Entered: 03/18/2007
Status: Adopted
Age: 3
Color: Liver/White
Weight:
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Robbinsville, NJ
Health: UTD, HW-, successfully undergoing a dietary change for allergies
Temperament: Good with people as young as ten years, good with dogs, good with cats
Original: Scout came to MAESSR from a home currently going through the upheaval of a divorce. He used to be home with the stay-at-home wife but she is now planning to go back to work full-time and has decided to give him up in the hopes that he can have a better life.
Since coming to his foster home, Scout has adjusted beautifully. He gets on well with the two resident dogs, a female golden retriever puppy and a neutered, male, lab/retriever cross, as well as the three resident cats. Scout adores the three children, ages 10, 12 and 14, in his foster family and sleeps with the youngest daughter. His previous family reported that he used to adore visiting friends’ infants and would lie down next to their baby carriers.
In his original home Scout was never crated and always had access to the furniture. So, he is learning to adjust to new house rules in his foster home. His foster mom throws dog cookies into his crate. He’s quite happy to trot in and snack, but he’s not chosen to sleep in the crate yet. During the day when his foster family is at work and at school, Scout is gated in the downstairs living portion of the house. At night, the baby gate comes down and he has free run of the house.
Other than a few little “dribble accidents” from excitement during the first hours in his foster home, he is house trained. Scout is used to regular grooming. He did not arrive with much experience with car rides, though. Since coming into foster care, he rides behind a safety barrier in the back of his foster parents’ car. He is quite comfortable on the regular twice-a-day school runs, but on new routes, he shows nervousness by stress panting and pacing. He also gets nervous when his human foster siblings play outside in the front yard which is inaccessible to him. Then, he whines and paces. He alert barks to the occasional doorbell but settles down quickly when his foster mom says, “Enough.” Scout occasionally peeks up on the counters, so his foster family is correcting him on this unwanted behavior. They have been keeping the counters clear in order to set him up for success too.
Scout is extremely affectionate and given the choice, he will always lay at someone’s feet. He enjoys a tennis ball game of fetch but doesn’t always give the ball up right away. He knows basic commands such as “sit,” “down,” and “wait.” Each of the children in his foster family has held his food bowl and he has never shown any resource guarding. Now, Scout is learning that “nothing in life is free” and he must wait politely to eat. He has learned to auto-sit on the “dirt trapper” mat when he comes in from the back yard. His previous family never walked him so he is just now learning to walk politely on a Sensation harness and is coming along beautifully.
This handsome springer is a very clever and loving boy who enjoys people and exercise. He displays typical spaniel tracking behavior and would undoubtedly thrive with an owner who would take him to a tracking class or even train him for search and rescue work. With the right handler, he would also make a lovely therapy dog. Scout is a dog who loves to please and responds exceedingly well to positive reinforcement. In his forever home, he should have regular exercise through walks and/or training. He will need a daily exercise outlet with interaction from a dedicated owner. Is Scout the exercise buddy for you?