From Foster to Forever

Sweet and gentle Mya came into rescue about 3 months ago as an owner surrender to an animal shelter. Mya and her sister had been expected to become hunting dogs, which they both failed to do. Mya is about 22 months old now, and she still has some puppy behaviors such as chewing.
Personality-wise Mya is exceptionally soft and sensitive. With her background and her gentle spirit, any training she receives must be provided with patience, kindness, and gentleness. Taking a training class with her new parent as a bonding experience would be welcome. She is submissive and takes correction from other dogs well. Her foster mother says Mya is the most dog friendly pup she has ever known. She will get along with any dog, anywhere. She is “all happiness and sweetness, without any meanness whatsoever”. Mya is gentle with an older and frail dog in her foster home, but she also plays rough with a younger, active dog in the household.

If dogs could talk, Taco Dogler would have quite a story to tell. We know he was abandoned from a hunting ranch in Idaho and found with a crushed crate on the side of a road. We are so thankful for the good Samaritans who found him and brought him into rescue!

It’s pretty clear Taco didn’t receive any training in his former life, but he has done brilliantly learning how to live indoors and display house manners. He is now house trained and has learned some basic commands. Taco free roams his foster home without chewing or damaging any of the property. Because he was dumped in a crate, his foster parents have not addressed crate training with him at all. 

Meet Alfie, the 4-year-old, 55 pound dog who was the recent subject of SWESR’s “Guess the DNA Profile” game. His genetic results are in and Alfie is 60% herding dog, almost 20% hound dog, with the rest a mix of breeds you’d expect from a state which lacks significant spay/neuter support for the public. What this means for us is that Alfie is a 100% SWESR good boy, and he’s ready for his forever home. He currently lives in Texas, but he’s willing to relocate for the right parents!

There are few things this writer enjoys more than a really good mystery: a whodunnit, a whydunnit, and a howdunnit. But I’ve come across a mystery I can’t solve, and I, on behalf of SWESR, need your help to get it resolved.

Why hasn’t Sampson found his forever home yet?

On-line matching the SWESR way!

Today’s handsome gentleman: BOWIE

Bowie’s vital statistics for your consideration:

Age: A dapper and dandy 9 years old

Fur Coloring:  Chestnut brown with a kiss of cinnamon and maple syrup (he’s very sweet!), and white

Eyes:  Soulful brown, watchful and observant

Pedigree:  Field Setter

Star sign:  The Lover (all day, every day), of belly rubs, exploring the backyard, but most importantly HIS HUMAN!

Barbara Woof-Woof Interviews SWESR Luna, Field Setter, who is looking for her forever home.

BWW: Luna, thanks for sitting down with us today so your public can get to know you better. You sit so beautifully!

Luna: Thank you, Barbara, yes, I do very well with Sit and Stay commands. I’m also house-trained and am not a picky eater.

BWW: You do look slightly … Rubenesque.

Luna:  I am a full-figured, 6-year-old female. I celebrate my curves, but if my veterinarian really thinks I should become more svelte, I’m happy to go on long walks or run around a backyard to get my exercise. I also adore my plush toys, and it’s such fun when I discover one of them has a squeaker! 

Twelve-year-old Almondine and her 6-year-old son Edgar lived in a backyard with an elderly couple who became unable to care for them. Almondine was a hunting dog when she was younger, but she was also used as a backyard breeder. Edgar never hunted, and both dogs spent the last 6 years with increasing time alone due to the failing health of their owner. Family intervened and their owner finally realized he was unable to care for them. When they were rescued in the spring of 2025, the date for their euthanasia had already been booked by the family. They were that close to death.
 

Augie is going to evolve into a genuinely spectacular dog for the right adopter. His previous owner told a rescuer “come get this dog, or I’m going to shoot him.” Needless to say, SWESR stepped up for Augie quickly.
 
We estimate him to be 5-years-old, and Augie is a big boy at 70lbs. He was an outdoor dog and neglected, so it says a lot of good things about Augie that he is doing as well as he is, learning to live indoors with rules he has to follow. He is sweet, affectionate, and very eager to please.

Three-year-old Nelson had an unstable start in life. What is known of his history is that an owner of his moved away and, viewing Nelson as expendable, simply left him as a stray in the neighborhood. A Good Samaritan in the neighborhood took care of Nelson for several months, but was moving and was unable to take Nelson with him. ortunately, he contacted SWESR, who were able to place Nelson in a loving foster home, where he is now.

In late November 2023 Kris came into rescue as one of three English Setters owner surrendered to an Oklahoma municipal shelter. This particular shelter works with SWESR volunteers, and they called an experienced SWESR foster, Deb, to pick up the dogs.
 
All three dogs were in rough shape. They were underweight. Their skin was terrible, and Deb knew they would never be adopted looking as bad as they did. The plan was for the dogs to be boarded, as there were no available foster homes with immediate openings for three pups.