Update- Patchwork found his home

[Moondream]

Recently my mom and I started to volunteer at an animal shelter nearby. We signed up to be foster parents for dogs who really need some extra lovins. We weren't expecting to take any animals in for a while but two days ago Mom brings home a dog named Pooh Bear. This little dude is so past rad. He's super super sweet, intelligent, and oh so lovey. The crappy thing is our animal shelter got him from a kill shelter. They were going to put him down because he's a 'senior'. The little guy is barely seven years old. He's so energetic you would never know his real age. He knows a bunch of tricks but isn't to keen on toilet training.

So I'm working on crate training him and it looks like we're going to adopt him. He's a Spitz and they're super smart so I'm hoping he'll catch on quick.

We also started calling him Fluffy Bear or Bear Bear. When we first got him he had a bunch of poop stuck to his butt so we thought Pooh Bear was a little insulting.

This is what he looked like before he was groomed:

And after:

 

[MustBeJewel]

What a darling boy!! Congratulations on the new addition! Senior pets have so much personality, in my experience, though they're wonderful at any age. Best of luck with him!

 

[Marble Dragon]

How could anyone resist that adorable face??? Congrats! He will become your child in no time.

 

[Moondream]

What a darling boy!! Congratulations on the new addition! Senior pets have so much personality, in my experience, though they're wonderful at any age. Best of luck with him!

Thank you very much! Isn't he a doll? His loving brown eyes are so expressive. This sounds bad of me but I never thought about adopting a senior dog. I thought they would just lay around all day. This little guy totally blew that idea out of the water! He's so hyper and so good-natured. If you lay down and open up you arm he'll squeeze right up next to you. He's so love deprived and just glows if you give him even the tiniest bit of attention. I know with a little patience I'll get him house broken in no time!

How could anyone resist that adorable face??? Congrats! He will become your child in no time.

His fluffy wuffy face really makes him look like a little fox bear I think so too. He was only at the shelter for a few days but he was so miserable he had to be fostered out. The more love I give him the happier he is. I've only had him for a couple days but already he won't leave my side

 

[h1m3.]

He looks so lovely. I just want to play with him . Age 7 is not a senior.. maybe if its bigger dog (they tend to live shorter than smaller dogs) but age 7 is nothing still! Dogs are wonderful pets :3 and its always good thing to adopt from a shelter. There is so many dog already without homes..
Big congrats! I hope (and I know ) you will have wonderful time with him!

 

[evilbunnyfoofoo]

I'm constantly amazed at people who will abandon their faithful friends for no good reason. An elderly dog has such a slim chance at a pound or shelter. I've ended up with a lot of them. While they might not have 'long' left, I think it's important to give them a chance. He's lucky you came along to save him!

(Then again I've had animals end up at the sanctuary for being 'ugly', 'jinxed' and one cat didn't match the owners new furniture, so it's astonishing the BS reasons people give for surrendering their pets.)

 

[ladyofthenight]

He's so adorable! I love fluffy dogs.

Like h1m3 said, 7 isn't elderly for a small dog, it's more like middle-aged. He has at least another 7 years left on him if he remains healthy. I also don't like adopting adult pets because you have less time with them, but then we had two cats that we raised from 8 weeks old and they both died very young from FLV and cancer, so you just don't know how long they'll be around even if you've adopted them as babies.

 

[Leave a Whisper]

Oooh! Look at dat sweet widdle face! He's soo cute! It hurts me to hear that no one wanted this cutie! You can tell he just wants to love and be loved. I'm so glad he went to a good home with you guys. Congratz to you and to Bear too. Ohh ma gah! He's so snuggly looking!

 

[starbeam]

*First picture* Omg dat face is so fluffeh.
*Poo stuck on his butt* Omg dats horrible! Did he sat on the poo or something? Omg
*After grooming* FLUFFIEHR DAN EVEHR!!!!!!!!!!!
What a cutie he is! Congratulations!

And when I first saw the post I was going to throw the suggestion of calling him Fluffy Foxy (Too much FNAF to me )

 

[evilbunnyfoofoo]

*First picture* Omg dat face is so fluffeh.
*Poo stuck on his butt* Omg dats horrible! Did he sat on the poo or something? Omg
*After grooming* FLUFFIEHR DAN EVEHR!!!!!!!!!!!
What a cutie he is! Congratulations!

And when I first saw the post I was going to throw the suggestion of calling him Fluffy Foxy (Too much FNAF to me )

Sometimes dogs get poop in their fur when they're left in crates too long, or just get it on them in the act of pooping if their fur is long.

You don't wanna know the things I've seen in some dogs' fur I've had to clip.

Little Fluffy Pooh Bear Bear looks so happy. He knows he's been saved!

 

[starbeam]

Sometimes dogs get poop in their fur when they're left in crates too long, or just get it on them in the act of pooping if their fur is long.

You don't wanna know the things I've seen in some dogs' fur I've had to clip.

Little Fluffy Pooh Bear Bear looks so happy. He knows he's been saved!

You clipped the droppings of fluffy animals? O-O

No wonder that the chocolate chip cookies they make there doesn't taste like chocolate XD
But how can the fur in their butts cane be so long? Do a magical fart make it longer?

 

[Angel_Foil]

He's adorable, Moondream! Good luck with him

 

[Leave a Whisper]

Magical...farts?

 

[Moondream]

He looks so lovely. I just want to play with him . Age 7 is not a senior.. maybe if its bigger dog (they tend to live shorter than smaller dogs) but age 7 is nothing still! Dogs are wonderful pets :3 and its always good thing to adopt from a shelter. There is so many dog already without homes..
Big congrats! I hope (and I know ) you will have wonderful time with him!

That's the crazy thing about all this. He's a small dog. He barely weighs 20 pounds. He's definitely not a big dog so why they think he's a senior is beyond me. They also said he was a Pom. The little guy is 100% Spitz so I think they might be a little confused It stinks seeing all the lonely dogs waiting for homes. We're planning on taking in another foster once Bear is house broken. Most dogs do so much better in a loving home instead of a kennel. They really need a loving family to thrive. So far it's been a blast. A few accidents here and there but he's learning

I'm constantly amazed at people who will abandon their faithful friends for no good reason. An elderly dog has such a slim chance at a pound or shelter. I've ended up with a lot of them. While they might not have 'long' left, I think it's important to give them a chance. He's lucky you came along to save him!

(Then again I've had animals end up at the sanctuary for being 'ugly', 'jinxed' and one cat didn't match the owners new furniture, so it's astonishing the BS reasons people give for surrendering their pets.)

What I'm learning about elderly dogs is they really are so thankful for taking them home. Even if they do have just a little time left on the Earth it's much better spent with a loving family instead of alone.

What the hell was that person's problem?! A pet is a member of your family not decoration. I hope you really chewed them out for abandoning their poor cat for such a selfish reason.

He's so adorable! I love fluffy dogs.

Like h1m3 said, 7 isn't elderly for a small dog, it's more like middle-aged. He has at least another 7 years left on him if he remains healthy. I also don't like adopting adult pets because you have less time with them, but then we had two cats that we raised from 8 weeks old and they both died very young from FLV and cancer, so you just don't know how long they'll be around even if you've adopted them as babies.

Thank you! He looks like a teddy bear and a fox had a puppy

I'm very sorry about your cats. It's so true, you never know how long you have with an animal. I had a fox terrier named Daphne who I loved with all of my heart. We bought her as a puppy and she passed at 3 from kidney problems. All you can do is love them while you can. He's definitely middle aged. I don't think a truly elderly dog could ever keep up with him. Another seven years is my guess too. I'm just going to do the best that I can with him and hope for many good years together

 

[Moondream]

Oooh! Look at dat sweet widdle face! He's soo cute! It hurts me to hear that no one wanted this cutie! You can tell he just wants to love and be loved. I'm so glad he went to a good home with you guys. Congratz to you and to Bear too. Ohh ma gah! He's so snuggly looking!

Isn't he such a cutie? I've had a few dogs in my life but honestly none were as cute as him. We're even taking him to Petco tomorrow to get his picture done with Santa! He really is such a love. He was so attention deprived and the more love we pour into him the more we get to see his personality. I am too. I really think our home is the perfect home for him. Oh my gosh he's sooo snuggly. You just open up your arms and he presses right up to you. He just nuzzles and spins and has a cuddle fit. He always wants held and he loves giving kisses too.

*First picture* Omg dat face is so fluffeh.
*Poo stuck on his butt* Omg dats horrible! Did he sat on the poo or something? Omg
*After grooming* FLUFFIEHR DAN EVEHR!!!!!!!!!!!
What a cutie he is! Congratulations!

And when I first saw the post I was going to throw the suggestion of calling him Fluffy Foxy (Too much FNAF to me )

His bum was so fluffy that whenever he pooed it sort of...well...got stuck. We had to have the groomed shave a heart shape around his bunghole so it wouldn't get trapped in his fluff. Now whenever he sits on my chest I get to be face to face with his heart shaped nether regions

Actually we have been calling him Fluffy Fox. Some of his pet names are Floofy Bear, Floofy, Foxy, Foxy Bear, Fluffy Bear, and Fluffy Fox. The poor little dude is going to have idenitiy issues with all these names!

 

[Leave a Whisper]

I demand that you take pictures of his first visit to Santa and show them to us so we can all squeal over him! as for the name calling, he'll be ok. all three of our dogs get several new nicknames a month.

Ze ze, Sinny-boy, feather duster butt, senior toupe' the killer wig, alize and the one thief sinjin, blondie brat, our nicknames list goes on and on

 

[starbeam]

Identity issues?
Talk about me calling Wind whistler Sifflebizz! (Her German [?] name!)


He really IS a floofy lion! Or fox....
Or bear......

Now I wonder how Fluffy Bear can't get so confused

 

[evilbunnyfoofoo]

Unfortunately at a shelter, 7 years is considered senior for several reason. First of all is their general health. Many animals who end up in shelters haven't received proper vetting throughout their lives, so their bodies are 'older' than other dogs who have been well cared for. Second, and this is going to sound cruel, but trust me: People SUCK. Cute puppies and energetic dogs get picked. Older, more sedate dogs are wrongly seen as 'uninterested' when they are merely calmer or even depressed at having been adopted.

This is one reason I started striving to home more seniors and 'problem' animals (critters to unsociable or unattractive) to be likely to be adopted. They all deserve a chance.

 

[ladyofthenight]

If you're fostering him, does that mean you're going to give him up again in a few months to a new family, or is this little one here to stay for good?

 

[h1m3.]

Unfortunately at a shelter, 7 years is considered senior for several reason. First of all is their general health. Many animals who end up in shelters haven't received proper vetting throughout their lives, so their bodies are 'older' than other dogs who have been well cared for. Second, and this is going to sound cruel, but trust me: People SUCK. Cute puppies and energetic dogs get picked. Older, more sedate dogs are wrongly seen as 'uninterested' when they are merely calmer or even depressed at having been adopted.

This is one reason I started striving to home more seniors and 'problem' animals (critters to unsociable or unattractive) to be likely to be adopted. They all deserve a chance.

Yep, I understand you point foofoo (you are doing a great job btw ).. 7 years is nothing but nobody doesn't want to adopt "old" dog. Witch is really shame . I think older dogs are "more lovely" than young ones. They won't be super active anymore so you can just relax with them and you do not need all the time watch what they are doing. Puppies tend to get in trouble all the time ;D.

I can't believe how easily people abandon their pets. Usually purebred dogs cost a lot of money (at least here in Finland, depending of breed ofc) so that it would be at least the last reason why people would not simply give up on them... My cousins bought Boston terrier and that cost 1200€! Yes dogs aren't bought purely money reasons but I think that if buying dogs would cost more it could affect how well people tread their pets..
In Finland we do not have many shelters and these shelters don't have many dogs. Usually all lost dogs will get their original or new homes very soon. The cats are the problem. Because people get free cats. They keep them as "summer cats" and in Autumn just abondon them.. witch is cruel because they cannot survive Finlands winter..
Now it has been "in fashion" to bring homeless dogs from Russia and find homes for them from Finland. That's fine with me if some organization works with this but sometimes just some ignorant private people do this and the dogs won't get their vaccinations etc. And that could be huge issue with Finland dog population if some disease spreads...

A few accidents here and there but he's learning

I just adore your Fluffy . These pics makes me wanna have new dog too (I can't right now but someday )
Good way to potty train a dog is to let him go outsides as much as you can. I did it with my previous dog. After meal, before meal, always out out. And if accident happened inside he would get little scold (if he was seen in action. Never scolded afterwards). And always praised him when he did his poops outside. That way our dog learned.