Entered: 11/30/2012
Status: Adopted
Age: 2
Color: Black/White
Weight: 33 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Goochland, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, benefitting from medication to ease anxiety, treatment for an ear infection complete
Temperament: Good with adults, good with children as young as four, good with other dogs, good with cats
Update 02/16/2013: “Roy has been started on an inexpensive anxiety medication that has made a big difference in his behavior.”
Roy was adopted by a family in New York City. Unfortunately Roy was an anxious dog to begin with and the sights, sounds, and hustle and bustle of the city were not to his liking. His family worked very diligently to work it out with Roy, but it was just not meant-to-be.
Upon returning to MAESSR, Roy was moved to a different foster home, one experienced in working with dogs with anxiety. Roy has been started on an inexpensive anxiety medication that has made a big difference in his behavior. When he first arrived at his foster home, Roy could not be brushed. His foster mom can now brush him for about a minute. He didn’t care to have anyone provide ear maintenance and now he accepts it. Good boy, Roy! Roy will need to be on this anxiety medication for a minimum of one year to help him get through all of the changes that moving to a new home will involve.
Roy is a very smart boy and responds well to training. He enjoys being taught new things and the attention he gets. He will need a family willing to work with a few of his minor quirks, but they will be rewarded with a really great boy!
Original: “He quickly showed his agility skills by jumping over a 48″ crate, running to the top of the stairs, and then clearing the 32″ baby gate!”
While being held at a western Pennsylvania shelter, Roy’s online listing was discovered by a MAESSR volunteer. Apparently, he was in pretty bad shape when he was picked up as a stray, and the shelter staff had been nursing him back to health for nearly two months. Upon being contacted by MAESSR, the shelter volunteers were happy to transfer Roy’s care, knowing that the perfect Springer-loving forever home for him was out there.
Upon arriving in his foster home, Roy made it be known that he does not like to be by himself, unless he’s decided on his own that he needs a break. This was initially discovered when his foster mom thought that she would keep him calm after being neutered by keeping him separated from the other dogs. This did not agree with Roy. He quickly showed his agility skills by jumping over a 48″ crate, running to the top of the stairs, and then clearing the 32″ baby gate! This was all done with ZERO effort! Despite this display, Roy is completely crate trained and will enter with no fuss when he is told “bedtime.”
While at the shelter, Roy received some much needed medical care for kennel cough and ear infections. Even though he is currently underweight, Roy is a very slow eater. He prefers that someone be in the room with him when he is having his meals, likely for comfort and reassurance.
Roy has very good house manners for such a young boy, and considering he had been on his own for a while. Roy is housetrained and keeps his crate clean all day while his foster mom is at work. There were a few marking incidents initially, but Roy’s foster mom believes that behavior will cease now that he has been neutered.
This boy does like to counter-surf but quickly puts all four paws back on the floor when told “off.” Roy does not chew anything inappropriately, and he loves his toys. There haven’t been opportunities for Roy to trash dive, so it is unknown if he is a garbage picker!
This handsome pup also has fairly good leash skills and rides very nicely in the car. He knows the basic commands of “sit,” “paw,” “off,” “down,” and “stay,” although his stay is not very long. These commands and so much more can be learned and strengthened with consistent obedience training. Roy loves treats and takes them very gently, however he does not like his food bothered while he is eating. For this reason, he will be happiest if he’s placed in a home where kids are old enough to understand a dog’s boundaries.
It was noted by the shelter staff that Roy has a preference to men over women. His foster mom reports that while he is good with everyone, he does seem to get more excited to see his foster dad and human foster brother. He has been excellent with the resident cats, even going so far as to share his food with the young kitten. Good boy, Roy!
This handsome young pup is well on his way to adoption readiness. Watch for more on Roy as his health improves and his personality continues to shine.