Entered: 06/15/2014
Status: Adopted
Age: 5 Months
Color: Liver/White Spanish Water Dog
Weight: 25 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Toms River, NJ
Health: UTD, HW-, treatment for whipworms and giardia complete
Temperament: Good with people as young as 3 years old, good with other dogs, unknown with cats
Original: “This little scamp will carry around anything he can find to ‘hoard’ in his bed. He will hide his toys (or his foster mom’s socks!) in his bed but he never chews them…he just likes to carry them around!”
Toby is an adorable young Spanish Water Dog rescued by MAESSR when a Maryland kennel that bred Springers and Spanish Water Dogs closed. He traveled with his three sisters who also are being fostered by loving MAESSR foster families.
This is one high-energy, loving, and playful puppy! Toby is a Velcro boy and will follow his foster mom wherever she goes. Now about 95% housetrained, he is starting to tell his foster mom when he needs to go outside. He is very polite and has excellent manners. Toby loves his puppy food and treats. He sits patiently while his foster mom feeds him and waits until she says “OK!” to get up and begin eating. Having learned that he gets treats when he does good things, Toby will come back inside after a potty break and automatically sit and wait for his “good boy” treat. What a smart little guy!
Going into his crate is not enjoyable for Toby. At night he sleeps in his foster mom’s bedroom in his own bed like a big boy. He likes to have a toy or bone to chew in the middle of the night in case he wakes up. For the most part, he sleeps through the night to his foster mom’s delight! During the day, while his foster mom is at work, Toby has free run of the house because he is not destructive and has been accident-free. Way to go, Toby!
This little scamp will carry around anything he can find to “hoard” in his bed. He will hide his toys (or his foster mom’s socks!) in his bed but he never chews them…he just likes to carry them around!
Although Toby’s early start in life was a little rough, he has really adjusted well. He can be very shy initially when meeting new people. He does an “alert bark” at people walking past the house and he also will bark at a new person who enters the house. He stops immediately once he realizes that they are welcome.
Toby is a smart little man and already knows a lot of commands. His repertoire includes “sit,” “stay,” “down,” and “outside.” He walks great on the leash and loves to go for his daily walks. Since he does have a lot of puppy energy, he sometimes needs two walks a day. Toby can be trusted off leash as he follows his foster mother everywhere. He does not get distracted while off leash. True to his breed, this little pup loves the beach and the water. The ocean is a bit cold right now, but he has been swimming in the Barnegat Bay and loved it! It’s no surprise that Toby doesn’t mind getting a bath and was great at the groomer. His fur is very curly but does not require daily brushing. And he doesn’t shed, which is a huge bonus!
Please 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 under one year old to enroll their puppy in obedience classes within 60 days of adoption. In Toby’s case, obedience training will foster an important bonding between dog and human.
Once Toby finishes some medical treatment he will be neutered and brought up-to-date on his vaccinations; he’ll then be good to go! In his ideal forever home, he would do best with a family that has the ability to spend a lot of time at home. He loves to be around people and doesn’t care for being left alone for a long time. Toby needs plenty of exercise because, after all, he’s still a puppy!! He will need a little time to become familiar with his new surroundings and people but, after a few days, he will become your new best friend!