Temperance

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Update 08/08/11:

Temperance, better known to those who know her as Gracie, has been working hard to get nasty recurring infections in her ears under control. Her vet tried several things without much success. Finally, she was taken to the University of Pennsylvania’s veterinary hospital. A totally different attack was made on the problem there and Gracie’s ears are almost perfect now. Yeah for Gracie!!!

As they got acquainted, Gracie’s foster mom noticed a lot of anxiety when Gracie was left alone. Gracie would have accidents in the house and hated to be crated. Her foster mom had tried everything she could think of with Gracie and could not overcome this obstacle. The decision was made to move her to a more experienced foster home to see if progress could be made. 

When she arrived at the new foster home, Gracie was started on an inexpensive anxiety medication which has significantly helped her stay calm when left alone. Her new foster family has other dogs too and it is felt that Gracie feels more secure with having another dog or dogs around. She has not had any accidents in the home when her foster parents go to work and leave her with the other dogs. Sometimes, Gracie can be a bit of a bully with the other dogs but she quickly backs down when she is told NO. Gracie has played well with all the dogs in her current foster home and seems to take comfort from having them there. Her foster mom has been extremely pleased at how well Gracie has settled in and how much like every other Springer she is now acting. 

Gracie remains a work in progress and has a bright future with troublesome ears behind her and help with her worries of being alone. More to come on this one!

Original:

Meet Temperance! This sweet girl was found wandering the streets of Pennsylvania as a stray and brought into a small, local rescue. Knowing that MAESSR had access to a better network of potential adopters, they moved Temperance to her current foster home.

Because of how beautiful, gentle and lovable she is, Temperance’s foster mom has taken to calling her Grace, after Grace Kelly. Poor Grace was in poor shape when she first came into rescue. During her spay, the vet discovered that one of her ovaries was attached to her pancreas. Because of that, he had to make a second incision in her leg so it could be removed safely. She also had a yeast infection in both ears, for which she is still undergoing treatment. In addition, Grace tested positive for Lyme disease. Although she does not have any symptoms currently, she will always be positive when tested. Grace has settled into her foster home as if she lived there her whole life. Outside of the treatment for her ear infections, she is very low maintenance. She has a submissive streak that manifests in her going belly up when she is in trouble, or if her foster mom asks her to do something she doesn’t want to do. The main thing she gets in trouble for is chasing the resident cat in her foster home. The cat is very used to being in charge and will play only if and when she wants. Grace would just love to play with her! She lived with many smaller dogs during her time in the first rescue, so she may be trying to relate to the cat in the same way.

Grace was crated during her time at the previous rescue, but in her foster home she has free run of the house at all times. She eats at the same time as the resident Springer in her foster home and waits her turn for treats without issue. Grace can be protective of her foster mom and will sometimes grumble at the resident dog, who is submissive to her. She is housebroken and will signal that she needs to go out either by going to the door and waiting or crying. She is not a barker. The only times her foster mom has heard her bark is when she sees another dog that she wants to play with, or when she was startled out of a deep sleep. 

In the house, Grace is well behaved. She stays off the furniture 90% of the time but will sneak up if no one is looking. She is very laid back and is content to lie down in any room near her people without needing to be entertained. She does not counter-surf or beg for people food. At meal time, she will lie down in the corner of the kitchen away from the table. At night, Grace sleeps on her dog bed next to her foster mom and waits until she gets up in the morning. Grace knows the commands sit and down, but when her foster mom tries to get her to stay, she rolls over and shows her belly. 

Grace loves to go on walks. Since she is currently staying on a large farm away from roads, she is allowed to be off leash on her daily walks. If she gets too far ahead, she responds immediately when her foster mom whistles for her that is, unless she’s caught the scent of a rabbit! At those times, it takes a little longer for her to come back. The few times she has been on leash, she was very good and sat patiently to have the leash attached. She also loves car rides and will lie quietly in the backseat while waiting to reach her destination. 

It is impossible to say what circumstances led to Grace being found as a stray, or what sort of life she had before she was discovered on those Pennsylvania streets. One thing that is certain, however, is that this sweet girl is going to make someone a great family pet. She is a typical Velcro Springer, loyal, loving and looking for a forever home!