Sully 6

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Update 04/06/2020: “After spending over a month in his foster home, Sully bit again.”

In the beginning of March, young Sully found himself in a Pennsylvania animal control for nipping a young child in his family.  MAESSR wanted to give him a chance to see if this behavior had been precipitated by the child’s actions and his lack of socialization.

However, after spending over a month in his foster home, Sully bit again.  His temperament has made him unsuitable for adoption. 

Run free and find peace at the Bridge, Sully. 

Original: “One morning his foster mom woke up to a warm body next to her, snoring peacfully, and an open bedroom door. Not the man of her dreams, but Sully!”  

Sully spent two weeks in a Pennsylvania shelter where he was relinquished for reportedly nipping a child in his home. Skin was not broken, and the child did not require medical attention according to the relinquishing family. Since coming into MAESSR’s care, Sully has been chilling in his foster home. When he arrived, Sully was on a high dosage of medication for anxiety. He has slowly weaned off these meds as his foster family learns more about him. He will be monitored for what he might need in the long term. Sully also had a case of kennel cough upon arrival which has been resolved, so he’s feeling much better! 

Since coming into foster care, Sully has been learning to be a dog. He’s always ready for a walk, going from a dead sleep to waiting patiently by the door within seconds! It’s been great to see him getting his “spring” back. He has just started doing zoomies after his walks, which is awesome to see! When meeting other dogs, Sully wants to socialize but does not appear to know how to do it. He becomes overwhelmed quickly and will growl; however, this is improving. He recently was able to say hello to another dog on the street and did very well. Good boy, Sully! 

He had a few accidents when he first came into foster care, but Sully now gives consistent cues for when he wants to go outside by waiting at the door or going to the back of the house. He waits patiently outside for his foster mom to let him in but will give a quick bark as a reminder if he’s ready and she’s taking too long to suit him. When alone in the house, Sully is a master of napping and is not crated. He generally naps on his dog bed for a few hours, tours the house, and naps some more. He will sleep with his person on the big bed at night if allowed or if the bedroom door isn’t firmly closed. Otherwise he’ll sleep on his dog bed. One morning his foster mom woke up to a warm body next to her, snoring peacefully, and an open bedroom door. Not the man of her dreams, but Sully!   

Sully is a gentleman in the house, coming for snuggles when he can but also content to find a spot to curl up and nap. He prefers to cuddle on the couch if invited up, but he’s also happy to lie on his dog bed near his person. He hasn’t once tried to get into the trash and didn’t do any counter-surfing until his foster mom made pancakes. When she came back into the kitchen after a few minutes, three pancakes had mysteriously disappeared. Sully gave an innocent look and quickly left the room, denying any involvement in the disappearance. He hasn’t tried to chew anything, including the new squeaky chew toys so his foster mom is trying to teach him these are fun to chew. While Sully really wants to play, sadly he doesn’t know what to do with toys. He will run after a ball or sniff a stuffed toy and then look to his foster mom. Unfortunately, there are no other dogs living with him to “teach him the ropes.” 

Sully is fed in a corner of the kitchen and will wait patiently while his food is being prepared. He hasn’t shown any resource guarding and will walk away from his food if something is more interesting. 

This boy lives for his walks and will wait nicely by the door to have his harness put on. He can walk loose leash with a collar, but a no-pull harness works better for longer walks. Sully believes he is uniquely qualified to rid the world of squirrels and tries his best to do so on his walks, which can lead to some pulling. He is learning to walk beside his foster mom on the right side when meeting others on a walk and is a perfect gentleman when bikes go by. Sully will jump in the car to go on a hike or adventure and does well on the ride. He will jump in faster if there is some motivation such as a piece of pancake. Yup, lately pancakes have been a great motivator as no other treats entice him, including cheese! He knows basic commands but needs some motivation, again those pieces of pancake, to perform and be consistent. He’s working towards being off leash.  

Sully is working on his manners and being comfortable at the vet. At his last visits, he growled and lunged when he became scared and overwhelmed. It was decided that sedation would be a good choice for his next visit to make sure everything gets done, as well as some basic grooming. Sully came with mats in his hair, very long nails and it does not look like he’s been to a doggie spa in a long, long time. Hopefully he will have a spa day soon; his foster mom doesn’t want to push him too fast, so he may have the “rustic” look for a while.  

Sully’s family of his dreams would be one that has time to take him for long walks then cuddles on the sofa while watching TV. He also needs a family who will continue to work with him on his manners. He can be left alone for a few hours during the day after a good walk and exercise. Sully would prefer not to have any young children in the house and to check out any dogs living there before he commits. While he wants to play and socialize with other dogs, he’s unpredictable right now.  

Come back for further news on Sully as he adapts to his new life.