Sonny 2

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Update 12/14/11:

Sonny moved to a new foster home to receive more training and guidance in meeting new people without barking at them. To help manage his anxiety, Sonny was started on an inexpensive medication. This daily regimen is proving to be very beneficial. 

Sonny has done very well with all of the people visiting his foster home. His next training activity will be an outing to a bustling pet store to meet new people in public. His foster mom is sure he will be a star in such a doggie-friendly setting! 

This young boy is making good progress and hopefully will be ready for his forever home soon.

Original:

Family difficulties led Sonny II’s New York family to relinquish him to MAESSR. His foster mom has found him to be a sensitive Springer in need of a high degree of human interaction and a safe place to call home. He was unsure of his surroundings when he arrived at his foster home and tended to hide behind his foster mom for security. He is gradually coming out for his shell and showing his true personality. Sonny is still apprehensive when he meets new people and tends to bark until he feels comfortable with them. 

Sonny rides well in a car and enjoys checking out the scenery and people. He is housetrained and has no problem letting his people know when needs to go outside. When his foster family is not at home, Sonny is crated. He settles down quickly and patiently awaits his release from the crate when his foster mom comes home. At night Sonny sleeps in his foster parents’ bedroom along with the resident dogs. With nice house manners, Sonny does not counter-surf of climb on furniture. 

There are two resident male Springers in Sonny’s foster home. The three boys generally play well together, but if the two resident Springers try to push Sonny around, he will hide behind his foster mom. (Sonny obviously does not like confrontation.) His favorite play toys are tennis balls, rope bones, and rawhides. Sonny has been around cats in his foster environment and is unfazed by their presence. The youngest person Sonny has met while in foster care is a thirteen year old, dog-savvy neighbor and Sonny appeared frightened despite the non-threatening nature of the visit. His original home had a mentally challenged teen who would try to make Sonny do tricks that he had seen on television. Sonny was not willing to be a stunt dog, so this may have made him leery of teens. Therefore, his foster mom feels that Sonny is best suited for a house without children.

This handsome young Springer knows some basic commands like sit and stay. He walks well on a leash and listens to direction; however, he is spooked by folks passing by and needs some reassurance that he is not alone and there is no danger. He was not pleasant with the vet staff when he went for his check-up. Becoming more accepting of strangers is an area of socialization that Sonny needs particular work on. In his original home, Sonny had been resource guarding his male owner and now, Sonny resource guards his foster mom but only if he is on a leash. 

Sonny will need a stable home environment where he will get plenty of exercise and love and structure. His new owners must be patient in gaining his trust and in continuing his training around strangers. He really does have an abundance of love and affection to give.