Bernie 4

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Entered: 05/17/2015

Status: Adopted

Age: 2

Color: Black/White/Tan

Weight: 55 lbs.

Gender: Altered Male

Location: Goochland, VA

Health: UTD, HW-, benefiting from anti-anxiety medicine, surgery for hip repair complete

Temperament: Good with people as young as six (younger unknown), good with most other dogs, not good with cats

Bernie 4's Story . . .

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Update 06/27/2015: “The new home also has a swimming pool. Although there have been attempts to get Bernie to go for a dip, he has not yet made the plunge.”

Bernie was moved to a foster home with fewer dogs to recuperate from his hip surgery. His recovery is coming along beautifully!

Since there, he also has been exposed to new things as there are so many people coming in and out of his new home. Although Bernie had some submissive urination initially, he now is much more accepting of new people. The new home also has a swimming pool. Although there have been attempts to get Bernie to go for a dip, he has not yet made the plunge. Maybe a few more hot days will help coax him into the pool.

Bernie is a wonderful boy that is looking for a family willing to give him the gift of time…time to finish learning that people are okay. Keep looking for updates on Bernie as he continues on this journey.

Original: “Typical Springer, he loves to play ball and always carries a toy in his mouth.”

Bernie was originally rescued by a wonderful North Carolina family who were told that he had been found as a puppy run over and left in a ditch. Subsequent X-rays showed this poor guy had no hip socket and his legs had healed so crookedly that one would be surprised he could walk let alone run and play the way he does.

At that point, at a year of age, Bernie was extremely afraid of everything, had not been in a house and had not been taught any appropriate behaviors. His rescuers started working with him and made progress, but was not always good with their smaller dogs; they finally made the extremely difficult decision to let Bernie go to a place that had more training knowledge and experience working with anxiety.

This youngster is a high energy Springer with a timid nature. He is paranoid about shadows and reflections and generally afraid of people, especially men. He is prey oriented and enjoys being outside in the yard. Bernie is interested in killing moles and will therefore dig, dig, dig—got to get those pesky critters!! But, he is not a barker and does not jump the fence. This love also walks well on leash, and, in spite of no formal obedience training, knows the basic commands. Typical Springer, he loves to play ball and always carries a toy in his mouth.

Inside, Bernie is well behaved; he doesn’t beg or counter-surf. He is completely housetrained and crate trained although he does jump on people he knows and may submissively urinate when meeting strangers. He has never bitten or growled at a human and really loves children.

Bernie travels well—no carsickness for this pup--and loves his groomer. He doesn’t object to having his ears or feet handled.

What a hard beginning this guy had, but he is working through his issues as we all try to do. He is a sweet boy, and lucky is the family who will adopt Bernie. They’ll have a friend with whom to play ball and a mole-free yard!!