Bo (Bo boy)

Barks and Meows Rescue introduces Bo.  He is a 2 1/2-year-old English Springer Spaniel.  He weighs 51 pounds and was surrendered to our Rescue. Bo is a very handsome, sweet boy.  He is a typical Springer in all aspects.  Bo was surrendered to our Rescue after biting one of the children in the home after she was hitting him on his snout.  He also bit the father in law when he tried to pull him out of his crate.  Unfortunately, this dog was set up for failure.  Children should not be left alone with dogs nor should they be allowed to hit any animal.  A dog should not be forced to be pulled out of a crate he feels safe in, for any reason, especially by a non-family member.  His owner said he would get aggressive when forced to go into his crate to be disciplined.  Again, this is so wrong.  The purpose of a crate is not for disciplining but to allow a dog a safe space to retreat to.  She also said he would get aggressive when she put her hand in his food bowl while eating.  We are not sure why that was being done but knew we would test it as well.    His previous family looked after him very well as far as diet and vetting goes, Here are the observations of Bo since arriving in our care. Bo currently lives with a foster family that has three daughters, 8, 11, and 15.  He loves all of them.  He is super sweet and affectionate.  He loves the water and gets along with all dogs and was raised with cats.  He needs to work on his leash manners as he gets overexcited and tends to pull.  He enjoys meeting strangers and other dogs on his walks.  He gulps his food down very quickly.  He does sit and shake a paw on command.  He has shown zero aggressive tendencies with the foster family.  He is crate trained, he sleeps with on the floor beside the bed, in his crate, or sometimes on the bed with his parents or oldest daughter.  He was good at the groomers with no issues.  He is good in the car.  He will take treats gently but sometimes you have to remind him if he is excited.  He lives with two other male dogs and loves playing with them.  He has had no issues with any of the female dogs he had interacted around the family as well. His foster mom placed her hand near his food while he was eating and grabbed the dish and he did not react at all. Bo does have food allergies to both chicken and gluten so a must-have diet that does not include those ingredients. He is currently on Ultra Potato and Salmon. He is not much of a barker and is pretty quiet. He has since interacted with a couple of 2-3-year-olds. He didn't seem to really care about them. He said hi and that was it. The ideal home for Bo is one with another young socialized dog that likes to play. If there are children in the home, we would like to see older ones, 8 years plus. He should be in a family that enjoys outdoor activities regularly with their dogs. As he is a sporting breed, access to swimming in the summer would be best.   Bo is neutered, up to date with vaccines, 4DX tested negative, and on heartworm flea/prevention.   A fully fenced yard, a resident young socialized dog, and a Veterinarian History of Compliance are mandatory in order to apply for our Bo.