Austin the Senior Cocker Spaniel's companion, Kamie the Cocker Spaniel (adopted) can also be seen on our website.
Austin the Senior Cocker Spaniel's companion, Q the Cocker Spaniel (adopted) can also be seen on our website.

Description:
Poor Austin. My heart breaks for this not-so-little guy. At 9 years old he is looking for a new home. As if that weren't bad enough, he is suffering from infected ears, skin outbreak, limited vision and a thyroid condition. We'll blame the thyroid for his topping the scales at over 50 pounds. Needless to say, he isn't the most active of dogs, more like a room accessory.... But he is awfully sweet. According to his foster, "Austin is a 9 old cocker spaniel. He was raised in the same family since he was a puppy with two other cocker spaniels, Kamie and Q who are also up for adoption. His owners had to heartbreakingly give them up, so if you are looking for more than one cocker spaniel these might be great choices for you. Austin loves to sleep on the bed at night, anywhere during the day and be where you are. If you are looking for a companion that requires little activity, this is the dog for you. Austin has a thyroid condition that is being managed with medicine. His vision and his hearing is not the best, but he gets around ok. Austin would be a good senior dog for a senior person."
We have qualified Austin for our Seniors for Seniors program, reducing his adoption fee to just $50 for senior citizens.


Foster update 7-17-08 I just have to say that I really like this guy. He is so very sweet. He comes up to me and puts his head against my hands and just wiggles his whole back end. He seems to keep a watchful eye on the other 2 cockers he was brought in with. It's like he is their parent. I believe he can see when coming straight on or from the left side. I f you come from the corner of his right eye though, I don't think he can see that. He sleeps on my son's bed every night and doesn't move from the time I place him there until I get him in the morning. But I have also crated him when I've gone out and he is fine with that too. So if you don't want a dog sleeping on your bed, he is very flexible. I took my 2 dogs and the other 2 cockers for a walk yesterday and I was going to leave Austin behind. But he perked right up and was at the door wagging his tail with the other dogs so I took him. He did very well. I think he is a great dog. He doesn't require much from you and would make a great companion.

7-23-08 Austin likes to ride in the car. He does very well with that. He goes to the bathroom in the morning and again in the evening and that is about it. He is the easiest to take care of. He will snarl when getting his picture taken. Like me, maybe he would prefer to shed a few pounds before a picture. He also snarled at the groomer today. I put my hand on his head and said, it's OK Austin and I put the groomers lead on. She took him outside and then brought him in and didn't have any problems with him the rest of the day. She bathed him and did his ears and he did fine. He seems to snarl when faced with new and scary situations for him and let's face it; at 9 years old, he shouldn't have to face these new situations with all these new people in his world. He deserves a home of his own with familiar surroundings and someone to take care of him and love him. Won't you please be that person?

***Are you familiar with the Cocker Spaniel? According to www.dogbreedinfo.com, they are cheerful, sweet, and sensitive. The Cocker Spaniel is respectful of its master's authority without much challenge. Merry and endearing. A happy tail-wagger. Gentle and trusting, with average intelligence. They are lively, playful and devoted. Cockers will do okay in an apartment if they are adequately exercised, and are fairly active indoors. A small yard is sufficient. The American Cocker Spaniel is smaller than the English Cocker Spaniel and has a different conformation. The name "Cocker" comes from the woodcock, a game bird these spaniels flushed particularly well. Today, the Cocker Spaniel serves primarily as a companion and glamorous show dog. It can also be used for hunting, tracking, retrieving, watchdogging and agility. They have a life expectancy of 12-15 years.