Phillip was five years old when he came into rescue. He’d been a family dog, but his family wanted more from him than companionship. He’d failed hunting school twice, and his family determined he didn’t fit into their idea of what they wanted from a dog. Thankfully, they contacted SWESR so Phillip could find a home who would love him for who he is, and not for who they wanted him to be.

Phillip’s current family already had one SWESR dog, Millie, and they agreed to foster him until a permanent home could be found. In the 2018 Thanksgiving season, Phillip began his journey away from all he’d ever known, through transport with kind strangers. At last he found himself in the back of a station wagon with his new foster mom and her daughter in the front seat. Their car hadn’t even made it back onto the freeway from the parking lot before he’d crawled up to the front of the car and into his foster mom’s lap. As she cuddled him, she noticed tears streaming down his face. Soon, their tears joined his, and it was immediately apparent to his human sister that Phillip was going to be a “foster fail”.

All 50-pounds of Phillip didn’t move from his mom’s lap during the four-hour drive home. His family had moved a few months earlier and 8-year-old Millie was still experiencing anxiety over the move. As soon as Phillip arrived she calmed down and returned to her happy self. This new property had several large fenced in areas, including one that is an acre in size, and Phillip would get the zoomies: running through the house, around the yard, back into the house, jumping over Millie, sprinting down hallways, expressing his joy physically. Millie would give looks that said “Mom, little brother is annoying me!” but she loved him all the same. Within two weeks, his mom, who was trying to hold on to her commitment as a foster parent, agreed with her husband and daughter that Phillip had found his forever home.

A new family was born.

Phillip is a complete lover boy, and his family understood why he didn’t make a good hunting dog. His human sister’s nickname for him is Marshmallow. He would rather sit in your lap than anything else. He adores his toys. Phillip’s toy box is in the living room, and it can take him several minutes to dig through the box to find just the toy he wants to play with at that particular moment in time. He then tosses it around, hoping someone else will want to join in his fun.

Phillip is a real-deal Velcro dog. From his first minutes in the car after transport, when he refused to leave his mom’s lap, to now, six years later, Phillip wants to be wherever you are: in the bathroom (he knows how to open barn doors), the kitchen, the bedroom, or the workshop, often standing or sitting right next to your feet. His parents woodwork as a hobby, and Phillip will lay in the sawdust, right next to them. This mostly white dog can turn brown from the sawdust, which he sometimes nibbles for a delicious snack, and he needs to be blown off with the air compressor before returning to the house. Even at the groomer’s he won’t stay in a kennel (he knows how to open those latches, too), so he stays right next to her as she works on other dogs.

Phillip has slowed down a bit, as many 11-year-old Setters will do. Millie has crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but he has a new SWESR sister, Lucy, who keeps him company. He still gets the zoomies and runs around his yard, chasing anything and everything, just at a slower pace than he did initially. Phillip loves it when people come to visit, including the grandkids. He knows in his heart that any visitors to the house are really there to see him, and he acts accordingly.

Phillip has now been diagnosed with a form of dog dementia. He sundowns at night and used to pace and be unable to settle. Fortunately, there are now medications that can help with this behavior, so dogs and their humans can get some rest. Despite his age and cognitive impairment, Phillip is a happy boy, and he is dearly loved.

Phillip has been such a joy to his family. They are so thankful for SWESR’s work to bring dogs from shelters, or hunting ranches, or strays with unknown histories, to their loving forever homes!