Suki 1
Suki 2
Suki 3
Entered: 02/15/2021
Status: Adopted
Age: 10 Months; born 05/22/2020
Color: Liver/White/Tan
Weight: 41 lbs.
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Friendship, MD
Health: UTD, HW-, overall good health
Temperament: After initial shyness is appropriate when meeting new people as young as 12, unknown with young children but likely to be too rambunctious, good with dogs, unknown with cats
Original: “Suki will play tug-o-war, keep-away, chase, and fetch 24/7 with any human or other dog who will play with her.”
Young Suki was adopted as a puppy by a couple in New Jersey. When the husband passed away, the decision was made to find her a new forever home and a family friend helped with placing her in MAESSR’s care.
Suki is now living in her foster home with two other Springers, and she gets along well with them. She can be overly insistent trying to get them to play with her, resulting in an occasional “back off” from the other dog, but does not appear to initiate conflict. As a puppy, she is learning her boundaries!
Suki is housetrained to the extent that she appears to have had housetraining and basically understands she’s supposed take her business outside. That said, she has had a few accidents in the house which her foster parents attribute to the stress of adjustment, which is typical with other dogs they have fostered. When she does take it outside, she often goes on the landing immediately outside the back door, instead of going in the yard which they would prefer. She will need help in understanding the appropriate location to do her toileting in her future home. In her foster home Suki has access to a dog door to the back yard so she can come and go as she pleases. On rare occasions when inside behind closed doors, Suki will scratch at the door. It is unclear whether she wants to relieve herself or just wants to be outside.
Suki is well crate trained and actually enjoys being in her crate. Her foster parents have discovered that, like any toddler, midday naps are good for her mood. She goes willingly into her crate and will stay there peacefully for an hour or more. Both of her foster parents currently work from home, so it is rare that no one is in the house. On such occasions they typically leave the dog door open, and Suki has free run of the fenced yard and the main part of the house along with the resident dogs.
All the dogs sleep in Suki’s foster parents’ bedroom at night, although never on the bed. She will happily sleep on the floor, but she also likes her crate, where her foster parents prefer to put her. In her crate she sleeps quietly through the night. On the floor she is more likely to notice sounds and other distractions outside, which will cause her to bark.
Suki is a puppy, rambunctious and high-energy. She is constantly asking to play and will jump up on anyone who walks through the front door or is foolish enough to sit on the couch. Attempts to train her to keep her paws to herself have met with uneven success.
When she first arrived, Suki could have qualified for the counter-surfing Olympics. She has a long reach and can get to items well back from the edge of the counter. Her foster parents been reasonably successful discouraging this behavior, at least while they are around, but would never trust her unsupervised. They are very aware that Springers are smart and know the difference between when they are being watched and when no one is looking! Suki will definitely explore the trash if given the opportunity. She also gets into planters and particularly likes the bark around the base of houseplants, which she removes and chews into tiny pieces on the carpet. She will need to have supervision around plants. A family that insists on a neat and tidy house should know that Suki is will not be aware of their preference!
This young girl still has her puppy ways and will chew on items. Nothing on the floor is safe and shoes and slippers are particularly appealing to Suki. She will remove shoes from a shoe rack and will go to great lengths to extract slippers from deep underneath the bed or nightstand.
At her foster home Suki gets up on couches and other stuffed chairs. All of her foster parents’ Springers have been furniture spaniels and they have concluded that resistance if futile. A line has been drawn at beds, however, and they are not permitted on them.
As far as commands, Suki knows what “no” means although she does not always comply. She is being taught “off” when she puts her paws on people…with limited success. Suki responds readily to her name and “come” generally produces the desired result. She has successfully learned “drop” when she has a toy that she wants thrown, and “sit” to wait to go outside using a door other than the doggie door.
Suki loves walks and handles the leash well. She will pull initially and then settles down as she gets less excited. When meeting new people, Suki is skittish. She is curious but cautiously so. If the person takes the time to extend their hand and let her overcome her caution, she willingly accepts petting. She will check out other dogs and tries to get them to play with her. This sometimes can be interpreted as aggression by the other dog, but her foster parents have seen nothing they would consider real aggression toward another dog from Suki.
Suki’s foster parents have an SUV with a dog barrier, and she rides quietly in the back, usually with the other dogs. She whimpers occasionally, asking to be allowed closer to the humans. If allowed into the main cabin, she will try to get into the front seat and sit on the driver’s lap which wouldn’t be prudent.
You will never have enough toys for Suki! She plays with all of them and spreads them evenly throughout the house. Attempts to gather them up and put them in a basket are useless. They quickly will be removed one-by-one and spread around the house again. She particularly likes stuffed animal type toys and Kongs, which she both chews on as well as asks that they be thrown to her. She also likes to chase balls. Anything on the ground or floor becomes a possible toy, including sticks, stones, loose shoes, empty plastic bottles, etc. Suki does not resource guard her food or toys. Rather, attempts to take a bone or toy from her are generally interpreted as an invitation to play.
Suki will play tug-o-war, keep-away, chase, and fetch 24/7 with any human or other dog who will play with her. She also likes to roughhouse on the floor. She will mouth (some would say bite) the person she’s playing with gently and playfully, but she has sharp puppy teeth. When she first came to her foster home she didn’t know how to play with other dogs, but she’s learned to play with the resident dogs and they now play very nicely together.
At mealtimes Suki is fed in the kitchen with the other dogs. She recognizes which bowl is hers and doesn’t hassle the other dogs while they’re eating. She doesn’t always eat all her food at once and she will eat other dogs’ food if let unattended. If busted at another dog’s bowl, she generally will step away when admonished.
A visit to the groomer is pending. Although her foster family was unable to go back with her for her vet visit due to COVID protocols, the vet reported that she was cooperative.
Suki is a very high energy pup and is pretty much in constant motion. When she does lie down in one place she doesn’t stay there long. She likes to be entertained and will ask anyone sitting down to play. Once playtime starts, it is up to the human to stop it. She would happily go all day. With long legs and a slender build, she’s quick as lightning and runs like a whippet, which she’ll do from one end of the yard to the other, until her tongue is hanging out. At the same time, she’s very sweet and will bring her people toys for playtime and lie with her body touching theirs to take a nap.
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 will require Suki’s future family to enroll her in two series of obedience classes within 60 days of adoption. Since she is a smart girl, Suki should be a good pupil; she and her family will enjoy the benefits of her training.
A perfectly normal juvenile Springer, Suki will be wonderful addition to an active family with larger kids and/or other dogs. She needs to run a lot, which could be along with an adult runner or in a large yard with older children, dogs, or while playing fetch or chase. The more kids, dogs, and activity the better, to ensure that she always has play companions to satisfy her active nature. Suki likely would knock over younger children as she is rambunctious and young. As a Springer, she’s both smart and has a mind of her own, so she needs a family member who has had experience with dogs, willing show a firm hand and establish boundaries. Suki is a beautiful 9-month-old pup, just starting out in life with limitless potential. In the right setting with a family able to give her lots of attention and let her run, she will thrive and make a wonderful companion.