Jack

Jack is a 4-year old Flat-Coated Retriever mix. He was relinquished to the Champaign County Humane Society (CCHS) because the children in his previous family did not get along with him. I mentioned in a previous post that the Shelter got slammed with incoming animals the two weeks before Christmas, so Jack is staying with us while we check out his temperament.

Jack’s got a lot of good things going for him:

• He’s housebroken.
• He knows some basic commands, like “Sit”.
• He comes when he’s called.
• He’s crate trained and goes in willingly and sleeps quietly through the night.
• He gets along great with other dogs.
• He sits in the treat line with the other dogs and takes treats politely.
• He waits his turn while we put the food bowls down at feeding times.
• He doesn’t try to steal food.
• He craves attention and contact with people.
• He’s very playful. He likes to roll and frolic in the snow.

Jack is suffering from the worst ear infection we have ever dealt with. It’s so painful that for the first four days he peed a little from fright if he thought you were going to do anything to his ears. Although Harriett only wiped the outer part of his ear with a cotton ball, it came out bloody and full of dark gunk. He’s on antibiotics and steroid-based ear drops.

Five days into the treatment we’re getting to the point that the cotton ball is staying cleaner and he’s not as afraid of the cleaning and medicating routine. We’re hopeful that we can start getting the deeper infection cleared up as the pain is reduced and he gets used to us handling his ears.

Jack is a good example of why it’s important to check for medical causes when there’s a behavior change in a family pet. Many times changes such as urinating in the house or growling or snapping when touched in a certain way are due to an underlying medical problem. A dog or cat that starts to act “strange” should always be taken to the vet for an exam.

In Jack’s case, his ear infection was causing so much pain that he would not tolerate handling his ears. Think about it…where do you touch a dog that approaches you? Many people pet the dog and scratch its ears. Since he can’t say, “Hey, man, my ears really hurt. Would you mind not doing that and scratch my back instead?” he would pull away and his intention could be misinterpreted.

If you’re interested in Jack you can get more information by calling CCHS (217/344-7297). Ask to speak with Michelle.