We got Moose in September of 2018, from a really nice breeder, Brad Sunderland of Upland Meadows Springer Spaniels. Moose is by far the sweetest, most personable dog we have ever owned. He is very calm and very personable. I think he would have been a really great bird dog, except for one thing that was mostly the result of bad luck. No sooner did we get Moose and I became very ill with heart problems. I was laid up for almost a year, and that is the prime time for bird dog training. I had open heart surgery in 2019, and am doing a lot better but my mobility has been impaired. I really can’t keep up with a bird dog in the field any more, so for the foreseeable future, bird hunting is off the table. But that’s OK, since we still do lots of training, and work with dummies and the tennis ball. Moose gets a LOT of exercise and really is a solid mass of muscle. He really thrives at the dog park! We make sure he is still living his best life.
Ever since Chancey passed away, Moose has really come into his own personality. We never realized how much of Chancey’s neuroses he was mirroring. As an example when Chancey was alive, she was deathly afraid of thunder, and Moose would also be frightened and trembling every time it thundered. Now, however, thunder hardly fazes his at all. He is definitely a different dog now.
Moose is a dog that is universally loved wherever he goes. If he is not winning people over with his good looks, he wins them over with his extremely friendly demeanor. He has a face that you just want to squeeze, and his tail never stops wagging. He travels well in the car, he listens really well, and he never runs off, he always sticks close by. Moose turns six this year (2024) and we are actively shopping for another dog to be his pal.
