Miles continues to enjoy his days at what must feel like Springer
summer camp, with lots of fetch and swimming (even when he's not supposed to be
in the pool.) His love of water and mud continue to amaze his foster parents, and
Miles will just as happily splash in the baby pool on the deck as jump into the
in-ground pool. Miles also REALLY loves food, and his foster parents discovered
that Miles figured out how to lift the lid on his foster brother's food and has
been snacking away. Smart boy! He gained three pounds in the past month but will
burn that off easily. The vet did not seem to think his weight gain was a
concern, but the food container has been secured!
Miles has not had any more accidents in the house and his
foster parents are working on training him with bells. The only signal that he
has to go out is sitting by a sliding glass door, so his foster parents assume
he has to go. They take him out frequently while they are working on the bells
with him.
Miles continues to navigate living with other dogs, and his
inability to sometimes read other dogs resulted in a dust-up over a tennis ball.
Both dogs felt passionate about it in the moment but were cuddled on the sofa
together again quickly. That incident seemed to help him figure out his
relationship with one resident Springer, and they are back to high-energy play.
They never get out of control, and outside the pace of play is easily
controlled by humans who will call off a game if the action seems like it might
become frenzied.
When his foster parents leave the house, Miles struggles
with being left in his crate. His agitation has required some of his medication
to be adjusted while his anti-anxiety medications build up in his system.
Miles will need a special family who will focus on his
needs, giving him attention and keeping him active daily. He will need his
daily medication schedule to be observed and regular assessment with a
veterinarian for his medication needs. The family willing to put in the effort
for Miles will be rewarded with a wonderful companion.
Miles
came to MAESSR when his previous owner had several major life events that meant
Miles could no longer get the attention and exercise he needs. This
Pennsylvania boy was clearly well-loved and loves to be with people.
Miles
has had a few urine accidents in his new home, at least two incidents
because he drank too much water outside and couldn't keep up with the trips
outside. He will whine sitting at the back door when he needs to go out.
For
Miles, the crate is his safe space. He retreats there if he feels he needs a
break from the other household dogs or to escape an uncertain situation, such
as when he had an accident on the floor and didn't know what would happen (he
was so happy all that happened was a trip outside!). Miles stays in the crate
whenever his foster parents are not home. He has a separate crate in their
bedroom that he sleeps in at night without any issues.
Miles
so far has shown excellent house manners. He has not attempted to get into the
trash, but it is covered at all times, so it may be because he lacks access.
While he apparently was known to counter-surf in his previous home, he has
not attempted it in foster parents' home at all. He seems like he might eat off
his foster parents' plates if given a chance, so he hasn't yet been tested by
temptation. He does like to sleep on the sofa with the resident Springers, but
the command "off" sends him anxiously scampering to his crate. His
foster parents are working on a "go to bed" command to replace
"off" to reduce his stress.
Miles
only picks up toys and chews bones when they are given to him. He has not
picked up anything that he shouldn't have and does not chew anything else in
the house. He does love to shred toys, however, so he is given toys to play
with under supervision. Miles does, however, love to dig! When told digging
holes under the hydrangeas was unacceptable, he was more than happy to begin a
new hole in the middle of the yard! Anyone adopting Miles needs to know that
Miles loves mud and lots of it. He loves to dig holes and then wash off the mud
in the swimming pool, and then go make more mud. His foster parents rely on a pool robot to
keep up with the mud from Miles, and the other dogs are happy to follow Miles's
lead and join in the mud party!
The
work put into training Miles is clear: he comes when called, knows how to walk
on a leash without pulling, and knows "sit" and "down." He
follows directions when asked off-leash to walk with his foster parents in his
house, and he “comes” off-leash consistently in the yard. Miles would love
someone who had time and energy to teach him more obedience, rally, agility, or
nosework, and his foster parents are hoping to get him started with nosework soon.
Miles
is polite meeting other dogs and ignored all the other dogs at PetSmart and
the vet. His previous owner said he does not do well with larger dogs but this
has not been observed while he has been in foster care. Miles is anxious in the car but did not
resist being tethered with a harness. When he could escape his dog seatbelt
harness, however, he did. So, his foster
parents bought him a harness that fit more snugly to thwart future escape
attempts in the car.
Miles
loves to swim! He does not follow the rule the resident Springers understand,
which is no swimming without permission. One of the resident Springers
appointed himself lifeguard and barks daily to announce that Miles is in the
pool again. He will dive in without warning and would excel at dock diving--he
is fearless and dives in off the side of the pool before the toy he is
retrieving is even thrown! He loves standing on the pool steps and slowly
waving his front leg in the water to make bubbles to snap. Where the resident Springers
only swim to retrieve from the pool, Miles will swim around the pool aimlessly
from the shallow end, to the deep end, lazily swimming in loops, just happy to
be swimming.
Miles
also LOVES retrieving games in the pool and on land! He will chase toys, tennis
balls, and his current favorite, frisbee! He brings it back and returns it to
his foster parents' hands, and if they bobble it, he picks it up and gives it
back to them. Miles can get overly excited playing fetch which led to a brief
quarrel with a resident Springer since both thought that the thrown ball was
theirs. Happily, they are still friends. Miles is joyful when he is playing in the
yard, and he will need a family that is dedicated to giving him a lot of
playtime every day. His attitude is positive and he seems to really want to
please his foster parents. He seeks them out for affection and cuddles often.
Miles
will run with the resident dogs around the yard, and they like having
him
around. They often watch him as he runs around unsure of what he is
doing, but happy to join him. They will sleep curled up next to him. One
day he was
sniffing the resident female Springer's paws, which she allowed, but
when he
began sniffing her face closely and didn't get the hint when she turned
her
head away a few times, she lifted her lip at him, and he left,
understanding
that she had had enough of him at that moment.
In
his first few days, Miles showed some resource guarding, putting his paw
on a
dropped bag of treats and letting out a low snarl to tell the other dogs
it was
his, but he was fine with giving it to his foster parents. He also
showed some unwillingness to share some toys the first week, but now
that he feels
more confident, that behavior seems to be lessening. He loves any toy he
is
offered, but frequently wants to take the one his foster brother had
last and
has taken toys out of his foster brother's crate and put them in his
own. He is
easily distracted by a new toy and will give up the one he had. Because
of the
incident with the dog treats, he is fed in his crate. Miles tends to
gulp his
food, so he eats from a slow feeder bowl. Miles is learning to wait his
turn
and will push his way in front of the other dogs to be first for
anything.
Miles
has a lot of energy and is frequently anxious and hyperactive. When he is
separated from his foster parents, he becomes frantic. Miles was on medication
to treat his anxiety when he came into his foster placement, and his current
vet has changed his medication in hopes of finding a combination and dosage
that allow him to be his happy-go-lucky self. The vet feels Miles will likely
need to be on anti-anxiety medication all the time. The vet says it will take
weeks for his current medication to build up in his system and really be able
to fine-tune the dosing.
Miles
has a short coat and hasn't been to the groomer yet. The vet and vet techs
reported that he was easy to work with, but due to a computer issue, he needed
to spend the day there. He was anxious, crying, pacing, and drooling while
there, but he seemed to do better when they moved him to the larger dog pen
without a low ceiling.
Miles
needs a family that is dog-savvy--he's probably not a great choice for
someone's first dog. When something happens that he isn't sure about, he is
afraid and hides in his crate. His
foster family is working on building trust slowly and building Miles’ confidence. His forever family must continue this
training.
Miles
will also need a home that is committed to his daily exercise and can give him
his medications consistently on schedule to keep his anxiety in check and to
allow him to be his best dog self. His ideal home will allow him to be with his
people as much as possible during the week and weekends. He is not a dog that
can be only exercised on weekends. In return, he will be a loyal, playful
companion who is up for outdoor activities and adventures! (Oh, and he wouldn’t
mind having a pool!)
Miles
is smart, well-trained, fun dog who will be a joyful addition to an active,
experienced dog family!