Greta

We just welcomed 12 year 37lb English Springer Spaniel Greta. Oh Greta, you are so cute!She just got a dental and it has made so much difference in how she feels - her poor mouth was so rotten! She appears to be a pure bred liver and white English springer spaniel . From foster mom: " She is the most docile dog I have ever met. She has this calm slow gentle energy and just could not care less about any of my other dogs or cats. Absolutely non-reactive towards anyone or anything including food, toys, cats, and even fireworks on the 4th! She does have pretty severe arthritis and has slipped a couple of times on my hard wood floors. She has a VERY hard time getting from standing to sitting/laying down. Unfortunately I’m a complete sucker and have been actually picking her up and setting her in her bed so her legs are more comfortable for her. When she lays down herself she seems to end up in the splits and does not seem comfortable. She will walk in a circle about 15 times on top of her bed before she tries to lay down but then you can tell she really struggles with that process so I usually just go pick her up at that point and lay her down myself. When she has fallen she has landed in the splits too and seems to be very sore afterwards. She also will not get on any furniture but I have been occasionally lifting her onto the sofa, which she seems to love. I live in a two-story home and she definitely cannot make it up the 16 stairs to the second story so I have been leaving her downstairs for bedtime and she has been doing great. We had about 2 whole weeks of diarrhea before the dental and even still her poops are not the hardest. She is now down to 1 medication 2x a day for her thyroid plus forti-flora each day for probiotics for her tummy. Ultimately, I think she would be a really good dog for a retired person because she is so slow moving. However, I struggle with that recommendation because her mobility seems to be becoming more and more limited and if an older person were to adopt her, I’m not sure if she would need to be picked up in the future (if she falls and can not get up). So maybe it would be better to adopt her out to someone who can at least be physically fit enough to pick her up and move her just in case her arthritis gets worse. Other than that she loves treats and pets but mostly just relaxes in her bed. Due to the arthritis I have been letting her out in the yard for a few yard sessions each day rather than trying to walk her around on a leash. She is very very slow so I don’t really anticipate that she would be good at walking on a leash for any real distance." There is the perfect forever person out there for Greta - we know it! She is fostered in a home with other dogs and does well. We have found that she loves snuggling with her kitty fur sibling. Fostered in Richmond, VA please apply at mirishaven.org