Entered: 10/17/2016
Status: Adopted
Age: 7, Born 05/04/2009
Color: Liver/White/Tan
Weight: 52 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Little Silver, NJ
Health: UTD, HW-, treatment for an encounter with stinging nettles and an ear infection complete, benefiting from medicated baths for itch relief and coat improvement, overall good health
Temperament: Good with adults and reportedly with children as young as 3, good with both dogs and cats
Update 11/21/2016: “It took antibiotics, another med, the collar of shame, and three days before he began to feel less itchy and his nose began to heal.”
Walshy’s health has rebounded after treatments for his chronic ear infections. Toward this care the vet inserts meds in the ear canal where it does its magic of killing off infection for two weeks until a recheck is done. His ears were so bad when he first came into foster care that the vet had to repeat the treatment three times! The ear canals are looking so much better now and Walshy is not scratching at them. The vet is having Walshy’s foster mom put ointment on the area outside of the ear canal to fight off the yeast infection there too. He is feeling so much better!
The medicated baths and baths with an over-the counter shampoo have helped his coat to lose its flakiness and dryness. He is quite the handsome boy with his shiny coat!
Walshy’s Springer tendency to sniff in the brush got him into trouble a few weeks back. The bridge of his nose suddenly became swollen and itchy blisters appeared. Before his foster parents were able to get him in to see the vet, Walshy had rubbed the bridge of his nose raw in his attempt to soothe the itching. It took antibiotics, another med, the collar of shame, and three days before he began to feel less itchy and his nose began to heal.
The vet at first thought Walshy may have been stung by a spider but, upon searching for other causes for the itchy blisters, the vet found that stinging nettles were the more likely culprit. If you Google “Stinging nettles on dogs,” you will see what poor Walshy looked like at his worst. He only has scabs left on parts of his nose bridge and his coat is growing back. No more stinging nettles, Walshy!
Walshy’s barking when his foster mom leaves him is dissipating. He is still a barky boy when he sees someone passing by or when the mailman comes to the door, though. On walks he usually barks as he approaches another dog. Once he says hello, his barking stops.
The discovery of the toy basket has provided Walshy with endless entertainment. He has a penchant for removing the squeakers out of balls and soft stuffed animals. (The Guinness Book of World Records is sending someone over to verify how quickly he can disembowel a stuffed animal and remove its squeaker.) Needless to say, the better stuffed dog toys are now bagged up in the attic and the toys needing mending are now in the toy basket awaiting destruction.This affectionate boy loves to cuddle and wishes his foster parents had a longer couch. He will soon be ready for a couch of his own to share with his own forever family who will cuddle with him and love him to pieces.
Original: “This trim, healthy, handsome, athletic dog is a real sweetie and would love a home where someone is around all of the time.”
When Walshy’s Pennsylvania family fell on hard times, they contacted MAESSR to find a new home for their beloved Springer. With heavy hearts they said goodbye to their boy of seven years and wished him well in his new life ahead.
Walshy has proved to be a very good houseguest for his foster family. Housetrained but not crate trained, he is given free roam of the house when his people go out. He gets along well with the resident Springers although the older female wishes he would be less attentive to her. After a few curled lip displays, Walshy is beginning to respect her wishes. Even the resident cat likes Walshy and does not run when he comes near her. To check Walshy out with cats initially, baby gates were set up to keep the resident kitty in part of the house and the dogs in the rest. Walshy never tried to jump the gates although he would put his paws up on them and cry. He does not like to be separated from his pack.
Furniture privileges are given to resident Springers and their foster friend too. If there is room on the couch, Walshy will hop up to sit next to his foster mom and get some petting and cuddling. If the couch is already full, he is happy to stretch out on the carpet. At night he sleeps soundly on the foot of his foster parents’ bed.
In the kitchen Walshy will check what is on the counter and would steal whatever he could reach. So, his foster parents are letting him know that this is not acceptable Springer behavior. He doesn’t beg which is nice and there is no temptation from the covered trash cans. Walshy is not a chewer and he does not seem to be interested in the toys available to him.
The grandmother was always home in his former residence and Walshy grew to like this constant female company. Now when his foster mom has to leave the house, Walshy will bark and howl protesting her absence. Hopefully, this behavior will dissipate as he learns that she will come back. For this reason, though, Walshy may not be the best fit for apartment or condo living were the neighbors could be disturbed by his barking. Quite the Velcro boy, Walshy is his foster mom’s shadow, never wanting to be far from her. He is also beginning to realize that his foster dad is a wonderful dog masseuse and gives great scratching sessions!
When he came into foster care, Walshy was an itchy boy. Due to his family’s financial difficulties, he had not been to the vet for a long time and had not been kept on flea and heartworm preventatives. Medications quickly eliminated his flea infestation and the vet recommended oatmeal and aloe baths to soothe the residual itching and flaky skin. Even after a week, he is already itching less. He is a very good boy for his baths, too. Yeah! The vet is treating him for dual ear infections and already the smelliness is gone and he is scratching his ears less. He will be back to the vet for a recheck soon. Walshy was a perfect patient as the vet got him up-to-date on all of his lapsed vaccinations. The only part of his exam that he wasn’t keen on was the necessary nail clipping, but even that he tolerated.
His foster mom has transitioned Walshy’s kibble over from a corn based product to one with no corn in it. This may have been part of his recurrent ear infections and itchy skin. This is just her conjecture rather than a vet-lead test for allergies. He is an eager eater and would gladly eat the resident dogs’ meals too since they are slower eaters. Unfortunately, his foster parents limit him to one healthy serving per meal rather than three! Walshy does not guard his food from people or from dogs. Good boy!
Walshy is pretty good on leash walks, not pulling excessively. He does bark at approaching dog walkers but is not aggressive. Walshy is good off leash in the unfenced yard and comes fairly quickly when called. He responds to “sit” –especially when a treat is given for the correct response. He is learning “wait” but does not seem to know many commands beside these basics. Obedience classes would be a boon to both Walshy and his new forever family, helping in bonding and improved safety for him. He’s a smart boy and would show up all of those puppies in basic obedience classes. He already is a pro at riding in the car and is a good passenger, tethered or not.
This trim, healthy, handsome, athletic dog is a real sweetie and would love a home where someone is around all of the time. Walshy would be a faithful companion who would accompany you in all of your activities. He is a keeper!!