Shamus

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Update:

Post adoption, Shamus lived a long, joyful life on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC where he regularly graced the pages of the local press’ annual pet issue as well as his own Instagram site.   Shamus passed in September of 2022 at almost 15, totally blind but still the best companion ever!  His owner sends a big “Thank you MAESSR” for bringing Shamus into her life.

Original:

Shamus came to MAESSR from New Jersey when his owners moved to Florida and were not able to take him along. He was a little nervous and shy for his first day in foster care, but soon relaxed and was happy to play with the younger resident female Springer in the home. The older resident female took a few days to warm up to Shamus, but now shares space with him easily. The three feline residents have not taken as kindly to Shamus’ arrival. While he is ok with the cats most of the time, he has periods where he delights in “treeing” them on top of the refrigerator or paces and whines outside the door to the upstairs bedroom where they go to escape Springer curiosity. 

This guy is on the small side for a Springer boy. He weighed in at 45 pounds, but since the vet couldn’t see his waist she recommended that he drop a few pounds. Regular play sessions with the resident female, daily walks, and a few rounds of cat chasing have already made a difference in getting Shamus back to his healthy and handsome figure. Shamus is one dog who has earned the rare privilege of not being crated during his time at his foster home. He is housetrained and is well out of his chewing phase, so he has been given free run of the dining and living rooms while his foster parents are away. At night, he sleeps on a dog bed just outside of his foster parents’ bedroom. Shamus’ house manners are good, although he will counter-surf if the opportunity presents. So far, he’s not been successful in taking anything at his foster home, but he definitely shows some interest when food is being prepared! He also jumps onto the couch at times. He’ll hop down when asked, but his preference would be to stay there. Shamus knows the commands “sit” and “down” but he is slow to respond to them unless a treat is involved. 

Speaking of treats, Shamus is a gentle boy who takes the goodies he is offered nicely. He likes to chase a ball if someone is willing to throw it for him, but can also entertain himself by pouncing and rolling a ball around with his paws. His previous owners reported that Shamus also likes to swim! He has a nice energy level – good for walks and playing outside, but never too crazy. Inside, Shamus relaxes with ease. At the groomer, Shamus was well-behaved. Everyone thought he was very cute (which of course, he is!). When the dog walker came to get Shamus for his walk for the first time, he was a little timid. The next day, she reported that he was very excited to see her as soon as she came in the house! He walks well on leash, although he pulls for a minute or two till he gets settled. Shamus LOVES car rides and is a great copilot. He prefers to ride shotgun and only stays in the backseat for as long as the treat used to lure him there lasts!

Shamus is pretty easy going and could live happily in a number of households. He is good with kids and loves other dogs. His forever home could also have cats, but only if they regularly tolerate being chased, or aren’t afraid to stand their ground in the face of a fascinated Springer. It is clear that Shamus enjoys companionship, whether it is the human or canine variety. Because of this, it would be nice if his forever home had another dog that could keep him company during the day, or a person that spends a fair amount of time at home. 

Handsome Shamus is ready to move from foster care to his forever home. Are you ready to add him to your family?