Seamus (Seamy) is 4yr/10mos old, weighs 45lbs, is neutered, is up to date on his vaccines, and is microchipped. Seamy's guardian adds:
"Seamy (shaymee) has been with my family since he was 8 weeks old and has been very loved. He is well cared for with annual visits to the vet and regular grooming. We trust him completely with my children, now ages 15/18/21. He went to 1 year of training and is extremely bright and loves to learn, plays dead, sits, waits, down, goes between my legs, has great recall etc. I walk him about 3 miles every day and he walks well. Due to his anxiety, he is reactive to other dogs, people, bikes, etc. on walks. Therefore, when I see these distractions on walks, I immediately start using the word YES (my word of recognizing a positive behavior and a contract to give him treats). He knows to look at me and he will get a treat, in fact I have to treat him relatively rapidly to get past the distraction. This has helped tremendously and our walks are very enjoyable. He is PERFECT when we are just home with him. He has great house manners.
Seamy's biggest issues are the front door and guests. When we try to crate him when visitors come, he will bark and struggles to calm down. He will not take a licky mat or frozen kong in this state. We have a lot of people in and out of my house and he stays in a state of anxiety. It is very hard on him and in turn on us. He does fine with my golden retriever but struggles with other dogs.
Seamy is rarely home alone during the day; my husband works from home, but to be honest, he doesn't give Seamy much attention. I am the main caretaker of Seamy. He dislikes/fears people at the front door and change. During the day he can be in the crate, we have tried that more. But, mostly, he's on the sofa. He sleeps in our room or my daughter's bed. During car rides, he gets anxious, but has taken long road trips."
Seamy's guardian explains why she has made the difficult decision to rehome him:
"I know he would be happier with a home that doesn't have visitors coming and going all the time and preferably someone that likes to train or walk dogs. I would love to find him a home where he can be happier and live in a calmer state."
Scratch incident: In October 2023, Seamy scratched a teenaged visitor; the scratch broke the skin; animal control was involved; formal medical attention was not sought. Seamy's guardian explains:
"The child came in the door and Seamy got anxious. I was not there, and the girl's knee was scratched and bled. She needed a band aid. I called the mother and everything was worked out. We called vet and got him on some prozac for anxiety and now he is either on a leash or in the crate when people come in the house."
Seamy's guardian offers a brief medical history: "He struggles with anxiety and is currently taking 40mg of Prozac, although I'm not sure that is the correct dosage or medicine."
Seamy's guardian states the following regarding children: Although Seamy has lived with 3 children, his guardian doesn't recommend his living with children, stating "He gets nervous, but he gets anxious with new people. My cousin's little kids cannot run around with Seamy. He gets too activated".
Seamy's guardian states the following regarding dogs: Although Seamy lives with a dog, his guardian doesn't recommend his living with dogs, stating "Seamy does well with my golden who is 9, but not great with other dogs".
Seamy's guardian states the following regarding cats: Since Seamy hasn't lived with nor otherwise been around cats, his guardian doesn't recommend his living with cats.
Seamy's guardian describes him as:
Very active
Friendly
Affectionate
Fearful
Indoor Only Pet
Nervous
House-Trained
Crate-Trained
Seamy's guardian describes his ideal future home:
"A home where people like to train or walk a dog, but doesn't have a lot of visitors or other pets. He is a great companion, but because we have teenagers in and out and friends over all the time it keeps him in an anxious state. Land might be nice too. Patient and kind, he does not deal well with negative parenting, he does much better with a patient calm response."
Rehoming Fee: None
Location: North Potomac, MD
