Entered: 06/24/2019
Status: Adopted
Age: 5
Color: Black/White/Tan English Setter
Weight: 39 lbs.
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Gibsonia, PA
Health: UTD, HW-, dental completed, overall good health
Temperament: Good with children as young as 3, good with most other dogs, chases outdoor cats
Original: “Rosie is allowed to get up on furniture in her house and loves to sit on laps and be petted!”
Rosie has experienced many changes in the past four weeks. When her original owner went into a nursing home, she went to live with family friends. There Rosie got along very well with the adults and the 12 year old child in that family but not so with the resident male Lab. Although she never displayed negative behavior towards people, she did towards this Lab. Rosie would growl at him and when he would growl back, fights erupted. These scuffles were very vocal with no skin ever broken (human or dog), though; family members would separate the dogs by pulling them away from each other by the collar.
Even though the dogs were fed separately and lived on different levels of the house, the growling/fighting behavior did not dissipate. Knowing they could not live this way, the family decided to relinquish Rosie to a Pennsylvania shelter. This is when Rosie came to be in MAESSR’s care.
There is a resident male ESS in Rosie’s foster home and the two of them get along fine. She and the resident dog play regularly. Rosie’s not perfect, though. She will try to resource guard her people and/or her food. When she growls at her canine foster brother, they are separated. She and the other dog are fed simultaneously in the kitchen with the island separating them with her foster mom watching. Rosie is affectionate with all three humans in her foster home. She has met neighborhood children aged 3-12 with whom she was very gentle and affectionate.
Rosie is about 90% housetrained but has had accidents in the house, sometimes peeing when her people are not looking. She needs to be watched and praised for going outdoors. She does not signal when she needs to go out other than standing by the sliding door to the deck. She is not crate trained yet but is being introduced to this new safe place. She reluctantly goes into the crate with the help of a leash to guide her. She is crated when her family is not at home. At night she sleeps on the sofa in the master bedroom. She is quiet and settled all night.
Rosie was nervous for the first few days in foster care and did not eat her entire bowl of food or take treats. After getting settled, her appetite returned and she has learned to play with a toy in the living room and cuddle with a human. Rosie has ladylike house manners. She does not counter-surf or get into the trash, though her family has a dog lock on the kitchen garbage can. Rosie is allowed to get up on furniture in her house and loves to sit on laps and be petted! Having no interest in shoes or throw pillows, Rosie does not chew inappropriately. In general she is a wonderful indoor dog!
During her time at the shelter, Rosie did well with the staff, allowing them to examine her with no issues and they were able to give her vaccines without any problems. Her vet evaluation indicates that she has dental calculus and redness of gums so a teeth cleaning is pending. Rosie has not been to the groomer, but was very good for her foster mom in the bath.
With no formal training, Rosie just knows “sit.” She needs work on leash manners too; she pulls and barks at passing cars and other dogs or people. Caution is advised when she is being walked; she escaped once when on a leashed walk. Once loose, she had a grand time running through a ravine and did not come when called. Rosie is alert in the car; she will settle on a longer ride and should be secured with a seat belt and harness in the back seat of a car.
As a high energy English Setter, Rosie needs lots of daily exercise. Rosie needs a forever home where she will be secured by a well fenced yard. She loves to run and will escape a fence to chase the rabbits and birds. She is jumpy and mouthy when excited but does settle down with time. A good player, she likes soft and hard toys. Her foster brother rips apart soft toys, so Rosie has to be content chewing nylabones.
Rosie could be in a home with other dogs as long as her adopters are aware that she will need an adjustment period to understand her place in the pack. She was recently spayed, so this may curb her desire to roam and mark.
This wannabe Springer in an English Setter disguise will make a loving companion for an active family.