Tucker 23

Tucker 23

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Entered: 12/15/2021

Status: Adopted

Age: 3; born 04/12/2019

Color: Liver/White

Weight: 48 lbs.

Gender: Altered Male

Location: Bethany Beach, DE

Health: UTD, HW-, benefitting from probiotics and an inexpensive medication for anxiety, successfully completed a course of prednisone

Temperament: Good with foster, not friendly with strangers, children unknown, other dogs unknown, cats unknown

Original:  “This sweet boy is very loving….he will snuggle up to his people, especially in the evening.”

Tucker spent two weeks in an SPCA in Pennsylvania before he was rescued by MAESSR.   He and his mom lived in an apartment and he was using pee pads in the house.  He spent his first two years with this owner who became severely ill over the last year and suffered very poor health. Protective, he was interfering with visits from home health care aides there to help her deal with her amputation.  She could no longer care for him so she made the difficult decision to rehome him.

Although he was very anxious when transferred to MAESSR he traveled 5 hours in the car like a champ.  According to the SPCA he was neutered and vaccinated on two separate visits but that was the extent of his health care.

Tucker is great in the house. He enjoys a snooze on the sofa during the day watching soccer with his foster dad and taking naps.  He lounges nearby while his foster mom works on the computer.  He hovers when anyone is in the kitchen and occasionally surfs a counter–he’s a tall boy–but responds to a “no” or “off.”  This sweet boy is very loving….he will snuggle up to his people, especially in the evening.  

He signals that he needs to go outside by tapping on a human or staring….and he has picked up the “let’s pee” schedule with no problem.   He sleeps at the end of the bed or on his dog bed. Although it was reported that he was used to a crate, he does not like the crate….so crate training is in progress.  He is great around food; he loves his meals, but he doesn’t guard his bowl.  

Since his former owner could not take him for walks, Tucker hasn’t learned how to walk on a leash. He needs consistent leash training but he is beginning to listen and respond to correction.  His foster family is working with him using a harness and stops walking until he releases the pressure.  But it’s slow going. He enjoys multiple walks a day around the neighborhood; he has identified his two-block territory and he will sit to the side of the road within a safe distance as walkers, dogs, and bikes go by.   He knows little about the outside world since he had little socialization, so being out and about is still a scary experience for him.

Mr. T. is great in the car, enjoys a ride, and is learning how to carefully get in and out of the car. Probably his owner groomed him at home so Tucker needs a serious grooming–including overly long nails.  He will let his foster parents brush him to some extent, but often the session just ends in a fuss at the brush. 

He loves to play…. with toys and pull rope…and with balls of all sizes.  Playing ball, he will return, drop the ball and lie down for the next round.   He will guard a toy when he first gets it but he eventually forgets about it….and then plays fetch, returning and dropping the toy for another round.  

He is great with both his foster mom and dad, but has decided that his foster mom is his new “person” and will be protective of her.   As his anxiety level abates, socialization exercises and games will help increase his confidence….as will learning the basic commands, although he does a great “sit.”    His foster family will be testing him out with a neighborhood dog soon….so more on his interaction with other pups to come.

Although he is two years old, Tucker is still in many ways an untrained, unsocialized puppy. MAESSR will require that the adoptive family take him through two series of obedience classes within 90 days of adoption. MAESSR only places puppies–even the teenaged ones like Tucker–in homes that are committed to training and bonding with the pup in obedience classes. Teenage pups require a lot of care, attention, and patience. MAESSR believes the decision to get a dog like Tucker and raise it to be a healthy, happy, and well-adjusted dog is a serious commitment. These classes will help Tucker bond with his family, become socialized, and learn proper Springer behavior. This is critical if Tucker and his new family are to enjoy his long life!!   

A forever home for Tucker would be one where he can run and get a lot of exercise in a fenced-in yard.   Tucker is very athletic and benefits from the exercise so a home where he could participate in a sport like agility or nose works would be optimum.   Also, a class for socialization and training to adjust to his new life will be helpful.  A home without children would be optimum; much older children who could help him burn off some of his energy with exercise might work if he understands his place in the hierarchy, but a home with small children might not be a good fit. His foster parents are around much of the day so that makes for a happy place for Tucker; spending extended amounts of time in a crate would not work for him.

Young Tucker is a loving, handsome boy who just needs a family willing to work with him. The time put into his training will be well worth it. Tucker is still learning in his foster home while they are working to help him with his anxiety. More updates to come as Tucker progresses and works toward becoming a more confident pup.