Entered: 11/15/2006
Status: Adopted
Age: 0
Color: Black/White/Tan
Weight:
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Bedford, PA
Health: UTD, HW-
Temperament: All Springer Puppy!!!
Updated 1/13/07: Tom Turkey and his litter mates are just a few days short of 2 months old and their individual personalities are becoming quite apparent. Tom is a curious and playful puppy. He is steadily becoming the biggest puppy in the litter and keeps his siblings on their toes. He enjoys running around the backyard, chasing leaves blowing in the wind and chewing on bark and limbs whenever he can get his teeth around them. He is incredibly fast and steady on his feet, which makes watching him play a true joy. He is also quite a cuddler and enjoys laying on your chest for a small nap.
Tom is responsive to his initial potty training and recognizes that the puppy training pads are where he needs to go when indoors. He does, however, go in the backyard each and every time, so his foster mom believes that increased exposure to the backyard, combined with his growth, will make him incredibly easy to housebreak altogether. Tom enjoys crunch puppy food and likes puppy toys. He doesn’t care for the soft squeaky toys much, but rather, he likes something he can tug on and really dig into. He is not frightened of the vacuum cleaner, any of the appliances or bigger dogs. He also gets a kick out of chasing the resident cats around in his foster home, so sporting cats may be required if there are cats in his forever home. More on this loving pup as he continues to grow.
Original: In mid-November, 5 springers came into MAESSR’s care when a breeder chose to downsize her breeding program. One of the dogs, Zoe, was near her due date and delivered a litter 4 days later. Names were needed for Zoe’s new family and, in the spirit of the season, it was fitting that a Thanksgiving theme be used. Zoe’s family now includes Tom Turkey (no one could resist the lighter side of this choice), Unity (in the spirit of the original feast), Winthrop (after a man who drafted the first Thanksgiving resolution) and Xia (Greek for welcoming).
In just a few days Tom Turkey and his litter mates will be one month old. The 4 puppies and their mother are doing great. Zoe is eating regularly now and producing plenty of milk to keep her growing babies fed. By their 3 week weigh-in, each pup had grown to 3 pounds or more which is quite big for their age. At that time the puppies were still nursing full-time but will be ready to start on solid food soon. There’s nothing as entertaining as baby puppies swimming in their first real food!
Of course, everyone has their eyes open now. They’re all walking and even starting to play with each other. This is when their individual personalities begin to emerge and Tom Turkey is no exception. Even though he’s the biggest, Tom seems a little more timid than his siblings and he’s a bit of a crybaby. He was the first to be able to walk and likes to explore the pen, but he’s unsure if anything changes. He’s always the first to complain whenever everything isn’t just perfect. His foster mom jokingly says that he’s starting to look like an actual puppy instead of a doggie-like sausage. He’s already mighty cute and getting cuter every day.
More on this little guy as he takes on shape and personality.