OLIVER AB#18-077

Oliver AB#18-077 – M, 4 years

Foster dog name: Oliver

Gender: Male 

Age: 4 (Estimated)

Size/Weight: Medium / 50lbs

Color: Tri Color - White / Copper / Black

Breed: English setter

Good with Children: Unsure, has been exposed to children without a problem. Does not live with children. 

Good with Dogs: Initial food aggression was noted, however has resolved. 

Good with Cats: Will chase cats in play, but not malicious 

House trained: Yes

Crate trained: Yes

Leash trained: Yes

Behavior:  Loves attention, and independent. Usually he is self-absorbed with chasing houseflies or finding a toy for you to throw for him. 

Activity Level:   Very active. Loves to run for long periods of time in a large fenced in back yard. 

Fence:  Yes. A fence is mandatory. He will return with called, but prefers to run off leash for long periods of time. 

Medical History: Malnourishment, and suspected small confinement and/or abuse.  All shots are up to date. Hip Dysplasia in both hips with small amounts of arthritis on X-ray. He remains pain free without medication, and runs/plays without difficulty.  Does best on carpeted floors. Hardwood floors/Tile are harder for him to find traction. 

Foster Comments:   Hi future family, I'm Oliver!  *[note: foster family has speculated on some of Oliver's history]  I'm a 4year old tri color male who recently lost part of my male anatomy! Some kind North Carolina folks took me into their shelter when I was found in "ruff" shape - I was dirty and covered in matted hair with wounds all over that were making me limp.   My bones were embarrassingly all sticking out, too. Thanks to A&B ESR and my foster folks, I'm almost all fixed up now and I'm a much happier dog - I was so scared before I realized I had a good home. 

I spent a lot of time in a kennel before my abandonment, running up and down the walls of my cage and chewing on them desperately trying to be free to stretch my legs.  I wore down almost all of my front teeth and canines trying to get out, which is sad because now I can't really play tug of war as well as my foster sister. But man, let me tell you how happy I am to finally be able to run around in my new backyard and watch all the birds! My foster parents get a kick out of my happy flag of a tail that just won't stop wagging. Even though my muscles are weak and I wasn't allowed out very much, I have a ton of endurance.  I even go running with my mom for several miles sometimes. She uses a hands free leash for running, and I'm doing really well learning not to pull her (although sometimes I think she would like the help up the hills). 

There were a lot of things I didn't know about how to be a family dog.  I did know that I was supposed to do my business outside and I think I knew the word "sit" once.  I can't remember what my old name was, but I guess my rescuers didn't know it either, so it took me a while to learn that I am Oliver.  I know my name now, and have also learned sit, down, come, stay, here (for heel), and I'm learning to be patient taking treats with the word "easy" but man I just love treats it is so hard to have self-control!!

I have been told I'm only allowed on one special couch in the house and that I'm supposed to sleep in my crate while my parents are gone.  I was worried about the crate at first because I thought I might be in jail forever again. I was so scared of people taking away anything good or that someone was going to hurt me that I used to be pretty protective of my things around my foster sister, Aspen.  I have since learned that she is pretty cool and really fun to play with. 

My foster family loves me, but they want to make room to save another pup's life. They know I will be a great dog for someone and I really love having a family.  Please consider taking me in as a new family member, I promise I am a good boy!

Foster Location: Zion Crossroads, Virginia

Adoption Fee: $300.00

Volunteer transport can be arranged in the Continental US within a 1,000 mile distance between adopters & foster home. Typically, we are able to transport your adopted dog to within 2 hours of your home. *Dogs can be adopted outside the 1000 mile transport distance; however, adopters must be willing to either fly their adopted dog, drive to a location within the 1000 mile transport range, or make independent transport arrangements for their adopted dog  

Oliver AB#18-077 – M, 4 years