Socialization/training: Speck likes all dogs, cats and humans that he has come in contact with. He is currently residing with 4 resident dogs and 2 cats and likes to play with my son’s 12-week-old puppy. They all get along. There hasn’t been anything or anyone that he hasn’t tried to be friends with. Until very recently, Speck was only allowed to walk around our big yard, but now we have had him at a dog park off leash and he has done well. Speck does not like to be left totally alone. We have been able to keep Speck at home with our other dogs recently for up to four hours at a time uncrated without issue. Most of the time he lays by the front door waiting for us to come home. He has not been around young children. Speck likes to eat tall grass, and also house plants whether they are real living plants or the fake ones that look like live plants.
Crate trained: Speck does not like to be alone, so he is not a fan of a crate. He is anxious while in a crate, so we have not used one for him. After surgery, Speck needed to be in a small area so we turned a small room into Speck's room for recovery. We would stay in there with him until his medications made him sleepy enough that he was alright being in the room by himself. He is trustworthy without a crate.
Leash trained: Speck walks nicely on a leash by your side most of the time. He doesn’t react to other dogs or people while walking on a leash. If he sees a squirrel or another small animal he alerts and slightly pulls, but not too hard.
Activity Level: Speck is still in recovery mode, but is starting to act like a dog. He plays and chews/destroys toys, he initiates play with the resident dogs. He bounces and sniffs around. At the dog park he did a little bit of light running. Mostly, he likes to walk and explore. Currently, he walks about 15-20 minutes or so before his back legs get weak. That will just take time to continue to build up his strength. Currently, we are doing some physical therapy in our pool with him for range of motion and strengthening exercises for his legs. He is able to walk down our stairs swiftly. Up the stairs is a work in progress, but most of the time with encouragement, he will make it up all of them.
Fence: He would not require a fence. Walking him and having a plan in place to have some off leash time somewhere safe such as a dog park would be adequate. He has never at this point attempted to jump or climb over a 4’ deck fence. We haven’t ever seen Speck on his back legs standing either. He listens pretty well to “come” and if you open a car door, he would be right on over to jump in.
Behavior: Speck is a determined, expressive, plant/grass eater, toy destroyer English Setter. He is a sweet, loving dog. He loves to greet you in the morning, or when you walk in the house with a wagging tail. He does not jump up on you, but waits patiently for a nice pat. He loves his belly rubbed and will gladly roll on his back for it. You can see the love he has for his humans in his eyes. He is very affectionate and just wants to be with his humans. He likes to snuggle with us on our laps, but prefers to sleep on his bed on the floor next to our bed. His favorite activity is going for car rides. He also likes camping. He has been on quite a few camping trips this summer. He is finicky about food. We would consider Speck a laid-back guy overall. He just goes along with whatever the other dogs are doing.
Medical History: Speck is neutered, microchipped, up to date on vaccinations, and on monthly heartworm prevention. He had two knees that had torn CCLs (like ACLs in humans) and both were repaired with surgery. He had a bit of a hiccup in recovery and needed to have another surgery to fix his left knee cap as it healed in the wrong place. He is doing amazingly with his recovery. He is starting to act like a 6-year-old setter should act. He is still getting stronger and stronger, but he can be with other dogs and be off leash to play, just no rough housing with other animals. He is still building strength in his back legs, so we help him in the vehicle and sometimes up the stairs. Speck currently has prescriptions for Gabapentin (daily) and Carprofen (as needed) for any soreness and or pain he may still have from healing. Going forward, he may not need these for the long term. It will depend on how he feels 6 months post operation. Speck also has hypothyroidism. He will be on Levothyroxine for the rest of his life. The medication costs around $20.00 per month. His thyroid blood tests are now in the perfect range and he has so much more energy than before.
Foster Comments: We have had the pleasure to help Speck and see his transformation over the last 5 months. Speck is near and dear to our heart. We love him and feel like we know him very well, and also know what he needs to live his best life. We are looking for an adopter who either works from home or someone who is retired and would love to have this precious guy with them almost all of the time so that he can be with his humans. If he had to be left alone for a few hours at a time, another dog helps him with his anxiety of being left alone. His humans are his favorite. He is not a dog that has to be in your lap or needs you every second, he just wants to do what you are doing. An example is that if we go out the garage to do a project, Speck is more than happy to go out to the garage and just lay on his bed watching what we are doing, while chewing on a bone, or taking a nap.
Foster Location: Rosholt, WI
Volunteer transport can be arranged in the Continental US within a 1,000-mile distance between adopters & foster home. If interstate transport is provided for your adopted dog, there will be an additional charge of $50.00 for the required Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (“Health Certificate”). Typically, we are able to transport your adopted dog to within 2 hours of your home. *Dogs can be adopted outside the 1000-mile transport distance; however, adopters must be willing to either fly their adopted dog, drive to a location within the 1000-mile transport range, or make independent transport arrangements for their adopted dog. Transports to far Western states, from Eastern states, may have additional restrictions.
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