Sparrow

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Original:  “Sparrow is a very happy-go-lucky pup who simply loves life and all the fun it offers.”

There is a saying that an English Springer Spaniel’s #1 goal in life is to have as much fun as possible, no matter the consequences! Meet Sparrow, a super lovable and sweet yet super rambunctious and mischievous puppy who thinks life is one huge party. With much work, she’s learning to grasp how one can party hardy without always getting in trouble.

Sparrow’s original owner purchased her from a pet store. She shared her Pennsylvania home with some children down to age 5 and a Shih Tzu who was hypoallergenic. The owner reported that she was a love, very affectionate and smart, and was working on being housetrained. She was crated at night but not during the day. They had no yard, so she was leash walked. In the month she lived with them, it was discovered that some family members were highly allergic to her; thankfully, they relinquished her to MAESSR.

Sparrow was fully vaccinated during her initial MAESSR vet exam. Another visit followed with her being spayed and having her rear dew claws removed since they were unattached.  When dew claws are dangling, they could get caught or torn resulting in injury to Sparrow. 

Sparrow shares her foster home with 7 MAESSR dogs — 1 permanent foster (age 14 years) and 6 resident dogs (ages 1-9 years). They have a large fenced-in yard surrounded by woods with lots of wildlife.  Sparrow and her housemates have lots of space in which to romp, play chase, and sniff around. Sparrow’s favorite games are tug-of-war and, especially, Chuckit. She also loves to wrestle yet (unfortunately) saves that for indoor play.

While much improved, housetraining continues to be a work in progress. Sparrow doesn’t signal when needing to go out so is kept on a very regular schedule. She’s a play-first-business-later pup, sometimes plays outside for an hour, only to come in and then do her business. She is crate trained though not always happy about it. Initially crated whenever her foster mom was out of the house, she’s graduated to the crate only when her foster mom is away for more than 2 hours. She and the resident pups snuggle on her foster mom’s bed until it’s lights out; then she willingly goes in her crate, which is in her foster mom’s bedroom. She’s also fed in her crate.

Sparrow recently accompanied her foster mom to their pet store and was tested on-leash with the store’s resident cat who roams freely. She was v e r y curious and quickly followed after it, thankfully without barking, as she attempted to grab it. Given her very playful and lovable personality and lack of prey drive (so far), she’d likely be fine living with a kitten or dog savvy cat. Sparrow can easily be touched all over and is fine with ear cleanings, loves belly rubs, and is excellent at the vet. Though due to her wiggliness and excitability, it took 3 folks to hold her while being examined and vaccinated.

Given her almost non-stop play with the resident pups both inside and out, Sparrow isn’t leash walked as much as with her prior owner. She very much enjoys walks, especially sniffing all the wildlife scents and other country smells. Though not on a perfect heel, she walks well on-leash with very little pulling . . . until she senses she’s homeward bound and then it’s off to the races! She’s seen numerous deer while on walks; oddly her only reaction has been awe, as in who or what are those huge dogs? She’s yet to meet any other dogs while out but has been fine with the few humans she’s met. She is crated while in the car, quietly enjoying the ride. Her foster mom quickly learned that unless restrained by a crate, doggie seatbelt or another person, she will definitely help with driving.

Sparrow’s house manners have progressed from none to improved, with still a way to go. She’s a champion counter-surfer with a very long reach who selectively understands “off”! Still very much a puppy, anything within reach that looks or smells appealing is fair game for chewing/eating – cell phones, shoes, eyeglasses, clothing, utensils, anything paper or computer related, furniture, baseboards, rugs, walls, bugs, dirt, sticks, and so on. With a lot of work and redirection to chew toys – especially Lumabones and similar chew toys — her inappropriate chewing has decreased though a watchful eye is still needed. As she matures and, especially, with consistent training, she should continually improve.

Sparrow is a very happy-go-lucky pup who simply loves life and all the fun it offers. There’s not a mean bone in her body. That said, there have been a couple of major hurdles for her to overcome during her 2 months as a MAESSR foster: 1) harnessing her energy – she is VERY energetic (not hyperactive), and 2) respecting the more than subtle (as in very vocal) warnings from several of the resident dogs indicating that they were done playing and ready to rest. Unfortunately, she would continue to pester them, which often became problematic until time outs in her crate were implemented. Oftentimes, her playfulness has interfered with her focus on training. Very recently, her light switch turned on and she is now beginning to grasp much of what her foster mom has been working on with her. It’s very important that her adoptive home continue consistency with her training.

Potential adopters should note that MAESSR only places puppies in homes that are committed to training and bonding with the pup in obedience classes. Puppies require a lot of care, attention, and patience, and they do chew on things! The decision to get a puppy and raise it to be a healthy, happy and well-adjusted dog is a serious commitment. To reinforce this commitment, MAESSR requires all adopters of dogs one year old and under to enroll their puppy in obedience classes within 90 days of adoption.

Sweet Sparrow is a very intelligent dog definitely in need of a challenging job. With the energy of a fieldie and her love of the outdoors, the possibilities are endless – nose work, tracking, hiking, backpacking, dock diving (super high jumper with a loooooong reach), fielding baseballs, soccer, and so on. To watch her concentration on the ball when playing Chuckit is a sight to behold.

Sparrow will be her best self in an active adoptive home where she is continually challenged both physically and mentally, whether through activities aforementioned or something similar. She’d probably be fine as an only dog though would definitely enjoy and benefit from having another canine companion. While she’d enjoy a daily 5-mile walk, following it with 30 minutes of hard-core Chuckit every few hours or a similar activity would be most beneficial for her and her adoptive home. Once her joints are physically mature at approximately age 2, and upon approval of her vet, she’d make an excellent running partner. Given her energy and love of jumping high when excited, she would not be appropriate in a home with humans unsteady on their feet.

What this lovable, laughable, and super-sweet puppy really dreams of is a forever home where she’ll be treasured and loved . . . and, most importantly . . . allowed to sleep on the bed with her human(s). Are you ready to make her dream a reality?