SWESR Tammy spent the first 9 months of her life living in a setting created by one of the worst
sorts of human anyone involved in dog rescue can imagine. Her owner was a puppy miller who
sold dogs to wholesalers. When the wholesaler stopped buying his puppies, the owner simply
hoarded them. Nine of his dogs were rescued in 2019 and became known as the Junction 9.
Horrifically, this reprehensible man continued to hoard dogs, and in 2020 seventeen more
Setters were rescued from him (the Junction Jazz), then six more in 2021. Tammy was a part of
the Junction 9.

Tammy and the rest of the dogs were kept in outside pens. They were filthy, and all of them had
parasites. All were at least 5 pounds underweight. Eight of the 9 pups were anemic and most
had painful ear infections. One had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, a tick-borne disease.
SWESR ensures all its rescued dogs are spayed or neutered, but these dogs were in such poor health that their surgeries had to be delayed so they could gain weight and be treated for their ailments just to ensure they were healthy enough for surgery.

Due to the number of dogs rescued at one time and the need for immediate veterinary care, the
Junction 9 dogs were placed in a boarding facility prior to finding individual foster homes from
which they could be adopted. These dogs had no social skills, no socialization with humans, and
were so shy and fearful of people and new situations that some had to be carried into the vet’s office. They had never been on a leash, worn a collar, or set one paw indoors.
This is the life Tammy was born into.

At the same time, animal lover Kathleen was living in Montana with four rescued English Setters (and a few rescued cats). She called her animal family The Zoo. Kathleen followed English Setter rescue online. She had seen the Junction 9 on social media, and one day she saw a video of Tammy Wynette, one member of the Junction 9 who hadn’t yet been adopted. Tammy’s situation tugged at Kathleen’s heart, and although she didn’t technically “need” another Setter, Kathleen contacted SWESR. She was ready to adopt Tammy immediately, eager to let this dog know she was loved by more than just her foster mom.

After interviewing Kathleen and completing a home visit, SWESR and Tammy’s foster mother had no doubt Kathleen would be an excellent mom to Tammy. She was a caring, knowledgeable, and experienced Setter owner. But there were concerns: could one person handle five dogs, one being under a year old? After many conversations and a lot of logistics, Tammy’s adoption to Kathleen was approved. Early in August 2019, Tammy and Kathleen each boarded a plane in their respective states and flew to Seattle to meet. Eighteen long hours later, Kathleen and Tammy arrived home to Montana.

Kathleen’s four Setters, all boys, were fast asleep on her bed. Tammy introduced herself by leaping onto the bed and snuggling in between all of them. They were a bit surprised by this newcomer, but they welcomed her without a growl or a groan, and they nestled around her as if they knew she was theirs to protect. From that night forward, the boys all loved Tammy, especially Miles. He was a big boy, weighing 80 pounds, whereas Tammy weighed about 30 pounds. Miles was very sweet and tender with his little sister, and she brought out his remaining playfulness, despite his being sick with late-stage cancer. Tammy blossomed with The Zoo, and her brothers delighted in teaching her how to play, letting Tammy get away with anything, including taking bones out of their mouths! To this day, Tammy will still plop herself on top of Kipper, the last remaining of those four, jumping on top of him whenever he is sleeping, draping her entire body across his back. Sweet Kipper never objects, and they are totally devoted to each other.

Tammy’s favorite thing to do is run. She is a girl after her mom’s heart, who also loves the freedom of running, but who cannot keep up with TamTam! If allowed to, there is little doubt that Tammy would run for 20 hours a day, pausing only to eat or snuggle. Indeed, she has tried to keep such hours, but her mom makes her nourish and rest. With ears flying and nose to the ground, she runs like the wind in her fully fenced yard and at her grandparents’ yard (making sure to dip in the neighbor’s pond, which they love to see). She also adores rolling in grass and snow. It’s as if Tammy reminds herself daily that she is FREE from what once was back in Junction.

Tammy truly greets every day with joy, excitement, and love. No wonder Kathleen finds that she is a better person since being blessed with becoming “TamTam’s mom”. Kathleen will be forever grateful to the dedicated SWESR volunteers whose efforts and decisions saved her perfect and sweet girl. She will always consider Tammy’s foster mom, Carla, an angel for fostering little Tammy and then bidding her farewell so that she could come to Kathleen and The Zoo.

Kathleen tells Tammy multiple times a day how “perfect, sweet, and beautiful” she is, and as she tucks her into bed at the end of the day, she always whispers into TamTam’s ear, “Did I tell you enough today just how much I love you? I hope so, my teeny peach. Sweet dreams, mommy loves you.” And Tammy loves Kathleen right back.