Solomon’s story really begins with a Setter named Harry. Martie and her husband had adopted Harry from a North Carolina shelter during the Pandemic. They had recently lost their elder dog and felt their lives were simply not complete without a dog with whom to share it. Harry proved to be quite a handful and seemed to have enough energy for three dogs, so Martie decided that he needed a friend to romp with. Smitten with English Setters, Martie brought home an eight week old female puppy. She named her Ginsburg. Raising a puppy with energetic Harry kept Martie quite busy, but nevertheless, life was good.
Sad news came a few months later, when Ginsburg was five or six months old. Martie learned that Harry had cancer. She and her husband were devastated, but they were committed to Harry, and with treatment and their loving care, he lived well for another year.
Time passed and helped to ease the pain but they missed Harry, and Ginsburg seemed lost without him. And so, once again, Martie began the search for another English Setter to share their home. One day, while searching the SWESR website, she was astounded to see a dog who looked just like Harry! His name was Solomon and he was six years old. Though not much was known about his early life, SWESR did know that Solomon had been living with a family who had no time for him. He was kept in the backyard and had little contact with the family. Martie knew Setters are people dogs and do not do well left entirely alone. Solomon had been surrendered in February and was then in foster care in Oklahoma. Martie wasted no time contacting SWESR and beginning the adoption process.
July 2, 2022 was a very exciting day for Martie and her husband as they began the drive from their Georgia home to pick up Solomon in Memphis. How he arrived there is a story in itself: he had been driven there by a phenomenal team of volunteer drivers facilitated by SWESR’s Transport Coordinator, Caryn. The first driver picked up Solomon from his foster home and drove about 1-1/2 hours to meet the next driver. Solomon was transferred to their car and the process repeated. Five drivers formed a relay to get Solomon to Memphis! When Martie and her husband arrived, they noticed that Solomon had seemed a bit perplexed by all the different cars and so many new people, but he seemed to have an easygoing nature and “just rolled with it”. They arrived back home to Georgia without incident.
As Solomon began to explore his new home and settle in, he was also being potty trained and learning house rules. Martie soon noticed that Ginsburg seemed delighted with him, and he was clearly enchanted by her.
These days, Solomon and Ginsburg are inseparable. Their days begin with tummy rubs and full body massages. After breakfast, Martie, her husband, and the dogs head out to do a bit of chipmunk hunting on their large property. They go on multi-mile hikes daily and occasionally go out to a small island where they can run off leash to their hearts’ content. When Martie and her husband have to be away all day, their neighbor, Bruce, will come by to keep the dogs company. An octogenarian who loves dogs but no longer has one of his own, Bruce is Solomon and Ginsburg’s best couch buddy.
Martie thinks every family should have an English Setter rescue dog. Solomon has made their family complete and gives purpose to their lives. She also thinks the top winner is Ginsburg, who has found her very best pal. As for Solomon, after so many years of neglect, he at long last has found his forever home where he will always be cared for and loved.
End Note: No wonder Solomon looked so much like Harry. DNA testing showed that Harry and Solomon did in fact have a common ancestor in their background!