Romeo consumed a bowl of food in two seconds flat, but now seems to have slowed down to a normal pace. He does not show any food aggression even when the resident male eats out of his food bowl. 

Romeo knows sit and down. He loves walks and other than pulling on the leash, is wonderful outside. If dogs bark at him, he will bark back and pull toward the dog; however, a firm no and a change of direction seems to work well. His foster mom is working on training Romeo to heel and he’s been a surprisingly quick learner – he’s quite eager to please. Romeo is outgoing and happily greets strangers on a walk. In fact, the resident Springer is shyer and sits quietly while Romeo soaks up attention from any passerby willing to stop and say hello. In a large field area, he has been allowed to run off-leash and has shown good recall. At the park, Romeo has encountered children as young as three and has been very good. Since he has a tendency to jump up when greeting people, Romeo is made to sit before greeting children and this seems to work well. He enjoys going in the car, though he makes it clear he would prefer to be up front where he’d get a better view.

Please note that MAESSR only places puppies in homes that are committed to training and bonding with the pup in obedience classes. Puppies require a lot of care, attention, and patience, and they do chew on things! The decision to get a puppy and raise it to be a healthy, happy, and well-adjusted dog is a serious commitment. To reinforce this commitment, MAESSR requires all adopters of dogs under 1 year old to enroll their puppy in an obedience class within 60 days of adoption. Romeo will be a star pupil!

Romeo enjoys getting a bath. In fact, he has jumped into the shower when the foster mom was showering! Obviously, this Springer likes togetherness and water! Having his coat brushed is pleasurable for Romeo, too, and he has no issues with his foster parents handling his ears or feet. He was groomed professionally, and he reportedly acted like a complete gentleman. Such a good boy, Romeo!

Overall, Romeo is a wonderful, loveable, easy-going guy who loves cuddling and giving kisses. His foster mom feels that he will do well in any situation – with children, dogs and cats. His forever family just has to commit to giving him the training, exercise, and love that he so deserves.