Entered: 10/14/2008
Status: Adopted
Age: 5
Color: Liver/White
Weight:
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Silver Springs, MD
Health: UTD, HW-, treatment for an ear infection complete
Temperament: Good with adults, has been friendly to children he’s met down to age 7, good with other dogs, retreats from hissing cats
Update 11/05/08:
After several weeks of luxurious life in a real home, Snuggles is thriving. He’s gained a pound and his lovely dark liver coat is starting to shine. He still has a few bare patches on his rear but time should take care of this. He sailed right through neutering, which means this quick-to-smile guy is ready for his forever home.
Snuggles is a bright boy so he is adjusting to being a family dog rapidly. His vocabulary is growing daily. He knows walk, out, off, down, sit, treat, no, in your crate, and a host of other useful terms. He also is learning about toys – a totally new concept to him. With a full basket of balls, stuffed animals, and squeaky toys available, he has shown a definite preference for……paper. Snuggles loves to shred old envelopes and the ever-popular tissue. However, he drops the forbidden paper quickly upon request or his foster parents can easily take it out of his mouth. His lack of housebreaking has not been a problem because he keeps his crate clean and waits until his walk. His foster mom reports that there have not been any accidents in the house for the past week, even though he follows them freely throughout the house while they are at home. He is easy to walk. He still does not sleep through the night if confined to a crate and away from his people.
Snuggles has all the characteristics of a typical Springer: a desire to be with his people, to please, and to be cuddled. He also has those little personality quirks that make each Springer so endearing. Snuggles likes to drink from the hose and is afraid of pineapples. He doesn’t like loud, unexplained noises and will go behind the couch when there is gunfire on TV. (No potential hunting dog here!!) He’s still figuring out how to respond to his own reflection. To scratch his rear end, he backs into a bush and does a little sashay. Since he’s not allowed on the furniture, he will drape his front legs and head on the lap of his foster mom or dad.
Is your family ready for the amazingly affectionate Snug-bug?
Original:
Snuggles was one of 150 animals seized from an unsanitary puppy mill in Pennsylvania. The shelter to which he was taken contacted MAESSR for help because of the inundation of dogs.
Don’t write Snuggles off because of stereotypes about puppy mill dogs. Despite five years of obvious neglect, Snuggles is an energetic, happy-go-lucky, and social Springer that is just waiting to experience the larger world. While he takes a few minutes to warm up to strangers, he hasn’t met a person he doesn’t like old and young alike. And once he knows you, his greetings are wildly enthusiastic. Snuggles also did quite well during his first visit to a dog park, exchanging the traditional nose-to-tail dog greetings with two dozen dogs of various sizes. He is not an alpha male.
Snuggles is gradually adjusting to the good life as an inside dog and he is learning good house manners. Since he’s never been in the kitchen when people are cooking meals, he doesn’t quite understand why food on a countertop or within his reach isn’t for him. His foster parents are teaching him that is a no-no. He also seems to wonder why the couch and bed aren’t included in his new deluxe living situation. He does respond well to no and understands off, but will attempt to wiggle his way right back onto the furniture to be with his people. Snuggles is a very good description of his velcro personality. He has quickly learned that some rooms in the house are off-limits to dogs. He also has learned to climb stairs and to ignore most household noises. Snuggles was so thrilled by his new found ability to follow his foster parents to any floor that he ran up and down the stairs for fun!
To have his leash put on, Snuggles stands perfectly still. He also stands quietly to be brushed, but he is fearful of an electric clippers. This emancipated Springer has no food or toy aggression, and is extremely docile when being handled. Although he quickly learned to sit, he pulls some on a leash, but then again, this is a whole new world for a dog that has spent his life behind kennel walls. Snuggles would like to chase squirrels and bunnies, but retreated hastily from the neighbor’s attack cat. He is nervous in a car and needs to be restrained to prevent him from crawling right into his foster mom’s lap. She will be taking him for short joy rides so he associates the car with something other than the vet’s office, although he was a perfect gentleman during his checkup. While currently underweight and covered with flea bites, his overall health is good. He has some bare spots on his rump, but poor nutrition and unsanitary living conditions may be the cause.
Because he isn’t housetrained yet, Snuggles is crated at night and while his foster mom works. He isn’t happy with this arrangement and will start to whimper for company early in the morning. He would rather sleep on the floor next to his foster parents and did sleep through the night the one time this was allowed there. If his foster mom walks him before and after work and before bedtime, he has no accidents. In fact, this tidy fellow prefers to do his business while walking rather than in the yard. This is a perfect dog for someone who needs an exercise routine and would like their pants to fit looser.
Snuggles will soon be ready for a forever home with people willing to help him adjust to a new life that includes plenty of food, care, and attention. Are you ready to snuggle up to this loving guy and give him the love he’s been missing? A home with another canine companion would be great, too.