Age: 2 years Gender: Female Color: Liver/White Weight: 32 lbs. Variety: Field-bred Petunia is stereotypically Springer in her happy demeanor, her "spring" in her step, and her desire to please and make friends. Petunia is a Springer who demonstrates a dog's zest for life. Petunia is constantly in a good mood. Whether she's being shaved down and the mats cut off, or getting a bath, or being examined at the vet's, she's a good sport. She enjoys meeting everyone, and is as friendly as they get. We thought about naming her "Dancer" as she danced with joy when she left the shelter. Petunia was found as a stray in western Montana, and unfortunately, she might have been on the road for awhile. This adorable little girl is showing her road wear. She is very, very skinny, and her coat was sunbleached, matted, and filthy. After we removed the twigs and dead bugs and burrs from her coat, she felt so much better. She got a "hack job" of a grooming, and is not as beautiful as she could be. Her nails were incredibly long, her leg was sore, and her skin was very upset. Not that you would know from her happy behavior. At the vet's, we got her taken care of. Heartworm negative, she could now get all the preventative care she needed. The vet thought she detected a murmur, and we are getting that checked out. Otherwise, Petunia was in pretty good health. She has an interesting half-length docked tail, or longer than normal. I have seen a lot of this lately. Petunia has a great appetite and should soon put on a bit more weight. She is the ultimate fieldie: petite, inquisitive, with lots of ticking. Someone's trained Petunia to be a great companion. She is SO excited to sit for a treat. It's another dance move! She scampers along the backyard and runs in circles. She rides nicely in the car and is housetrained. She doesn't seem to get into anything, but loves her rawhide chews. She gets along well with dogs and cats, and would probably love children. She is incredibly gentle and loves to be hugged and petted. Right now she is a bit anxious, and tries to herd you a bit. Once you sit down, she takes a deep sigh and lies down by your feet. She is just so sweet, it's hard to describe. She loves to look up at you with the Springer look of devotion. With what she's been through, she could come across as sad, but she is just so happy to be alive. We could all take a lesson from Petunia and greet the day with a smile like hers. Update 8-10-06: Petunia got a through work-up through the vet. They took x-rays of her heart and even sent them to a specialist for review. Her heart is slightly enlarged and she will benefit from taking Enalapril as a preventative. That costs $13.00 a month. Her heart murmur is not giving her any symptoms or audible trouble, but it will be important to watch it. Petunia's sore on her leg ended up being a wound from a BB pellet... ouch! It was treated, as were her paws that had foxtails, and a couple of other sore spots. She also has a sore hip. They took an x-ray of that, too. It is not dysplasia, but appears to be a traumatic injury that healed with some scar tissue. Petunia should avoid lots of stairs and long runs. Her energy level is very high, though, and she can get all the exercise she needs running in the yard. She acts like a pup and will play with a squeaky toy for hours. Petunia was tested with children and did wonderfully. She is a fantastic dog.