Entered: 06/11/2019
Status: Adopted
Age: 3; born 11/2015
Color: Liver/White/Tan
Weight: 54 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Hellertown, PA
Health: UTD, HW-, Lyme+ asymptomatic, completed antibiotics for Lyme and ear infections
Temperament: Good with people as young as 7, good with other dogs, cats unknown
Update 07/22/2019: “When the ball and chuck it come out, life is perfect for and with Sully.”
Sully has settled nicely into his foster home and gets along well with the resident dogs although he doesn’t want them near his food or near higher value treats (and, so, Sully doesn’t see those higher valued treats very often!) He does still have an occasional accident in the house, and his foster mom is working with him to overcome this problem.
Because his energy level exceeds that of the resident dogs he goes to doggie day care from time to time. He loves it there (and the residents probably enjoy the break from him!) He is also taken for 2-3 mile walks. Sully is working on leash skills and does pretty well as long as deer, rabbits or squirrels don’t pop out–then all bets are off. He also does beach walks on weekends but finds other dogs running off leash unbearable. He would so love to run with them but can’t be trusted off leash. He is working on the command “leave it” which his foster mom hopes will help with squirrels, deer, rabbits and other distractions. On walks, tennis courts, basketball courts and any spot where balls are bouncing are avoided so Sully doesn’t go nuts! One day when it’s not too hot and the tennis courts are empty, Sully’s foster mom is going to sneak him onto the courts for some fun.
Sully has also started basic manners class. He is doing well and enjoys it.
He is much less mouthy and the always useful ” leave it “ command is also used to stop him from mouthing.
Sully is probably the most Velcro dog his foster mom has had. He is close by, always. He is cuddly, sweet and entertaining. When the ball and chuck it come out, life is perfect for and with Sully.
Original: “Sully is a gem. He has a sweet, goofy personality and just wants to be with his people.”
Sully came to MAESSR because his owner’s health issues prevented him from giving Sully the time and attention he requires. Sully went from running on a Virginia farm to living in a 16’ by 16’ enclosure– not ideal for a young, active Springer boy. Now MAESSR will find him a home suited to his energy.
Sully is doing well in his foster home. He is living with two other male dogs, ages 12.5 and 9. Prior to arriving at his foster home, he spent several days at a home with many dogs and he ran and played with the pack. At his foster home, he is trying hard to get his two house mates to play but they want no part of him. Sully is an animated, vocal player and thinks nothing of hip butting the resident senior across the floor or initiating play on the steps with the 9 year old medicated epileptic who is wobbly at times. The resident dogs don’t mind being close to Sully when he is calm. Sully’s foster mom is looking for play dates with young dogs in the neighborhood and has scheduled some time at doggie day care to burn off his crazies. Sully is taken on long walks several times a day and enjoys some ball tossing and Frisbee playing. If asked, “Where is your ball?” Sully will immediately look for one and bring it to his person.
Some refresher work on housetraining is needed for this handsome boy. His foster mom isn’t sure if he is marking or just peeing. He is taken out every few hours and asked to pee, which he does. It’s possible his time in the 16’ by 16’ pen caused some backsliding on housetraining skills. His foster mom will work with him to get this important skill perfected. Until his foster family gets the inappropriate urination eliminated, he wears a belly band in the house at times. Occasionally, Sully will go to the back door and ring the bells that hang on the door knob to signal his need to go out.
Since Sully has undergone many changes recently, he needs some time to get acclimated. He is gated in the kitchen when his foster family is not home but has not been crated yet. At night he sleeps in bed with his foster parents and the other dogs. During his first few days in foster care, he would not go near the bed but recently he followed one of the other dogs up the steps onto the bed and decided he was comfortable there.
Although Sully has fairly decent house manners, he still acts more like a 1.5 year old dog rather than a 3.5 year old one. He has not counter-surfed but things are not left on the counters to steal. Also, trash cans are not available for him to forage through. Sully has not gotten on the sofa but might if he saw the resident dogs do that.
Sully has lots of balls and nylabones he can chew. He did chew up one dog tennis ball so some new balls were purchased that don’t have fuzzy outer layers. He carries a ball in his mouth often. Sometimes in the evening, Sully will have a wild spell and he started biting at the tag on a dog beg. The bed was removed and he was given an appropriate toy. Problem solved! Sully is a little puppy mouthy also. He doesn’t hurt his person but this behavior is discouraged.
Sully is taken for walks several times a day. At first, he was concerned with people, bikes, cars, noises and other dogs encountered. Each day he is less reactive. Once he walked by a house where the dog was barking in the window. Sully looked and acknowledged the barking but kept walking. Good boy! The resident dogs do not acknowledge other dogs on walks and it seems to be helping Sully learn they are of no concern. Sully doesn’t pull on leash unless he spots a dog, person or squirrel. Initially, he was walking from side to side rather than straight ahead but is getting better each day. Sully would like to greet people on walks but his foster mom doesn’t stop to greet people unless they are people she knows who would like to greet him. Sully is a dream in the car. He settles and sleeps the time away. He has ridden from a few hours up to six hours with no issues.
Sully is a ball boy and his previous owner said he loves Frisbees too. He isn’t great with giving the ball back so it can be tossed again but does bring it back. If his foster mom starts with two balls and tosses one, he will bring it back and tends to drop it so he can run for the second one. On wet, rainy days his foster mom sits at the top of the carpeted steps and tosses the ball down the stairs. Sully has to run down and then up which tires him out. Sully has shown no guarding behavior with food, toys or other resources. He can be touched all over with no problems.
Although he has not been to the groomer, Sully did visit the vet. He was a perfect patient tolerating the poking and prodding with no issues. He tolerates the ear cleaning and medication for his ear infection, but probably would run off if he could get away. Sully tested positive for Lyme disease but is asymptomatic. As a precaution, he is receiving antibiotics.
An alert barker, Sully will bark at things he sees or hears when out in the yard. If it is a person, once he encounters him or her, he doesn’t bark again. He also alert barks in the house when he hears something he isn’t sure about. Sully’s foster mom was convinced Sully was part chicken when he came. Everything was a little scary– steps especially. He is now moving around his foster home unconcerned most of the time but is still unsure of the basement steps. He will sit at the top and watch his person go down and wait.
Sully is a gem. He has a sweet, goofy personality and just wants to be with his people. After a review of basic manners and a little polishing on skills, his foster mom could see him visiting hospital patients or listening to kids reading. Sully would be happiest living with other young playful dogs. He’d probably be fine alone but would need a lot of attention from his owner on a daily basis. His big play tank of energy must be emptied daily!