Entered: 10/01/2012
Status: Adopted
Age: 4
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 67 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: West Chester, PA
Health: UTD, HW-, benefiting from medication for hypothyroidism, taking a supplement for joint health, surgery for excess mouth tissue treatment for an ear infection and tapeworms complete
Temperament: Good with adults, reportedly good with children and cats, good with other dogs
Update 01/21/13: “Trustworthy off leash in wide-open spaces, Snoopy will check back, returning for praise and treats.”
Doggone it! Snoopy thought he had found his forever family. While he was the perfect houseguest in so many ways, he just couldn’t stop chasing the family’s indoor kitty. So, he’s now looking for a new forever family……one without cats!
With dogs, Snoop is very sociable. On a recent outing, Snoopy ran into the middle of a large group of dogs that varied in size from tiny to border collie. He acted very appropriately, even when rebuffed by one of them. Trustworthy off leash in wide-open spaces, Snoopy will check back, returning for praise and treats. This boy is very food motivated!
Snoopy’s foster mom reports that he has slimmed down to a svelte 67 pounds. Given that he was 80 pounds when he first entered MAESSR’s care, Snoopy might just qualify for “The Biggest Loser, Canine Edition!” Additionally, his coat is now thick and soft all over. This boy has had a total makeover!
Do you have a feline-free home? Handsome Snoopy would be the perfect match for you!
Update 12/28/12: “Snoopy is temporarily in another foster home where he went to have surgery to remove gingival hyperplasia.”
Snoopy is temporarily in another foster home where he went to have surgery to remove gingival hyperplasia. He did well through his surgery and returned to his temporary foster family more active and ready to go than expected. Sadly for Snoop, post-surgery, he was not allowed to sleep in bed with his human foster sibling. The big boy had been sleeping with the family’s nine-year-old son for about five days and enjoyed getting belly rubs in bed. This was a treat since he spends the night on a dog pillow or folded comforters in his original foster home!
While making his recuperation, Snoopy also is finishing treatment for an ear infection and will require ear drops weekly for a couple of months to insure it is completely cleared up. Snoopy continues to work on losing weight through his diet and exercise. Prior to his surgery, he was taking mile-long walks. He has begun taking a joint supplement to alleviate stiffness, and his coat continues to fill in now that his thyroid is regulated.
Before his surgery Snoopy was being brushed daily and bathed weekly to help his skin shed to a healthier condition. Bath time was a challenge at first, but his foster mom figured out how to get Snoopy into his bath by anchoring a rubber bathmat over the side of the tub. A slice of cheese was used as encouragement. There are no worries now about how to get a 75+ pound dog into the tub! What a gentleman he is while being bathed!
While in his temporary foster home, Snoopy continues to display excellent manners. He is completely trustworthy to have the run of the house as he does not inappropriately chew. Just one incident has occurred during his stay. Snoopy displayed a little resource guarding of an ice cream wrapper he discovered. It was just too good to give up! Knowing post-surgery Snoopy would require rest and containment, his family worked on crate-training with him. Reportedly not keen on this arrangement, he initially expressed his unhappiness but was compliant.
All in all, Snoopy is a sweetheart and a loving boy. He is a real pleasure to have around, especially since he gets along well with other dogs. While his foster mom reports that another foster dog in her home liked to groom Snoopy, he returned the favor at his temporary home. He took it upon himself to groom another MAESSR adoptee, often leaving him quite damp! What a sweetie! This big lover will be ready soon for his new home. Will you be ready for Snoopy?
Update 11/09/12: “After eating his meal, Snoopy will check to see if anyone else needs some help, but he will respect others’ food bowls with redirection.”
Snoopy is on the road to good health now that he has been in foster care for a month. His thyroid is now testing in the normal range, and he will continue to take medication twice daily for his lifetime. Snoopy doesn’t object one bit as he is getting his medication in a small dollop of peanut butter. Although he has not lost any weight, Snoopy is becoming more energetic compared to his former self. His hair is starting to grow in where he was once bald, and his skin is shedding its leathery layer to become softer and healthier. His gait is not quite as stiff, and there is more spring to his step now that he is starting to feel better. Snoopy will be undergoing further assessment for the excess tissue in his mouth since the anti-inflammatory and antibiotic did not reduce its size. In the meantime, he is being fed softened kibble with canned dog food.
Snoopy LOVES to go for walks. It was a little slow going at first as he apparently was not used to walking, even though his owner indicated he went for short walks. After a couple weeks of building up the pads of his feet, he no longer leaves bloody footprints upon return home. A Gentle Leader collar has been used to slow him down and get more control when walking. This works fairly well, but since it might irritate the extra skin inside his mouth, the nosepiece is kept very loose. Unfortunately he does not have enough hair at this time to try a harness, as it would probably rub the skin raw without padding. Snoopy is walked with his foster sibling and two resident dogs and manages quite well alongside them. Now that he is feeling better and more accustomed to walking, he would like his foster mom to take it up a notch on speed and sometimes needs to be held back while she manages four dogs at once!
Snoopy loves to get brushed. He was very patient while his foster mom untangled the knots and mats on his ears and removed the scabs which were clinging to the bottoms of his ears from his previous ear infection. So far he has had only one bath as he is a clean dog and is, of course, mostly bald. Now that his skin is shedding, foster mom will get him to the pet store for a bath to promote skin health.
Snoopy has had very good house manners since day one and is a very well-behaved young pup. There continues to be no accidents, marking, submissive urination, jumping on people, counter-surfing, trash-diving, or resource guarding. He was discovered sacked out on the couch on one occasion but, once directed, he got down. Snoopy is given limited free reign with the resident dogs when his foster mom is working, and has been a very trustworthy fellow. He likes to sleep on comforters or in the donut dog bed in the family room. Sometimes he will pull the dog pillow out of the corner, wrestle with it, and then use it for a pillow on top of the comforters. At night he sleeps on comforters or a dog pillow in the master bedroom. Generally a low energy boy who likes his naps after walks or a visit outside, his foster mom does not believe he would be a flight risk. Overall he is not a frequent barker and can be easily redirected when needed. Sometimes the big boy just feels the need to bark at whatever has gotten his attention.
Snoopy continues to be left out around his foster mom’s schedule. On several occasions he has stood at the back door to indicate a need to go out. When asked if he wanted out he barked, yes! yes! yes! On one occasion his foster mom inadvertently left Snoopy outside, locked the door, and went upstairs. When she came downstairs a few minutes later he was patiently barking at the back door to be let in. His foster mom had thought he had already come in the house and was very apologetic! He’s a patient fellow when waiting to be let out or fed, and he knows that he needs to sit before getting treats. After eating his meal, Snoopy will check to see if anyone else needs some help, but he will respect others’ food bowls with redirection.
His foster mom has found that Snoopy enjoys stuffed toys, bottle toys, balls, and ropes. He is a Velcro Springer as he likes to be with his human, but he’s not overly clingy or jealous of attention given to the other dogs. He will give kisses to show his affection and likes to playfully mouth his foster mom’s hand. This amiable guy gets along well with the two resident dogs and his foster sibling. Not once has he ever grumbled at one of the other dogs. He is just a kind, gentle, easy-going and handsome guy. What a real sweetheart!
Snoopy has been in the car only a few times since arrival, but he’s a good traveler once he settles in. He can be a little excited at first and leaves nose prints on the back windows. He recently traveled to the vet’s to get his thyroid tested and had his anal glands expressed while he was there. Mr. Snoopy expressed his extreme displeasure over the latter by loudly squealing!
Snoopy is awaiting further assessment of his oral issues, but once those are resolved will be ready to find his furever home. One lucky family will find that he is one supersized sweetie pie and such a joy to have around that you forget how big he is!
Original: “Much of Snoopy’s back and sides are bald and his skin is leathery from the untreated thyroid condition and other skin issues.”
Snoopy found his way into MAESSR’s care when his Pennsylvania owner moved into an apartment which did not allow pets. So, Snoopy was relinquished to a shelter. At the shelter he was brought up-to-date on his vaccinations and was started on medication for an underactive thyroid and an ear infection. Much of Snoopy’s back and sides are bald and his skin is leathery from the untreated thyroid condition and other skin issues. When he got to his foster home, his foster mom noticed Snoopy had some excess tissue at the corner of his mouth but didn’t realize how much until he was panting at the vet’s office during his checkup. He has excess tissue growth on both corners of his mouth which lies over the edge of his tongue or hangs out at the sides of his mouth. This tissue will be further evaluated; it could be simply from his infection or could be more serious. Snoopy also has some stiffness in his hindquarters which slows him down when he’s going up steps. Keep your fingers crossed that Snoopy starts to feel better soon and gets all these issues resolved after unfortunately having his health neglected.
This big boy has been a wonderful houseguest with no marking, no accidents, no submissive urination, no chewing, no counter-surfing, and no jumping on people or furniture. His foster mom did make the wastepaper basket in the kitchen inaccessible as he showed an interest in it. Although he does not have separation anxiety, he squealed his delight when his foster mom came home from work the first time, wanting her to know that she was missed. The shelter intake profile indicated that Snoopy is not crate trained and at this time his foster mom doesn’t have a crate large enough to hold the big guy! He has done well with limited free run of the house with the two resident dogs. At night Snoopy sleeps in the master bedroom on a pile of comforters or a dog pillow. He has a habit of balling up dog beds to use as a pillow for his head with his body lying on the floor. He will often lie with the dog pillow between his jaws. Not a peep is heard out of Snoopy all night.
Snoopy is left out around his foster mom’s schedule. He does well in the fenced yard, taking care of personal matters quickly. Currently, Snoopy is a low-energy boy but that could change with his thyroid levels stabilizing and his losing weight. Now, he is content to spend his time snoozing but does enjoy playing with stuffed toys. At his foster home, Snoopy is living with three senior dogs, all of whom have more energy than he does! An amiable boy, he gets along well with all the dogs. The resident Springer male who likes to be in charge has grumbled at Snoopy only a few times. Snoopy finds the resident female bearded collie mix to be rather cute but isn’t overly attentive to her, just a little sniffing from time to time. Snoopy has been quite tolerant of his fellow MAESSR foster sibling who can be annoying to the other dogs with his loud barking and jumping. Overall, Snoopy is a pretty laid-back, low-key kind of guy. There is a little bit of Velcro Springer in him but not overly so. His foster mom feels this big boy is precious (not usually a term reserved for an eighty pound springer!), as well as sweet and loving. He is so deserving of feeling better.
Coming into foster care, Snoopy has shown how well-trained he is. He knows the commands “sit,” “down,” lie down,” and “shake” and has good recall. Although he gently takes treats, he is realizing that he needs to sit in order to receive one. Snoopy is not much of a barker although he does have very good lungs. He normally barks in reaction to the other dogs and will stop upon prompting. Although the shelter intake information indicates that Snoopy is afraid of strangers, thunderstorms, and loud noises, his foster mom has not witnessed this. He was very friendly toward people at the vet’s office, handled a humdinger of a thunderstorm during the night, and has tolerated foster mom’s occasional shouting over foster sibling’s loud barking.
When Snoopy first came to his foster home, he had the distinct odor of a shelter. The next day he was taken for a self-service bath at a pet store as he was too big for foster mom to lift into a bathtub. He was a very well-behaved boy for his bath even though he squealed with anxiety upon his arrival at the pet store. Combing out the numerous mats and clumps on his ears has been a work in progress and Snoopy has been very patient with his beauty treatment. Otherwise, Snoopy doesn’t have much hair to brush. His foster mom is excited to start seeing his coat grow in and become healthier; he’ll be even more incredibly handsome when his full coat comes back! When it comes time for meds, Snoopy is not so keen about having his ear drops applied but has tolerated it.
His foster mom learned from Snoopy’s MAESSR transporters that he was a puller extraordinaire! So when he went for his first walk, she used a Gentle Leader on him which he initially resisted but soon accepted. Snoopy also walks well with the resident dogs. At times he tends to take a fairly broad path but generally sticks to one side while walking on a loose leash. What a good boy! It is actually easy walking him, and he really perks up and steps lively. When Snoopy encounters dogs in yards along the way, he generally ignores them. However, one significantly smaller dog made him nervous, but all Snoopy did was whine. In the car Snoopy rides well in the back seat. If there is a blanket, he will bunch it up for a pillow for his head.
Stay tuned for additional news on this boy as he proceeds on the road to good health and improved appearance. Fortunately, in the short time he has been a MAESSR boy, Snoopy is already starting to perk up and get a little bounce in his step. Woo-hoo!