Seamus Silver Labrador Retriever 4 Years Old ID #2376

May 22, 2023

Seamus had a sleepover in New Jersey in early May and did so great! It was his first time away from his foster mom and he was a good boy! He was so well behaved and made a new friend! After he came home, he had really missed his foster mom so they had to work on some training for separation anxiety.

On May 9, he had a 1 minute seizure and hopped up right after. This is only his second seizure (last one was March 27) since he’s been with me. His seizures are relatively short and he hasn’t gone to the bathroom during them, which is a plus! He usually is really energetic the day after his seizure and it is like nothing happened. It feels scary if you haven’t experienced it, but the vet reminds us that he doesn’t remember his seizures and our priorities are to just to keep him safe when he is having one.  Make sure he doesn’t fall down steps or anything during them.

We are still working on the right combination of medicine to help control the seizures.  Once that is figured out, we will have a better handle on his personality and he will be ready for his forever home!

May 6, 2023

Seamus went on an adventure!

A couple weekends ago Seamus and his foster mom tried camping together in Shenandoah  and he was a PRO (she thinks he may have done this before…). Seamus slept the whole 4 hour trip and laid down while we set up camp.

He kept away from the food and fire and laid on his designated towel as we made meals. At the end of the day each day, Seamus went straight to the tent, climbed in and snuggled next to his foster mom all night. He slept like a log and even slept in the next morning. He was good about going potty outside the campsite on our night and morning walks.

Seamus even hiked about 7 miles one day which ended with some playing in the creek to cool down. He loved every bit of it and smiled the whole time. Seamus is a very docile dog, but he showed us he can also be flexible and hang in all sorts of environments!

April 15, 2023

Over the past week, Seamus has been adjusting to a new medicine as he was experiencing side effects from the other medication. He is doing well, but is very tired. Still when he is awake he is a happy cuddly pup. He is so flexible; he could nap ALL day or he could go for a 3 mile hike! As long as he is by your side, he is a happy camper.

Now that Seamus is comfortable at his new foster home, we have been practicing crating! Seamus is learning how to be in the crate while I am at work in the mornings. We freeze peanut butter in a kong for him, and he goes in the crate while I am getting ready. Then, when I leave for work, he gets a treat and I turn on the television so he can catch up on current events and talk shows! He barks for a short time and then settles. He now can be crated up to 5 hours and doing a great job. This is strides better than his first week. It took some time for us to adjust to one another and for Seamus to learn that I come back and that he is safe. Seamus is a sweet laid back boy who has had to endure a lot of transition.

Seamus sleeps beside my bed at night and doesn’t get into anything while out of the crate. He is very concerned with getting his doggie z’s! He likes to start sleeping around 7:45 PM – 8:00 PM and wakes up around 6:45 AM – 7:00 AM but will mirror your routine.

April 8, 2023

Seamus is the king of Conshohocken! We start each day with a 1.5 mile walk by the river and smell all the smells and play. After we have breakfast with Seamus’s meds. Seamus sleeps all morning and in the afternoon goes for another 1.5 mile walk. Sometimes on his afternoon walk, he gets to play in the fenced in community garden. He loves to see the birds and squirrels, but still stays by his foster mom’s side. Seamus sleeps most of the evening and wants to be by your side. You can tell he is ready for bed around 8:00 PM. After is 9:00 PM potty break, he likes to roll around in his bed before he settles for the night. He is such a good boy! We are focusing on establishing a predictable routine for him since he has had so much transition lately. Last week the vet began his transition to a different antiseizure medicine after Seamus was showing some side effects to the original medicine. This is a gradual process, and he is a trooper! Seamus is such a good boy, and is so happy to be in Conshy. We are lucky to have him at Brookline!

April 3, 2023

Seamus spent Sunday learning his foster mom’s work schedule. He happily followed a peanut butter bone into the crate and slept while I was at work. He gets the zoomies when he comes out of the crate but it quickly subsides.

After work, we went outside and enjoyed the weather for about two and a half  hours!

He walked around visiting with all the people out enjoying the weather too. He spotted a small Boston terrier and walked parallel to him. Seamus LOVES small dogs! So far, Seamus wants to meet other dogs, but we make sure he sits and looks at us when walking by. He gets a little treat and a “good boy!” and we go on our way. Seamus learns fast and his people are definitely the priority. Seamus is great on a leash! When he sees dogs, he will pull toward them but with a quick “Seamus!” he comes back by your side and is attentive. He will change his pace to match yours!

March 31, 2023

Seamus’s first days were spent learning one another. His medicine for epilepsy can affect his sleep schedule so when Seamus woke up in the night he whined a couple times. But, I kept sleeping and then he went back to bed like a good boy. He sleeps next to my bed on his bed. After two nights, Seamus quickly learned to sleep through the night without a peep! He waits for me to get out of bed to get up and waits patiently to go for a walk. Seamus likes to greet the day with a walk by the river.

Seamus loves to explore new things by my side. One of his trips was to the community garden!

He loved smelling all the smells and seeing all the critters! He was curious and interested. His favorite part of visiting the garden was meeting new friends and sitting in the sunshine.

March 28, 2023

Meet Seamus! Seamus is a silver lab and 70 lbs of pure LOVE! Our whole rescue ride home.  When riding in the car Seamus likes his favorite thing to do – lay on your shoulder and look out the front with you. Seamus has epilepsy, but you wouldn’t know it seeing him and spending time with him. He is a very docile pup who mostly just wants to sleep at your feet all day, even if it is on the hard floor.

First, we went right to the vet to get blood drawn since Seamus has lost some weight recently. Luckily, he is a good size for his frame now but the vet wants to make sure everything is okay! Seamus saw lots of dogs, big and small at the vet and he did a good job. He wanted to play with many of them! Every time Seamus pulled toward the new dogs in the waiting room, I said his name and he looked back, sat and took a treat out of my hand. While he loves to see and pull toward dogs, Seamus knows his name and will return and focus on his people. Seamus took these smiley photos in the examination room and greeted the vet with tail wags and kisses!

After the vet, we went to see the folks at Ruh Roh’s Pet Shoppe in Conshohocken for a bath! Seamus loved the bath and tried to drink the water most of the time! He wasn’t concerned about getting wet and even liked it for the scratches!

Seamus welcomed himself to a treat (it’s a tradition) and took this cute pic!

Be sure to follow Seamus’s journey on instagram by searching the profile @Ridgleyfosters for more photos and chronicles!