Yoder

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Update 07/21/08:

Yoder was very good when meeting the two resident cats. He poked his nose at the more curious cat but did not chase or try to hurt it. The other resident cat isn’t very fond of dogs and hid under the bed. When Yoder discovered she went under the bed, he crawled under the bed towards the cat. What he met was a hiss and a growl and a swat across the nose. All Yoder did was to back up away from this cat. His initial curiosity about the cats waned after this swat! Further meetings with the cats went very well. He sniffs and pokes his nose at them and then is on his way to other interesting things, like the cats’ toys.

Yoder has finished his antibiotics and the swelling on his face has subsided where he had his lymph nodes removed. The vet states that in time any residual swelling will go down, but Yoder may have a little knot or lump there. 

He is doing very well in his foster home and his wonderful personality is unfolding more and more. Yoder is very interested in the television shows on Animal Planet and will watch when he hears something interesting. He then goes up to the television and checks out the movements he sees on the screen. Next, he would like to learn how to use the remote control.

Opening the doggy door on his own is another of Yoder’s accomplishments and he readily goes in and out of it. Yoder also has started initiating play with the resident dogs and they enjoy bouncing around playing with each other. He also enjoys his toys! Yoder will still not go in the pool by himself yet, but with a little help with his foster mom, he has taken a dip! He’s not quite sure what to think of it, but did stay in the pool with his foster mom pawing at the water and taking a drink. 

Yoder is doing fairly well on the sit, shake paw, and down commands. If he is caught in the act of counter-surfing and is told No, Yoder will drop whatever he has taken. Then, he looks very sheepishly at his foster mom as if to say, “Oops, sorry”. It’s not just food items that he will try to steal from the counter; a roll of paper towels was very fun to shred and strew about the kitchen floor!

Although he still woofs at new dogs, Yoder actually is great in a meet and greet situation. At his last visit at the vet on rechecking his lumps, he met a four month old pit bull mix. Yoder did very well nose to nose after barking at him first. Having mom come home from work is a time for great excitement for all of the dogs in Yoder’s foster home. Even with all the excitement of the resident dogs, Yoder just takes things in stride and waits his turn for attention now. Vying for his foster mother’s attention is no longer an issue for Yoder. He accepts the resident dogs getting their fair share of attention also.

Yoder is a wonderful, mellow young Springer who just adores his human companion and wants to do whatever he can to please. He is just happy to be with his foster mom, whether going for a walk, playing with toys or just chilling out. Yoder will make a wonderful companion for a family that has another dog, cat or children. 

Original:

Yoder is a beautiful pup with a full tail that is forever wagging! He is one of three littermates coming from a shelter in Maryland. Their owner had left them behind when he moved. 

After Yoder was pulled from the shelter, his foster mom took him for a vet checkup. A very good boy with the techs and the vet, Yoder received basic vaccinations and treatment for hookworms. The vet found two lumps on each side of his muzzle that he felt should be removed and biopsied. There was a surgery appointment available for the next day so Yoder was neutered and had the lumps removed. The biopsy report showed that they were reactive lymph nodes to an infection. While Yoder was under anesthesia, large mats were removed from behind his ears and his back legs. He had a post-surgery reaction to the removal of the lymph nodes so he had a visit to the emergency vet where he received an injection for the swelling and he was put on stronger antibiotics for his infection. Yoder is a lucky dog by becoming a MAESSR Springer since all of his health issues have been tended to!

When Yoder met the five resident dogs – big and small – he got along with them very well. He still prefers his foster mom’s company best. Yoder prefers all the attention from his foster mom to be focused on him. Once when one of the resident dogs came over for attention, Yoder grumbled a bit, but stopped when told to. He is learning to share his foster mom’s attention with the others. Yoder loves to play with the toys in the house and yard and sometimes he will bring them back to his foster mom to toss again. He has not initiated any play yet with the resident dogs, yet, nor has he ventured into the baby pool. He thinks it is the largest drinking bowl he has ever seen! Yoder has not met the resident cats yet, but will be doing so in the following week. With just coming into foster care and heading off to surgery right away, his foster mom felt it be best to wait a couple of days until he is adjusted to his new environment. Yoder met a neighbor’s cat when visiting and he did not bark or try to chase the cat. The cat, on the other hand, took a look, stared, and went up the stairs.

Yoder pays close attention to his foster mom to see what is expected of him. He is very eager to please. Yoder does not pull on the leash and stays right by his foster mom’s side while on a walk. He is learning sitâ and shake paw. Yoder knows to stay when his foster mom leaves the fenced-in yard, though he’d much prefer going along. He does beg for food from the table and has started to countersurf, but both of these bad habits are being worked on in his foster home. When at the vet or shopping he will bark at another dog, not aggressively, but will stop when told to do so. After numerous car rides, Yoder is a good passenger quickly settling into the seat. He enjoys riding to the pet store where he walks right beside the shopping cart. He especially likes checking out the treat aisle! Over the 4th of July, he had heard some fireworks in the distance. He perked up his ears with the first couple of fireworks and looked around, but after that he didn’t pay much attention to the noise. Yoder also didn’t show any anxiety when a thunderstorm rolled by.

Yoder has met some neighborhood children ages two and four and he was very good with them, letting them pet him. His tail was wagging the whole time! Yoder loves to be around people, big or small! Yoder is a great companion when hanging out the laundry. He lies under the clothesline where his foster mom is hanging the wash, just watching her do so. He is also good at getting the clothespins that fall on the ground and chewing on them, too. If his foster mom goes in the house and he is still outside, Yoder will just wait patiently until she returns. Yoder occasionally jumps on his foster mom very gently for attention. Also, he thinks he is a lap dog, jumping onto her lap for additional attention when she is sitting. Yoder loves to gives kisses and will lean right into his foster mom when she is sitting on the floor with him. He’s a true Springer! 

Yoder has no food aggression at all towards his foster mom. He can be petted, have his food dish moved or taken away with no issues. He does very well with gently taking a treat even when the resident dogs are receiving theirs also. To ensure that mealtime is peaceful, Yoder is fed separately from the resident dogs. Although Yoder is housebroken, he may dribble a little out of excitement when his foster mom comes home from work. Yoder has had no accidents in the house at all, but his foster mom has not been able to discern his signals that he needs to go out. Yoder has watched the resident dogs go through the doggy door, but has not made any attempt to go through by himself. If his foster mom holds the flap open, Yoder will come through. During his first days in his foster home, Yoder was crated at night and when his foster mom went to work. Although initially unsettled in his crate, Yoder obediently goes inside when told to do so. What a good boy! Most recently, his foster mom has tried giving him full access to the house when she goes out and he has proven to be a very responsible boy! Now Yoder goes into the crate now if he wants his own space or if he is being fed, but only stays there a bit, as preferring to be closer to his foster mom. Now at bedtime, Yoder sleeps on his own pillow on the floor next to his foster mom’s bed. 

If you will be lucky enough to adopt this beautiful, mellow youngster, Yoder will be your faithful friend forever glued to your side!