Entered: 05/09/2015
Status: Adopted
Age: 8
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 73 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Altoona, PA
Health: UTD, HW-, Lyme-, showed hip dysplasia as a young adult but seems to be resolved, losing to a healthy weight
Temperament: Good with adults, would do best with teenagers, good with other dogs, previously lived with a cat
Update 06/19/2015:“One of his foster mom’s prayers would be answered if every dog was as cooperative as Tripp getting his toenails trimmed. Oh, how easy he makes the job. You’re the man, Tripp!”
Tripp continues to be a considerate houseguest in his foster home. He and the one-year-old resident dog are great playmates, and Tripp takes his share of abuse from this tomboy in stride. The only time Tripp is not interested in playing with her is when there is a squirrel to be dispatched. He recently discovered an errant groundhog and was ushered back into the house. Since then Tripp has been exploring the bank of day lilies where it went to hide. When directed, he will remove himself from the area. Tripp gets along well with the two senior resident dogs as well; the male Springer occasionally will lick Tripp’s face.
While Tripp continues to spend his nights on the dog pillow next to his foster mom’s bed, occasionally he has jumped into bed while she is sleeping. Surprisingly, he doesn’t take up that much space! When prompted, he jumps off the bed to return to his pillow. This boy has very little modesty; sometimes his foster mom looks over and there is Tripp – stretched out, legs spread in every direction, sleeping on his back! Tripp has not chewed anything he shouldn’t and ignores the trash. Occasionally he will put his feet up on the counter but this behavior is improving. His tendency to jump up on or frequently lick humans is decreasing as well. Tripp is reducing his barking and sometimes even ignores cars driving by when he is in the yard. He is learning what “quiet sitting” and “enough!” mean. He is also expected to quietly sit while waiting for the crate to be opened and sometimes takes a few minutes to calm down. Tripp does great in the crate, will go in on command, and is very well-behaved. He is able to go about eight hours with no problems. Now he is only crated when his foster mom has errands to run. Tripp is a smart boy and able to pick up on learning rules and requirements and is very eager to please.
Tripp has had one bath and was a good boy in the tub. Although there isn’t much to brush, Tripp does enjoy the attention and knows that he will be second, right after the resident Springer is brushed. One of his foster mom’s prayers would be answered if every dog was as cooperative as Tripp getting his toenails trimmed. Oh, how easy he makes the job. You’re the man, Tripp!
In the past month Tripp’s foster mom has also discovered that he knows the commands “speak” and “give me your paw.” He will readily comply for those commands but is still a little slow/stubborn on “sit” unless food is involved. (This boy’s no dummy!) Tripp and his companions are asked to sit to get leashes removed, and he is usually the last to do so. If there is a treat to be had, Tripp is quick to sit down so he can receive his snack.
Tripp attended the MAESSR picnic in Pittsburgh with his resident dog buddy as his companion and enjoyed his day. He did quite well on the two-hour car ride, although sometimes his little pal had him squeezed up against the car door. Tripp got to meet the CEO and a member of the adoption committee so they can tell everyone what a sweetheart he is. Of course, Tripp pulled his big bad dude act when he first arrived, but everyone was able to see past that! Tripp is a big old love bug and wants to be somebody’s lapdog – there are just a few little kinks to work out. Tripp has such a good time that he slept in the back seat almost the entire ride home. His foster mom continues to work on reducing Tripp’s big bad dude persona out on walks in the neighborhood. Sometimes he is able to ignore people or dogs with a “keep walking” but sometimes he has to bark and hop around, especially if the other dog(s) start raising a ruckus. (Tripp could have put that annoying Chihuahua that came chasing up the street in its place, but he didn’t!) The behavior definitely decreases with practice. Tripp loves his walks, and a Gentle Leader is used to give more control. He’s now able to walk with all of his canine companions at the same time. He gets excited by the running cats and grazing rabbits encountered along the way. Tripp is able to walk about 1.5 miles when the weather is not too hot and humid. Then it’s naptime. It doesn’t happen often, but this boy can snore!
Tripp made a trip back to the vet’s to get his thyroid levels checked, just to make sure that isn’t the reason for his hefty frame. He was weighed while there and has lost three or four pounds in the past month. Apparently all that playing, walking, and diet changes have paid off! The test results came back with Tripp being at the low end of normal range. His adopter should follow up with another thyroid check in six months to make sure everything is the same. So, in the meantime, this love bug is ready and waiting for you!
Update 05/21/2015: “Everything checked out fine, with the vet’s only concern being Tripp’s weight.”
Tripp recently visited the vet for his MAESSR checkup and rode well while tethered in the back seat of the car. He displayed some minor panting but didn’t make a peep at any cars or people along the way.
Once in the waiting room of the clinic Tripp was very vocal, barking at people in the waiting area and in the office area. His foster mom suspects this probably got them in to see the doctor a little sooner…ahh, the squeaky wheel gets the grease! Tripp was muzzled to complete his bloodwork, immunizations, and microchipping. Everything checked out fine, with the vet’s only concern being Tripp’s weight. The good news is that his foster mom’s estimate of 80 pounds was five pounds high. The not-so-good news is that Tripp needs to slim down from 75 pounds to 60 pounds to achieve a healthy weight. Once his ordeal was over, Tripp was very well-behaved at checkout and wasn’t concerned with all of the staff walking in and out of the area.
Keep posted on news of Tripp’s progress. With a controlled diet and exercise, he should be ready for bathing suit weather later this summer!
Original: “He is a smart boy who is eager to please, already showing progress in getting behaviors under control, because he responds well to positive reinforcement and consistency.”Tripp is a big, strong, handsome fellow from Pennsylvania who became a MAESSR boy when the family that has loved him since he was a puppy realized that this senior boy was not tolerating the newest family member. The baby was beginning to crawl and invading Tripp’s space, which caused him to growl and snap. Fortunately Tripp did not hurt the baby, but the heart-wrenching decision was made to find him a new home to avoid stress in his life and to keep the baby safe. As a puppy, Tripp was raised with two children who are now teens and always got along with them. He also had an older 15 pound canine companion who was the alpha dog and would growl if Tripp approached his food.
His new foster home consists of three resident dogs – two seniors and an older puppy. At first Tripp was a little overwhelmed but quickly adapted to his temporary family. He and the puppy have become great playmates. Even though Tripp is almost three times her size, he is very gentle and tolerant of the little whippersnapper who enjoys good old-fashioned horseplay and roughhousing. The two resident seniors are peacefully coexisting with their foster brother.
Tripp is crate trained and is usually crated about eight hours daily while his foster mom is at work. He is well behaved in the crate but very excited to be let out when she returns home. He is learning that he needs to be calm before she will open the crate door. His former family allowed Tripp full freedom while they were gone, and he reportedly went up to 12 hours without an accident. There have been no accidents in his foster home. Tripp usually will stand at the back door and patiently wait to be let out. He has not rung the bells as a signal, although he did so at his former home.
At night Tripp sleeps on a dog pillow next to his foster mom’s bed. The first night he tried several times to join her in bed, as he was used to sleeping with his owners. Although Tripp might give his foster mom the “sad eyes” hoping she will let him in bed, he now accepts being told “no.” Tripp also likes to chill out on the couch but will get off when prompted. Sometimes he will choose to nap in his open crate but would prefer to be a lap dog.
As a young adult Tripp attended obedience classes. So far in his foster home, Tripp has responded to commands of “sit,” “come,” “lie down,” and “get down,” although sometimes he can be a little stubborn in complying. He is learning that he has to sit before getting the treats, which he takes gently. He will join his companions in longingly watching his foster mom eat her meals, but he’s a polite boy and does not beg. Tripp is being fed in his crate and consumes his meals at a moderate rate. No wolfing down his food for this guy! Tripp hasn’t bothered the trash or any of his foster mom’s possessions. This big boy does put his feet up on the counters when she is prepping meals but is decreasing this behavior. He has not displayed any resource guarding.
Tripp is working on reducing his barking at passing cars and pedestrians and the occasional excessive licking and jumping up on people. He is a smart boy who is eager to please, already showing progress in getting behaviors under control, because he responds well to positive reinforcement and consistency.
When his foster mom took Tripp out for his first walk – or should we say speed walk – she was somewhat surprised. Since he is generally a low energy fellow and pretty stocky, she didn’t think Tripp could possibly move that fast! He pulled on the leash and was returned home to bring out the Gentle Leader, which is alleviating much of the pulling. He shows some resistance to the Gentle Leader as he adjusts to it, but is completely cooperative when having it put on. Tripp comes with a history of leash reactivity as he barks and pulls when he sees people/dogs on his travels. This will definitely need to be worked on to make his walks safer and more enjoyable. His former owner reported that they never did master walks. Because he’s overweight, Tripp is out of shape for longer walks in the warm weather, but even with shorter walks he can work on reducing reactivity.
Tripp enjoys fetch but will not give up his tennis ball without it being pried from his mouth. He has several toys that he will carry around although he’s generally not big on playing so far. His former owners reported that he loves to swim. He was not trusted off leash because he also loves to chase rabbits, as one dumb bunny found out when it ventured into his foster mom’s yard! Tripp loves being outdoors and having the freedom to roam in a fenced yard. In his former home he was kept on a run.
Tripp has never been to the groomer but was clipped by his owners. He reportedly falls asleep while being groomed! There was no problem cleaning his ears as needed. As a youngster, Tripp had a difficult neutering experience at a clinic so he is a little apprehensive of the vet. His vet visit for MAESSR is pending.
During his transport ride Tripp did well being tethered in the back seat. Reportedly he is a reactive if others approach the car when he is in it.
Tripp’s future home should be one with experienced owners with high school aged children or older. A canine friend would be a plus! He needs a loving hand to guide him with shaping a few behaviors and helping him to slim down. The return on investment is a sweet companion that promises to keep the yard bunny-free!