Entered: 05/27/2012
Status: Adopted
Age: 7
Color: Liver/White
Weight:
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Alexandria, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, treatment for a mild case of Lyme disease complete, overall good health
Temperament: Good with adults and older children who would not be accidentally knocked over, good with other dogs once she knows them, fine with cats if introduced slowly
Update 06/13/12:
This charming girl continues to blossom. Since settling into foster care, Rosie’s become very good at sitting down to get hooked into her leash. Although initially hyper for the first 15-20 minutes after her foster mom gets home from work, Rosie then settles down and walks much better on her leash. In those first minutes on leash, she does still pull quite a lot as she darts back and forth excitedly wanting to chase the birds………but she is a springer!!
Rosie has mastered the stairs which she was initially afraid of. She has been given free reign in the house as she has no issues with trash cans or counter surfing and is completely house trained. Good girl!
Rosie’s only issues are ones that her adopting family can continue working on with her, picking right up where her foster family leaves off. She needs more leash training. Rosie still does some jumping up on people when excited, and, she will initially growl and bark at dogs she doesn’t know. She’s doing very well at living with the resident female Springer and has always lived with other dogs; she just needs to be introduced to them slowly so as to give her time to adjust. Rosie lets her foster mom put her hand in her food bowl but will take issue if other dogs come near her food. Feeding her separately helps bring about peaceful dining for all. She’s still nervous with ear cleaning and clippers but does well with getting a shower.
This girl is a real snuggle bug. She wants to curl up to touch you and enjoys being loved. Rosie will bring joy along with her classic springer spirit to one very lucky adopting family!!
Original:
After their owner died, Rosie and her kennel companion Jake 26 found themselves in a Pennsylvania shelter since no one in the family could take them. The shelter staff quickly contacted MAESSR, so now these two Springers are in a foster home.
Rosie is housebroken and only had one accident when she was given free roam in the house during her first days in foster care. Now her foster mom realizes that Rosie does much better when she is either crated during the night and when she is at work or if Rosie stays in a smaller gated area of the house which makes her feel safe. She’s had no more accidents once she was provided a small gated area for the night or placed in the crate at night.
When Rosie finds her forever home, her new family would benefit from taking her for obedience training. It will help in the bonding process and also make life safer for all when Rosie knows what is expected of her and responds promptly to commands. A quick study, she is learning to “sit” when her leash is being attached and detached from her collar. Her foster family is helping her learn “off” when she jumps up on people in excitement. Rosie is new to leash walking so she pulls and is easily distracted, darting after birds and squirrels she sees along the way.
Life in foster care has exposed Rosie to new things in her environment. She was not used to walking on hardwood stairs but she is learning to navigate them up and down. Rosie will also bark for her foster mom to pick her up when her feet are too wet and slippery. She will also bark for attention especially when excited to see her people, but her foster mom is reinforcing a sit greeting and is not rewarding the attention barking. Rosie is first to sound the alarm when other dogs approach but stops once she realizes her foster mom is comfortable with the other animals. She will bark when she first meets a cat, but then is fine after that other than potentially pestering the cat with her energy and curiosity.
Rosie can be shy initially and is not food motivated, but is attention motivated. At mealtime, her foster mom has to sit with her and love on her for a few minutes to get her to eat her food. Although she shares the water bowl face-to-face with the resident dogs, she will guard her food from other dogs since she prefers to graze slowly from her food bowl.
Although this sweet girl was mildly nervous during her vet appointment, Rosie sat sweetly enjoying the attention she was receiving. Getting this wiggly girl to be still was the only issue the groomer reportedly had with Rosie; it was obvious that she was not used to being groomed. When she arrived at the shelter, her coat was very matted, so she was closely shorn.
Rosie does not appear to understand the concept of playing with any toys. Instead, her high energy level is best channeled with walks or jogging or playing in a yard; however, she can be very calm for hours in the house especially when in her gated area or just with people.
This 35 pound, energetic female would make someone a devoted companion. She needs a forever owner willing to commit to giving her the training, structure, exercise, and love she needs and deserves to make her a wonderful family member. Stay tuned for more on this great little girl.