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.