Storytellers

Seven-month-old Matty was surrendered to SWESR in October 2022 by an older couple who could no longer provide Matty the home she needed due to their developing health difficulties. Bob and Lona had lost one of their English Setters just four weeks earlier. Lona was looking at SWESR’s Facebook page when she saw Matty’s picture and she was immediately hit with the gut feeling of “that’s my dog”. This awareness was difficult, as Bob and Lona had agreed that after 30 years of marriage and a total of 6 English Setters, they would now become a one dog family. But still, the feeling, the knowledge: “that’s my dog.”

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.

Leo and Betsy have always had dogs. Betsy works in a veterinary hospital in an animal shelter, so it is no surprise that their pack consists entirely of rescued dogs. They have fostered numerous pups, including labradors going through heartworm treatment, as well as American Bulldogs. Their introduction to English Setters came when they agreed to foster a spaniel “just for a week”. The week turned into three years, and that “spaniel” was their first English Setter, a Llewellin named Taliesin (Talley, for short). They fell in love with the breed, and when Talley crossed the Rainbow Bridge Leo and Betsy discovered SWESR when looking for the next member of their family.

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.

SWESR is fortunate to have wonderful and dedicated volunteers, many of whom have been with the organization since its inception. Susan is one such volunteer, who has fostered, forever fostered, and adopted more dogs in her adult life than she can count. A dozen? Absolutely. Two dozen? Yes. Three dozen? More? Highly likely. So many have gone in and out of her home, but here are the stories of two special dogs with very different stories, both of whom made the same indelible mark on Susan’s heart.

Dolly, whose original name was Birdie, was the product of a casual backyard breeder situation. When she was 8-weeks old, her owners gave her to family friends. This new family had a fairly chaotic life. From the time of her adoption Dolly spent up to 9 hours a day completely alone. The family did have a 5-year old child, who may have been Dolly’s only consistent human companion. Overall, though, this family had no idea how to care for a dog. They were neglectful. She had minimal human interaction, no training, no veterinary visits, no preventative health care, no safety. Understandably, Dolly was bored and lonely, and she acted out accordingly. She was a wild child. She escaped from them whenever she could. She chased cars, a behavior that constantly placed her in danger.

Harvey came into rescue after being found as a wandering stray in Texas. He was brought to an animal shelter which is where SWESR found him. During Harvey’s vetting he was diagnosed as Chagas positive, so he spent some months with an experienced SWESR foster in Texas who provided him a settled home while he began Chagas treatment and could decompress from the stress of being a stray.

Sydney is a big, beautiful 12-year-old registered bench setter who came to live with us in February 2024. Sadly, Sydney’s owner had developed dementia and it became clear to her family that she could no longer care for Sydney. SWESR was asked to help find a new home for Sydney. Her breeder flew in from several states away to coordinate her transfer to our care.