Winston 17

---

Update 03/11/08:

Winston is still working hard on his paper towel and broom issues. He would rather be in his crate, away from those trouble makers! He is at the place now that he will ignore them when he is being let out of his crate and they are not moving. This progress, though small it may seem to humans, is huge for Winston.

Hanging out with his people is what Winston loves. After a recent storm his foster mom was in her fenced yard, picking up the limbs. Winston ran and played and checked in with her ever so often. Finally after an hour, he found a half way point and just laid down and slept..too cute. Winston will do best in a home that likes to go on walks and spending time outside while he plays and won’t ask him to help with any housekeeping tasks.:)).

Update 01/31/08:

Winston is doing good with his return to foster care. He has been running and playing with the cold weather. He really loves his toys outside. He runs and tosses them up and then brings them to his foster mom when asked. He is very good on his come command.

Much of what Winston’s foster mom is working hard on is his bad attitude towards brooms and paper-towels. These are both issues for him that showed up with his return. All his foster mom is asking is that he tolerate these items while he is crated and, with slow and consistent work, there is progress. He has been much better for the last week.

Winston will be groomed again soon – as if he could look any more handsome than he is now. He has been really good about the brushing at home and is okay about toenails and trimming.

Like most Springers Winston is always willing to go on car rides. On a recent trip, he got a French fry at the drive-through and thought he would like them all!!! He thinks he is starved, but he had gained 5 pounds. Hmmmm, thought his foster mom. He switched from an adult food to a reduced calorie diet and he eats it just fine!!

With the progress he is making, Winston may be ready before long to ride along with a new family in hopes of bagging a French fry. Keep an eye on this boy if you can share just one.

Update 12/09/07:

Occasionally it happens that the pairing of a dog and its adopter is not a good fit and this is what happened with Winston. After a brief time with an adopting family, Winston was returned. He is back in his original foster home and continues to be a dream dog in so many ways. He comes to his name and does a great job with his sits and downs. He is wonderful when out on car rides. Running and playing with the other dogs in his foster home in their big back yard is one of his favorite parts of the day. And, with the coming of winter, his foster mom is finding Winston to be an excellent foot warmer!!!

With his return Winston has brought a new and surprising behavior. He gets very upset when brooms and spray bottles are used in household cleaning. His foster mom is very concerned about pinpointing this issue exactly and is committed to fixing it through behavior modification. Then, and only then, will Winston be warming someone else’s feet. Updates on their progress to come.

Original:

When Winston’s family moved to a new living facility, they could not take him with them. They contacted MAESSR knowing Winston would find a new, loving forever home.

Winston is a sweet, young Springer who is house trained and crate trained. He really feels safe in his crate and he sleeps and eats there with no problems. In his original home he had full run of the house with no problems except when something looked good on the counter or in the garbage. His foster mom has let him know that these behaviors are not permitted! Winston will bark if he is startled or when he wants something or when someone comes to door; otherwise he is quiet.

A very smart boy, Winston knows down, sit, and come for cookie. He does some pulling on leash, but when corrected properly, he really responds well. Winston is an excellent passenger in the car. He just sits and looks out window. When his foster mom went into the vet’s office to pay a bill, Winston waited patiently and was still sitting pretty in the passenger seat when she came out. Winston gets along very well with the resident dogs and he loves to play in the yard with them. He is good with other dogs that visit his foster home, too. Also, he likes to play fetch with his people. His relinquishing family said that Winston’s favorite activities are swimming and just being petted.

Although his original owners had grandchildren who were toddlers to a five year old, his foster mom thinks he will do better with teenagers. She has found that Winston will tolerate young children if an adult is holding the leash. He really listens to all adults well, but he has not been very good for the kids at his foster mom’s 4-H group so far. Because of his size, Winston dragged the younger kids and then he was only ho-hum with the ten year olds about doing what they asked him to do. It is apparent that he wasn’t raised around kids; he thinks adults rule! 

If you would like an adoring friend to be with you 24/7, Winston will happily accommodate you!