July 18- Spencer~

 This is Spencer, a standard poodle, who lives and loves Shawna, who tells an incredible story about him~

"Spencer was rescued from a puppy mill in southern MN by Second Chance, a non-profit animal group, in late August, 2005.  We had been looking for a second dog for quite a while, but with allergies in our family, there are only a few breeds of dogs that work for us.  We already had (and still have) our dog, Luna, who is also a black Standard Poodle.

When Spencer came up for adoption over Labor Day weekend, 2005, we raced to his foster home to meet him, with Luna in tow.  When we introduced Luna and Spencer in the caregiver’s back yard, it was love at first sight for the two of them.  They immediately began playing, running and jumping.  We knew Spencer was meant to be in our family.

Spencer had never lived in a home before, and I believe he was confined to a small space outside.  When Second Chance took him, he was matted so badly that he couldn’t lift his head up all the way (the hair on his chin was matted to the hair on his chest, and his jaw was pulled to the side as a result).  He also had a skin infection, and old scars from where he was apparently bitten in the face.  He was a year and a half old, and I don’t think he had ever had a toy, regular meals, or much love.  Now he is healthy (that means chunky) and is just about the sweetest thing you could imagine.  If he had his way, he would be attached to me (Shawna) 24/7.  We taught him how to “shake” and if you ask him to do it once, he will lift his paw up over and over again to get your attention. 

The nice thing about rescue dogs (he is our third) is that they just want your attention.  Spencer will let you brush his teeth, clean his ears, and pick burrs out of his coat without a fuss.  He just wants to be touched and loved.  Luna has to take allergy medication, and Spencer gets jealous when you have to stick the pills down her throat.  He will actually try to eat her pills.  So, I make him sit alongside her and then after I open her mouth and toss the pills in, I go to Spencer and pretend I’m putting pills in his mouth by just tapping on his tongue.  This makes him happy.  It’s the little things, truly.

Until recently, he really loved spinach stems as a treat, and cucumber peelings.  He finds all the acorns in the yard during the fall, and eats them, too.  But if you want to make his day, give him some popcorn, pretzels or wasabi peas.  Besides sitting on a lap, those are his favorite things."

I gotta admit, I wasn't expecting such great stories about these dogs!  Wow~  what an amazing bunch of people~

thanks!