Sam 9

Updated 11/13/05:

With another week in his foster home, Sam continues to be a sweet, friendly, loving puppy and has made lasting impressions on his foster family.  He is fairly laid back.  He snoops around the house, looking for things to play with but will happily settle on a dog bed or near a family member after a while. He likes to be under foot and right next to people– no matter where they are or what they’re doing. Resting on someone’s foot while he sleeps or chews his rawhide is perfect.  Sam would love to sit on the couch when the family is watching TV, or better yet, sleep on the bed at night.  But, since that’s not allowed, he will sleep through the night bedside. He is, however, all puppy.  He doesn’t understand that just because he can reach something, it is not necessarily a dog toy.  He is teething and likes to chew.  Most times, a rawhide will suffice.  But, boy, aren’t those stuffed animals tempting!

This pup really loves children, especially his little human toddler brother.  He would sleep under his crib if permitted.  When the toddler runs, Sam follows. Because he is still young,  his foster mom has to watch Sam’s mouthiness, but he is gentle.  He lets the toddler hug him, love him, and even pull his tail occasionally.  He would do great in a home with children.

Sam loves other dogs and wants only to play with them. If they are on the other side of the fence, though, they must be barked at.  He would love to have another dog in his forever home, one he can play with, chase, and have as a pal.  He has good dog manners and takes correction from the alpha male easily and calmly. Sam met a cat this week and had, maybe, a little too much interest in it.  A tough cat would likely put him in his place while a timid cat would get chased.

Sam is completely housebroken and will ask to go out. He is also crate trained, and until he is through his chewing phase, he should be crated when left alone.  He has been left as long as 6 hours with no accidents and was completely calm when his foster family returned. He walks okay on a leash, but an obedience class is in order.  He is eager to please and would learn a great deal given the opportunity. He has shown good birdiness and his foster mom feels he could be trained to hunt.  He is soft, though, and would have to be brought along with a gentle hand.

Like most active dogs, Sam needs a fenced yard.  He will go outside and run around, working off puppy energy, and entertaining himself.  He does this several times a day and it makes him a happy house dog.  He would love to have a boy or girl out in the yard to run with him or throw a ball for him, though his retrieving needs some work.  Sam rides well in cars and though he is a reactive barker, he understands when he is told to settle and tries his best to comply.

This young springer wants nothing more than a family of his own, maybe some kids, and a fellow dog to play with.  Can you fit Sam into your home and heart?

Original:

Brand new into rescue, Sam already is showing himself to be a sweet boy.  He is a lean, field bred springer puppy.  He loves to be outside but is quite mellow in the house.  He is happy to be around people and dogs.  Sam is happy to be the omega dog to the resident alpha springer as long as he plays with him.

There is a toddler in Sam’s foster home who has been surrounded by child-friendly springers since he was born.  Sam was super excited to see the toddler when he woke up and showed his joy by sharing lots of kisses with the littlest human in his life so far.

It seems clear already that Sam does not have much training, but he is compliant and eager to please.  Basic obedience training has already begun and should be easy to continue in his adopting home.  More will be added as Sam gets better acquainted with his fostering family and nears being ready for adoption.