Fosterer’s first report – UK: July 2012

Sam arrived on Friday 13th July. He rode home in the car and was perfectly behaved. He met our dogs with great enthusiasm sniffing in the usual manner. On the first night Sam settled in the utility reasonably well barking for a short time.
On Saturday night Sam didn’t settle as well into the utility and barked for a longer period of time and for short bursts throughout the night.
On Sunday night Sam slept with our dog Levi in the Utility and after an initial period of barking slept.
Sam is an intelligent dog. He is fully housetrained and he walks well on a lead (harness) with just a bit of pulling to begin with. Sam is also really affectionate, although very excitable.  I would liken Sam to a puppy in a 6 year old dog’s body. Because of this I would not recommend he be rehomed with younger children. He doesn’t seem to like cats either.
I can see great potential in Sam, he is food orientated and enjoys training. He is starting to understand what behaviour is expected of him. Obviously his world’s been turned upside down lately and he is showing this through a mixture of anxiety and excitement.

 

Fosterer’s second report: UK: July 2012

We’ve seen some major transformations in Sam since he first arrived. He is a lot calmer and seems much happier in himself.
At night he now sleeps in a crate and settles quite quickly with just a few woofs. He continues to be fully house trained. On walks he pulls to begin with and barks with excitement when he sees other dogs as he wants to greet them. He gets a little perplexed if dog owners walk in another direction. If Sam doesn’t want to do something on a walk he does the retriever refusal and won’t move, this is usually because he wants to sniff (he does more sniffing than walking).
Sam now comes when called; he can also sit on command. Sam remains very reliant on Levi as a guide as to what he should be doing. He will probably benefit from living with another dog.
Sam seeks attention by nuzzling your arm for a fuss but we are seeing longer periods when he is happily settled. Sam loves to greet everyone, but might be too much for younger children as he lacks spatial awareness and is a little bit clumsy.
Sam continues to woof at the cat when he sees him but we can call him away from the patio doors. He’s not been introduced to the cat as of yet.
We are seeing more of Sam’s personality shine through. He is very affectionate and loves a big cuddle. He will need further training but is adapting to life as an indoor pet well.

SEPTEMBER 2012

Sam has gone to his forever home to begin his new life with Maria.