Author name: Bonnie

Southwest English Setter Rescue (SWESR) has always said we are available throughout our dogs’ lifetimes, and today’s Storyteller dog, Tilly, is living proof of that promise. She was found in a Texas shelter in 2011 as a 1-year-old stray, and she was microchipped by the shelter at that time. She was adopted and then found in the exact same shelter three years later as a 4-year-old. The person registered on Tilly’s microchip did not reclaim her. At this point she came into contact with SWESR, who pulled her from the shelter. Tilly did well in her foster home and went to her first SWESR adoptive home in August 2014.  

At the time of her adoption none of the adults worked in law enforcement, but her dad did eventually enter this field. As such, there was a police scanner that screeched and squawked at all hours of the day and night. Tilly did not react well to this and developed destructive separation and noise anxiety. The family returned Tilly to SWESR in March 2017, when she was seven.  

When John was young, he longed to have a dog, as so many boys do. His mother, who was a wonderful woman but who had no understanding of pets, said “No, the dog will just run away.” When John was a grown man, he made up for lost time, and he’s had dogs most of his adult life, primarily English Setters.
 
Major was found as a stray in 2017. He was discovered cowering next to the dead body of his canine friend on an Oklahoma highway median. Picked up by local services, he was adopted directly from the shelter by a couple who had already adopted a SWESR dog in 2014. Major was young, estimated to be about 2-years-old, and the couple weren’t sure they could handle such a young Setter. Shelter management told this couple if things didn’t work out to return Major to them. His energy was too much for their lifestyle, and Major was returned to the shelter within a month, with the couple having taken him on one long walk during that time and reporting that he was “wild on leash”. Fortunately, an experienced SWESR foster also volunteered at this shelter, and she arranged to for Major to come into SWESR rather than go back to the shelter.

In 2017, a dog owner did a very responsible thing: she acknowledged she was unable to provide the specific health care her English Setter needed, and she reached out to a friend of hers who was a long time SWESR volunteer for help. This call wasn’t as obvious as it sounds. You see, her dog came from a breeder of bench (show) Setters. Most responsible breeders, this one included, have buyers sign a contract ensuring a dog will be returned to the breeder if the owner is unable to keep them. This dog owner was honest with the breeder that she had contacted SWESR for help with her dog. Several other English Setter owners also contacted the breeder to vouch for SWESR as a reputable and responsible rescue organization that would absolutely ensure the best outcome for this dog. The breeder was persuaded, allowing almost two-year old Riley to come into rescue.