Will

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Updated 10/18/05:

Will continues to amaze all around him with his zest for an active life. In the wake of banishing squirrels from “his” yard, there was an unfortunate dove who happened to land and learned the hard way not to underestimate a 15 year old dog’s speed.  He has been happily collecting burrs and stickers on trail walks because he loves to root through the tall grass and brush looking for critters with fur and feathers.

While on a fall walk, his foster mom tried to keep Will and the other dogs out of a creek but failed miserably.  Will’s foster brother, Asher, loves to swim and cannot resist the water. With his usual “dive in” enthusiasm, Will took a running jump off the side of an embankment and did a rather impressive belly flop into the creek! His foster mom felt kind of like the dove in the yard that day.  She underestimates Will as well and forgets that he will try to do everything her younger dogs do.  Luckily, the water was deep and Will still swims well so all she ended up with were wet, muddy, stinky dogs….. who had a great time, of course!!

Will has settled well and thrived on the outdoor opportunities in his foster home.  The activity undoubtedly contributes to his overall good health and happiness.  He remains a gentleman when indoors and enjoys his people wherever he is with them. He would like a forever family to winter with who, at the least, would play frisbee with him regularly and might even have a few squirrels to keep at bay!!

Updated 9/21/05:

Will has had a very active summer. He wore out his blue Frisbee and moved on to a nice green one. He has also taken over a bright orange and yellow one that rightfully belongs to the other springer in the household, but try telling Will that!

During a recent visit to update vaccinations, his age was checked twice. Then the vet paraded him out to the other vet to show him what incredible shape Will was in for 15.5 years. Yes, half years after 15 are proudly counted! The inevitable, slightly stiff joints are beginning to be a little bothersome on stairs, but Will is in fabulous shape. He is not to be discouraged from an hour of all out racing through the park after birds and his resident brothers……and he does this daily!

His foster mom shares this story about Will. Her young dogs have an ongoing war with squirrels in the back yard. No squirrels allowed. Period. If one should be bold enough to step a furry paw into the yard, it is immediately dispatched with much barking and racing around. Will decided on a slightly different approach. Back in July, a squirrel had been in the cherry tree all morning, driving the dogs nuts. Will tried to run up the tree and his foster mom saw him plunk out of the tree on his back. She feared he might have broken something, but he happily jumped up and grabbed his Frisbee. She told Will, “Don’t do that, you’re too old!” Even the young guys don’t have that much ambition.

Two hours later, she saw Will drop out of the tree again and roll over a few times. He had something and much to her shock, she realized he had the squirrel! She raced out expecting carnage, but Will, tail wagging of course, happily dropped his prize at her feet: a very dead, but completely unchewed squirrel. She doesn’t know how he managed it, but she must say that her other dogs were wildly impressed as they have never managed to catch a squirrel. She hasn’t seen a squirrel in the yard since!

Original: Will came into MAESSR’s care after his owner moved to a nursing home. Initially he was moved between some family members, and after a few months, he found his MAESSR foster home. Will is a field bred springer with hunting training and experience. His hunting right now is reserved for his blue Frisbee which he LOVES, but he is still very interested in birds. He visited a lake with his foster family that is packed with geese. He picked up feathers from the ground until he made himself a nice mouthful of goose. Then he politely spit the wad of feathers out in his foster mom’s hand when she asked and was very proud of his accomplishment!

Will has incredible energy for his age, and so far, his foster parents have not worn him out. He will hike, swim, and play Frisbee until his playmates’ arms ache. Will’s tail is wagging from the second he wakes up ’til the moment he falls asleep and he is never seen with anything but a beaming springer smile. He is quite possibly the happiest dog his foster family has ever met. They see a super fabulous temperament in this senior!

Of course, this fellow has excellent house manners too. He does not get up on furniture or beds, does not chew, is crate trained and perfectly house broken. He gets along with other dogs, kids, and everyone he meets. He walks very nicely on a leash as well. He likes cats, but perhaps a bit too much! He is not aggressive with them but enjoys following them around the house and loves to uncover them when they try to hide.

Will is looking for a home with someone who loves the outdoors like he does. That someone should have a stronger arm than his foster mom so they can keep throwing his Frisbee until Will says “stop!” He would make an excellent companion for another dog as well as his people. If you think you can keep up with this fellow and have a soft spot in your heart for seniors, please ask about Will.