June 30, 2012

Ely (pronounced E-Lee) is now vacationing in Iowa. :) Ely is an energetic 2 year old PB male.

Report from his original family:

He is UTD, neutered, and current on HW and Frontline. Ely is coming to us because his dad just got diagnosed with cancer and the family will have to travel often to SW MN for treatment in the upcoming months and cannot take care of him. He is loved very much by his family and they are so sad to surrender him. Ely sounds like a typical 2 year old - he is just a little hyper, perhaps needs a little more consistent training on his manners, but is lovable, sweet, playful and just a really happy guy. He is crated when his parents work and at night and goes right into his kennel when he hears the word "treat". He does not have any storm or separation anxiety and absolutely no resource guarding. Toys, unfortunately, have a very short life when in his possession - he destroys them all - destuff, desqueak, shred - you name it, he does it. That doesn't stop him from loving them, but they just don't last long.

Now here is the second really sad part for Ely (as if losing his loving home were not enough). He has had a heart murmur since they got him as a puppy, but a recent cardiologist visit (this family has spared no expense in his care!) graded his murmur at a 3 or 4 (the most severe being a 6). They were told that his life expectancy was 5-6 years and it would be a miracle if he made it to 8 (but we all know that miracles happen every day!) In everyday life, this doesn't really slow him down at all. They just follow his lead, and if he seems tired, they let him rest and they don't walk him on really hot days. To make sure he stays healthy, they keep teeth clean and his weight down. He comes from such a loving family and sounds like he would be a perfect house guest. This was definitely an emotional surrender - his mom wanted to make sure who ever picked him up spent time with her to learn all his routines and commands (for instance she was worried that we wouldn't know that he sits and waits until he is told he can eat - she was worried that he would sit there for hours and we would have no idea why he wasn't eating). I assured her that we would.

This is what we know about Ely in the 24 hours that we have had him in our home.

1. He doesn't jump on people but he will bark when the door bell rings.
2. Ely loves to be brushed. He has the most beautiful coat. It is very thick and blonde. His tail is gorgeous!
3. He likes his bath.
4. This guy loves water. If you have a cabin, this is the dog for you. His previous family had a cabin on a lake and he loved it. If fact he will play in this water dish! That is how much he likes water. We got the baby pool out for him and he lays in it!
5. He came to us on a gentle leader. He doesn't need it. He is a fabulous walker.
6. He loves to chew however he doesn't chew anything but his toys. He loves Nylabones and cow bones. His teeth are beautiful!
7. Ely loves our two dogs. In fact we have to tell him to go rest.
8. We are working on come. He doesn't run from us, he just looks at us. He is super smart so I think this will come fast.
9. He sits immediately on command, shakes, and goes down. He will come when called in the house.
10. Ely sleeps in his crate and goes in there when we are gone.
11. He hangs around the table when we are eating. We have been working on him laying down while we are at the table.
12. No accidents in the house.
13. He lived with little children.

Once we have his vet appointment on Friday, we will update his bio. This is a special boy who has no idea that he has a heart murmur. He lives life to the fullest.

If you are interested in learning more about Ely please contact your placement advisor.