When Randy and Kathy’s 15-year-old, 85-pound Irish Setter crossed the Rainbow Bridge in April 2020, they could tell their 54-pound red Setter rescue, Sorcha, was grieving her companion. The entire family wanted a second dog, and they decided to “downsize” to an English Setter.
By June 2020, Monty was ready to go to his forever home. Monty had had a rough time in rescue. He had spent the first years of his life in an outdoor kennel at a south Texas hunting ranch, where he contracted Chagas disease. He spent over a year in rescue as a foster in several homes as he went through treatment for this potentially fatal disease. The drug cocktail he had to endure was powerful, and while it ultimately healed him, Monty spent much of his time suffering from severe diarrhea, which is a side effect of the drugs.
Monty was slow to bond with his new parents. Monty was very independent and did not look to his humans for company or comfort. He clearly had no idea how to be a family dog. He did not trust people and would look at his parents with a “what are you going to do to me?” expression. Monty would pick a spot to lie down and keep to himself, but he would bark a warning when anyone came in the back door at night. He was fearful of raised hands. He hated getting wet.
Monty was unable to be groomed until Kathy bought a handleless brush that fit into her palm, as when he saw the regular brush in Kathy’s hand, he thought he was going to be hit. Even with the special brush, Monty was very afraid to lie down while being groomed, and he was extremely averse to having his collar touched. Monty had multiple indicators of a dog whose only interactions with humans before rescue were abusive ones. SWESR takes the pairing of a rescue dog with a family seriously, needing to ensure the setting is a good fit both for the dog and the humans. Randy and Kathy had extensive experience dealing with rescued dogs with issues, but even so, it took close to 24 months for Monty’s reactionary tendencies to subside.
For the first nine months, when Monty was outside, he discovered every weakness in the 6-foot perimeter fence, chewing and clawing holes in places his parents didn’t know were rotted, attempting to dig underneath the fence, looking for who knows what. He constantly looked for critters, smelling every inch of the yard. He even broke part of a wrought iron gate that had rusted. Monty wasn’t necessarily trying to escape. He was just a very curious dog, exploring his surroundings, and slowly, very slowly, learning how to be a family dog.
Monty learned a lot from his sister Sorcha. She taught him to walk, hunt, and play together. Well, they both tried to play, but neither dog really thought this was the best use of their time outside, so tandem dog playing efforts fizzled out relatively quickly. Sorcha showed Monty how to check every plant for lizards. Monty likes lizards! He learned he likes to “play” with toads, too, although it’s fairly obvious the toads aren’t having a very good time. Monty will pick up a toad gently with his soft Setter mouth, lie down in Sphinx-pose, and place the toad between his front paws, studying it intently. If it moves, he pounces!
Monty will still run the perimeter of the yard, then settle on the top step of the porch where he can survey his domain for any movement in his yard. He is very athletic, and when he sees something exciting, he will launch himself from the porch to the ground, bypassing all the stairs, to investigate.
Monty is an intelligent boy, and he was easy to train. This time together helped with bonding to his humans. Now, four years into rescue, he will frequently ask for cuddles rather than isolate himself. He follows his humans from room to room, lying underfoot in the kitchen, hoping to instigate a happy accident with delicious food possibly falling to the floor. Monty likes his food! He dances, wiggles, jumps, and barks when it’s mealtime. He even wiggles while honoring a “sit, stay” command until Kathy gives the all clear to start his meals. Crunchy foods are best; carrots and ice are special treats.
Monty still carries his history from his time before rescue inside him. He is skittish around loud noises, and even now, years after rescue, although he accepts being brushed, if a hand is raised when conversation is loud, Monty will cower as though he is going to be hit. While he loves being cuddled, he will self-isolate when stressed, such as when a thunderstorm rolls through. His parents will find Monty bunkered down in his safe space, the bathroom, wrapped around the toilet for safety.
Despite all this, Monty has developed a funny personality. When he is spoken to, he will often perk up his ears and cock his head from side to side, much like the RCA dog of yore, as he works to understand what one is saying. And while he loves his walks with his sister Sorcha, he still dislikes puddles and will engage in the most acrobatic of movements to avoid getting even a single toe wet.
Monty seeks out his parents and wants to be near them when he is inside. He enjoys sitting under his mother’s feet while she’s resting on the sofa. He craves the certainty of a schedule and now feels comfortable enough to ask for it by sitting in front of Kathy and gently putting a paw on her knee to say (depending on the hour): “time to feed dogs”, “time to go to the kitchen to fix people dinner”, or “time to put the dogs to bed”. Monty is now 8, and he’s grown into a sweet and loving boy with a soft and silky coat. Happy, loved, well-fed, and goofy, Monty is a boy who smiles routinely, but he still takes his role as watchdog seriously, barking at anyone—even family!—who enters his house through the back door.