Recently, Jenn, Buddy’s foster, discovered that Buddy has had a least one seizure (petit mal). We think he may have experienced others and according to his previous foster he had at least 2 similar episodes in her care. Buddy also appears to have allergies, but not very bad. He also has an irritated ear, but it’s not infected, just inflamed. We’re not sure if he may have a hearing problem or if he’s just unable to distinguish where sounds come from but he seems to not always be able to detect the direction of sounds clearly. Perhaps it’s just the inflammation.
Buddy still has food aggression and is still being fed in his crate. When it’s time to let him out, Jenn does not reach in for him. She opens the door and lets him walk out. He is crate-trained and has not been a problem with her but she stresses that whomever takes Buddy needs to understand what techniques need to be used to keep everyone safe. When he’s very happy to see someone he will jump up on them and does try to run out the door because he knows it “playtime” in the backyard. He also has a high prey drive and tries to catch birds and other small animals outside. He’s been known to bark a lot but it is more of his way of saying “play with me” or “come on, let’s go outside!” and not just excessive barking at anything or nothing.
Jenn and her family have been able to leave Buddy alone for several hours without any problems. He seems to just go into his crate and nap. She told us he’s definitely come to think of his crate as his safe haven and willingly walks into it and out of it. He only gets defensive if you come to the door, but won’t do anything. When she lets him out, she opens the door and lets him walk out on his own. She told us that Buddy will show aggression if you force him out or do any action that he may read as being a threat to his own safety.
Buddy can be a sweet dog and has played with Jenn, likes to pet, and leans against her. He isn’t a cuddly dog but he does enjoy the company of his foster family and likes to play catch, chase, and kill his stuffed animals. One thing that we must stress is that Buddy needs to trust his owner, and anyone who is interested in him will probably have to meet him a few times and gain his friendship before actually becoming his forever family.
We have a few pics from Easter and he looks sooooo happy laying in the sun.
