Johnny

Johnny is a pretty special guy... for one thing, he has the dubivious distinction of being the cocker kid with the longest stay in rescue. He originally came to us in the summer of 2009 as an owner surrender. The family who had him said they were moving and couldn't take Johnny with them.

There are lots of wonderful things we can share about Johnny! He is personable and charming, he gets along great with other dogs, and he is smart as a whip. Johnny is a great dog to bring to meet & greet events, where he takes his role as CSRA ambadassor very seriously. He greets, wiggles, kisses, and smiles right along with the best of them! Johnny has a good amount of training under his belt, too, and can show off some pretty neat tricks. Other than his teeth (they need regular cleaning), Johnny enjoys fabulous health and has a beautiful, easy care auburn coat. He is compact, quirky, and affectionate.

Like many dogs that are new to our rescue program, Johnny also came to us with some baggage. Healthwise, he hadn't been vaccinated, needed dental surgery, and was heartworm positive. Johnny was intact and wasn't house trained either. But the most difficult thing to deal with turned out to be his behavior.  You see, while he is charming, confident, and outgoing in public - at home some troubling issues soon came to light. 

Johnny is an assertive guy- he has a very strong personality and wants to be be in charge. One way he liked to show his dominance was by marking. It took an entire year to finally break him of that habit and he still needs to be crated when home alone and overnight. More troubling, is his habit of guarding food. Given a structured environment, clear expectations, and careful management, Johnny CAN be successful. But he is quick to take advantage and will need a special kind of adoptive family with loads of patience and practical experience in managing assertive dogs. (Spicewood)