Speckles 2

Speckles (aka Buddy) has been returned to MAESSR from his adoptive home of 6 weeks because he was bullying one of the more timid housemates in his home.  

His adoptive mother said that everything had been going well with Speckles/Buddy in their home, but that he had obsessive behaviors.  He would become obsessed with chasing the birds outside or running around the yard.  Since his family felt he was such a great dog, they had been working with a dog trainer to teach Buddy much needed basics and to give them suggestions of how to redirect some of his obsessive behaviors.   Buddy was a sweetheart to all of the family members and displayed that fun-loving Springer personality. 

Only very recently Buddy decided he wanted all of the attention from his family and directed his feelings towards one of the more timid canine housemates.  He would focus on this particular dog which is  very timid and scared of many things so he wouldn't stand up for himself. He didn't know what to do.  He and the other resident dogs and cats started staying away from Buddy and not interacting.   For the peace and safety of their resident animals, his family returned Buddy to MAESSR with heavy hearts.

Buddy has a lot of energy and loves running around the yard.  His family would take him outside multiple times a day and play with him in the yard.  This boy really needs a fenced yard to burn off his energy. Walking on a leash is not sufficient exercise for him, and he could use some practice walking nicely on a leash.    His family had been slowly working with him on that. In his temporary foster home, he has learned how to swim and loves their pool!

Stay tuned to find out more about Buddy as he adjusts to his new foster home.

Speckles doesn't have the best leash manners in the world and when he tripped up his original elderly owner in Pennsylvania, he was rehomed.  That new family did all his vet work but when he dug out from under their fenced yard, they returned him to the original owner's daughter. Since her condo had a dog limit of 2, she asked MAESSR to find this young man an appropriate home. 

Completely housetrained, he'll give a quick “arf” by the back door if he needs more walks than he's already had during the day.   Even though he hadn't been in a crate since being a puppy, he accepted one easily.  He's crated at night, not because he needs one but because his foster sister lets Mom sleep in later if he doesn't wake up the resident sight hound.

Speckles' foster home expected him to be much more trouble than he is.  Truthfully, his leash manners aren't the best.  But he's quiet, doesn't dig except for pawing near a bird feeder in the yard where a chipmunk hides.   The sight hounds in his foster home ignore him when he does his “stand tall” thing.  His worst sin seems to be that he loves toys, the squeakier the better, and occasionally chews paper.  But his foster mom can pull things out of his mouth with zero aggression.  Foster dogs are usually bird obsessed, but not Speckles.  He ignores birds on the feeders but did slightly chew up his foster mom's notepad with her list of birds sighted for the day.   There are worse sins.

When his foster folks are away, he usually has free roam of the kitchen, breakfast nook, and library along with the resident dogs.   Sometimes he is crated at night, sometimes not.  He is crated in the morning while his foster mom does her Zoom work meeting so that he's not squeaking toys.  Speckles doesn't really counter-surf or trash dive and his inappropriate chewing is limited to paper products.  He knows “sit,” “down,” and “stay” as long as his person is within 3 feet.  He pulls on leash, LOVES car rides, and is fine meeting unknown dogs.

Speckles came in liking to play with toys.  His favorite part of the day is when his foster mom takes him into the laundry room and says, “Which of these toys that are old and tired do you prefer?”  Then it’s out to the yard for retrieving them.  The resident playful dog tries to get Speckles to play chase but he doesn't really understand.  The only grumbling heard in the two weeks of fostering is if he tries to climb in the same open crate where a resident is already comfortable.  He does no resource guarding but is fed separately from the residents since he inhales his meals.  His energy level is “Toss it and I'll fetch it. Hide all my toys and I'll sleep at your feet.”

His prior family just groomed him at home but he loves being brushed, and is fine with ear contact.  Fully vetted, his foster mom figures that with his house manners, he’ll be great at the vet.

Speckles would probably like a fenced yard or someone willing to work on his leash manners.  He's a bit forward with other dogs (hey, he's just 2) but accepts “this is my crate, go away.”  So, unless the new home's dogs push back, he will get used to rules quickly.  Because he's well mannered for the most part, his foster mom has to remind herself that Speckles is just over 2 years old and a puppy at heart.  His new home would need to remember this.  He’s super sweet, always with a grin on his Springer snout.  What's not to love?