Entered: 09/11/2008
Status: Adopted
Age: 4
Color: Liver/White
Weight:
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Galloway, NJ
Health: UTD, HW-, treatment for a slight Lyme+ reading complete
Temperament: Good with people as young as five, good with other dogs, chases cats as reported by former owner
Original:
Rusty was relinquished to MAESSR by his New Jersey family who no longer could accommodate Rusty’s needs due to their hectic schedules. They reported that Rusty had severe separation anxiety, and they did not feel they could work through his issues. It was reported that Rusty lived for years without this condition until this past July 4th when a neighbor’s fireworks set him off. His MAESSR foster mom volunteered to work with him since she has fostered several dogs with severe separation anxiety.
After several weeks of being in his MAESSR foster home, his experienced foster mom has determined that Rusty has mild separation anxiety, but not to the point of needing medication. He will need to go to a forever home with one or more dog companions to play with and to keep him feeling secure. He should not be placed in a townhouse, condo or apartment with close neighbors since Rusty does howl and bark when he is first left alone; however, he is quiet when his foster mom returns home. He has been given full run of the house and has not done any damage at all.
Rusty has no aggression issues, either with humans or with other dogs. His relinquishing owner stated that he would chase the neighbor’s cat. He also loves to chase birds and squirrels – what Springer doesn’t? He is housetrained, but he hates to be crated and had chewed his way through several metal and plastic crates in his original home. His foster mom is working with Rusty on this crate issue with positive association. For now, the crate door is always open and he is encouraged to go in, but rarely does. He was great at the groomers and even managed to settle down in the groomer’s crate while waiting to be picked up.
Rusty will bark for food and has counter-surfed. He’s not a digger or a chewer, though. Occasionally, he will pick a shoe up and walk around with it, but doesn’t actually chew on it. In the yard, has does not jump the fence. If left outside without companionship, Rusty will run to find a human to keep him company. Inside, he stays off of furniture. He puts his paws on people, but he doesn’t actually jump on them. Rusty loves to prance around lifting his head giving you a loud, Woo Hoo!
Rusty has never been through formal obedience training; the only command he really knows is “sit.” When walking on a leash, Rusty likes to pull. If he goes on a car ride, he is a good passenger until the car stops. Then, he tries to run out the door under the driver’s legs. So, for his safety, he must be restrained in the car. He and his forever family will benefit from going to a basic obedience class together. At bedtime, Rusty prefers sleeping on the floor by his foster mom’s bed over snuggling in one of the dog beds. He settles easily and understands “go lay down.” Rusty is a Springer who could benefit from moderate to high exercise. He does like boating and swimming.
Does your family have room for one more playful Springer to romp and enjoy life with?